The first thing you hear is the fan.
That soft, tired roar of an air fryer trying to reheat last night’s fries while its basket scrapes against metal for the thousandth time. On the counter, the toaster sulks next to the rice cooker. A slow cooker squats in the corner like a sleepy turtle. Every device has a plug, a promise, and a footprint on your already shrinking worktop.
Then one day, something new lands on that same counter. Taller. Squarer. Confident.
A single machine with a touchscreen that offers not just fries, but nine different ways to cook.
You look at your faithful air fryer.
And you wonder if its reign is quietly ending.
From single-use star to kitchen dinosaur
The air fryer arrived in our homes like a rock star: less oil, fewer splashes, crunchy fries, done in 15 minutes. It was the answer to “What if fast food didn’t feel quite so guilty?” and for years that was enough. We learned its sounds, its hot spots, its burnt-edge habits.
But kitchen life changed. We started batch-cooking, working from home, juggling kids’ meals with late Zoom calls. That tidy plastic cube designed mainly for “crispy things” suddenly felt small. We wanted one pot for soup, bread, yogurt, grilled veg, even Sunday roast. A device that understood the chaos of real life, not just frozen nuggets.
Take Claire, 38, from Manchester. She bought her air fryer during lockdown and swore it had changed everything. From chips to chicken wings, it was her hero. Two years later, she opens a cupboard and finds it pushed to the back, wedged behind a blender and a forgotten waffle maker.
On the worktop sits her new all-in-one machine: a squat, brushed-steel box with a glass door and a row of icons that look like a tiny control panel from a sci‑fi movie. Bake, steam, grill, slow cook, air fry, ferment, dehydrate, sous-vide, reheat. Where the air fryer gave her a side dish, this thing offered an entire menu.
She laughs as she says it: “I broke up with my air fryer without even noticing.”
What’s happening in Claire’s kitchen echoes a much larger trend. People are tired of the “one trick pony” appliance. Cupboards are full, electricity bills are watched closely, and our attention is stretched thin. A device that only fries, no matter how cleverly, now feels like a half-solution.
The new all-in-one machines answer a different need. They’re not about a single novelty, they’re about compressing an entire stove, oven, and a couple of gadgets into one controlled box. *They promise less clutter, fewer decisions, and food that can go from frozen to table without five different tools.* That’s why, quietly, the once-beloved air fryer starts to look strangely old-fashioned.
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The nine methods that change the game
The heart of this new device is simple: nine cooking methods under one lid, one plug, one interface. The list usually reads like a who’s who of modern cooking: air fry, bake, roast, grill, steam, slow cook, sauté, dehydrate, reheat. Some models slip in sous-vide or fermentation instead of one of these, but the idea stays the same.
You open the door, slide in a tray of veg, tap “steam + roast”, and the machine builds its own little weather system. First humidity, then dry heat for caramelisation. Where the air fryer blasted hot air at high speed, this newcomer layers its techniques. That’s where the taste difference begins.
Think about a normal Tuesday night. You come home, late, hungry, bordering on grumpy. With an air fryer, you might toss in some breaded fish and frozen fries and hope nobody complains. With an all-in-one, you drop salmon fillets on a tray, add broccoli florets, set “steam then grill” and walk away. Fifteen minutes later, the fish is flaky, the broccoli bright and tender with crisp edges.
Or Sunday. Instead of juggling oven temperature for a roast chicken, then waiting for the potatoes, you load everything into layered racks: chicken on top, veg below, a little pan of stock to keep things moist. Hit “roast”. You’re not chasing three timers and a smoking pan. You’re in the living room, actually talking to people.
From a technical point of view, the gap between a classic air fryer and these hybrid ovens is huge. The air fryer is basically a compact convection oven with strong airflow. Great for browning, not so great for moist cooking, delicate textures, or anything that needs long, gentle heat.
The all-in-one uses sensors, multiple heat sources, and controlled ventilation. Fans change speed, heating elements cycle intelligently, sometimes a steam injector kicks in. Instead of forcing you to adapt to one aggressive mode, it adapts to the food. That’s why bread crust looks better, veg keeps its colour, and slow-cooked dishes don’t dry out. The machine does what your stove and oven do together, just with less drama and fewer dishes.
