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With the Kalorik Vivid Touch Touchscreen Air Fryer, I can tap my way to perfectly-done meals
2:50 pm | March 3, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Air Fryers Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances | Comments: Off

Kalorik Vivid Touch Touchscreen Air Fryer: one-minute review

The Kalorik Vivid Touch 7 Quart High-Resolution Touchscreen Air Fryer with Window stands out from the crowded air fryer scene in a couple of ways. First and foremost, it has a high-resolution touchscreen. I thought perhaps it was a silly gimmick until I actually tried it. The touchscreen meant that I didn't have to refer to a guide to figure out how to cook a particular item. It's all right there in the menu. For example, if you want to heat up some frozen french fries, just tap the French Fries option from the menu. From there, you choose from House Cut, Wedges, Fresh, Crinkle, Waffle, or Curly. Then you choose your quantity, make any adjustments to time and temperature you wish, and then hit start.

The other feature that isn't necessarily typical for air fryers is the large window and interior light so you can take a peek at your food's progress without interrupting the cook cycle.

Overall, this is a pretty typical drawer-style air fryer with some special touches that make it better.

Kalorik Vivid Touch Touchscreen Air Fryer: price and availability

  • List price: $149.99 (about £119 / AU$240)

The Kalorik Vivid Touch 7-Quart High-Resolution Touchscreen Air Fryer with Window is available at many retailers both online and in brick-and-mortar stores such as Amazon, Home Depot, HSN, Walmart, and more. Choose from three color options: stainless steel, graphite, and black. The retail price is $149.99 USD for the 7-quart size. There is also a 5-Quart version, which retails for $129.99 and comes in just one color, stainless steel.

  • Value score: 4.5/5

Kalorik Vivid Touch Touchscreen Air Fryer: specifications

Kalorik Vivid Touch Touchscreen Air Fryer: design and features

  • High-resolution touchscreen
  • Twelve cooking menus
  • Window and interior light

The Kalorik Vivid Touch looks like a regular air fryer, with the standard drawer and interior crisping tray. You pull out the drawer by its large handle, place your food on the crisping tray, and air fry your food. However, instead of pressing buttons, the Vivid Touch is operated entirely via touch screen.

Kalorik Vivid Touch Touchscreen air fryer in use

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

To use the air fryer, pull out the drawer and place the crisping tray inside. In the drawer, you'll see markings indicating the level of food you have inside. These markings will come into play when you start a cooking cycle. In certain cook modes, you'll select the quantity of your food of your based on these markings.

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Kalorik Vivid Touch air fryer drawer interior

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Kalorik Vivid Touch air fryer drawer interior

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

The touchscreen menu technically has 12 cooking modes: French Fries, Frozen Faves, Pizza, Chicken, Red Meat, Pork, Veggies, Fish, Seafood, Bake, Vegan, Latin Food, Defrost, Preheat, Reheat, and DIY. In actuality, it's much more than that. For example, if you tap on the Veggies menu, you'll see more options: Florets (broccoli and cauliflower), Whole Corn, Cut Carrots, Cut Zucchini, Brussel Sprouts, and Green Beans. Under Chicken, you can choose from Wings, Tenderloins, Breast, Thighs, Drumsticks and Half Chicken. The Vegan menu includes Veggie Burger, Cauliflower Wings, Vegan Sausage, Tofu, Tempeh, and Seitan. Tap Latin Food and you'll see Chimichangas, Taquitos, Arepas, Platanos Maduros, Enchiladas, and Nachos.

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Kalorik Vivid Touch air fryer reheating pizza

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Kalorik Vivid Touch air fryer reheating pizza

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Kalorik Vivid Touch air fryer reheating pizza

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Kalorik Vivid Touch air fryer reheating pizza

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

Choose your cooking mode, then choose your specific food. You'll usually be asked to choose your quantity at that point, and also you'll have the option to change the time and the temperature if you wish. Press Start.

At the halfway point, you'll get an alarm telling you to shake (or turn) your food for even browning. This is important, because the heat comes only from the top. If you don't flip your food, only the top will get crisp and the underneath can get soggy. Tap the light bulb icon to turn on the interior light and keep an eye on your food through the window.

You'll be alerted when your cook time is complete. There is an "add two minutes" button you can tap if you like. Otherwise, remove your food and enjoy.

Cleaning the Kalorik Vivid Touch is easy enough, just hand wash the drawer and crisping tray after use. I don't even remove the tray for cleanup. You should also wipe down the interior of the air fryer outside of the drawer as needed.

  • Design score: 4.5/5

Kalorik Vivid Touch Touchscreen Air Fryer: performance

I tested a number of foods in the Kalorik Vivid Touch on various cooking modes with varying degrees of success. Generally it works best for air frying pre-made and frozen convenience foods or reheating and re-crisping leftovers. I did try baking in the Vivid Touch and that worked okay, but only when baking very small and thin items.

Kalorik Vivid Touch tofu curry dish

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

I can't take credit for the tofu curry dish seen above, my youngest kiddo made this delicious dinner. They seasoned and breaded the tofu, fried it up in the Kalorik Touch and put it together with curry veggies and rice. It was truly perfection.

French fries made in Kalorik Vivid Touch air fryer

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

Frozen French Fries become a perfectly fried treat in the Kalorik Vivid Touch. The fries are crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle. They couldn't be easier to make. Just be sure to shake the drawer at the halfway point; you'll be alerted when you should do so. This ensures even browning.

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Sweet potato fries from scratch in Kalorik Vivid Touch air fryer

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Veggie made in the Kalorik Vivid Touch air fryer

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Veggie made in the Kalorik Vivid Touch air fryer

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Veggie made in the Kalorik Vivid Touch air fryer

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

I made sweet potato "fries" from scratch in the air fryer with just a quick spritz of oil, salt, and pepper. They were delicious, browned on the outside and soft in the middle. I also make lots of fresh veggies and some definitely came out better than others. All of them got blackened, which I enjoy. But for some reason, the cauliflower came out perfect, but the broccoli and Brussels sprouts came out a little bit tough.

