Goodbye air fryer: new kitchen gadget that replaces 9 appliances divides home cooks and chefs alike

The first time I clocked one, it looked as though a chunky Bluetooth speaker had collided with a mini oven and decided to live on the worktop. No basket. No clattery drawer. Just a glossy cube, quietly whirring away in the corner of a small London flat.

In the TikTok clip, the creator practically staged a break-up: she waved her air fryer goodbye, then fussed over this new machine like it was a pet. The comments section split instantly. “That’s just a fancy oven.” “No, it’s a lifesaver - you don’t get it.” The algorithm did what it does, the brand name shot up overnight, and before long food writers and chefs were fielding the same question: is this the end of the air fryer era? The claim is loud - one device to replace nine gadgets - but the truth is a bit messier.

Something is changing in UK kitchens, and not everyone is keen on the direction.

From air fryer darling to 9‑in‑1 multi-cooker takeover

The air fryer rose on a simple, persuasive pitch: crispy food with less oil, quicker than the oven, without turning the whole place into a sauna. Straightforward to explain, easy to sell.

The newer wave of 9‑in‑1 countertop oven and smart cooker hybrids arrives with a far longer list of talents: air fry, steam, slow cook, grill, toast, bake, dehydrate, sous‑vide - and on some models, pressure cook too. It’s a lot to take in before you’ve even plugged it in. Still, spend five minutes in any home-cooking group and you’ll see the pattern: air fryers being sidelined, donated, or shoved into a cupboard, while one multi-purpose box quietly claims the prime spot on the worktop.

Take Emma, 34, in a cramped Manchester flat with a galley kitchen barely wider than the fridge. Last winter she had an air fryer, bread maker, rice cooker, smoothie blender and slow cooker stacked like Tetris on a single shelf. “Every time I wanted to cook, I had to move something to the sofa,” she jokes in a viral Instagram Reel. When a friend showed her a 9‑in‑1 countertop oven, she assumed it would be another bulky mistake. Two months later she posted a photo of a half-empty shelf: “Goodbye air fryer, hello one box to rule them all.” The old gadgets? Sold on Vinted over a weekend.

Manufacturers aren’t guessing - they’re responding. Energy prices are up, living space is tight, and people increasingly want fewer appliances that do more. Preheating a full-size oven can feel like overkill for a solo dinner; single-use devices (the egg cooker, the popcorn maker) start to look silly when every cupboard is already full. A multi-cooker promises the sweet spot: targeted heat like an air fryer, broader flexibility like an oven, and (in the right model) time savings closer to a pressure cooker.

Chefs tend to be split for good reasons. The engineering is genuinely smart, but the marketing sometimes reads like a magic trick. One device won’t do nine jobs perfectly - yet for a lot of weeknight meals, “fast and good enough” often beats “perfect and fiddly”.

How a 9‑in‑1 countertop oven actually changes the way you cook

Cooking with an all-in-one box feels different to using a classic air fryer. Instead of shaking a basket and hoping everything crisps evenly, you choose a mode the way you’d choose a playlist: steam‑crisp, grill, roast, bake, slow cook or pressure cook. Many models hold your hand with on-screen prompts: add water, flip the food, open the vent. You can load in chicken and potatoes, tap an automatic programme, and the machine will move from pressure cook to air‑crisp without you touching a thing.

The real, practical shift is simple: on a random Tuesday, your big oven stays cold while the worktop machine becomes the default.

There is a learning curve, and this is where plenty of people bounce off. They unbox it, stare at the buttons, feel overwhelmed by all the modes, and end up using air fry only - then complain it’s “just a big air fryer”. If you’ve ever felt guilty about an appliance gathering dust, you’re in good company. The people who genuinely replace nine gadgets usually share one habit: they commit to learning one new function each week. Week one: pressure cook a stew. Week two: steam vegetables. Week three: grill halloumi instead of using a frying pan. Gradually, the rice cooker and slow cooker become redundant simply because you stop reaching for them.

Cleaning and maintenance also shape whether the swap sticks. A glossy cube looks tidy on the worktop, but drip trays, crisping racks and lids still need washing, and steam modes can leave condensation if you don’t dry the chamber afterwards. In practice, the “one machine replaces everything” promise works best when you treat it like an oven: wipe it down little and often, keep the accessories together, and don’t let grease build up (because it will affect both performance and smell).

Placement matters in typical UK kitchens, too. Many renters are working with limited sockets, cramped counters and not much ventilation. These machines can kick out heat and steam, so giving them a bit of breathing space - and not shoving them under a low cupboard - makes day-to-day use easier and safer. Noise is part of the deal as well: fans and pressure release aren’t silent, so if you cook in an open-plan flat, that hum becomes part of your evening soundtrack.

