Forget the Air Fryer! The in-demand gadgets you need to snap up to save money, effort & time in the kitchen
WE’RE always looking for simple, easy ways to make quick, affordable and nutritious meals at home.
Which is why last year the air fryer became the must-have gadget, with one sold every minute at Argos on average.
And while their popularity shows no sign of wavering, many of us will be wondering what other clever gadgets there are out there to help us create healthy, low-cost dinners.
Explaining why we’re so obsessed with the latest tech, Carly Pearson, Head of Household Electricals at Argos, says: “The cost of living crisis is impacting kitchen habits across the nation.
“Many of us are spending less money on eating out and spending more time preparing meals at home.
“When it comes to food prep and cooking, appliances that save precious hours – such as slow cookers and air fryers – have quickly become the must-have kitchen gadgets.
“It’s no surprise that they have gone viral on social media too; especially with the many health and energy efficiency benefits associated with using some of these appliances.
“We have seen a significant rise in searches for air fryers between October and December last year, and predict the trend toward energy efficient electricals will continue to grow.
“We expect to see kitchen gadgets maintaining their popularity this year, with some appliances already giving the air fryer a run for its money.”
Here’s the lowdown on some of the other gadgets jostling for the top spot this year, as well as Carly’s recommendations to keep time and cooking costs down…
Steam team
First up is the perfect gadget for the health conscious among us – the Russell Hobbs three tier plastic food steamer, costing £28.
Carly says: “This compact food steamer is great for smaller households and a brilliant cooking method for creating easy, nutritious meals.
“It’s great for steaming meat, fish and vegetables to create an easy nutritious meal at home.
“It also has a 60-minute timer for precise results.”
Instant results
You can revolutionise the way you cook with the Instant Pot duo mini pressure cooker, £80, which impressively replaces seven other appliances in the kitchen.
It cooks food up to 70 per cent faster than other methods, and has 11 one touch smart programmes.
This enables easy cooking of dishes including soup, stew, chilli, and slow cooked recipes.
Eggs-cellent
Eggs are such a versatile ingredient that can be eaten at any time of day, in a variety of ways – but they can require constant attention to cook them to perfection.
Which is why this six egg boiler and poacher, £19, can really save you time and effort as you focus on other elements of your meal.
Great for making soft boiled, hard boiled and poached eggs – perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Multi-talented
Why buy multiple gadgets, when you can buy one – like the Tefal SpheriCook Digital Multi Cooker, £110.00, which gets five star reviews from customers who’ve tried it out.
Carly says: “Make mealtimes easy and cook delicious meals at the push of a button.
“SpheriCook is pre-programmed to cook a variety of meals for you and your family so no matter what you’re cooking, it will turn out beautifully.”
This gadget is great for batch cooking, and you can create a whole balanced meal in just one bowl.
One reviewer went as far as to describe the multi cooker as “essential”, saying: “We barely get time to ourselves and meal times are made so much easier with this cooker, especially with young kids.”