The first time I saw the nine-in-one kitchen tower, it was glowing under strip lights at a big-box store. There were half-empty cardboard coffee cups and bored partners waiting by the shopping carts. A shiny black-and-chrome cube that smiles at you from a box and says it can air fry, slow cook, grill, roast, dehydrate, steam, pressure cook, bake, and reheat. She tapped the box and said to her friend, “This would fix my whole kitchen.” She was wearing a beige puffer coat.
A sad line of lonely air fryers with red stickers on their faces sat on a shelf behind them that was on sale. Last year’s heroes, who are now $39.99 and begging for another chance.
People didn’t even look at them once.
This stylist claims most individuals cleanse their hair incorrectly and offers professional guidance
That scene was a little strange. It was almost like we were speed-dating appliances and then ghosting them a month later.
The nine-in-one dream and the plastic hangover
The new nine-in-one gadget is being sold as a miracle: it comes with one box, one plug, and one way to fix the mess and chaos in today’s kitchens. Brands say you’ll get rid of your air fryer, rice cooker, steamer, toaster oven, and half of your pans. Say goodbye to mess and hello to clean, simple counters.
You can find a lot of sped-up videos of golden fries, sticky ribs, and brownies made in the same drum on TikTok and Instagram. People who have a lot of followers hold up the box like it’s a ticket to a better life. As they put the perfectly crisp tofu on white plates, they say, “I can’t believe I ever cooked without this.”
It looks like freedom on the screen. In real life, it often looks more like another heavy plastic cube trying to fit into a cupboard that is already full.
A London waste contractor said, “We can almost set our calendar by it.” He says that three to six months after the air fryer craze hit, truckloads of “barely used” units started showing up at collection centers. Some of them are still wrapped in plastic.
He can now see the same shapes of logos, but in different sizes. They got rid of old air fryers, multi-cookers, and sealed blenders. All of them had plastic shells and wires and metal inside. There is no simple way to take it apart or recycle it. Just trash that’s hard to deal with.
On Facebook Marketplace, you can look through a lot of “hardly used” nine-in-one units. These are gifts that never really fit into someone’s life. Each one is a story of hope, guilt, and one more square foot of junk in the world.
From a design point of view, these all-in-one appliances are likely to end up as e-waste. They put together plastics, heating elements, circuit boards, and screws that aren’t standard in a way that is cheap to make but hard to take apart. They don’t work with city recycling systems.
When the nine-in-one box breaks or goes out of style, it usually ends up in the worst place: crushed, burned, or sent to another country. The “minimalist” countertop in your kitchen means that there is a very non-minimalist footprint somewhere else on Earth.
Honestly, not many people think about where that old gadget goes when it disappears from under the sink for more than five minutes.
How to keep your kitchen from becoming a junkyard and not get caught up in the hype
If you treat a new appliance like a trial employee instead of a soulmate, you can change everything. Make a list of the three things you really use every week before you buy that nine-in-one. Not the ones you want to use. The tools you already have and the ones you already use.
Then ask yourself a direct question: What is stopping you from cooking more now? Not enough time, not enough skills, or not enough space on the counter? If the problem is energy or confidence, a new machine won’t magically fix it. A big cube of hot air might not be as good for your life as a sharp knife and a non-stick pan.
Heating: The 19 °C rule is no longer in effect. Here is what temperature experts now suggest.
The “30-day note test” is a good idea. For a month, write down every time you think, “I wish I had a gadget for this.” That list is much more truthful than any ad.
The worst thing you can do is buy things for the fantasy version of yourself. The person who makes lentil curries in large quantities, bakes sourdough bread on weekdays, dries apple rings for the kids, and steams salmon on Tuesday nights just because. You could find that person on YouTube, but they don’t really live in your building.
We’ve all had that moment when you open a cupboard and a bunch of plastic bowls and tools that you don’t use fall on your feet. You feel bad because you think you wasted money and maybe even got tricked, but you also feel a strange connection to the promise they once held.
You need to accept who you are in order to be nice to yourself. If you mostly reheat leftovers and roast vegetables, you don’t need nine different ways to cook. You need one or two tools that you can trust and that won’t end up in the trash on a bad day.
Marie, who works at a French repair café, says, “Every time we buy a new multi-gadget, we’re not just making our kitchen better.” “We’re voting for a world where throwing things away is normal and fixing things is rare.”
Ask a friend if you can borrow, rent, or try out a similar appliance for a week before you buy it. Once the newness wears off, pay attention to how often you actually use it.
When you own it, learn how to clean filters, reset electronics, and change seals. These boring skills can often double the life of a device.
Don’t just think it’s “dead” if it breaks. First, look at local repair cafés, maker spaces, or brand repair programs. Most problems can be fixed in 15 minutes.
When you’re ready to get rid of your old electronics, look for certified e-waste collection days or stores that will take them back. Someone else has to pay for it if you throw it next to the trash cans.
If you want to be the most powerful, wait 24 hours before clicking “buy now” on any new kitchen gadget. In that small space, better choices are made.
Besides the air fryer, what kind of kitchen do we really want?
When you read stories about nine-in-one gadgets, there are always more than just gadgets. They are about time, goals, and the quiet pressure to improve every part of our lives, even our frying pans. The air fryer became a sign that “I’m getting my life together,” but then it was replaced by something newer, bigger, and supposedly smarter.
At the same time, a quieter revolution is already happening. People are repairing old 1980s mixers. Instead of buying their own dehydrators, neighbors share them a few times a year. Small businesses are making modular appliances that let you switch out parts instead of buying a whole new box.
It’s not about whether the nine-in-one is “good” or “bad.” It’s about the kind of connection we want with the things we use to cook every day. Would we rather have a lot of short-term relationships or a few long-term friends who are a little rough around the edges and know us well?
You might already know that the next plastic cube isn’t the real upgrade. It’s a more honest and slower way to choose what to plug in your kitchen.
Question 1: Is it always a bad idea to buy a nine-in-one gadget, or is it sometimes a good idea?
Question 2: What should I do with my old air fryer if I buy a new one or stop using it?
Question 3: Is it true that these multi-cookers are worse for the environment than a regular oven?
Question 4: How can I know if I’ll really use all the features of a new appliance?
Question 5: Are there any brands or styles that are better for fixing and throwing away?
