The One Kitchen Gadget to Rule Them All

All-Clad Metalcrafters LLC is a Pennsylvania-based cookware manufacturer of copper, stainless steel, and nonstick pots and pans. The company is part of the French global kitchen appliance conglomerate Groupe SEB, which this year introduced the Prep & Cook. The machine can weigh, cook, chop, crush, emulsify, whip, mix, steam, blend, grate, and knead. It has 12 speeds, 1,400 watts, and 15,000 RPMs to blend and process food, plus a heating element that can be set in 10-degree increments to warm the contents of its 4.7-quart stainless steel bowl from 90F to 270F. Along with buttons for speed and temperature, it offers a half-dozen preset cycles for sauces, soups, pastries, desserts, simmering, and steaming, for which a stainless steel basket is included.

The gadget arms race means that appliance companies promise less work with every invention, whether an $80 Instant Pot, a $150 Cuisinart food processor, or $600 juicers from Smeg. The do-it-all category is still relatively new to the American market, but it’s well-established in Asia and in Europe, where the Thermomix, which pioneered the category in the 1960s, remains the best-known brand. It relaunched in the U.S. last year with the TM5, a $1,850 web-connected appliance that makes from-scratch dishes a cinch for even the most timid cook. With a list price of $999.95, the Prep & Cook stakes out a modest price point in this group, tailoring its appeal to the cook who wants style and power without overpaying for digital hand-holding.