Is a smart display worth it just for the kitchen?

Yes. The Echo Show 8 or Google Nest Hub provide: hands-free recipe following (no touching phone with messy hands), multiple named timers (pasta timer, sauce timer, bread timer), music and podcasts while cooking, video calls while preparing meals, and smart home control. These are used during every cooking session by households that own them. The kitchen is the room where smart displays provide the most practical value.

Air fryer or Instant Pot — which should I buy first?

If you eat a lot of frozen foods, fries, and roasted vegetables: air fryer first. If you cook soups, stews, rice, and slow-cooked meals: Instant Pot first. Both are transformative kitchen appliances. The Instant Pot replaces more separate appliances (pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, yogurt maker). The air fryer produces results (crispy textures) that no other countertop appliance can match. Ideally, own both within a year.

Best Tech for Kitchen Counter 2026