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Baking in the Kalorik Vivid Touch air fryer

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Baking in the Kalorik Vivid Touch air fryer

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Corn bread baked in Kalorik Vivid Touch air fryer

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

Baking in the Kalorik Vivid Touch is possible but not ideal. I baked a quick two-ingredient bread (greek yogurt and self-rising flour) which came out pretty well. You definitely want to keep it thin and small, and even flip it if possible. I made pancake bites in a small silicone muffin mold, and it took two tries to get them right. The key is to fill the molds less than halfway. Fill them up any more than that and they come out burned on top, raw in the middle.

I also attempted corn bread from a mix. I started with a baked the batter in two 5 x 5 inch pans instead of the 8 x 8 inch pan suggested on the box. I made one in the air fryer and the other in my toaster oven. The toaster oven one came out fine but the air fryer one was a fail. Though it was perfectly browned on top, it was raw in the middle.

Protein waffles made in Kalorik Vivid Touch air fryer

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

However, when I heated frozen pre-made waffles in the Kalorik Vivid Touch air fryer, they came out just perfect. Nice and crisp on the outside, fluffy and warm on the inside. I did flip them halfway through the cook time and put a little chocolate on there which melted nicely.

Chicken made in Kalorik Vivid Touch air fryer

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

Although I'm a vegetarian, I did make some chicken for my husband. I can barely touch raw meat, but I popped the chicken into the drawer, selected "Breast" from the "Chicken" menu, and it came out great. I did flip it half way as instructed, and I also added two minutes at the end of the cook time because it was a rather thick chicken breast.

  • Performance score: 4/5

Should you buy the Kalorik Vivid Touch Touchscreen Air Fryer?

Buy it if

You prefer a touchscreen over buttons

No need to consult a manual over and over. The touchscreen makes operation easier and gives you lots of ideas of what you might make in the Kalorik Vivid Touch and exactly how to make them.

You want to air fry a variety of foods

With twelve different cook modes, if you can imagine air frying it, the Kalorik Vivid Touch can do it. Of course the DIY mode means the options are endless.

You want to keep an eye on your food

While your food is cooking, just tap the light bulb icon to light up the interior and peek at your food's progress. No need to open it and interrupt the cooking cycle.

Don't buy it if

You lack counter space

The Kalorik Vivid Touchscreen Air Fryer, particularly the 7-Quart model I tested, takes up a bit of counter space. It's not ugly but it doesn't exactly raise your kitchen's chic factor either.

You want the cheapest possible no frills air fryer

There are certainly cheaper options out there.

You plan to do a lot of baking in your air fryer

If that’s the case, you might prefer a toaster oven-air fryer combo appliance instead.

Kalorik Vivid Touch Touchscreen Air Fryer: also consider

If you're not sure about the Kalorik Vivid Touchscreen Air Fryer, here are some other options to consider ...

Ninja Double Oven Air Fryer

Cook two different items two different ways at the same time in this two-compartment air fryer oven. This is a good pick if you want to bake and air fry with the same appliance, which is why it earned a place in our roundup of the best air fryers.

Read our full review here.

Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System

The clever Ninja Crispi air fries your food directly in a glass container that goes straight to the table and later the fridge if you have leftovers.

Check out our full review here.

How I tested the Kalorik Vivid Touch Touchscreen Air Fryer

  • I tested many different cooking modes multiple times
  • I used it daily for two weeks to cook a variety of food
  • I cleaned it daily

I love to eat healthy meals but I don't really enjoy cooking. I'm always on the hunt for a kitchen gadget that makes cooking quicker and easier. The Kalorik Vivid Touch does that, particularly for crisping up convenience foods so they taste amazing. My husband and youngest (adult) child enjoyed using the Kalorik Vivid Touch as well. Between us, we made: veggie burgers, hash browns, veggie nuggets, broccoli, frozen waffles, veggie chicken nuggets, chicken breast, fresh sweet potato fries, cauliflower, cottage cheese bread, yogurt bread, breaded tofu, corn bread, pancake bites, tater tots, Brussels sprouts, french fries, and reheated pizza.

Read more about how we test.

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Variety of foods made while testing the Kalorik Vivid Touch air fryer

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Variety of foods made while testing the Kalorik Vivid Touch air fryer

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Variety of foods made while testing the Kalorik Vivid Touch air fryer

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Variety of foods made while testing the Kalorik Vivid Touch air fryer

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Variety of foods made while testing the Kalorik Vivid Touch air fryer

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Variety of foods made while testing the Kalorik Vivid Touch air fryer

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Variety of foods made while testing the Kalorik Vivid Touch air fryer

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Variety of foods made while testing the Kalorik Vivid Touch air fryer

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Variety of foods made while testing the Kalorik Vivid Touch air fryer

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Variety of foods made while testing the Kalorik Vivid Touch air fryer

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
Steam in the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket XXL air fryer makes fantastic meals, but it’s not without caveats
4:21 am | February 28, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Air Fryers Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances | Tags: | Comments: Off

Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam: One-minute review

There are plenty of dual-drawer air fryers on the market these days, but not too many come with a steam function. And that’s where the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam comes in – as the name suggests, you can use the steam to not just cook meals, but it can even be used to clean the air fryer.

Cooking with steam means you can make dumplings or steamed vegetables easily, but the Philips 5000 Series XXL also has an air fryer+steam combo mode that I found to be quite handy. This not only cooks meat to perfection, retaining moisture, but also allows for crispy skin and crackling, albeit will need a few extra minutes air frying the perfect results.

In fact, pretty much everything I cooked in the Philips Series 5000 XXL turned out to be really good, although I’d recommend not bothering with the presets. They’re handy as a guide, but unless you have the exact amount of food that preset was meant for, it’s not going to cook your meal to perfection. Given its dual drawers, you can sync cook times, no matter what you have in either of them, but you can’t replicate the settings across both drawers because of their difference in size.