Living with the all-in-one: from theory to everyday habit
The shift really happens in the small gestures of daily life. You start the morning tossing oats, milk, and diced apple into the pot, hit “slow cook” on low, and by the time you’ve showered and answered two emails, breakfast is warm and velvety. The same bowl later becomes a place for proofing dough on “ferment” while you work.
Dinner prep turns into a rhythm: chop once, layer ingredients, select the right mode. Steam your veg first, then flick to grill to add colour. Or start with sauté to brown onions, then move to slow cook for a curry. All without swapping pans or staring at the hob. You learn the machine’s sounds the way you once learned the click of your oven’s thermostat.
Of course, there’s a honeymoon period with any new gadget, followed by… real life. Those recipes with ten steps, three marinades, and a full photoshoot? They’re fun once. Then the device either fits your actual habits or becomes another dusty cube.
That’s where many people tripped up with air fryers. They fried everything for two months, then ran out of ideas and went back to the oven. The all-in-one survives that stage only if you let it replace things: the rice cooker, the steamer basket, sometimes even the main oven on weeknights. Let’s be honest: nobody really does this every single day. But if it takes over two or three jobs reliably, it earns the space it occupies.
“Once I stopped treating it like a ‘fancy fryer’ and more like a mini kitchen, everything changed,” says Tom, 42, who cooks for a family of five. “I don’t need four different appliances battling for sockets. This thing does 80% of what we eat.”
- Start with one habit
Pick a single daily moment: reheating leftovers, cooking veg, or making breakfast. Use the all-in-one only for that, until it feels natural. - Use the presets, then tweak
Those auto programs aren’t just marketing. Let them guide you for a week, note what you like, then adjust time and heat. - Retire one device
Don’t keep everything. Put the air fryer or rice cooker in a box for a month. If you don’t miss it, donate or sell it. - Keep cleaning simple
Rinse trays right away, wipe the door while it’s warm. A 30-second habit saves you that dreaded “crusty oven” moment. - Think in layers
Protein on top, veg below, sauce in a small dish. The all-in-one shines when you let it cook an entire plate together.
A quiet revolution on the countertop
Something subtle happens when one machine handles nine cooking methods. Your kitchen feels less like a battlefield of gadgets and more like a small, organised workshop. You stop asking “Which device?” and start asking “Which texture? Which mood?” Crispy, tender, slow, steamy, charred.
That doesn’t mean the air fryer was a mistake. It was a stepping stone. It taught us that compact, smart cooking was possible. It trained us to expect speed and crunch without a vat of oil. Yet the story moves on. The new all-in-one devices are basically saying: “What if we gave you all of that… and everything else?”
Maybe your air fryer will stay, like an old favourite pan you can’t quite give up. Or maybe it’ll head to a new home, replaced by a single box that bakes your bread, steams your fish, and slow-cooks your chilli while you’re out.
The real question is not which device wins, but what kind of kitchen you want. One lined with single-use machines, or one calm, flexible tool that grows with your habits. Your next meal might not just come from a different appliance. It might tell a different story about how you live, how you eat, and how much space you give back to your own countertop.
| Key point | Detail | Value for the reader |
|---|---|---|
| Nine cooking methods | From air fry and roast to steam, slow cook, dehydrate and more | Helps replace several appliances and simplify daily cooking |
| Layered cooking | Ability to cook protein, veg, and sides at once on different levels | Saves time, reduces washing up, and keeps meals more cohesive |
| Smarter heat control | Sensors, variable airflow, and combined modes like steam + grill | Delivers better textures, juicier results, and fewer failed dishes |
FAQ:
- Is the new all-in-one really better than a classic air fryer?For basic fries and nuggets, the difference is small. For full meals, delicate fish, bread, or slow dishes, the all-in-one easily outperforms a standard air fryer.
- Can it replace my oven completely?For most everyday meals, yes. Large roasts or baking for a crowd might still be easier in a full-sized oven, but many people use the all-in-one as their main cooker during the week.
- Does it use more electricity than an air fryer?Per minute, it can use similar or slightly higher power, yet it often cooks more food at once and in less time than an oven, which can mean lower overall energy use.
- Is it complicated to learn all nine cooking modes?The first days feel like learning a new phone. After a week using the presets and repeating a few favourite recipes, most people only rely on three or four buttons regularly.
- What should I cook first if I’m switching from an air fryer?Start with a complete one-tray dinner: chicken thighs and vegetables on two levels using roast or steam + roast. You’ll immediately feel the jump from side-dish gadget to true mini‑kitchen.