The air fryer sits like a little spaceship on the corner of the counter, its once-shiny basket now dulled by crumbs and forgotten enthusiasm. A year ago, it was the hero of weeknight dinners, the star of TikTok recipes, the promise of crispy fries with zero guilt. Today, it’s half toaster, half dust collector, humming maybe twice a week on a good run.
Scroll any social feed and the next “must-have” kitchen upgrade is already here: a bulky, multi-mode wonder boasting nine cooking methods and a price tag to match. Steamer, grill, oven, dehydrator, yogurt maker, air fryer 2.0 – all packed into one sleek cube.
You can almost hear the collective sigh from power outlets everywhere.
The question hanging over this new hype feels uncomfortably familiar.
From miracle machine to expensive clutter
The new generation of multi-cookers promises to do everything the air fryer did, and more. Brands shout about nine-in-one functions, touchscreen presets, and “chef-level results” at home. The marketing videos are seductive: golden chicken, bubbling lasagna, shiny veg gleaming under studio lights.
On paper, it sounds like the logical next step after the air fryer boom. A single gadget that grills, steams, roasts, bakes, sears, reheats, dehydrates, slow cooks, and air fries. In reality, many experts say we’re walking straight into the same trap.
Talk to home cooks and you start hearing the same story. Sophie, 37, bought one of these nine-function giants after her air fryer “changed her life” during lockdown. She used every function during the first week, proudly posting on Instagram: salmon on Monday, banana chips on Tuesday, a whole chicken on Wednesday.
Three months later, she admits she mostly presses one button. “I use air fry and reheat,” she laughs. “The rest? I’ve forgotten the settings. I still bake cakes in the oven and boil pasta on the stove.”
That’s exactly what annoys kitchen experts. They see families handing over £250 or more for a machine that often duplicates what they already own: an oven, a stovetop, maybe even a slow cooker or steamer. Energy-efficiency claims are often exaggerated, and lifespan can be surprisingly short compared with solid pans or a reliable oven.
Let’s be honest: nobody really uses nine cooking methods on a busy Tuesday night. Over time, the “wow” factor fades, the presets feel fiddly, and the so-called revolution becomes just another appliance hogging valuable counter space.
The new “must-have” that quietly drains your wallet
If you’re tempted by this shiny all-in-one, experts suggest doing a simple, unglamorous exercise first. For one week, write down everything you actually cook, and how. Roast vegetables in the oven? Stir-fry on the hob? Toast in the grill? Reheating leftovers in a pan? At the end of the week, circle the cooking methods you used more than three times.
That list is your true everyday kitchen. *Not the fantasy Sunday-brunch-with-friends version – the real one when you’re tired and late and half scrolling on your phone while dinner sputters away.*
The emotional pull is strong. We’ve all been there, that moment when you’re watching a video of someone pulling out perfect, glossy ribs from a futuristic gadget and thinking, “Maybe I’d cook like that too if I had this.” Marketers know that feeling well. They sell not just the device, but the promise of a calmer, more organised, more impressive version of you.
What rarely appears in the ad is the learning curve, the extra cleaning time, the trial-and-error with undercooked veg or rubbery fish, and the silent calculation of energy bills when the novelty wears off.
This is where experts are starting to speak more bluntly. For many households, that nine-function unit is closer to a luxury toy than a real necessity. If you already own a decent oven and a couple of pans, the overlap is huge. The so-called energy savings often apply only in very specific scenarios, not across everyday cooking.
One plain-truth sentence that keeps coming back from consumer advisers: **a gadget that replaces nothing and changes little is just an expensive ornament.** When you strip away the shiny interface, what’s left are basic cooking techniques you can already do with tools you probably own.
How to resist the hype and protect your kitchen (and budget)
There’s a calmer way to approach this new wave of kitchen tech. Before buying, pick three meals you actually cook often – not aspirational recipes. For each one, ask: does this new gadget cook it faster, better, or cheaper than what I use now? If you can’t clearly answer yes to at least two of those, experts say you’re likely paying for marketing, not real improvement.
