The first time I heard someone say “I’ve broken up with my air fryer,” it was at a tired Tuesday dinner with friends. You know the kind: three mismatched chairs, one kid doing homework at the table, and everyone pretending they’re not checking their phones between bites. On the counter, next to the once-beloved air fryer, sat a sleek, unfamiliar machine humming quietly. No oily smell. No crowding the oven. Just a tray of salmon, some roasted vegetables, and a bowl of fluffy rice… all ready at the same time.
My friend just shrugged and said, “Yeah, this thing sort of replaced everything.”
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The air fryer looked like yesterday’s news.
The day the air fryer stopped being the star of the kitchen
Air fryers became popular like a trending video on social media. For a while everyone was posting about crispy potatoes and showing off what they could cook in their air fryer. But then that same large appliance started sitting unused on the kitchen counter gathering dust and making people feel bad about not using it.
The problem is not that it stopped working. It is that what we expect from a smart kitchen has changed. We no longer just want quick fries. We want one device that can manage dinner and brunch & leftovers & even that Sunday cake you bake once every three months.
Brands noticed this change before most people even talked about it. That’s why we now have these new all-in-one cookers that claim to do nine different cooking tasks in the same space where your old toaster used to sit. They can air fry naturally. But they also steam & slow cook and pressure cook and bake and grill & sauté & dehydrate and keep food warm. These appliances became popular because kitchen counter space is valuable. People wanted fewer gadgets taking up room. Instead of owning separate devices for different cooking methods they wanted one machine that could handle everything. The technology improved enough to make this possible. Earlier versions of multi-cookers were not very good at most of their functions. They tried to do too much and ended up doing nothing particularly well. But newer models actually work properly for most of their advertised features. Companies marketed these cookers to people who felt overwhelmed by cooking. The message was simple: you don’t need culinary skills or multiple expensive tools. Just one countertop appliance could replace your pressure cooker & slow cooker & air fryer and steamer and several other devices you might have considered buying. The appeal made sense for certain households. Small apartments with limited kitchen space found them useful. Busy families appreciated the convenience. College students and young professionals who were still learning to cook saw them as less intimidating than traditional cooking methods.
It sounds like marketing fluff until you see it in a real kitchen. Someone tosses in chicken, adds vegetables on a second level, sets a steam-and-roast combo mode, and walks away to take a work call. No halfway stirring. No juggling pans.
What really destroys the traditional air fryer is not that it breaks down but that it can only do so much. People figured out they had purchased a device for one specific job: making crispy food without using much oil. That works well for french fries & chicken wings but does not help much when you want to make vegetable soup or cook delicate fish or prepare a large pasta casserole for the whole family.
The new multi-method machines speak to a different appetite. Less “cheat-day crisp,” more “normal Tuesday where everyone eats at a decent hour without you losing your mind.” When a device cooks rice, steams broccoli, and grills salmon in one go, the little solo-frying box starts to feel like a toy from a previous era.
Nine cooking methods in one box: how it changes your everyday meals
The real change with these nine-mode cookers is not about the technology. It is about how your daily habits shift. Here is what usually happens: you walk through the door and put down your bag. You open the fridge and look at what you have. Instead of thinking about using four different pans on the stove you start thinking in layers. You put grains in the bottom tray. You place protein on the middle rack. You arrange vegetables in the top basket. Then you pick a program that uses both steam and hot air. You set the timer and let the machine handle the cooking process.
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# Transform Your Laundry Room into a Storage Haven with These Little-Known Tricks
Most people overlook the storage potential hiding in their laundry room. This often cramped space can become an organized storage area with the right approach. Here are some practical tricks to maximize every inch of your laundry room.
## Make Use of Vertical Space
The walls in your laundry room offer valuable storage opportunities. Install floating shelves above your washer and dryer to store detergent bottles & cleaning supplies. You can also mount a pegboard on an empty wall to hang small tools and accessories. This keeps items within reach while freeing up counter space.
## Add Storage Between Appliances
The narrow gap between your washer & dryer often goes unused. A slim rolling cart fits perfectly in this space and provides extra storage for laundry essentials. Look for carts with multiple tiers to maximize the vertical storage in this tight spot.
## Install a Fold-Down Drying Rack
A wall-mounted drying rack that folds away when not in use saves considerable space. This solution works well for air-drying delicate items without taking up permanent floor space. When you finish using it, simply fold it back against the wall.
## Use the Back of the Door
The back of your laundry room door provides another storage opportunity. An over-the-door organizer with pockets can hold dryer sheets, stain removers & other small items. You can also install hooks to hang ironing boards or cleaning tools.
## Create a Sorting Station
Set up a system for sorting laundry before wash day arrives. Use stackable bins or a divided hamper to separate lights, darks and delicates. This organization method streamlines your laundry routine and keeps dirty clothes contained.
## Add a Countertop Over Front-Loaders
If you have front-loading machines, consider building a countertop that spans across both units. This creates a folding surface and additional storage area. You can place baskets underneath to hold cleaning supplies or extra linens.