However, having the power of steam means you’ll need to deal with a few caveats. For starters, it’s available only for the larger drawer, so you will need to plan out what food item goes into which drawer before you start cooking. That also means steam cleaning is only available for the larger drawer and it requires you to manually scrub the basket and drawer anyway. So it’s not quite the magical solution I was expecting it to be. Well, at least both drawers, and the basket and tray, are dishwasher safe.

Given how well it cooks, though, it would be easy to recommend, particularly if you want steam cooking. You will, however, need to shell out a decent amount of cash for the privilege.

The Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam on a kitchen countertop

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam review: price & availability

  • Announced November 2024
  • Launch price of £249.99 / AU$499, but available for cheaper now
  • Not available in the US at the time of writing

Philips came out with two dual-basket air fryers at around the same time in late 2024 – the 3000 Series and the 5000 Series. Both also have single-drawer options, but it’s only the 5000 Series Dual Basket model that has the steam functionality.

At launch, it came with a list price of £249.99 / AU$499 in the UK and Australia, but can now be had for £179.99 / AU$349. It’s currently not listed for purchase in the US.

This review is based on the Australian model with SKU NA551/00. The model available in the UK is NA555/09 with a brushed-steel finish.

I think the discounted price is quite competitive and could be excellent value for some users, especially those who’ll really make good use of the steam functionality to cook (the steam-clean mode is superfluous). That’s not to say it’s cheap, but it isn’t too much more in some markets compared to other dual-drawer models.

For example, the Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone Air Fryer AF400 (has the model number of DZ401 in the US) costs $229 / £229.99 / AU$299.99 and the Instant Vortex Plus Versazone can set you back $199.95 / £199.99 / AU$399 at full price.

• Value score: 4 / 5

Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam review: specifications

Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam review: design

  • 800ml removable water reservoir on top of appliance
  • Non-stick coating makes it easy to clean
  • Clear touchscreen display, but requires small learning curve to master

If you’re already familiar with dual-basket air fryers, the Philips 5000 Series XXL Steam is not going to look too different, except for one very distinct feature – there’s a small rectangular plastic reservoir on the top to hold up to 800ml of water. It’s translucent, so you can see the level as it gets used up, and it has a cloud icon to indicate what could only be billowing steam. If you don’t notice the water level going down, there’s no need to worry as a warning light will appear on the touchscreen display.

The tank can be removed and washed, and it’s best not to leave any water in there when the appliance is not in use to avoid scale build-up. The good news is that the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket XXL Steam has a descaling cycling built in, but better safe than sorry.

Like many dual-basket air fryers, the two drawers are different sizes – a larger 6L basket and a smaller 3L one. Philips says the larger drawer can fit a whole chicken in it, but you will need to make sure it’s not too large a chicken, and although the total 9L capacity sounds like a lot, it may not be enough for a family of four. And it’s only the bigger drawer that has steam functionality.

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The water reservoir on the top of the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam

The water reservoir has a cloud icon on its lid to indicate billowing steam (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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The two drawers of the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam

Both drawers, the large basket and the small tray are non-stick and dishwasher safe (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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The holder for the water reservoir on top of the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam

The water reservoir fits into its own little niche (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Having two drawers means the whole appliance has a large footprint, but it’s not overly large compared to other similar air fryers on the market. It is, however, slightly taller because of the water reservoir on the top.

The touchscreen display is very clear when it comes on, even if you have bright overhead lights shining down on the reflective surface. The top line of icons are the presets, below which you can choose the time and temperature for each drawer. There’s even the option to sync cooking times if you want. If you’re already familiar with air fryers, you won’t have much trouble finding your way around the functions on the display, although the steam cooking, air fry+steam combo, steam-clean mode and descaling option will be new to most people.

Unfortunately Philips doesn’t provide a proper user manual in the box – it has some diagrams, but they’re not easy to wrap your head around. A detailed manual is available on the HomeID app, which can be accessed via the QR code in the box or on the machine itself, but it’s not easy to find – after some digging, I found a link to the PDF buried in a Quick Guide article for the Series 5000 Dual Basket Steam air fryer.

The rear of the appliance is quite plain, but Philips provides cable management in the form of a clip-on brace. Above this are the two vents that, when you use steam, will puff rhythmically.

The display for a single-basket use on the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

All of Philips’ air fryers have one thing in common – the raised pattern at the bottom of the drawers. This is to help the company’s proprietary RapidAir technology circulate hot air within each basket more efficiently. This pattern also means you can’t cook directly in the drawer, as some other brands allow you to do. Both the drawers on the Series 5000 Dual Basket XXL Steam are non-stick, but no mention has been made on what the material actually is. That said, the large basket, the two drawers and the small tray are dishwasher safe.

One thing to keep in mind with the large basket: it might appear square, but it’s not. So if the basket isn’t fitting, just turn it around and slide it in. The basket has small silicone-covered feet that are prone to pressure, which can happen if you’re handwashing it. This causes the feet to move out of position and not let the basket fit back into the drawer – if this happens, you can gently reposition them.

• Design score: 4.5 / 5

Chicken drumsticks in the large drawer of the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam review: performance

  • Very useful time-sync functionality and shake reminders
  • Plenty of presets, but they are guides only
  • Not a smart (connected) air fryer

It might take you a while to get used to using steam in an air fryer, but once you do, it’s hard to not keep going back to it – I, for one, couldn’t stop experimenting with it. I used most of the functions on this air fryer and disappointments were rare – it really does cook nearly everything very well. From tender steaks to steamed dumplings, I can hardly fault it.

That said, nothing I made was using the presets. I found very quickly that unless you plan to cook the exact amount of fries, meat or vegetables the presets were designed for, you will not get the right results. The presets on the Philips 5000 Series are guides only, but you can always adjust cook time and temperature for better results.

During my testing I found that manual input of cook time and temperature was the best and, of course, you can always pull a basket out to check on what’s happening to see if any adjustments are needed. Opening a drawer will pause the air dryer – both drawers, in fact – and it automatically restarts when you push the basket back in. Time and temperature adjustments can be made while the appliance is running.

