It started with a smell. Not the burnt-toast disaster we all know, but that faint, stubborn odour of yesterday’s nuggets still haunting the kitchen at 8 a.m. The air fryer basket sat on the counter, overflowing like a laundry basket nobody wanted to claim. Next to it, a gleaming new appliance, still half-wrapped in protective plastic, was silently stealing the spotlight. Nine small icons glowed along its screen: bake, grill, steam, slow cook, sauté, ferment, roast, reheat, dehydrate.
Someone at the table murmured: “So… is the air fryer officially over?”
Nobody laughed. Because the question felt strangely real.
From air fryer king to crowded countertop: a quiet dethroning
Over the past few years, the air fryer became the unofficial hero of tired weeknights. You threw in frozen fries, closed the drawer, pressed a button, and dinner magically happened while you scrolled on your phone. It felt like cheating the system.
Then the honeymoon ended. The bulky basket, the limited space, that same dry crunch on repeat… Suddenly the promise of “revolutionary cooking” started to feel a bit narrow.
One Paris couple I spoke to had even given their air fryer a nickname: “The Nugget Machine”. At first, it was love. They used it daily for crispy veggies, chicken wings, reheated pizza. Over time, the recipes became lazier, the cleaning more annoying, the counter more crowded.
When their first baby arrived, their cooking needs changed. They wanted to steam vegetables, slow cook stews, reheat gently without drying everything out. The air fryer simply couldn’t keep up.
This is exactly where a new generation of kitchen devices is slipping in. Not just “healthier frying” boxes, but multi-cookers that promise nine, sometimes ten cooking methods in a single body. They grill like an oven, steam like a bamboo basket, slow cook like grandma’s pot, and yes, they also crisp like an air fryer.
The logic is simple: one machine, several lives. Less clutter, more options, and a promise that your food won’t always taste like recycled breadcrumbs.
Nine ways to cook, one machine: how the new device changes daily life
The first real surprise with these new multi-cookers isn’t the tech, it’s the ritual. Instead of automatically reaching for the air fryer basket, you start asking yourself, “What do I actually want this food to become?”
Take a basic chicken thigh. On the same machine, you can first sauté it to brown the skin, then switch to slow cook for a tender, falling-off-the-bone result, or finish with a grill function to crisp the top. All without changing appliances or dirtying four pans.
I watched a friend test her new 9-in-1 device on a rainy Sunday. Breakfast: she used the steam mode for soft eggs and reheated yesterday’s baguette with a gentle bake setting so it didn’t turn into a rock. Lunch: she threw lentils, carrots, onions, and stock into the slow cook function, then went out for three hours with the kids.
By dinner, she quickly sautéed vegetables in the same bowl, then switched to grill to caramelize a piece of salmon. No smoke, no pan juggling, almost no drama.
The real shift happens in your head. Once you stop seeing the appliance as a “fryer” and start seeing it as a cooking environment, everything opens up. You suddenly understand that air frying is just hot air circulation with high intensity, while steam is gentle, slow cook is deep, and dehydration is basically time plus patience.
Let’s be honest: nobody really does this every single day. But knowing you could, with one machine, changes how you plan your meals, your shopping, even your leftovers.
Getting the best out of the nine modes (without turning into a food blogger)
The smartest way to approach a multi-cooker with nine functions isn’t to try them all on day one. Start with three: air fry, steam, and slow cook. Use air fry only when you truly want crispiness. Use steam when you want tenderness and moisture, especially for vegetables and fish. Slow cook is your ally on days when you’re too tired to “deserve” a good dinner but still crave something warm and comforting.
Once those feel natural, you gently bring in grill, bake, and sauté.
A common trap is to treat every cooking mode like a shortcut. You dump food in, press the first button you see, and then blame the machine when your salmon is rubbery or your cake collapses. These devices can do a lot, but they still obey basic cooking rules: preheat when needed, don’t overload, respect cooking times.
If you’re nervous, start with something forgiving, like roasted vegetables or a basic soup. Food that doesn’t mind if you’re a few minutes off.
Some early users admit that the biggest learning curve isn’t technical, it’s mental. “We had to stop thinking ‘what can I fry?’ and start thinking ‘how do we want to eat this?’” one home cook told me. *That small shift changes everything in front of the fridge at 7 p.m.*
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- Use steam for nutrients: carrots, broccoli, green beans, even dumplings keep flavor and color without drowning in water.
- Rely on slow cook for busy days: throw ingredients in before work, come back to something that smells like you tried.
- Finish with grill or air fry: a quick high-heat blast adds the golden crust we secretly expect from “comfort food”.
- Try dehydrate on weekends: apple chips, cherry tomatoes, or leftover bread turned into crunchy toppings.
- Keep the seasoning simple at first: salt, pepper, a splash of oil. Learn what each mode does before layering complex marinades.
The quiet revolution on our countertops
The air fryer isn’t exactly dead, it’s just becoming one chapter in a longer story. These multi-mode devices respond to something deeper than the desire for crisp fries. They speak to that daily contradiction: wanting food that’s fast, comforting, a bit healthier, yet not boring.
And they do it while taking up roughly the same space as that old, slightly greasy cube in the corner.
What’s striking is how quickly habits follow. People start steaming vegetables in the middle of the week, simmering beans, experimenting with low-temperature cooking on a Tuesday night. Not because they suddenly became chefs, but because the barrier between “complicated cooking” and “normal life” quietly shrinks.
One device, nine methods, fewer excuses.
Of course, some air fryers will stay, loyal and humming on the countertop for late-night fries and mozzarella sticks. Yet the trend is there: the next generation of kitchen gear is less about one spectacular trick and more about quiet flexibility. If you’re looking at your crowded counter and wondering what deserves to stay, that new all-in-one machine is increasingly hard to ignore.
| Key point | Detail | Value for the reader |
|---|---|---|
| Beyond frying | Nine cooking methods in one device: air fry, steam, slow cook, sauté, bake, grill, roast, reheat, dehydrate | Helps replace several appliances and expand everyday recipes |
| Gentler cooking | Steam and slow cook functions avoid dry, over-crisped food | Better textures, more nutrients, less “same taste” effect |
| Daily practicality | One bowl, programmable modes, easy transitions between functions | Saves time, reduces dishes, adapts to busy schedules |
FAQ:
- Question 1Is a 9-in-1 cooker really different from a classic air fryer?
- Question 2Can I completely replace my oven with this type of device?
- Question 3Does steaming and slow cooking really taste as good as fried food?
- Question 4Is it complicated to learn all nine cooking modes?
- Question 5What should I cook first if I switch from an air fryer to a multi-cooker?
Originally posted 2026-03-05 02:35:26.