A sleek countertop gadget is trying to push the air fryer off its throne, promising restaurant-style results from a single machine.
After years of air fryer dominance, a new multi-function cooker is gaining traction online, offering nine different cooking modes and sparking a fierce debate among home cooks over whether it’s genius or just another bulky trend.
A new challenger for the air fryer crown
For a long time, the air fryer has been the star of quick weeknight dinners, frozen chips and crisp chicken wings. Now a new multi-cooker – think part air fryer, part oven, part slow cooker – is pitching itself as the smarter, more versatile upgrade.
These new gadgets go beyond hot air and a basket. They grill, bake, roast, steam, sauté and even dehydrate, all from one unit. In theory, that means fewer appliances on the counter, less washing up, and more control over texture and flavour.
This new wave of nine-in-one cookers promises to replace an air fryer, slow cooker, grill, toaster oven and steamer in one hit.
The pitch is simple: why own a dedicated air fryer when you can have a machine that air fries, but also handles everything from slow-cooked stews to crispy roast veg and fluffy sponge cakes?
What “nine cooking methods” really means
Different brands label their functions differently, but most of these multi-cookers cluster around a similar set of modes.
| Mode | What it’s used for |
|---|---|
| Air fry | Crisping chips, wings, vegetables with minimal oil |
| Roast | Whole chickens, joints of meat, traybakes |
| Grill/broil | Finishing cheese, charring veg, searing steaks |
| Bake | Cakes, brownies, muffins, small loaves |
| Slow cook | Stews, curries, pulled pork, casseroles |
| Steam | Fish, dumplings, vegetables, reheating rice |
| Sauté | Browning onions, frying mince, starting sauces |
| Reheat | Warming leftovers without drying them out |
| Dehydrate | Fruit snacks, veggie crisps, beef jerky |
Some units swap one mode for another, like pressure cook or pizza, but the idea is the same: one box, lots of cooking styles.
Why fans say the air fryer’s days are numbered
Supporters of the new gadget argue that it fixes the frustrations many people quietly have with air fryers. Capacity usually tops the list. Standard air fryers often struggle with a full family meal, forcing people to cook in several batches.
The newer nine-function units tend to be larger, sometimes with shelves instead of a single basket. That brings them closer to a mini-oven than a deep drawer of hot air.
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Pro‑gadget cooks like the idea of one appliance that can sear a steak, steam broccoli, then bake a pudding without changing machines.
They also point to energy prices. Running a full-sized oven for one tray of chicken can feel wasteful. A compact device that heats up fast and keeps the heat focused on a smaller cavity can use less electricity, especially for small households.
Several early adopters on social media claim they now use their main oven only for Christmas lunch or big batch baking. For everything else, the multi-cooker stays on the counter and does the work.
Why others are fiercely defending the air fryer
On the other side are the die-hard air fryer fans who see the new wave of gadgets as overcomplicated and oversized. They like the simplicity of one button and a basket you can shake halfway through cooking.
Price is a big sticking point. Multi-function cookers with nine settings usually cost more than a basic air fryer, and they take up more space. For those in small flats, student halls or shared kitchens, that can be an instant deal-breaker.
Critics say they don’t need nine methods, they just want fast, crispy food with minimal cleaning and no thick instruction manual.
There is also some scepticism about whether “nine methods” really deliver nine distinct results. At the end of the day, heat is heat. Some shoppers suspect they’re paying for extra buttons rather than dramatically different outcomes.
What the new gadget actually changes in daily cooking
For people who cook most nights, the impact is less about flashy features and more about routines. A single appliance that handles browning, simmering and finishing under high heat can change how a weekday dinner looks.
- Instead of starting a curry on the hob and finishing it in the oven, everything can happen in one pot.
- Frozen chips can share space with a piece of salmon on a different rack while veg steams in a tray below.
- Batch cooking for the week can move from several pots to one appliance running through different modes.
For newer cooks, pre-set programmes can reduce guesswork. For more confident cooks, manual settings with control over temperature, time and fan speed are the real draw.
Energy, cost and space: the real trade-offs
Energy efficiency is one of the big marketing hooks. These devices generally heat up faster than a conventional oven and keep the heat circulating tightly. When you cook small portions often, that can shave money off energy bills over time.
On the flip side, the upfront spend is higher than a mid-range air fryer. Some people will need to justify that by using more than just the air fry function, which not everyone will do.
Space becomes a quiet dealmaker or deal-breaker. The new multi-cookers often stand taller and wider than a classic air fryer. That means clearing a permanent spot on the counter or sacrificing cupboard storage for pans or mixing bowls.
How home cooks are splitting into two camps
Scroll through TikTok or Reddit and you’ll see the divide in real time. One camp posts “goodbye air fryer” videos, proudly boxing up their old unit after a month with the nine-in-one upgrade. The other camp posts side‑by‑side tests, showing near‑identical chips and asking why anyone should pay more.
Some users love the “set it and forget it” nature of slow cooking on the same machine, especially for busy days working from home. Others complain that multi-cookers can be noisy and tricky to clean, particularly models with more complicated lids and racks.
Behind the arguments is a wider question: do home cooks want fewer, smarter machines, or a simple tool that does one thing very well?
Helpful terms for understanding the debate
Air frying versus convection baking
Despite the hype, air frying and convection baking are close cousins. Both rely on hot air blown around the food by a fan. The main difference is scale and intensity. Air fryers and these new multi-cookers tend to have stronger, more focused airflow in a smaller chamber, so food browns faster.
That’s why timing matters. A tray of chips that needs 25 minutes in a standard oven often needs 15–18 minutes in a strong air fry mode. People switching appliances without adjusting time and temperature can end up with burnt edges or undercooked centres.
Multi-cooker versus multi-cooker
The term “multi-cooker” now covers a lot of ground. Pressure cookers with sauté and slow-cook options live under the same label as these nine-mode air-fry ovens. Shoppers need to check if the unit they are looking at actually has air fry capability, or if it’s more focused on pressure and slow cooking.
For households that already own a slow cooker or an Instant Pot-style device, the question becomes whether they want to duplicate functions or genuinely add something new like grilling or dehydrating.
Practical scenarios before saying “goodbye air fryer”
A few simple questions can help people decide where they land in this debate.
- How many people are you cooking for most nights?
- Do you actually use modes like slow cook and steam, or do you mostly reheat frozen food and cook chips?
- Is there space on your counter for a bigger machine that may live there permanently?
- Would you realistically learn and use several functions, or stick to one or two?
For a family that roasts whole chickens, batch cooks stews and bakes at the weekend, a nine-function cooker could gradually edge out both the air fryer and the main oven. For a single person reheating leftovers and making the occasional tray of nuggets, a compact air fryer might still be the neatest solution.
There is also a risk in treating any of these gadgets as magic. They speed things up and add convenience, but they don’t replace basic cooking sense: seasoning food well, not crowding the basket, preheating when needed and paying attention to internal temperatures for meat and fish.
For those mixing appliances, a practical strategy is emerging online: keep a small air fryer for everyday crisping, and add a larger multi-function unit for roasts, slow cooking and baking when needed. That combination lets people test whether they really use nine methods before saying a final farewell to the classic air fryer.