Instant Pot Air Fryer Toaster Oven Reviews

Budget Pick: Cosori Pro Air Fryer

*At the time of publishing, the price was $85.

The Cosori Pro Air Fryer was the best pod-shaped model we tested for under $100. Although the Cosoris 3.7-quart capacity is slightly larger than that of the Philips Premium Airfryer HD9741/96, it doesnt cook as evenly, but considering its relatively low price, we think its results were good enough. The Cosoris many preprogrammed settings werent as accurate as those of the Philips, eitherwe preferred using the manual controls for selecting the time and temperature instead. Like the Philips, the Cosori has a square-shaped basket that fits more food than the round baskets in other models. The Cosori also comes with a recipe booklet, which is helpful if youre new to cooking with convection technology.

Like the Philips, the Cosori has a removable basket to hold your food while it cooks. We prefer this design to the removable trays of a lot of newer models, because trays tend to fall out when you flip the bucket upside down to transfer food to a platethis was the case with the Ninja AF101 Air Fryer we testedand when the tray comes flying out, it could potentially cause burns. We also like that the Cosori has a plastic guard that covers the baskets release button , which prevents you from inadvertently pressing it while shaking your food. Without the guard, its easier to accidentally press the button, which would release the bucket and send it crashing onto the floor.

Best Budget: Chefman 37

• Quieter than other air fryers

• Temperature cannot be set above 400

• Cooking basket can be tricky to insert

If you want to try air frying, but don’t think you’ll do it often enough to justify investing in a more pricey model, the Chefman 3.7-Quart TurboFry Air Fryer is our budget pick. Its dome shape is compact to save counter space, but the basket easily fits enough food for several people. The black finish is sleek, and the matte model resists fingerprints so it’s easy to keep looking new.

There are both digital and analog versions of this air fryer. We tested the digital version both at home and in the Lab, and all the testers found the touch controls simple and intuitive to use. The temperature can be set from 200-400 degrees Fahrenheit and the timer up to 60 minutes, which is plenty of cooking range for most air-fried recipes. Our Lab testers found that this produced amazing French fries and crispy chicken tenders. The taste and texture outmatched several pricier models. Cleaning is also easier than others. The basket and several other parts can be put in the dishwasher, though the metal racks have to be carefully hand-washed.

The downsides here come when you’re looking for a versatile machine. It wasn’t able to bake cornbread and definitely couldn’t roast a chicken. If you’re interested in using an air fryer to dehydrate snacks, you might want a model that allows you to set the timer for longer.

Things To Consider Before Purchasing The Best Air Fryer Toaster Oven Review

When it comes to air fryers, there are a few things you need to consider before making your purchase. Here are 5 things to think about:

1. Size

Make sure to choose an air fryer thats the right size for your needs. If you plan on cooking for a large family, youll need a bigger model.

2. Capacity

Some air fryers have a larger capacity than others, so make sure to pick one that will fit all of your food.

3. Features

Air fryers come with different features, so decide which ones are important to you. Do you want one with a digital timer? A preheat function?

4. Price

Air fryers vary in price, so choose one that fits into your budget.

5. Brand

Not all air fryers are created equal. Make sure to do your research and pick a brand you trust.

Also Check: Easy Recipes In Air Fryer

How To Choose: Convection Toaster Oven Vs Air Fryer

If youre having trouble choosing which type of air fryer to get, heres how wed decide.

Get the Cuisinart oven if:

• You have room in your kitchen for a larger oven.
• You have a family or larger household, and/or want to be able to cook larger portions of food at once.
• You want to make a variety of foods, such as baked goods, toast, frozen pizzas up to 13 inches, or roast chicken as big as 6 pounds.
• You want the option to adjust the convection fans speed or turn it off completely.
• You dont want to buy extra accessories to get the most out of your appliance.
• You dont mind turning your food to achieve even browning while cooking.
• You like to avoid nonstick coating, which lines the baskets in most pod-shaped air fryers and tends to wear off quickly.
• You want faster cleanup.

Get a pod-shaped air fryer if:

Instant Pot Omni Plus 20

Capacity: 18 LitersStyle: Air: Fryer Toaster Oven7-in-1 functional: Air fry, broil, bake, roast, dehydrate, reheat, rotisserie, toast, warm, and convection all in one appliance!

The good-looking side-top toaster oven offers you with an array of appliances in one device. You can experience a convection oven, warmer, toaster, roaster, reheating oven, dehydrator, rotisserie, mini-oven, broiler, and air fryer.

This unit exceeds expectations for any standard air fryer, as its utility does the key task and much more. The Omni Plus 10-in-1 is also equipped with an Even Crispy technology. The mechanism lets users get more economical use and gives a more positive impact on your health.

Another feature with a self-descriptive name is the Golden Quart technology. The tech distributes a uniform cooking finish yet more quickly than utilizing traditional ways.

