Start by identifying the part of meal prep that holds you back: a food processor helps prepare ingredients, a multi-cooker is suited to meals cooked in a pot, while an oven or a drawer-style appliance offers different ways to cook. If you’re already running out of room in the fridge or freezer, check your storage capacity before adding another cooking appliance. A separate freezer also needs space of its own, as it runs continuously.
If you prepare meals for several days, remember to count the portions you’ll need to store, too. The number of dishes you cook in one go doesn’t tell you how many containers will fit in your fridge or freezer.
A food processor and a multi-cooker do different jobs: one prepares ingredients, while the other cooks food in a pot. Think about the tasks you do repeatedly before making room for both.
If you have the cooking covered but are running out of room for frozen portions, compare your freezer compartment’s capacity with that of a separate freezer. Measure the space available, too, and check the annual energy consumption of any model you’re considering.
Start with the meals you make, then check separately how much space you need to cook them and how much you need to store them.
| Priority | What to check | What I need |
|---|---|---|
| Cooking in a pot | Compare the modes on offer, the usable capacity for your recipes and the accessories included. A pot doesn’t give you the same cooking surface as an oven tray. | I mainly make soups, stews or steamed food, and want to cook them all in one appliance. |
| Oven or drawer-style cooking | Check the usable cooking area or number of levels, the appliance’s dimensions and whether your dishes will fit. A built-in oven needs a suitable space, while a drawer-style appliance takes up worktop space. | My weekly meals tend to include bakes, trays of vegetables or two dishes that need to cook separately. |
| Preparing ingredients | Check the accessories included, the bowl capacity, the quantities allowed for each function and the storage space required. A food processor won’t cook or store food on its own. | Chopping, grating or blending takes me longer than cooking. I want to bring these tasks together without accumulating lots of small appliances. |
| Fridge space | Compare the fridge capacity and the layout of its compartments. For perishable foods, ANSES recommends maintaining a temperature of 4 °C in the coldest part of the fridge. | I need to store several containers of prepared meals while leaving room for the rest of the household’s food. |
| Freezer space | Compare freezer capacity separately from total capacity, then check the dimensions, noise level and energy consumption in kWh/year of models with a similar capacity. The European EPREL database lists details including the capacity, dimensions and annual energy consumption of registered models. | My current freezer compartment is no longer big enough for the portions I want to freeze regularly. I need to decide whether a different fridge-freezer will be enough or whether I have space for a second appliance. |
Cooking more batches is only useful for the week ahead if there’s room for the prepared meals in your fridge or freezer.
Before choosing another cooking appliance, estimate how many containers you’ll need to store in each compartment. ADEME points out that refrigeration appliances run continuously, so check the annual energy consumption if you’re considering a second freezer.
Cooking in a pot and cooking on a tray suit different types of dishes. For example, Whirlpool says its OMR551RR0X oven can cook on two levels.
Make a list of the meals you usually cook. If bakes and tray dishes feature heavily, check that they’ll work with the appliance you’re considering rather than relying on the number of advertised modes alone.
Chopping, grating and mixing can save you several steps, but the bowl and accessories need to suit the quantities you prepare and the space you have available.
Check which accessories are included, the maximum quantities for each task and the storage dimensions before deciding which small appliances the food processor could replace in your kitchen.
For perishable foods, the temperature of the area you use matters just as much as the space available. ANSES recommends maintaining a temperature of 4 °C in the coldest part of the fridge.
Check your appliance’s manual to find this area, and make sure the temperature is set correctly when you organise your prepared meals.
These examples highlight features to compare on specific models; they don’t cover every range from each brand.
The Cookeo range may be worth considering if you mainly cook meals in a pot.
Cook Expert food cookers combine food preparation and cooking in one appliance.
The MultiTalent 3 MCM3200W is an example of a food processor designed for ingredient preparation.
The CNd 5704 Pure NoFrost is a useful fridge-freezer to compare with other models.
The OMR551RR0X built-in oven is suited to cooking on several levels.
These options include appliances for preparing or cooking meals, as well as a fridge-freezer for keeping portions chilled or frozen. Before comparing models, decide which function your kitchen needs most.
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Worth considering if you want one food cooker to handle both preparation and cooking. The product title mentions an XL bowl, built-in scales and a large touchscreen. Check the recommended capacities for the recipes you make in larger quantities.
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If you want to keep portions chilled and frozen in one appliance, compare how the advertised 360 L capacity is divided with your storage needs. This three-door model is listed with Total No Frost and an E energy rating. Check its dimensions and annual energy consumption before making room for it.
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This food processor may suit you if chopping and blending ingredients are your main tasks before cooking. The product title mentions a 1.8 L bowl, a blender and slicing and grating discs. Check the recommended quantities for each function and allow room to store the accessories.
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The two drawers give you a different way to organise cooking compared with a single pot when you’re making two dishes. The advertised total capacity is 9.5 L. Compare the size of each drawer with the dishes you usually make, and plan a separate way to store your portions.
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This pot is designed for cooking in a pot or steaming rather than for oven-tray dishes. The product title lists a 5 L capacity, two power settings and a steam basket. Check the usable capacity for your recipes and the appliance’s dimensions before deciding where to put it.
For perishable foods, ANSES recommends maintaining a temperature of 4 °C in the coldest part of the fridge. Check your appliance’s manual to find this area before arranging your meals inside.
If you regularly run out of room in the freezer compartment alone, compare its capacity with that of a separate freezer and measure the space available. If you’re short of fridge space as well, compare the separate capacities of different fridge-freezers instead. In either case, check the dimensions, noise level and kWh/year figure for the exact model. ADEME points out that these appliances run continuously.
No. Compare their annual energy consumption in kWh and their capacities, ideally between appliances with a similar configuration. ADEME describes the energy label as a tool to help you choose, while the European EPREL database lists details including annual energy consumption, capacities and dimensions for registered models.