The other day, while flipping through a supermarket flyer, I came across an offer for a small rice cooker. My son had bought one for himself a few years ago and is completely thrilled with it. He told me I should definitely get one too…

Advertising and social media always make you feel like you can’t cook properly without them. Air fryers, robot vacuums, smart kitchen gadgets – I use quite a few of these myself. So before every new purchase, it’s worth asking yourself: Do I really need this, or would the classic, simpler option do just as well? Or am I only buying it because “that’s just what you do”?

That’s exactly the question I explored in this little series. There are certainly many more kitchen gadgets out there than the ones I cover here – but these four are the ones that have occupied me the most over the past few years.

1. Rice Cooker
2. Air Fryer
3. Robot Vacuum or Stick Vacuum
4. Smart Kitchen Gadgets

Before buying, you should always weigh the pros and cons carefully: Are the features a device offers really necessary, and do they justify the extra cost, or would a simple model – or even skipping the purchase altogether – do just fine? What matters most here is doing thorough research beforehand. These days, it’s become so easy to find information online. For every single device currently used in my household, I first researched thoroughly, compared options, read reviews, or watched videos – and for really expensive devices, I went to a store before the final purchase to see them in person. On average, this takes me about a month, and I sleep on the final decision for at least one more night.

As a conclusion for this series, I ask myself the same three questions for every device: Do I really need one of these devices? The answer here is a clear no – before these devices existed, I could cook, clean, and store food just as well. Do I use these devices once I’ve bought them? For the ones I consider genuinely useful, absolutely yes. Could I do without any of these devices? Certainly all of them – yet I would never give up my beloved air fryer.