The mechanism lets this item become an absolute meat-friendly appliance specializing in roasted cooking.

Thanks to its twin-layer glass door, there is a major plus point for this item. This design permits it to keep heat effectively inside while still letting you check and follow the process of cooking food.

In addition, with temperatures running from 170 °F to 450 °F, a variety of food kinds and cooking methods are open up for you.

Also Check: Samsung Range With Air Fryer

The Philips Premium Airfryer Xxl Hd9650 Is Our Top Choice

We independently research, test, review, and recommend the bestproductslearn more about our process. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission.

The Spruce Eats / Tamara Staples

After extensive testing, the overall winner is the Philips Premium Airfryer XXL HD9650 for its high-level performance, user-friendly controls, and ease of cleanup. If you’re looking for a budget option, a good choice is the Chefman 3.7-Quart TurboFry Air Fryer, which not only was quiet and compact but also easy to use.

Air fryers have gained popularity for producing crispy, evenly browned “fried” foods without the use of an actual deep fryer. They work by circulating hot air around food, similarly to a convection oven, and eliminate the need for much, if any, cooking oil, resulting in grocery savings and less cleanup.

Many air fryers are programmed with multiple cooking functions and can double as a toaster oven, convection oven, warmer, rotisserie, indoor grill, and more. With so many options on the market, it can be tough to choose the one that’s right for you, so we tested the top-rated air fryers in our Lab and compared them side by side. We also sent several models to our experienced at-home product testers to gather more insights straight from real-life kitchens.

Here, the best air fryers, based on our extensive testing insights.

Instant Pot Omni Plus 18l Air Fryer Toaster Oven

MSRP:

The Instant Omni Plus is a high-performance toaster oven and air fryer with a large capacity so your family can dig into healthy homemade meals in no time. Featuring a rotisserie function, EvenCrisp technology for that golden finish and more. Enjoy cooking made simple with this sleek, versatile, convenient countertop oven.

• 10-in-1 cooking functions: air fry, broil, bake, roast, dehydrate, reheat, rotisserie, toast, warm, convection
• Double-layer glass door keeps heat inside for optimal cooking
• Quick heating uses golden quartz technology for fast and even cooking performance
• Adjustable temperature ranges from 170 to 450 °F
• Displays each stage of cooking from start to finish
• EvenCrisp technology provides all the crunch and tenderness of deep-frying with little to no oil
• Extra-large capacity fits a 12 pizza or 6 slices of bread perfect for families
• 16.50 x 13.90 x 15.70
• Model #: 140-4002-01

Recommended Reading: Amazon Cuisinart Toaster Oven Air Fryer

Best Overall: Philips Premium Airfryer Xxl Hd9650

• Designed to drain fat away from food

• Built-in cord storage

• Available in digital or analog

• Keeps food warm up to 30 minutes

• Add-on accessories are pricey

Who else recommends it? NBC News and Tom’s Guide both picked the Philips Premium Airfryer XXL.

What do buyers say? 89% of 2,200+ Amazon reviewers rated this product 4 stars or above.

The Philips Premium Airfryer XXL outperformed the competition in all of our Lab tests. Philips Airfryers are available in compact, XL, and XXL sizes, each with your choice of digital or analog controls. If you have the space and more than just one or two people to feed, go for the XXL digital model, which is the one we tested. It has cooking functions to air fry, bake, grill, roast, toast, dehydrate, and reheat, along with presets for some of the most popular air-fried recipes, including frozen fries, meat, fish, whole chicken, and chicken drumsticksand it’s extremely user-friendly.

The drawer-like cooking basket on the Philips Airfryer XXL can hold 7 quarts, big enough for a 4-pound whole chicken or 2 bags of frozen fries. We tested both in our Lab, and it cooked up the fluffiest French fries out of all the models, with more than one tester proclaiming them the best of the bunch. The chicken took 45 minutes, with the only flip happening at the half-hour mark. When it was done, our testers were pleasantly surprised with crispy skin and juicy meat, declaring it the perfect roast chicken.

The Spruce Eats / Tamara Staples

What To Air Fry First Bacon

If you dont know what to cook first in the Instant Pots air fryer then make some bacon!

Proceed with caution. I got a little overly ambitious and decided to do the whole package of bacon. This resulted in my smoke alarm going off because the grease from the bacon started to burn and smoke.

I realized quickly to do things in moderation with this machine. Despite my smoke mishap, the bacon was perfectly delicious. I wrapped the drip catch tray with aluminum foil and set the temperature to 375 degrees for 10 min with 4 pieces of bacon per tray.

I had to rotate/ switch the 2 trays so they would get the same crispness. The whole ordeal is a greasy mess inside the Vortex. Thats one reason I thought to do the whole package of bacon, to have some for later with one-time cleanup. You can do several small batches, but make sure to discard the bacon grease and put in new aluminum foil.