One thing to keep in mind with the Philips 5000 Series XXL Steam is that there is no preheat function here. This isn’t unique to this machine, with others like the Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket air fryer (available only in the UK) also missing out on it. A preheat would have been nice for things like cooking steaks, but I got good results even without it, albeit after a couple of attempts to get the right temperature and time settings for the perfect cook (medium for me, thanks).

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Cheese and garlic crumpets before cooking in the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam

Cheese and garlic crumpets before cooking... (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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Garlic and cheese crumpets cooked in the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam

..and the final, slightly overdone results (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

One of the first cooking modes I tried in the 5000 Series Dual Basket XXL Steam was air fry+steam. This feature works by pumping steam and hot air alternately, so you will hear the sound change rhythmically. The chicken drumsticks that I experimented with were tender and moist, but the skin didn't get crispy. I popped them back in for five minutes more at 200ºC for just air frying, giving me wonderfully juicy chicken legs with crispy skin. The other dish I used the air fry+steam function was pork belly and, again, the meat was lovely, but I did have to use the air-fry mode to crisp up the skin. I’d imagine you could even use it to make some cakes if you want a fudgy interior, but I didn’t have any recipes (or ingredients) on hand to experiment with when it comes to baking during my testing of this air fryer.

I found the steam-only function rather useful though. Not only is it good to steam vegetables for a side, you can even make dumplings in this air fryer. The only issue here is the pre-planning. Given you have only one drawer (the larger one) with steaming abilities, you need to figure out beforehand what you should cook in it. For example, if you have a large piece of meat that you want to cook (time-synced) alongside vegetables, you’ll likely need to forgo steamed veg as the meat won’t fit in the smaller drawer. In which case, you will need to use the 6L basket twice, which isn’t ideal. However, if you’re making steamed fish with some roasted vegetables on the side, you can do them both together by putting the latter in the 3L drawer.

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Halloumi cooked in the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam

Halloumi cooked in the air fryer (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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Chicken drumsticks cooked in the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam

Chicken drumsticks cooked using the air fry+steam mode, then crisped for 5 minutes by air frying only (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)
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Stuffed portobello mushrooms cooked in the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam

Stuffed portobello mushrooms cooked in the Philips air fryer (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

I found that the 800ml maximum water capacity in the reservoir will last you no more than an hour’s worth of cooking time, so you may need to refill it if you have anything that needs longer cooking. This Philips air fryer also has a maximum temperature of 200ºC, which isn’t as high as some other air fryers are capable of, but I found it still produces lovely crackling anyway.

Time synchronization works well and I appreciate that there is a shake reminder too. I love me some crispy, deep-fried bitter gourd (a childhood favorite) and I didn’t even need to lay the slices down in a single layer. The shake reminders were great when I just plopped handfuls in each basket to air fry and, at the end of 27 minutes, I had a Tupperware box full of my fave snack.

I cooked halloumi in the air fryer, as well mushrooms, steak and frozen foods. No matter what I threw at it, the results were to my liking, although I will emphasize that the presets won’t necessarily be too useful for first-time users.

Steamed dumplings and air-fried skewers in the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam drawers

Dumplings steamed in the large basket alongside prawn and chorizo skewers (Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

As good as the cooking is, I was disappointed by the steam-cleaning function. As wonderful as it sounds on paper, it’s not quite what Philips makes it out to be – you will need to manually wash the basket and drawer to remove all traces of grease and burnt food after a 15-minute steam cycle, then pop it back in for a 2-minute hot-air drying session. Moreover, only the 6L basket has the advantage of steam to loosen caked-in grease. Thankfully both drawers and baskets are dishwasher safe.

Given it uses water, there is a descale mode available, but I haven’t had the appliance long enough to try it and, even after three months, have not seen any deposits in the water reservoir.

So while I would love to score this air fryer higher just for its cooking performance, I have to dock marks for the caveats surrounding the steam functionality.

• Performance score: 4 / 5

The time-sync function on the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

Should I buy the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam?

Buy it if...

You’d love to cook with steam in an air fryer

While most air fryers let you do more than just air fry (like bake, roast, grill and more), the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket takes it one step further and offers the steam function too. Importantly, it allows you to combine air frying and steaming, which is good for tender meat.

You want excellent results, no matter what you cook
This is a high-performing air fryer, even if you don’t always use the steam function. If you are comfortable experimenting, you’ll hit the right notes each time you cook in it.

You want to cook mains and sides together

While not unique to this Philips air fryer, the ability to make a main dish and a side simultaneously is time-saving. And you can have them both ready at the same time. This even works well if you have something steaming in the main drawer and something else in the smaller basket.

Don't buy it if...

You’re a first-time air fryer user

Not only is the user manual difficult to access, the cooking presets on this air fryer are just a guide and won’t work unless you have the exact same amount of the precise food it was made for. This cooking appliance will need some experimentation.

You can’t justify a premium air fryer

Despite being available at a competitive price, there are cheaper air fryers available. If you don’t need the steam function, you’ll be able to save by opting for a single-drawer air fryer. This also means you won’t need the extra space to store a two-drawer air fryer.

You have a large family

While the total 9L capacity sounds good on paper, the larger 6L drawer won’t fit a large chicken. In my opinion, this air fryer is suited to a 2-3 person household.

Also consider

Ninja DoubleStack

Offering two drawers but not taking up as much space, Ninja’s DoubleStack is one of a kind. In our tests, it produced some excellently cooked results, although you won’t have the power of steam here.
Read our in-depth Ninja DoubleStack review

Tefal Easy Fry Grill and Steam XXL 3-in-2 Air Fryer

Not widely available, and we haven’t tested this model yet, but it’s one of the few air fryers to offer steam cooking too. It’s a single-drawer model, so won’t take up as much room on your countertop as the Philips, but it is priced higher.