Another tip: borrow before you buy. Many office kitchens, neighbours, or relatives already own one of these machines and barely use it. Cooking with a borrowed unit for a weekend will tell you far more than any influencer reel.
One common mistake is assuming that more presets means more ease. In reality, too many options can freeze you. Instead of throwing veg on a tray and sliding it into the oven, you stand in front of a glowing screen wondering if “roast”, “grill”, “air crisp” or “combo” is the right choice. That hesitation costs time and energy.
Experts also warn about the space tax. A large countertop gadget pushes other tools into cupboards where they get ignored. The gadget you hoped would simplify your life sometimes complicates it, just by getting in the way of your natural cooking habits.
Many professionals sound almost protective when they talk about this trend. They see families cutting back on fresh ingredients to afford a machine that does nothing their pans and oven can’t do.
“People tell me they can’t justify buying decent knives or good-quality olive oil because they’ve just invested in a ‘smart cooker’,” says one London-based nutritionist. “Yet their everyday meals haven’t improved at all. The money went into the shell, not the substance.”
- Ask what it truly replaces – If it doesn’t let you sell, donate, or store away at least one other big appliance, that’s a warning sign.
- Check your real usage
- Count every cost – purchase price, electricity, cleaning time, counter space, repairs.
- Start with skills, not machines – a sharp knife and a good pan unlock more recipes than any nine-mode cube.
- Wait 30 days – if you still think about it after a month, the wish may be genuine rather than impulsive.
Maybe the next big thing is… no big thing at all
There’s a quiet counter-movement happening in kitchens right now. After years of chasing the next device – spiralizers, juicers, stand mixers, air fryers, and now multi-mode towers – some people are stepping back. They’re pulling their heavy pots out of storage, learning one or two solid pan techniques, and finding that dinner suddenly feels less stressful, not more.
A lot of experts agree: the era of the air fryer taught us something. We learned how quickly a “game-changer” can become just another plug. The new nine-function machines risk repeating the story, only with higher prices and bigger promises. That doesn’t mean nobody should ever buy one. For a small flat with no oven, or for someone with limited mobility, this kind of device can be incredibly useful.
The real shift might be this simple: start from your life, not from the ad. Look at your kitchen the way an outside observer would. Which tools are always out, always used, never dusty? Which ones make you feel calmer when you cook? Those are the quiet heroes – often basic, often unbranded, rarely viral.
**Maybe the end of the air fryer era isn’t about abandoning gadgets altogether, but about refusing to let them define how we eat.** The next time a glowing cube promises to be the answer to everything, it might be worth pausing, opening the cupboard, and asking the question out loud: do I really need another box, or do I just need a better way to use what I already have?
| Key point | Detail | Value for the reader |
|---|---|---|
| Question the nine-in-one promise | Most households regularly use only two or three functions at best | Helps avoid paying for features that will sit untouched |
| Start from your real habits | Track one week of actual cooking before buying anything | Reveals whether a gadget solves real problems or just sells a dream |
| Prioritise skills over machines | Basic tools plus a few reliable techniques outlast trends | Saves money while genuinely improving everyday meals |
FAQ:
- Are these new nine-function cookers better than an air fryer?Not automatically. They offer more modes, but many people end up using them mostly as a glorified air fryer or mini-oven, which rarely justifies the higher price.
- Do multi-mode gadgets really save energy?Sometimes, for small portions or quick reheats. For larger meals or long cooking times, the savings can shrink or disappear compared with a standard oven or hob.
- What should I own before thinking about a multi-cooker?A decent pan, a sturdy pot, a sharp knife, and a reliable oven or hob cover most daily needs. Once those are in place, you can see if any gap truly remains.
- Is there anyone who genuinely benefits from these devices?Yes: people with very limited space, no access to a full oven, or mobility issues that make bending or lifting heavy pans difficult can find them extremely useful.
- How do I avoid impulse-buying the next trendy gadget?Use a 30-day rule, borrow or test a friend’s device, and only buy if it clearly replaces something bulky or genuinely improves a meal you cook every week.