## Utilize Ceiling Space
The ceiling area often gets ignored in storage planning. Install a hanging rod or ceiling-mounted shelf to store items you use less frequently. This works particularly well for seasonal items or extra supplies you buy in bulk.
## Incorporate Pull-Out Drawers
Replace lower cabinets with pull-out drawers for easier access to stored items. Deep drawers work well for holding large detergent containers while shallow drawers suit smaller accessories. This modification makes finding what you need much simpler.
## Add Magnetic Strips
Attach magnetic strips to the side of your washing machine or dryer to hold small metal items. This trick keeps bobby pins safety pins and other tiny objects from getting lost. The magnetic surface uses space that would otherwise remain empty.
## Install Adjustable Shelving
Fixed shelves limit your storage options as your needs change. Adjustable shelving systems let you modify the height between shelves to accommodate items of different sizes. This flexibility helps you adapt the space over time.
## Use Clear Storage Containers
Transfer laundry supplies into clear containers so you can see when supplies run low. Label each container for quick identification. Uniform containers also create a cleaner and more organized appearance.
## Create a Cleaning Supply Station
Dedicate one area of your laundry room to cleaning supplies. Group similar items together & use a caddy or basket to keep everything portable. This organization makes it easy to grab what you need for cleaning tasks throughout your home. These storage tricks help you reclaim wasted space in your laundry room. Start with one or two changes and gradually implement more as you discover what works best for your specific layout and needs.
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A ship that belonged to an explorer who disappeared 250 years ago has been discovered in excellent condition off the coast of Australia. The vessel serves as an extraordinary time capsule that offers a glimpse into a different historical period. The discovery represents a significant find for maritime archaeology and provides researchers with a rare opportunity to study a well-preserved ship from centuries past. The location off Australia’s coast has helped protect the vessel from deterioration over the years. This remarkable find allows historians and scientists to examine the construction methods and materials used in shipbuilding during that era. The preserved state of the ship means that many original features and artifacts may still be intact. The discovery has generated considerable interest among experts who study maritime history & exploration. Finding such a well-maintained vessel after so many years is unusual and provides valuable information about naval technology & seafaring life from that time period. Researchers will now work to document & study the ship thoroughly. This process will help them understand more about the explorer’s journey and the circumstances that led to the ship’s disappearance. The find adds an important piece to our understanding of maritime exploration history.
The device handles the multitasking your brain is too exhausted to manage at 7:30 p.m.
Take my neighbor Clara. She works late, has two kids, and swore by her air fryer for a while. Then she got one of those 9-in-1 combo cookers. The first week, she sent me photos every night: a whole roast chicken with crispy skin and moist meat, done with a pressure-then-roast mode. A pasta bake where the sauce was cooked in the pot, then topped with cheese and finished under a grill function. Yogurt jars made on low heat overnight.
She told me she hadn’t opened her traditional oven once that week. The air fryer ended up pushed to the side, used only for quick snacks. The new machine had taken the role of “kitchen boss,” scheduling heat and time while she checked homework or jumped on one last Zoom call.
There’s a simple logic behind this shift. An air fryer is basically a small, very efficient fan oven. Hot air circulates quickly around the food, giving you that browned, crispy texture. It shines with dry foods and small portions. But life isn’t always dry and crispy. Soups, stews, fluffy rice, steamed dumplings, soft cakes — they need other techniques.
These nine-mode devices string methods together like a playlist. Pressure cooking to save time. Steaming to keep things moist. Convection to brown and crisp. Sautéing directly in the bowl so you don’t wash an extra pan. This layering turns one machine into a sort of home sous-chef, while the poor air fryer becomes that friend who’s fun at parties but less useful the rest of the week.
How to really use a 9‑in‑1 cooker (and not let it turn into yet another dusty gadget)
The secret isn’t owning the device. It’s giving it a real job in your kitchen. Start by choosing one meal you repeat a lot: maybe weeknight chicken, veggie bowls, or Sunday breakfast. Then translate that into the machine’s language. For example, for a simple “all-in-one” dinner: toss rice and broth into the bottom, place marinated chicken on a rack above, add vegetables in a basket. Select a program that starts with steam or pressure, then finishes with a dry roast or grill.
You press one button & then step away instead of standing over three pans watching them cook.
