For example, when we cooked chicken nuggets, we set every air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for seven minutes, per the nuggets’ air fryer cooking instructions. Generally speaking, air fryer toaster ovens range in price from $70 to $500. While exceptions exist, the less expensive models tend to be smaller and less powerful with fewer settings. When it comes to toasting cuisinart toaster costco and air frying, they get the job done, but the pricier models typically offer larger capacities and greater functionality. Cuisinart® makes air frying easier than ever, with presets to perfectly fry favorites like wings, fries, chicken nuggets, snacks and veggies. Frying with air instead of oil is delicious and guilt-free, and this large capacity oven fries up to 3 lb.
They also make cooking kind of fun—pop open a drawer, pour in some food, toss it halfway through, and it’s done before you know it. For that reason, we think they’re a great tool to get uninitiated chefs interested in cooking for themselves. Pod-shaped air fryers can also be an invaluable cooking alternative for people with certain disabilities (video), since they don’t require handling a hot tray, or bending over to open or close an oven door. Some smart models, like the Cosori Pro Smart Air Fryer, even come with apps that pair with your phone to make the appliance accessible via voice controls (video), though we haven’t tested those features yet. An Air fryer is a kitchen appliance that cooks by circulating hot air around food. They do a fantastic job cooking up frozen foods that are meant to taste deep-fried.
But considering its relatively low price, and the fact that most air fryers of this style don’t cook very evenly, we think the results were good enough. It also comes with a recipe booklet, which is helpful if you’re new to air frying. We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention how good looking this model is—the entire exterior has a sleek matte finish, and it features a brightly lit control panel that’s easily visible even in a dark room. Several co-workers who walked into the test kitchen immediately gravitated to the Cosori out of all of the other air fryers on the counter because it looks so chic. That said, the Philips Premium Airfryer is not our favorite appliance for air frying. If you have the space and budget, we recommend an air fryer toaster oven, which is more versatile and cooks more evenly than its pod-shaped counterparts.
Your beef tenderloin will always come out medium rare and a chicken will never be undercooked. If you’re into kitchen gadgets but want to streamline and downsize, then the TOA-65 is perfect for you. If you wish you had a second oven or don’t have one at all — then it’s also your best bet. When it comes to functionality, the TOA-65 allows for more precise cooking than the TOA-60.
In our air fryer toaster oven test, the Joule Oven Air Fryer Pro made mostly even toast and a gorgeous, golden cake. The air fryer setting took longer to crisp wings than other air fryer toaster ovens we tested, but the results were similar to the results we saw in the Smart Oven Air that consumers love. It was amongst the easiest to use with an intuitive control panel; plus, the ability to follow along on the app. It even can be controlled with Alexa if you want to adjust your cook time or temperature.
And the finger holes for lifting the tray are wide enough to allow french fries to fall through to the bottom. Beyond cooking all those foods, we did some tests focused on how reliable and easy to use each model was. We stuck an air probe thermometer inside each oven to see how well they maintained a set temperature. We also used all of the controls to see how easy they were to navigate and how accurate the cooking guidelines were for preparing common foods such as french fries and chicken nuggets.
What’s more, this air fryer cooked food more evenly than most of the others we tested. Its streamlined interface has only four preprogrammed settings—air fry, roast, bake, and reheat—all operated by a single dial, which makes the Instant Mini easy to use right out of the box. We were able to get somewhat better browning by extending the cook time.
When you’re all done, the nonstick interiors make cleanup easy for our air fryer toaster ovens. Adding an air fry function gives you capabilities of a toaster oven and air fryer in one appliance, often with additional features as well. Some models can roast on a rotisserie, slow cook, or dehydrate, making them even more useful. The digital controls are intuitive to program and there’s a bright oven light, but I do have one major quibble.
My piece of equipment needed a clean after testing — the broiled salmon was the limit. A microfiber cloth damp with a mild soap solution did the trick and the outside only needed a quick wipe-down and dry. The oven rack and crumb tray had to be handwashed (easy) while the baking/drip pan and air fryer basket cleaned up in the dishwasher (easier). However, few of these multifunction countertop ovens are the best at air frying.
Air fryers can’t fit larger items like casseroles, whole pizzas, or whole chickens. Because their fans are so powerful and the interior is so cramped, they tend to cook unevenly, and they aren’t good for recipes that need cuisinart air fryer oven a more delicate touch, such as cakes. Also, the preprogrammed settings, which may look enticing for new cooks, are generally inaccurate, so you’ll likely need to adjust the time or temperature a bit when using them.