Everyone wants to cook more exciting meals, but who wants to deal with the preparation and the hassle of cooking? Fortunately, there are lots of products that can make these jobs easier for you, taking the pain out of cooking. Here’s our round-up of some of the best.

1 Steam & Air fry

For healthy cooking without the fuss, Salter’s XL Digital Steam Air Fryer has a large 6.5L capacity and a 1L water tank for steaming to lock in vitamins and nutrients. A great space-saver, it’s perfect for smaller kitchens and with three modes, you can choose to air fry, steam or Steamlock that does both at the same time. Added features include adjustable temperature, six cooking functions, timer, auto shut off and an easy-clean non-stick tray £149.99

2 Soup Maker

Make smooth or chunky homemade soup in the Compact Soup Maker from Morphy Richards, which will chop, prepare and cook the ingredients for you. Its one-touch functions are easy to use while the 1L capacity makes enough for four starter portions or two mains. It has an LED countdown timer display and a non-stick coating for easy cleaning and can also be used to make smoothies and shakes £59.99

3 6-in-1

Save time, energy and money without compromising on flavour or texture with Dualit’s VortrecS Air Fryer. This 5.5L model circulates hot air for evenly cooked food and features seven one-touch pre-set programmes for French Fries, Vegetables, Meat on the Bone, Frozen Finger Food, Fillet of Meat, Bakery and Fish. It also has 6-in-1 functions for Fry, Dehydrate, Roast, Bake, Grill and Reheat £129.99

4 Sauté & Simmer

The Cook In from Cuisinart is a great all-rounder, as it sears, grills, sautés, steams, stews and simmers, ideal for families. From steak to steamed greens, it heats up in less than six minutes and has a temperature range of 90˚C to 220˚C. Added benefits include interchangeable non-stick pans and a lightweight, compact design that can be stored in the cupboard after use £160

5 Blend & Blitz

Add a retro look to your worktop with Smeg’s Compact Personal Blender, which comes in red, white, pink, cream, green, black or blue. Perfect for prepping soups, sauces and smoothies, it has stainless steel double blades, two speed settings and two portable bottles for drinks on the go £109.95

6 Multifunctional Maker

Feed the whole family with Lakeland’s 2L Touchscreen Soup Maker, which creates smooth or chunky homemade soup by cutting, blending, cooking, simmering and stirring in just 30 minutes. There are four automatic settings, three speeds as well as manual temperature and time options and the ability to blend without heating for when you want a sauce, smoothie, milkshake, dip, baby food or ice £149.99

7 Slow Cook

GreenPan’s 6L Slow Cooker is a great time and energy saver, as you can prep your meal before heading out to work then come home to a perfectly slow cooked supper. Flavours will be more intense and it’s so easy to use with just one click of a button. It’s also easy to clean with a non-stick removable inner pan and it comes in blue, black cream or stainless steel £160

8 Double Drawer

When you need extra cooking space, Tefal’s 8.3L Dual Drawer Easy Fry and Grill. In black, grey or stainless steel, it has two independent drawers, cooking meals 40% faster and saving up to 70% energy as well as being a healthier way to cook with little or no oil £179.99 (black), £189 (grey), £199.99 (stainless steel)