By Editor,Sarah Rainey

Copyright dailymail

As a cookery writer who spends my days testing new gadgets and lusting after the latest appliances, I like to think I’m up-to-date on kitchen trends.

I pride myself on having a kitchen at home that’s filled with timeless, trustworthy cookware rather than faddy mod-cons.

That set of Le Creuset casserole dishes I got as a wedding present, the Nespresso machine that lasted through two maternity leaves, the gorgeous 1960s Aga… all everyday essentials to me.

But it turns out my kitchen – like countless others up and down the country – is woefully out of date.

According to recent reports, brands once considered staples of middle-class households are rapidly going out of fashion. Luxury appliance brand Smeg – maker of pastel-hued retro fridges and food mixers – has warned of a slump, amid a ‘challenging economic landscape’.

Aga Rangemaster, the parent company of Aga, has seen a sharp drop in UK sales of its iconic cookers. Le Creuset, which saw a surge in demand during the pandemic, is also fading – fast. You’ll find its crockery going cheap at John Lewis and TK Maxx, as well as £50 Le Creuset ‘mystery boxes’ – a clever way to get rid of old stock, direct from the warehouse – going viral on TikTok. Top chefs now prefer trendier ovenware from brands such as Our Place and HexClad instead.

So why are the middle classes turning their backs on classic cookware? In a cost-of-living crisis, most of us can’t justify splurging £14,000 on an Aga or £300 on a saucepan. There are cheaper competitors, such as SharkNinja, the American appliance giant that sells everything from ice cream machines to soup-makers.

But even modern gadgets are falling out of favour. The air fryer, which once saw an annual sales spike of 3,000 per cent, is being replaced by sleeker ‘healthier’ solutions, such as steam cookers and halogen ovens (which use halogen lamps as the heating element and drain away all the fat). So if you bin your air fryer and Le Creuset set, what should you be replacing it with?

Here’s what’s in – and what’s out – in today’s trendiest kitchens…

Out: Wine fridge. In: Dairy fridge

You won’t see a showy wine fridge in today’s trendiest kitchens. Instead, look under the counter, where you’ll find something much more mundane: a milk fridge.

‘We’re seeing a lot more demand for secondary dairy fridges,’ says Oli Davonport, of luxury designer Davonport Kitchens. ‘When you’re zoning the kitchen, you can put it near the coffee station. Not only does it give clients more space in their main fridge, but it means everything is at hand for making hot drinks.’

Designed for both cow’s and alternative milks, a dairy fridge, such as Kenwood’s under-counter one (£140) offers convenient concealed storage – and is far more useful than keeping that old bottle of fizz you’ll never drink.

Out: Air fryer. In: Wonder oven

We all rushed to buy an air fryer at the peak of the hype, but as many have now discovered, the clunky appliances are nothing but a load of hot air.

According to a recent report, while two-thirds of UK households now own one, more than 750,000 air fryers sit unused on kitchen countertops and 1.5 million have already been binned.

Instead, cooks are snapping up an Our Place Wonder Oven, the £195 ‘countertop connoisseur’ – made by the same people as the viral One Pan – that calls on steam technology to air fry, bake, roast, grill, reheat and toast.

Such was the recent demand for the aesthetically-appealing gadget that there was a waiting list at Harrods. A-list fans include Gwyneth Paltrow, David Beckham and Selena Gomez.

Out: Le Creuset. In: HexClad cookware

Though once considered an investment piece, a huge second-hand marketplace has sprung up around Le Creuset, with many of the brand’s once in-demand colours now available on eBay and Vinted, as well as a cut-price section on Amazon.

In its place is HexClad, the brand endorsed by chef Gordon Ramsay, which produces stainless-steel, non-stick, oven-proof items. The makers pledge its 13-piece set (£729) is not only ‘the best on the planet’ but ‘the last cookware set you’ll ever buy’.

Michelin-starred chefs Clare Smyth and Paul Ainsworth swear by the pans, as do A-listers Cameron Diaz and Halle Berry.

Out: Smeg fridge. In: Liebherr fridge

Smeg may still have a starring role in the Great British Bake Off tent, but the Italian appliance manufacturer – which recently did an eye-wateringly expensive collaboration with Dolce & Gabbana (from £1,249.95 for an espresso coffee machine) – is on its way out, at least where fridges are concerned.