But, the dilemma is how to get rid of pipping hot oil safely. The manual states to not clean anything until the machine has cooled completely. Maybe its not worth spilling hot oil everywhere. Dont be a glutton, just stick to 8 pieces of bacon.

I had to come up with a system for taking out the trays and safely putting them on a heat resistant surface and also could still catch the grease that would leak out of the graded trays that the bacon was laying on. This was really tricky at first. An easy solution was laying the little trays on a baking sheet.

Recommended Reading: Power Air Xl Air Fryer

How To Choose The Best Air Fryer For You

Air fryers vary in size, shape, capacity and price. The most expensive ones are solidly built, but not necessarily the best at air frying, nor the most convenient to use.

Here are the five things to consider when shopping for an air fryer. Also, be sure to check out the best air fryer recipes to get the most out of your air fryer and the biggest air fryer mistakes people make.

Size: Most air fryers are not only large, but theyâre irregularly shaped. Be sure to measure the space on your countertop where you plan to keep your air fryer and the machine itself before making a purchase. Donât forget to check how much room you have from the counter surface to the bottom of your cabinets if you want to be able to move the fryer back and out of the way when youâre not using it. If you donât plan on using it often, also consider how heavy the appliance is to see if it will be convenient to lift it in and out of a cabinet or closet.

Type of Controls: Dial controls are intuitive to operate but offer less precision. To set the time youâre basically turning a mechanical timer that dings when time is up. While digital controls can take a little more work to figure out, they are exact and allow for special settings for various types of food so you donât have to guestimate what temperature to use and how long to cook.

How The Air Fryer Fries

Air fryers are basically small convection ovens. Inside, they have a heating element and a fan that blows hot air around their small cooking chamber, circulating the air very quickly. Combined with its perforated basket, this means that the food comes into contact with the hot air at a much faster rate, frying it. No, it doesnt produce deep-fried results , but the air fryer can cook brown and crispy foods very well, making it a great way to cook foods like French fries, broccoli , and even proteins like salmon.

Don’t Miss: Accessories For The Power Xl Air Fryer

Instant Pot Air Fryer Chicken Legs

I was not conservative with my choice of chicken parts or the amount. Again, learn from me and be moderate in your portions. I

air-fried at 400 F for 30 minutes with 2 tiers of trays that held 3 chicken legs each. I found that they were too big to put on the top ledge because they would touch the heating element. And placing two trays at the same time meant the bottom tray was squished. You need to rotate the bottom and top trays as well as flip each of the food items.

Regardless of the trials and errors, the actual taste and texture of the chicken were very tender and good. I made a ginger soy sauce honey marinade which looked burnt when it was done but it didnt taste burnt.

Halfway through the cooking time, there was a beep to indicate when to flip the food so that both sides would evenly crisp. I can see how this will be helpful once you get comfortable using the machine. But I was standing there watching it like watching paint dry or water boil.

It is really important to use long tongsto flip food items. You dont want to take any chances of dropping the food or burning yourself. There was a lot of grease left on the aluminum foil. Im extremely glad I put the foil to make clean up less of a headache later.

How Do You Preheat An Air Fryer

Not all air fryers need to be preheated, while others automatically preheat before starting the cooking timer.

To preheat, select the preset preheat function if your air fryer has one, or just set the cooking temperature and let the air fryer heat for 3 to 5 minutes before adding your food.

We’ve tested models that automatically preheat and ones that let you get cooking without any preheating. In our tests, we found foods cooked similarly whether we preheated or not. Some air frying guides recommend preheating for better results when air frying meat you want to get a nice sear on, like steak and chicken breasts.

You May Like: Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven Problems

Why Trust The Spruce Eats

This roundup was written by Sharon Lehman, a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist who happily makes space for any gadget that makes cooking faster and easier. She has tested and reviewed several air fryers for The Spruce Eats, including the Chefman TurboFry Air Fryer and Emeril Lagasse Power Air Fryer 360.

The Spruce Eats Editor Siobhan Wallace compiled testing data from our official Lab as well as insights from our home tester’s full product reviews to update this roundup.

Instant Omni Or Instant Vortex

I prefer the Vortex because it is more compact, easier to clean, heats faster, and takes up less counter space. It also is cheaper. But I am a family of two and do not need something the size of the Omni. I also do like having both now though since I can now cook multiple things at once. But if I had to choose only one, my personal choice would be the Vortex.

Read Also: How To Make Sweet Potato Fries Air Fryer

Instant Pot Omni Vs Omni Pro: What Is The Difference

This couple of ovens is no exception from the key spirit of the Instant Pot brand. They meet all the basic features of a standard multi-functionality oven.

Still, it isnt challenging to see the main difference between the Instant Pot Omni and the Omni Pro. The total function of the Pro is twice as much as the other.