Anyone who considers themselves a foodie or who enjoys preparing food likely knows about the trendy new appliance called an air fryer. If you’re like I was, maybe you’ve heard about it but are not sure what it does exactly. Let me fill you in: an air fryer is an electric countertop appliance which crisps foods. Basically, it’s a healthy alternative to frying since it only uses a negligible amount of oil (if any). If you’re wondering how it works, read on!
How an Air Fryer Works
Put simply, the crispy crunch is achieved through circulating hot air. At the top of the appliance you’ll see a heating mechanism and a fan which work together to blow hot air on and around the food. Now the food, whether its veggies, fries, or chicken tenders, sits on a perforated sheet or basket below. When engaged, the air fryer will reach all surfaces of the food and brown the outside edges of it. A clever idea, if you ask me!
Things to Look for in an Air Fryer
- Space: Before purchasing an air fryer, examine your cooking space to get a good idea of how much room you have to store one. You wouldn’t want to bring one home that won’t fit on your countertop!
- Capacity: How big of a group do you normally cook for? Make sure that you know how big the cooking chamber is so that it will suit your needs.
- Price: Consider how much you want to spend. If you’ve tried an air fryer before and know you love it, it might be a good idea to invest more in one. However, if you just want to see what all the fuss is about, maybe you should go with a cheaper option. But keep in mind that the more expensive options often produce better results.
- Features: Do you want a basic machine or one that can cook multiple ways?
Our Top 10 Reviewed Air Fryer Toaster Oven Combos
| Product | Features |
|---|---|
Instant Vortex Pro | |
Cuisinart Convection | |
Breville BOV900BSS Smart Oven | |
COSORI 12-in-1 | |
Emeril Lagasse Power 360 | |
NutriChef High Power | |
Iconites 10-in-1 | |
Geek Chef | |
Black+Decker Extra Wide | |
CROWNFUL 9-in-1 |
1. Instant Vortex Pro
If you want to metaphorically dip your toes into air fryers and you don’t have a big group to feed, this may be the one for you. I’m sure you’ll also appreciate the built-in programs including air fry, roast, broil, bake, toast, reheat, proof (cinnamon rolls anyone?), dehydrate, and rotisserie.
The makers of the beloved Instant Pot produced this option so that tells you something about its quality. It may be smaller and cheaper than others, but the Instant Vortex still performs like a champ!
Price: $$
Dimensions: 13.78″ x 13.23″ x 14.37″
Capacity: 9.46 liters
Wattage: 1500 Watts
2. Cuisinart Convection
While the Cuisinart comes with fewer functions than others, it does have some great features including an adjustable thermostat, timer, and auto shut off. It has a nonstick interior, so clean up is easy. Included with this machine is a basket, an oven rack, and a baking pan. One of the best things about this product is it is much quieter than most other options. Did I mention it can cook a 12-inch pizza?
Price: $$$
Dimensions: 15.5″ x 16″ x 14″
Capacity: 17 liters
Wattage: 1800 Watts
3. Breville BOV900BSS Smart Oven
This is the product for you if you want the best of the best! Not only is it enormous and able to feed the whole gang, but it is equipped with superior technology to ensure the highest quality cooking. This is an air fryer you can trust to perfectly fry your family’s favorites. You won’t find one bigger or better. It even comes with a 2-year limited warranty!
Price: $$$$
Dimensions: 18.5″ x 26″ x 17″
Capacity: 28 liters
Wattage: 1800 Watts
4. COSORI 12-in-1
What’s awesome about this package is all the presets its equipped with including pizza, roast, air fry, toast, bagel, bake, broil, cookies, rotisserie, dehydrate, ferment, and keep warm. It also has a large capacity. Just to give you a clear picture of its capacity, you can fit 6 slices of toast, a 13-inch pizza, or a 5-lb chicken inside of this air fryer! Plus, 100 original recipes are included. In addition to all that, the LED display makes it so simple to use.
Price: $$$
Dimensions: 14.1″ x 13.8″ x 9.4″
Capacity: 30 liters
Wattage: 1800 Watts
5. Emeril Lagasse Power 360
You won’t regret getting this air fryer! In fact, you’ll even find that it can replace your countertop convection oven and produce restaurant quality food. Plus it’s sleek and stainless steel, sure to complement any kitchen.
One unique feature is that it can slow cook, which is a life saver to us working moms! I also love that it has a memory feature so it will remember the pre-set cooking time and temperature last used.