“As a chef, I don’t believe one tool can be perfect for every technique,” says London‑based chef consultant Marco Bellini. “But in a tiny flat with a single plug and no ventilation, I’ll take a 7 out of 10 for nine jobs over a 10 out of 10 for just one.”

• Begin with the modes that replace your most-used gadgets (rice cooker, toaster, air fryer) before you bother with the more advanced programmes.
• Stick a basic cheat sheet on the fridge: time and temperature for three go-to meals you genuinely cook.
• Make practical swaps: if it fitted in your old air fryer basket, it will sit on the crisping tray; if it used to live in the slow cooker, test it on slow cook or pressure.
• Accept that some specialist gadgets still win (a proper espresso machine, a high-end blender) and that’s completely fine.
• Let’s be honest: nobody reads the entire manual cover to cover every single day.

The kitchen identity crisis nobody admits to

There’s a quieter reason these machines trigger such strong opinions: it isn’t only about cooking - it’s about identity. The air fryer offered a neat story: you’re the savvy home cook who can hack dinner in 15 minutes. The 9‑in‑1 device tells a different one: you’re the minimalist with a single smart box who can roast, steam and bake with confidence. Some chefs flinch because it blurs the boundary between craft and convenience. Some parents love it because dinner happens with fewer pans, fewer dishes and less chaos. Either way, it shows how emotionally loaded our worktops have become.

It also reflects a generational shift. Younger renters stuck with ageing, unpredictable ovens lean on countertop power because it’s consistent. Empty-nesters downsizing to smaller homes don’t want cupboards packed with heavy gadgets that need cleaning and looking after. Energy-conscious households like the fact these machines often use less electricity than heating a full-size oven just to cook one tray of food. On the other hand, serious bakers grumble about uneven browning on delicate pastries, and barbecue purists rightly laugh at the idea that “grill mode” can replace actual flames. Depending on what you cook, both sides have a point.

So the better question isn’t “Is this the end of the air fryer?” It’s closer to: “What sort of cook do you want your kitchen to support?” If you love ritual - cast iron, slow preheats, doing things the traditional way - a multi-cooker may always remain a back-up. If you live in a studio flat and the oven is basically extra storage, it may become the main act. No brand can design a single box that solves taste, time, space and money for everyone simultaneously - but it can push you to decide, very practically, which tools you truly use and which ones you’re keeping out of habit.

Key point	Detail	Value for the reader
Space and clutter	One 9‑in‑1 unit can realistically replace 3–5 everyday gadgets for many households	Helps you choose what to keep, sell or donate before the kitchen becomes unmanageable
Learning curve	Learning one new mode per week turns it from a “big air fryer” into a genuine multi-tool	Makes the purchase worth it rather than letting it sit unused on the worktop
Cooking style	Brilliant for quick, family-style meals; less suited to high-precision baking and specialist tasks	Lets you judge whether it fits your real daily cooking rather than the marketing fantasy

FAQ

• Question 1: Can one 9‑in‑1 gadget really replace nine separate appliances?
  Answer 1: In marketing terms, yes. In real homes, most people use it to replace three to six gadgets they actually relied on - typically the air fryer, toaster, rice cooker and slow cooker. Specialist kit such as a high-end blender or espresso machine usually stays.

• Question 2: Is food from a 9‑in‑1 as crispy as from a normal air fryer?
  Answer 2: For chips, nuggets and vegetables, most users report very similar crispiness, particularly on models with strong top heat and a decent fan. The biggest difference is capacity: many multi-cookers hold more at once, so you may need a quick shake or a tray rotation.

• Question 3: Does this kind of gadget really save energy?
  Answer 3: For small to medium meals, yes - you’re heating a compact chamber and often cooking faster. For big-batch baking or large roasts, a full-size oven can still be more efficient per portion. The largest savings usually come from skipping long oven preheats.

• Question 4: Is it safe to pressure cook and air fry in the same machine?
  Answer 4: Certified models are designed specifically for that combination, with safety valves, locking lids and automatic pressure-release systems. The main risk is user error rather than a design flaw: follow the maximum fill lines and use enough liquid when pressure cooking to stay within the intended limits.

• Question 5: Should I buy one if I already love my air fryer?
  Answer 5: If your air fryer is constantly in use and your oven feels redundant, upgrading makes sense only if you also want to ditch other appliances like the slow cooker or rice cooker. If you mainly air fry and toast, what you already have may be the sweet spot.