How I tested the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam

  • Used for five weeks to cook a variety of meals
  • Cooked mushrooms, steak, cheese, chicken, fish and much more
  • Tested most cooking functions and presets

Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam on a kitchen counter

(Image credit: Sharmishta Sarkar / TechRadar)

For a period of five weeks, I cooked nearly all my dinners in the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer XXL Steam, as well as some lunches and a few snacks during the weekends. This gave me plenty of time to test several of the presets (I didn’t try the bread one though) and experiment with most of the cooking modes.

I’m not much of a baker at the best of times, but I did try to make some banana muffins in the air fryer, which didn’t quite turn out as I expected them to, but that had to do with my recipe rather than any fault of the appliance.

However, I also cooked various meats in the two drawers to test the roast, air fryer and air-fry+steam combo functions. These included a scotch fillet, chicken thighs and legs, a pork belly and beef sausages – the latter in the smaller basket.

The vegetables I cooked – both air fried and steamed – included broccolini, potatoes, cauliflower florets, carrots and snow peas. I also cooked some halloumi and portobello mushrooms.

In addition to cooking, I also tested the steam-clean mode a few times. I hand-washed the baskets and drawers most of the time but, when space allowed, I even put them in my dishwasher. The only function I couldn’t test during my review period was the descaling as there were no visible marks to tell me if the feature was working optimally or not.

Read more about how we test

[First reviewed February 2025]

The Ninja Crispi isn’t your typical air fryer – and its unique design makes it worth the price
10:00 pm | February 17, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Air Fryers Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances | Comments: Off

Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System: one-minute review

The Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System is just that. It is indeed an air fryer, and not really more than that, but the design is utterly unique. Rather than cooking in a plastic drawer, your food goes on a metal tray in a glass cooking container with built-in plastic handles and feet. The heating element, which Ninja calls the PowerPod, is placed onto the glass container. When your cooking is complete, simply remove the PowerPod and place the glass container right onto the table for serving.

If you have leftovers, you can just put the included lid on your glass container and stick it in your fridge. The glass containers come in multiple sizes and the PowerPod has an adapter so it will fit on each container perfectly. There are four cooking modes: Bake, Air Fry, Max Crisp, and Recrisp. Each runs at a different temperature range, so you have some flexibility.

Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System: price and availability

  • List price: $159.99 (about £127 / AU$251)

You can purchase the Ninja Crispi directly from Ninja’s website, where it’s available in a number of bundles containing multiple glass containers. You can also purchase extra glass containers in three different sizes separately: $29.99 for the six-cup container, $39.99 for the 2.5-quart container, and $44.99 for the four-quart size. The standard $159.99 system, which I tested, comes with the large four quart and the small six cup glass container. It’s available just about everywhere that sells air fryers online and in person, such as Amazon, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and many more.

  • Value score: 4.5/5

Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System: specifications

Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System: design and features

  • Heat comes from removable Crispi PowerPod
  • Four cooking functions
  • Looks functional rather than attractive

The cleverly designed Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System is a really a cooking pod, called the PowerPod, and a collection of glass cooking dishes. The cooking dishes, which Ninja calls TempWare Containers, withstand high cooking temperatures and are made just for the Ninja Crispi. You must use Ninja’s TempWare Containers; the PowerPod won’t work on other dishes. A built-in plastic piece adds handles and feet so you can place the dishes on any countertop. Each cooking dish comes with a metal crisper plate that nests inside and keeps the food off the bottom so air can circulate around it.

Ninja Crispi and dishes nested

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

Place your food into one of the glass dishes on the crisper plate and place the pod on top. The PowerPod fits the small six-cup dish perfectly on its own. If you’re using the larger four-quart dish, you’ll need to use the included adapter for the PowerPod. Choose your cooking function mode: Recrisp (380°-400°F), Bake (375°-400°F), Air Fry (400°-425F), or Max Crisp (425°-450°). Select your cook time by pressing the - or + buttons. Press the start button to begin.

As with most air fryers, you will usually need to flip your food over halfway through the cook time. To pause cooking, simply remove the PowerPod and it will power off automatically. To re-start cooking, place the pod back onto the glass container and hit the start button once again.

Ninja Crispi controls

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

The standard bundle comes with the largest glass dish, which has a four quart capacity, and the smallest one, which holds six cups. Ninja also makes a medium 2.5-quart glass dish, which is sold separately. Any of the glass dishes can be purchased separately, and there are different bundles you can buy with varying dish combinations. The handles and feet allow you to use the dishes for serving the food; there’s no need to transfer it to another container. All of the cooking dishes also come with an air-tight lid, so you can use the dishes for storing food as well.

Cleaning the Ninja Crispi is easy. You don’t need to clean the PowerPod, just the glass containers and crisper plates. They are even dishwasher safe, though it is easy enough to just wash them by hand. Though it’s not mentioned in the literature, I was able to use paper air fryer liners which made cleanup even easier.

  • Design score: 4.5/5

Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System: performance

Though there are four cooking modes, the Ninja Crispi is truly an air fryer. The Air Fryer, Max Crisp, and Recrisp modes all worked pretty much as expected. The Bake mode, however, was a bit disappointing. I tried baking several items, all of which turned out fully browned on the top and raw in the middle. Since air frying in general requires flipping for even crisping, I’m not that surprised that the baking mode wasn’t great. I think baking would be fine for something quite thin, like cookies or very small mini muffins. If you want to make something thicker, like full-sized cupcakes, you’re better off using a regular oven. Of course, most people don’t buy air fryers in order to bake.

Ninja Crispi air frying vegetables

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

I eat a lot of fresh roasted vegetables, so I air fried broccoli, cauliflower, red peppers, brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes. I used both Air Fry and Max Crisp modes. There is a learning curve, but once I got the hang of it, the veggies turned out delicious with just the barest spritz of oil. You definitely want to remember to flip your food, at least once during the cooking process. When I didn’t flip it, the food did not cook evenly. The Ninja Crispi is very, very fast. It’s a good idea to check your food frequently to make sure you don’t burn it. Even with careful flipping and checking, vegetables tend to brown (or blacken) quickly in some spots before all of them are fully cooked. Raw vegetables tended to come out more blackened and crisp rather than tender.

