Best automatic cooking machines

Top pick: Ninja PossibleCooker PRO Plus 8.5-Qt — the best balance of "set it and walk away" for most kitchens. Big enough for family batches, a wide range of automatic functions, and a strong owner rating.

Who the others suit:

• Thermomix TM7 — the closest thing to a true cooking robot: weighs, chops, grinds and cooks in one bowl. Best if you want guided recipes and don't mind a learning curve.
• TOKIT Omni Cook C2 — a screen-led robot cooker for people who like following on-screen steps; a middle ground before Thermomix money.
• Wonderchef Chef Magic — an all-in-one that automates several steps at once; check the voltage suits your kitchen.
• Ninja PossibleCooker PRO 8.5-Qt / Everyday 6.5-Qt — same idea, simpler and smaller; the 6.5-qt is the easy starter.
• Beautiful 10-in-1 6-Qt — the friendliest budget multi-cooker, hugely reviewed.
• Simenmax / Concetta / Haysky 6-qt pressure cookers — basic push-button pressure cooking if you mainly want beans, stews and rice.

Skip the Philips All In One for now — no store currently sells it at a price we could confirm.