Most people purchase these multi-cookers & then feel confused by the second day. The devices have too many buttons and too many functions for anyone to remember easily. Everyone experiences that moment when they realize the innovative appliance they bought came with an instruction manual as thick as a book. The problem is not about being unable to cook. The issue is that these machines try to do everything at once. They promise to pressure cook and slow cook and steam and sauté and make yogurt. Some models even claim they can bake cakes or prepare rice in twelve different ways. This sounds impressive in the store but becomes exhausting at home. When you first unbox the multi-cooker you see a control panel covered in symbols & words. Some buttons have tiny icons that could mean anything. Others have abbreviations that require you to consult the manual just to understand what they stand for. The display screen flashes numbers and codes that seem important but make no sense without context. The manual itself presents another challenge. It contains hundreds of pages with safety warnings and cooking charts and troubleshooting guides. There are sections about altitude adjustments and voltage requirements. The recipe section shows dishes you have never heard of & probably will never make. Finding basic information about how to cook chicken or beans requires flipping through dozens of pages. Many owners end up using only two or three functions regularly. They ignore the yogurt setting and the cake function and all the specialized modes. The multi-cooker becomes an expensive rice maker or a simple pressure cooker. All those other buttons just sit there unused while taking up space on the counter. Some people give up entirely and put the appliance in storage. Others return it to the store within the first week. A few determined souls spend hours watching tutorial videos online to figure out the basics. They join social media groups where other confused owners share tips & complain about the same problems. The manufacturers keep adding more features with each new model. They believe customers want versatility and options. What most people actually want is something that works well without requiring an engineering degree to operate. They want to put food inside and get a good meal without studying a manual or memorizing button combinations.
Start small. Pick two modes that really fit your life: **pressure cook + grill**, or **steam + bake**. Use only those for a week. Let the rest of the options sit quietly. Once you can do one or two meals without thinking, then add a third function. Let’s be honest: nobody really does this every single day. Progress in the kitchen is messy and slow, just like everything else.
“People don’t want another gadget,” a small-appliance product manager told me. “They want one device that quietly takes on the stress of getting dinner on the table, so they can be present for the people at that table.”
- Start with one signature dish
Choose a meal you cook weekly and adapt it to a combined program (steam + roast, or pressure + grill). - Use the air fryer mode for texture, not for everything
Crisp the top at the end instead of cooking the whole dish that way. - Batch cook with two levels
Grains or sauces in the bowl, vegetables or protein on the rack above, for true one-shot cooking. - Watch energy and time
Many of these devices use less power than a full oven and cut cooking times by a third. - Give your old air fryer a new role
Keep it for quick snacks or as a backup, but let the 9‑in‑1 be the main tool for real meals.
The quiet goodbye to the air fryer — and what it says about how we want to live
This isn’t really a story about machines. It’s a story about time, mental load, and the way our kitchens turned into control towers for our lives. The rise of 9‑in‑1 cookers says something simple: we’re tired. Tired of juggling five pans. Tired of recipes that look good on Instagram but demand three hours and a sink full of dishes. Tired of gadgets that promise miracles and deliver only one type of potato.
When one device can handle nine methods, the promise isn’t just versatility. It’s relief. A smaller to-do list. Fewer decisions between “cook properly” and “order takeout again.”
Some people will keep their air fryer of course. Nostalgia is strong and fried chicken still has defenders. Others will resell them quietly or demote them to occasional use status like the waffle maker. The new multi-cookers will not save humanity. But they may rescue a few evenings and give you twenty quiet minutes on the sofa or let you sit down and eat before everything goes cold.
That’s how our kitchens have truly changed over time. It’s less about following flashy trends and more about getting through daily life while still finding some enjoyment in cooking. On an ordinary evening during the week you might look at that appliance with all its different settings sitting on your counter and realize without even saying anything that it actually transformed how you manage your weekly routine.
| Key point | Detail | Value for the reader |
|---|---|---|
| From air fryer to 9‑in‑1 | Shift from single-function crisping to multi-method cooking (steam, pressure, grill, bake, etc.) | Understand why your old gadget feels limited and what a new one can replace |
| Real daily use | Layered cooking (grains + protein + veg) in one device and one program | Save time, reduce dishes, simplify weeknight meals |
| Simple strategy | Start with 2–3 key modes, adapt one or two regular recipes, then expand | Avoid overwhelm and actually benefit from all nine functions |
FAQ:
- Do I really need a 9‑in‑1 cooker if I already have an air fryer and an oven?
You can live without it, of course, but the 9‑in‑1 replaces several tools at once: pressure cooker, steamer, slow cooker, and often the need to turn on a big oven for small meals. The gain is mostly in comfort, time, and fewer dirty dishes.- Is the air fryer mode in these devices as good as a dedicated air fryer?
For most home cooks, yes. The fan and high heat give similar crisping results. Dedicated air fryers can be a bit faster for very small snacks, but the difference is usually minor compared to the added versatility.- Are these multi-cookers energy efficient?
They often use less energy than a traditional oven because they heat a smaller space and cook faster, especially when using pressure or steam functions combined with convection heat.- Can I cook for a family with one of these devices?
Many models are designed for 3–6 servings, with multi-level racks that let you cook a full meal in one go. For bigger gatherings, you might need to cook in two rounds or combine with your oven.- What’s the best way to start using all nine modes without getting lost?
Pick one signature meal, choose two key combinations (like steam + roast, pressure + grill), and repeat them until they feel natural. Then explore one new mode at a time, using the guided programs instead of trying to master everything on day one.