Ninja Crispi with air fried cauliflower and red peppers

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

My favorite vegetable cooked from its raw state was the diced sweet potatoes. They were crisp on the outside and soft in the middle. The next day I used the Recrisp mode to heat up the leftovers, which turned out great.

Ninja Crispi with air fried sweet potatoes

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

I made a bunch of veggie burgers, as well as protein waffles, veggie tots, falafel balls, and veggie “chicken” nuggets. They all turned out wonderful and crisp on the outside, tender on the inside. I didn’t need to add any oil to any of these convenience foods.

Ninja Crispi with air fried veggie burger, veggie tots, and red peppers

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

I hosted a Super Bowl party and air fried some frozen french fries for my guests. The fries disappeared so quickly, I ended up air frying another batch immediately! They were perfectly crisp and evenly browned on the outside and soft and fluffy in the middle. I did nothing to doctor them at all, no oil or seasonings, and they came out just right.

Ninja Crispi with air fried french fries

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

My family got in on the air frying fun. My youngest is a more adventurous cook than I, and they made some panko-crusted and seasoned tofu squares. The tofu was delicious! As expected, it was nice and crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle. They didn’t even have to press and dry the tofu first. I’m a vegetarian but my husband eats meat; he used the Ninja Crispi to quickly and easily cook some chicken breasts. They got nicely browned on the outside (flipping half-way through cook time is a must) and cooked all the way through.

Ninja Crispi with air fried tofu

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

As I mentioned above, I did try Bake mode. First, I made some pancake bites in a little silicone baking dish. The tops browned but the rest was still raw. I actually pulled off all the tops, flipped them over, and put them through another bake cycle. That worked fine. I also baked a (rather thick) protein air fryer cookie with the same results. I did the same thing where I pulled off the top, flipped it over, and put it through another cycle. Again, it was fine that way. So if you do use Bake mode, just be sure your items are very thin.

Ninja Crispi with air fried pancake bites

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
  • Performance score: 4/5

Should you buy the Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System?

Buy it if

You want to minimize cleanup and hassle

Put your food in one specially designed glass dish. Then air fry, serve, and store your food without having to move it to another dish. You only have one dish to clean. Easy peasy!

You want multiple cooking modes

From low heat to high heat: Recrisp, Bake, Air Fry, and Max Crisp.

You want portability

You could easily keep the PowerPod at the office, for example, and just bring the glass container with your food inside ready to air fry each day.

Don't buy it if

You want something pretty to keep on your counter

The Ninja Crispi just looks functional. It has a lot of parts (stackable, but still) so you’ll need some storage space.

You want the cheapest possible no frills air fryer

There are certainly cheaper options out there.

You plan to do a lot of baking in your air fryer

If that’s the case, you might prefer a toaster oven-air fryer combo appliance instead.

Ninja Crispi: also consider

If you're not sure about the Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System, here are some other options to consider...

Ninja Double Oven Air Fryer

Cook two different items two different ways at the same time in this two-compartment air fryer oven. This is a good pick if you want to bake and air fry with the same appliance, which is why it earned a place in our roundup of the best air fryers.

Read our full review here.

Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer

Just want a regular air fryer? This two-basket version does the job, twice, earning it the title “best budget air fryer” on our list of the best air fryers.

Check out our full review here.

How I tested the Ninja Crispi 4-in-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System

  • I tested Recrisp, Bake, Air Fry, and Max Crisp modes multiple times
  • I used it daily for two weeks to cook a variety of food
  • I cleaned it after each use

Although I’m a foodie, I’m kind of a lazy cook. As a wife and mother of three, I used to put more effort into crafting a variety of nutritious meals from scratch when my kids were little. Now that they’re grown, I still want to eat healthy meals, I just don’t want to take the time to cook them. The Ninja Crispi certainly helps me get food on the table fast. My family (my husband, my adult child, and I) used the Ninja Crispi daily, sometimes multiple times in one day, for two weeks. We made loads of fresh veggies, plus veggie burgers, veggie chicken nuggets, french fries, frozen waffles, breaded tofu, falafel, veggie tots, chicken breasts, pancake bites, and a protein breakfast cookie. I cleaned it after each use, which was quite easy. I did use paper air fryer liners sometimes, which made cleanup even easier.

Read more about how we test.

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Ninja Crispi Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System on counter

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Ninja Crispi Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System on counter

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Ninja Crispi Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System on counter

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Ninja Crispi Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System on counter

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Ninja Crispi Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System on counter

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
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Ninja Crispi Portable Glass Air Fryer Cooking System on counter

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)
Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer review: a no-nonsense air fryer that really delivers
4:02 pm | January 24, 2025

Author: admin | Category: Air Fryers Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances | Tags: | Comments: Off

Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer: one-minute review

British manufacturer Russell Hobbs is a trusted name in the European home and kitchen gadgets market, providing high-quality appliances that don't break the bank. As such, our expectations for the brand's new Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer 9 Litre were high - and it didn't disappoint. The Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer is perfect for small to medium-sized households who want a solid, no-nonsense air fryer and aren't fussed about extra bells and whistles.

This air fryer offers two separate baskets that can be programmed to different temperatures and times. There are also handy match and sync functionalities to allow you to program each to the same settings (if you need to cook more of one food across two baskets, for example) or, if you're cooking separate foods for the same meal, finish cooking simultaneously. I'd have loved to see smart functionality included to make this process even easier, though. In addition, nine presets are available so you can quickly cook pizza, chips, and even steak. I found these presets to provide mostly accurate results, though, like most air fryers, some experimentation is required for optimal results. Overall, I only had a few minor hiccups with testing - with the usual air fryer suspects (baking and dehydrating).

