Last Tuesday night, I stood in my kitchen staring at two machines that couldn’t have looked more different. My trusty air fryer sat humming away, doing what it always did—turning frozen fries into something crispy and edible. Next to it, a sleek new kitchen gadget blinked quietly with nine little icons across its display: air fry, steam, grill, bake, sauté, slow cook, pressure cook, dehydrate, reheat.
My sister had dropped it off earlier that week, insisting I “just try it for a month.” I’d rolled my eyes. Another kitchen gadget promising to change my life? I’d heard that song before.
But as I watched those frozen fries tumble around in their familiar dance, something clicked. This wasn’t about replacing one appliance with another. This was about rethinking how we cook entirely.
When One Button Isn’t Enough Anymore
Air fryers transformed kitchens by doing one thing brilliantly: making crispy food with less oil. But after years of chicken wings and reheated pizza, many home cooks are hitting the same wall I did. The novelty wears off when you realize you’re essentially running a very loud, very hot fan over everything you eat.
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This new kitchen gadget revolution isn’t just about adding more buttons to the same concept. It’s about creating a single machine that can handle the way we actually want to cook—not just frying, but steaming vegetables, slow-cooking stews, grilling proteins, and yes, still making those crispy fries when we need them.
“I see customers buying air fryers, using them intensely for three months, then letting them collect dust,” says Maria Rodriguez, a kitchen appliance retailer in Phoenix. “The 9-in-1 models keep people engaged because there’s always something new to try.”
The shift makes perfect sense when you think about counter space. Most of us don’t have room for nine separate appliances, but we do have needs that go far beyond just making things crispy.
What This New Kitchen Gadget Actually Does
The magic isn’t in the marketing—it’s in the engineering. These multicookers combine different heating methods and pressure systems into one compact unit. Here’s what you’re actually getting:
- Air Frying: The classic hot air circulation for crispy textures
- Steam Cooking: Gentle, moist heat perfect for vegetables and fish
- Pressure Cooking: Fast, intense cooking that cuts time dramatically
- Slow Cooking: Low, steady heat for stews and tough cuts of meat
- Grilling: High-heat cooking with grill marks and charred flavors
- Baking: Even heat distribution for breads and casseroles
- Sautéing: Quick, high-heat cooking in oils or fats
- Dehydrating: Low heat with air circulation for jerky and dried fruits
- Reheating: Gentle warming without overcooking
| Cooking Method | Best For | Typical Time |
|---|---|---|
| Air Fry | Fries, wings, frozen foods | 8-15 minutes |
| Pressure Cook | Rice, beans, tough meats | 10-45 minutes |
| Steam | Vegetables, fish, dumplings | 5-20 minutes |
| Slow Cook | Stews, roasts, soups | 2-8 hours |
| Grill | Steaks, burgers, vegetables | 6-25 minutes |
The real breakthrough isn’t just having nine options—it’s how they work together. You can sauté onions, add ingredients, then switch to pressure cooking for a complete meal without transferring anything to different pots.
“The learning curve is surprisingly gentle,” explains chef Tom Mitchell, who tests kitchen equipment professionally. “Most people master two or three functions quickly, then gradually explore the rest.”
Why Your Kitchen Counter Might Never Look the Same
The impact goes beyond just cooking methods. This new kitchen gadget is quietly solving the appliance sprawl problem that’s been driving home cooks crazy for years.
Take my neighbor Dave, who’s been collecting kitchen gadgets like some people collect vinyl records. His counter used to host an air fryer, slow cooker, rice cooker, and toaster oven—four separate machines doing jobs that one multicooker now handles. He freed up three feet of counter space and reduced his monthly electricity bill by running one efficient machine instead of four energy hogs.
The environmental math is compelling too. Manufacturing one versatile appliance instead of buying multiple single-purpose machines reduces packaging, shipping, and electronic waste. When one machine can replace four or five others, the sustainability impact adds up quickly.
But perhaps the most significant change is psychological. When you have nine cooking options at your fingertips, meal planning becomes more creative and less routine. The “what’s for dinner?” question gets more interesting answers.
“I’ve been cooking more variety in the past two months than I did in the previous year,” admits Sarah Chen, a working mom from Portland. “When everything is just a button press away, you start experimenting more.”
The Real Test: Does It Actually Replace Your Air Fryer?
Here’s where things get practical. Air fryers excel at speed and simplicity. Toss in food, set timer, get crispy results. The learning curve is basically nonexistent.
These new kitchen gadgets require a bit more thought. You need to understand which function works best for different foods, and some methods take longer than a traditional air fryer. The dehydrate function, for example, can take 6-12 hours.
However, the trade-off often makes sense. Yes, pressure-cooked chicken thighs take 20 minutes instead of 12, but they come out more flavorful and tender than anything an air fryer could produce. The extra eight minutes buys you significantly better results.
The air fry function on these multicookers typically performs about 85-90% as well as a dedicated air fryer. For most home cooks, that difference disappears when weighed against having eight additional cooking methods available.
Professional testing shows that basket capacity tends to be slightly smaller than standalone air fryers, but the cooking quality remains consistent across all nine functions.
What This Means for Home Cooking
This shift represents something bigger than just another kitchen appliance trend. It’s about matching technology to how we actually live and cook.
Most families don’t need nine separate appliances, but they do need flexibility. The ability to steam vegetables while pressure-cooking rice, then air-frying some protein—all in the same machine—changes how you approach meal prep.
Busy parents are finding they can prep entire weekly meals using different functions throughout the weekend. College students living in small apartments can cook like they have a full kitchen. Even experienced home cooks appreciate having professional-level pressure cooking and precise temperature control in one compact unit.
The timing feels right too. After years of accumulating single-purpose gadgets, many kitchens have reached a breaking point. Counter space is premium real estate, and appliances that can’t justify their footprint are getting replaced by more versatile options.
FAQs
Do these new kitchen gadgets really work as well as dedicated appliances?
They typically perform at 85-90% the quality of specialized machines, which is more than adequate for most home cooking needs.
How much counter space do 9-in-1 multicookers actually save?
Most models replace 3-5 separate appliances while taking up roughly the same space as a large air fryer or slow cooker.
Are they more difficult to learn than regular air fryers?
The basic functions are just as simple, but having nine options means a slightly steeper learning curve to master all features.
What’s the average price difference compared to buying separate appliances?
Quality 9-in-1 units typically cost $150-300, while buying equivalent separate appliances would run $400-600 total.
Do they use more electricity than traditional air fryers?
They’re generally more energy-efficient per cooking task, especially when replacing multiple appliances, though individual cook times may be longer.
Can you really cook complete meals in these machines?
Yes, the ability to switch between functions during cooking allows for complete one-pot meals that would normally require multiple appliances.