Price: $$
Dimensions: 23″ x 17.5″ x 13.5″
Capacity: 15 liters
Wattage: 1500 Watts
6. NutriChef High Power
NutriChef designed this appliance with health enthusiasts in mind! Multi-tier dehydrating trays make it easy to dry your own fruit, skewers are included to make savory vegetables, and the air frying feature produces lower fat foods. Your family will be eating healthy with the help of this!
And I just have to point out that the parts are removable and non-stick so clean up is very easy. If you’re the one in charge of dishes, you’ll be grateful for those features!
Price: $$$
Dimensions: 11.8″ x 9.8″ x 7.5″
Capacity: 17 liters
Wattage: 1800 Watts
7. Iconites 10-in-1
This 20-quart air fryer was designed for family-size cooking! Its one of the larger options on this list so it will take up a good chunk of counter space.
Also, it comes with an abundance of accessories including a rotisserie basket, a rotating basket (for kabobs), a fry net basket, gloves, a drip tray, a chicken fork, a fetch rack, and 5 air flow racks. You can even grill a pizza in here! What more could you ask for?
Price: $$$
Dimensions: 15.2″ x 15.2″ x 15.4″
Capacity: 18.93 liters
Wattage: 1800 Watts
8. Geek Chef
There are timer, temp, function, and toast darkness dials to make it as easy as possible to operate this and ensure the results are exactly what you want! And it comes with everything you’ll need, including a baking pan, air fryer basket, crumb tray, and oven rack.
Like other products, the Geek Chef is versatile with 7 smart modes (cake, chicken, fish, pizza, steak, toast, wings, cookies, defrost, skewer, vegetables, French fries, keep warm, dehydrate). They also offer a 1-year warranty which is a big deal!
Price: $$$
Dimensions: 18.3″ x 16.93″ x 17.33″
Capacity: 23 liters
Wattage: 1700 Watts
9. Black+Decker Extra Wide
On a budget? Don’t let the other expensive products prevent you from getting an air fryer. You can get this one for a fraction of the price and still enjoy the health benefits of an air fryer!
The Black+Decker’s compact size makes it easy to find room for it on your countertop space. But you’ll be surprised at how much it can hold: for reference, a 9″x13″ pan fits inside!
Price: $
Dimensions: 21.5″ x 23″ x 11.2″
Capacity: 10 liters
Wattage: 1500 Watts
10. CROWNFUL 9-in-1
It has one of the smaller capacities on our list, but maybe you don’t need anything bigger. Whether you want to bake, fry, roast, cook, dehydrate, reheat, toast, or grill, this appliance can do it all!
What’s neat about the CROWNFUL is that the door is detachable, making it easy to clean every groove. And in addition to 8 accessories (rotisserie basket, removal tools, mesh racks, drip tray, skewers, rotisserie shaft), it even includes a cookbook.
Price: $$
Dimensions: 13.25″ x 13.23″ x 14.57″
Capacity: 10 liters
Wattage: 1500 Watts
Pros and Cons of Air Fryers
Like with any cooking device, there are advantages and disadvantages to using an air fryer. Here are my thoughts on the pros and cons:
Pros:
- I love that it’s a healthy alternative to deep frying since it uses less fat.
- It is a quick, convenient way to prepare breaded or frozen foods.
- This is a useful option to reheat crispy leftovers. I hate microwaving French fries because they turn out soggy; this would solve that problem!
- Most air fryers have multiple other functions, including baking and roasting.
- Clean up is easy because the parts are typically dishwasher safe.
Cons:
- The food needs to be spaced apart to cook properly which means there’s a limited capacity. You can only make small portion sizes at a time.
- It would be extra time consuming to cook for a big group since you’d have to do it in batches.
- Some air fryers emit a loud noise while the fan is on, comparable to the sound a vacuum cleaner makes.
- Since batter would drip through the holes and create a giant mess, you won’t want to prepare foods dipped in liquid batter.
- Similarly, its not a good option for doughy foods like doughnuts.
It’s not hard to see why air fryers have become so popular recently. And adding the benefit of a toaster oven makes it even more useful! I don’t know about you, but having a kitchen appliance that is so versatile is a huge win. It makes cooking easier and healthier–what’s not to like? You won’t regret getting an air fryer/toaster oven combo; you’ll wonder what you ever did without it!