Empty drawers inside Russell Hobbs Satisfry air fryer

You can match or sync cooking times for the two baskets (Image credit: Future)

Aesthetically, the Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer 9 Litre looks beautiful, with its modern matte black and champagne design allowing it to blend into a contemporary kitchen's decor without sticking out like a sore thumb. This design is important because this air fryer takes up a lot of counter space, so the least it can do is be pretty doing it.

Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer 9 Litre is a great air fryer with consistent results, but don't expect as much hand-holding as you get from some competitors. There's no recipe book included, only a user manual that tells you how to use its functions (which you definitely need to read), a breakdown of its preset functions, and a rough guide to the temperatures and time for other common air fryer items. While this guide is useful and includes some notes on preparing roast potatoes, for example, it doesn't give weights, so you may need to experiment with how much food product you should put in the baskets for optimal results.

Roast potatoes cooked using Russell Hobbs Satisfry air fryer

The manual provides instructions for cooking roast potatoes, but no weights, so you may have to experiment. Our potatoes turned out perfectly (Image credit: Future)

In addition, while nine liters seems like a lot, I found it was enough capacity for our household of two, but larger families may struggle to cook more than one meal component at a time. I'd have loved to see the dual basket become one large basket with a removable divider, as seen in the Cosori Dual Blaze Twinfry 10L Air Fryer.

Overall, the Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket is a brilliant kitchen gadget that ranks up there with the best air fryers, especially for those with experience using these handy appliances. While this is a more premium air fryer with a price tag to match, it performs better than some competitors we've tested at higher price points. It's worth the investment if you're after a reliable air fryer with quality-of-life functions, but may be less suitable for large families or those after extras, like smart functionality.

Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer: price and availability

  • Price: £199.99 (roughly $250 / AU$400)
  • Available in UK only from Russell Hobbs directly and select third-party retailers
  • Regular discounts and sales

While some of the best air fryers on the market, like the Ninja Double Oven and Dreo ChefMaker, can cost you over $250 /£250, the Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer 9 Litre comes in at the lower end of premium pricing. At £199.99 (roughly $250 / AU$400), it's still a pretty pricey investment but is well worth the money if you want a reliable air fryer you plan to use regularly. Plus, there are regular sales, with the Russell Hobbs store dropping the price to just £99.99 in its January 2025 sale - an absolute steal for this level of quality.

Unfortunately, at the time of writing, the Satisfry Dual Basket isn't available in the US or Australia.

  • Value score: 4.5/5

Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer: specifications

Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer: design

  • Modern black and champagne colorways
  • Takes up a lot of space
  • Easy to clean
  • Clear touchscreen display, but can be hard to navigate

The Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket has one of the sleekest air fryer designs around. It's matte black with stylish champagne accents, so it should complement a contemporary kitchen well. This is a hefty air fryer, though. It may not be as large as some on the market, but it easily takes up a whole counter space and weighs in at 7.8kg. So, if you have a smaller kitchen or less countertop room, you may struggle to find it a home.

This size isn't surprising given this is a nine-liter air fryer with two deep separate baskets. While this seems like a lot, the baskets have more depth than width and length, so while they can hold bigger items, you can't fit a huge amount in each basket. For example, I got about 321g of frozen steak fries into one basket (with some overlap) while still allowing for the required space the air fryer needs to function, and a small pizza just about fitted in the other. This was fine for our two-person household, but for bigger households, you would likely need both baskets - preventing you from cooking another item for your meal simultaneously. I wish Russell Hobbs had designed this so that you could connect the two baskets to create one large basket, as we've seen from some competitors.

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Frozen fries and pizza inside Russell Hobbs Satisfry air fryer

There's just about enough room for a small pizza in one basket, and steak fries for two people in the other (Image credit: Future)
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Pizza and fries cooked using Russell Hobbs Satisfry air fryer

The Pizza setting delivered slightly overdone results (Image credit: Future)

The baskets are easily washed, requiring a simple wipe-down before hand washing both it and the crisping plates. Whether you can actually put parts in the dishwasher is a tad confusing, though. The user manual says you can wash the baskets and crisping plates in the dishwasher, but Russell Hobbs advises against it. This is likely due to the black, non-stick coating of these elements, and it's also recommended you use plastic tongs to remove your food.

While the sound levels of some kitchen gadgets can be imposing, the Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer 9 Liter isn't one of those. Sure, it's loud enough that you can certainly hear it, clocking around an average of 63 to 64 decibels during my testing, but not loud enough that you have to shout over it. Likewise, when in use, the front is room temperature to the touch, with the heat coming out of a vent at the back and hitting a max temperature (while cooking steak and fries together) of 75C / 167F. This means it should be safe to function in your kitchen if you've got little ones about - just don't let them touch the inside!

Control panel of Russell Hobbs Satisfry air fryer

The Satisfry has a bright LED display and touch controls that let you program each basket separately, but make sure you read the instruction manual carefully first (Image credit: Future)

Here's where I struggled a bit with the Satisfry Dual Basket: the touchscreen interface. The appliance has a touchscreen digital display that lets you program each basket, assigning your preferred presets, functions, temperature, and time. On the surface, it looks pretty straightforward to use - but you need to read the instructions because it can be a bit complicated to get to grips with, especially when you're programming baskets separately.

That's fine, and with time, I got used to it, but issues arose when I tried to cancel a basket while the other was on. While you can adjust the temperature, time, and settings of one basket while the other is on, there doesn't appear to be a cancel button if you decide to pull out one basket early. I still haven't worked out how to do it without stopping the other basket cooking - and the manual doesn't cover it.

This is an air fryer that's not going to hold your hand. It has plenty of handy quality-of-life features to make cooking efficient, but if you've not had an air fryer before, you may struggle to work out some aspects. While some air fryers come with a hefty user manual and recipe book, this one includes a fairly short manual.

