Chinese kitchens heat up with small, time-saving gadgets

Small kitchen appliances with multiple functions and eye-catching designs are gaining popularity with China's younger consumers for their time-saving convenience.

Beijing resident Ms. Chen has filled her kitchenette with a variety of small appliances, like antibacterial cutting boards, a multi-functional cooker, an air fryer and so forth.

Ms. Chen says her sandwich maker and soymilk maker are the products she uses most often, allowing her to whip up breakfast in under 10 minutes.

"After getting up in the morning, I fry an egg and a piece of ham. Then, I can wash my face and brush my teeth and don't have to waste too much time," said Chen.

Chen says thanks to the devices, she eats breakfast at home most days now. During this year's Double 11, which is the country's biggest online shopping carnival, she also bought a small dessert oven for pastries.

Ms. Chen is just one example from this consumer segment who are snapping up small kitchen appliances.

"Sales of our small kitchen products have grown 63 percent. With a continuous rise in the consumption power of those born in the 1990s and 2000s, their demand for quality and diverse products that help them stay healthy is driving the growth of some high-quality electric appliances," said Zhang Yanguang, general manager of the Beijing branch of home appliance retailer Suning.com.

According to data from China Commercial Industry Research Institute, the size of the country's small household appliance market topped 453 billion yuan (roughly 71.11 billion U.S. dollars) in 2020, with a compound growth rate of 13.3 percent from 2012 to 2020.