The pastel-hued, round-edged retro style is, say designers, nowhere near as popular as it once was. Instead, cooks want one by Liebherr, the German brand whose fridges have become something of a cult hit in the coolest kitchens.

Combining precision engineering with energy efficiency and some quirky style features – such as a black steel interior, or bold exterior prints – models start from £1,200, making them easier on the bank balance than shelling out £2,500 on a Smeg.

Out: Nespresso. In: De’Longhi

With its innovative capsule-to-cup machines, Nespresso once dominated the at-home coffee market. But the bland, black machines are now considered naff, making way for sophisticated competitors that offer bean-to-cup coffee better than a fancy cafe.

Chief among them is De’Longhi, the Italian brand whose chic-looking machines – in colours such as Jade Green and Sand Beige – combine retro appeal with quality results.

The best-seller is the La Specialista Touch (£600), which guarantees barista-style coffee in minutes.

Kitchen designers are now building designated ‘cafe corners’ – with space for a coffee machine, milk frother, syrups and mugs.

Out: Nutribullet. In: Thermomix

If you’re still mixing up your morning smoothie in a Nutribullet, you’re doing it all wrong.

The blender hit its peak a decade ago and now dupes abound, with cut-price versions from £15 (£55 cheaper than the branded version) available at most supermarkets.

Now’s the time to upgrade to a Thermomix, an all-in-one appliance that can not only blend but chop, weigh, stir, cook and steam. You can hook it up to your wifi and download thousands of recipes. It even has a cleaning mode.

At £1,349 for the latest model, a Thermomix doesn’t come cheap, but has become a must-have for pros Tom Kerridge, Mary Berry, James Martin and Prue Leith.

Out: Aga. In: La Cornue

‘I think Agas are too high-maintenance for many people,’ says Juliet Sear, ITV This Morning’s resident baker and author of several cookbooks. ‘They’re also bulky and they use a lot of energy.’

Known in the cooking world as ‘the Lamborghini of stoves’, French brand La Cornue is fast overtaking Aga as the oven of choice for serious home cooks. It combines an electric oven with a gas hob and prices start at £8,000, making it a much more reasonable option.

George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Lopez all have one of the coveted appliances, each one handcrafted and fitted with brass or chrome handles.

Unlike Agas, La Cornue stoves can be personalised – with bigger burners, grills or whatever suits the buyer’s cooking preferences – just one of many reasons they’ve seen a 125 per cent spike in sales. You can also choose the exact colour you want: one client, apparently, recently requested enamel the colour of his wife’s eyes; while another asked for her stove in Veuve Clicquot orange.

Out: Kettle. In: Boiling water tap

Forget boiling the kettle for a cup of tea; these days, all you need do is turn on the tap.

‘We are seeing hot water taps quickly replace designer kettles as people look for a single, streamlined solution,’ explains Michael Sammon, design director at Wodar, whose sleek brushed brass boiling water taps start at £499. ‘The latest taps don’t just deliver boiling water; they combine filtered and even sparkling options too, which means one piece of hardware can take care of everything from tea-making to chilled drinking water.’

Not only is it quicker, but a trendy tap frees up space on the worktop for other appliances – so ditch your designer kettle now.

Out: Dishwasher. In: Dish drawer

Stacked full of dirty dishes, with lingering smells of last night’s dinner, dishwashers are breeding grounds for germs.

So it’s no wonder they’ve been replaced in upmarket kitchens – with the much smaller, cleaner dish drawer.

Invented by New Zealand appliance brand Fisher & Paykel, which specialises in sophisticated, minimalist designs, the dish drawer is a single, ergonomic drawer which washes in half the time of a standard dishwasher.

Starting at £985 and elevated so as to make loading and unloading easier, it can be built into kitchen islands or worktops, and is ideal for smaller households (minus messy kids).

Out: Electric hob. In: Gaggenau hob

Electric hobs with industrial cooker hoods are officially outmoded. These days, it’s all about hiding your hob where no one can see it.

Gaggenau’s Essential Induction cooktop is almost completely invisible, and the ultimate must-have for home cooks who like to entertain. From £5,500, its key features are an LED ‘dot’ showing you where to place your pans, knobs concealed on the side of the worktop and a clever ‘downdraught’ extractor fan. ‘Putting all the cooking on the island gives a more social feel to the kitchen without having a noisy extractor fan,’ says Oli Davonport.

Gaggenau is a go-to for chefs such as Raymond Blanc, and was once named the official appliance partner of the Michelin brand.