Choose an appliance that tackles the most demanding part of your meal-prep session: a multicooker for one-pot dishes, a cooking food processor if you combine food preparation and cooking, or an oven for several dishes that need roasting or baking. An air fryer can provide an extra cooking zone when the oven is busy, but it may duplicate what you already have. Before adding one, compare its usable capacity, cleaning requirements and how much space it needs.
If you’re preparing several meals in one session, start with the tasks you do most often: keeping an eye on something cooking, preparing ingredients or freeing up oven space.
If you prepare rice, pulses or slow-cooked dishes while getting on with other ingredients, look at the multicooker’s programmes and the instructions for each type of cooking. Automatic programmes can manage the heat and cooking time, as UFC-Que Choisir explains, but they won’t chop or assemble ingredients for you.
If chopping, grating, mixing or kneading takes up as much of your time as cooking, a cooking food processor is worth comparing with the tools you already own. UFC-Que Choisir points out that functions and capacities vary by model, so check which tasks you can do with the supplied accessories.
If your bakes, gratins or roasts are taking up the oven, start by organising the shelves and cooking batches. A compact second cooking zone is only worthwhile if you have a dish you would genuinely cook at the same time.
First, identify the step that slows down your weekly meal-prep session, then compare usable capacity and cleaning requirements. A separate food steamer is most useful if you regularly need to steam food at the same time as something else is cooking. Before buying one, check whether your existing equipment already has a suitable steaming basket.
| What matters | What to check before buying | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Cooking that needs little supervision | Programmes suited to your dishes, cooking-time settings and the pot’s filling limits. | When a one-pot dish is cooking, I want to get on with other preparations rather than stay beside the appliance. Around 36 % of consumers value this hands-off cooking. |
| Combining food preparation and cooking | Tasks you can do with the included bowls and accessories; usable capacity for the quantities you prepare. | If I chop, mix and then cook in the same session, minimising changes of utensil matters to me. Around 29 % of consumers prioritise having these preparation steps in one appliance. |
| Capacity and cooking several dishes at once | Usable oven shelves or the cooking surface of an additional appliance, rather than its advertised capacity alone. | When I’m cooking several dishes at the same time, I need to know what will actually fit on the shelves or in the baskets. Around 21 % of consumers prioritise capacity and cooking several dishes at once. |
| Space and cleaning | Storage space, parts that need washing and the tasks the appliance would genuinely replace. | In a kitchen where space is limited, I’d rather avoid an appliance that needs storing and cleaning if I’ll rarely use it. Around 14 % of consumers prioritise reducing clutter and avoiding duplication. |
The total capacity isn’t necessarily the amount you can cook in one go. UFC-Que Choisir cites the example of a 6 L Cookeo pot with a maximum preparation capacity of 4 L.
Compare the quantities you usually cook with the limits in the manual, particularly for liquid recipes, ingredients that expand and pressure cooking.
UFC-Que Choisir notes that an air fryer does the same jobs as an oven. A second cooking zone can be useful during a busy session, but it won’t automatically eliminate the need to plan cooking batches.
Decide what you’d cook in its drawers while the oven is busy, then check whether your portions will fit.
The appliance also needs storage space and adds more parts to clean.
Cooking food processors don’t all offer the same functions or capacities, UFC-Que Choisir points out. A function’s name alone doesn’t tell you which bowl or accessory you’ll need to use.
List the tasks you repeat each week, check which accessories are included and measure the space you’ve set aside for the appliance.
You’ll also need room to store the bowls, and should check the terms of any recipe services.
An appliance you rarely use still takes up space. For items that see little use, ADEME recommends considering borrowing rather than automatically buying one.
Estimate how often you’ll use it over several weeks. If the need is still only occasional, look into borrowing or hire options available near you.
These ranges show different ways to combine food preparation and cooking. Compare specific models and their limitations rather than choosing on brand name alone.
The Cookeo range is designed for one-pot cooking. Moulinex describes the Cookeo Simplicity as having six cooking modes and a 6 L pot.
The Cook Expert and Cook Expert XL combine food preparation and cooking. Magimix gives the Cook Expert XL a total capacity of 4,8 L and a usable capacity of 3,8 L.
The Thermomix TM7 combines several food-preparation and cooking functions, with guided recipes available through Cookidoo. Vorwerk gives it a 2,2 L bowl and a 6,8 L Varoma steamer.
These Joybuy appliances cover integrated food preparation with a cooking food processor, one-pot dishes with multicookers, oven cooking and the option of adding an extra cooking zone with an air fryer. Choose according to the steps and quantities in your session, without assuming that one appliance will do every job.
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Worth considering if you’d like to combine food preparation and cooking in one appliance. The product name mentions built-in scales and a large touchscreen; check that it has the accessories you need for the tasks you have in mind.
The instructions for this model say not to leave it unattended while it’s running. If the recipe library matters to you, check what it includes before buying.
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For one-pot dishes, this model offers 12 programmes and 1 200 W of power. Its 8 L capacity is the advertised volume, not necessarily the amount allowed for every recipe, so check the filling limits.
Follow the supplied instructions for steaming and releasing pressure. Also measure the available space before deciding where to keep it.
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This 7,1 L multicooker is worth considering if the meals you make are suited to pot cooking. Compare your quantities with the filling limits for your recipes, rather than assuming you can use the full advertised capacity.
When pressure cooking, follow the appliance instructions and keep your hands and face away from the steam release.
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Worth comparing if your session revolves around oven cooking. This model has four shelf positions and a built-in thermometer; check that your dishes and baking trays will fit on the shelves you want to use.
Before setting it up, check its external dimensions and the clearance it needs. A 35 L capacity doesn’t tell you how much space is available on each shelf.
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Worth considering if you need an extra cooking zone while the oven is busy. The DZ300EU has two drawers and six advertised functions. Its total capacity of 7,6 L is divided between the drawers, so compare each drawer’s capacity with your portions.
UFC-Que Choisir points out that an air fryer can duplicate what an oven does. Check how much space it needs and whether you’ll genuinely use this second cooking zone before adding it.
Not necessarily. UFC-Que Choisir says an air fryer does the same jobs as an oven. Consider one if its drawers can hold food you need to cook while the oven is busy. Otherwise, start by organising your oven shelves and cooking batches.
Because you can’t always fill the pot to its total capacity when cooking. UFC-Que Choisir gives the example of a 6 L Cookeo pot that can cook a maximum of 4 L: check the limits for your model and each type of recipe.
Yes, if you can get hold of a suitable appliance when you need it. ADEME recommends considering borrowing items that would be used infrequently and take up space. For something you need every week, also think about availability and transport.
No. A vacuum sealer is for packaging food, not cooking it. If you’re considering one, assess it separately: UFC-Que Choisir looks at factors including how bags or containers are handled, cleaning and storage.