Steaks cooked using Russell Hobbs Satisfry air fryer

The Satisfry can cook foods like steak well, but the instruction manual doesn't hold your hand - cooking experience is invaluable. Our cooked steaks tasted great (Image credit: Future)

It does a great job explaining how to use the gadget's main functions but doesn't cover cancelling. Likewise, it lists the preset functions' settings and gives a rough guideline for cooking common foods but doesn't give a recommended weight or size. This was particularly confusing when it came to pizza. There's a pizza preset with a slice of pizza icon, which left me confused about whether it's meant to cook just one slice of pizza or what size pizza this preset was designed for. The air fryer just about fits a small pizza in one basket. If you're expecting to put anything bigger in it. as I was. you're out of luck.

  • Design score: 4/5

Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer: performance

  • Presets are pretty accurate
  • Useful Sync and Match functions
  • Quality-of-life features, like Shake
  • No smart functionality

While the Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer 9 Litre's interface can be a bit confusing to get to grips with, its performance and features are impressive.

This air fryer comes with nine presets: Steak, Fries, Chicken, Fish, Pizza, Dehydrate, Bake, Vegetables, and Reheat. I admit I was skeptical about air-frying steak so it was the first thing I tested. I popped two sirloins into a basket with a bit of oil and seasoning, selected the Steak preset, and in 12 minutes, I had two medium steaks. Now, they were a bit overdone for my liking, didn't have the sort of sear you get from a pan, and the fat hadn't really rendered, but they tasted great. If I were to repeat this in the future, I'd have preheated the air fryer manually (there's no preheat function) and taken the steaks out a few minutes earlier.

Fries cooked using Russell Hobbs Satisfry air fryer

Fries turned out crisp and golden on the outside, and fluffy within (Image credit: Future)

Alongside my steaks, I added about four potatoes worth of fresh fries to the other basket and set the second basket to the Fries preset and to Sync mode. This meant the fries were ready at the same time as my steaks and cooked to perfection, crispy on the outside and fluffy inside. If you want to cook the two baskets at the same temperature and time or preset, you simply press Match instead of Sync.

Other presets performed well, too, but some food items worked better than others. The Chicken preset resulted in crispy chicken wings that were juicy inside, the Vegetables setting gave me delicious carrots - but charred broccoli - and the Pizza setting gave me a slightly overdone (but not burnt) lunch.

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Chicken wings cooked using Russell Hobbs Satisfry air fryer

Chicken wings cooked using the Satisfry air fryer turned out juicy and delicious... (Image credit: Future)
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Vegetables cooked using Russell Hobbs Satisfry air fryer

...but vegetables were a little overdone (Image credit: Future)

The Dehydration setting, as with many air fryers, didn't dry out my oranges quite how I'd like, so it took another 120 minutes for the best results. The Bake setting, however, I was fairly impressed with - though an oven definitely gives better results.

Air fryers are renowned for being bad at baking, particularly cakes. When I cooked some cupcake-sized muffins on the Bake preset, they came out a bit browner on top but cooked, whereas another batch (which I set to the recipe instructions rather than the preset) was raw on the bottom. The silicon cupcake tray only just fit in a basket, though, so what you can bake may be somewhat restricted.

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Muffins cooked using Russell Hobbs Satisfry air fryer

Muffins turned out well when cooked using the air fryer's Bake preset (Image credit: Future)
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Partially cooked muffin baked using Russell Hobbs Satisfry air fryer

Don't be tempted to use the recipe instructions rather than the Bake setting (Image credit: Future)

After the muffin success, I gave an air fryer Lemon Drizzle cake/loaf a try. A metal loaf tin didn't fit, but my silicon one did - again just. This time, I combined the Bake preset with the recipe, cooking the cake low and slow for an hour and 30 minutes, adding aluminum foil to the top of it after the first 30 minutes to prevent it from burning. The cake worked, but again, it was quite dry, so I wouldn't advise prioritizing baking with this air fryer (or any, in fact).

What I particularly liked about this air fryer was its extra, quality-of-life functions and features. The Delay function allows you to delay the start of cooking by a set amount of time, so I could easily put some food in the air fryer for lunch an hour later, set the delay time for 60 minutes and the preset I needed, and return to my cooked food after the delay and cooking time had passed.

Loaf cake cooked using Russell Hobbs Satisfry air fryer

(Image credit: Future)

There's also a shake reminder for some presets, which means the air fryer beeps to remind you to turn or shake your food - allowing for more even cooking. While this and the end time beep aren't as loud as I'd like, it's very useful when you're busy with other things, as is the auto shut off feature. It feels like Russell Hobbs is missing a trick by not adding smart functionality so you could program the air fryer from your phone, but this may not be a dealbreaker for you.

  • Performance: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer?

Buy it if

You want a high quality air fryer with good performance

The Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer is a high-quality appliance that does its job with little fuss. If you need an air fryer that offers consistent results and covers the common food types well, you can't go wrong with this gadget.

You want a premium air fryer that's not over £200

Premium air fryers can cost upwards of £250 and that pricing isn't always indicative of quality. While £199.99 is still expensive, you're getting premium quality for that price tag and a one-year guarantee, while regular sales and discounts mean you can pick it up for even less.

You want to cook two meal components at once

Whether you want to use Match or Sync, this air fryer can help you make mealtimes easier by setting each basket to its own temperature and time, or preset.

You want a stylish air fryer

This is one of my favorite air fryer designs, as it's simply yet elegant. If aesthetics are important to you, and you're a fan of contemporary decor, this is one of the prettiest air fryers around.

Don't buy it if

You've got a large family

I have a household of two, and this air fryer felt like the right size for us to make larger meals. If you have a large family and want to make a full meal in an air fryer, this may not be for you, but if you want to use an air fryer to do parts of your meals, it's the perfect companion to your oven or stove.

You've got little counter space

Like many dual air fryers, this is a chunky appliance. I have a smaller kitchen and it was quite imposing as it took up a full counter space. If you've a smaller kitchen or less counter space, you may struggle to find a home for it.

Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer: also consider

Not sure if the Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer is right for you? Here are two more options to consider.

Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone

If you live outside the UK where the Satisfry isn't available, this is two-drawer air fryer is a great alternative. It looks smart, and produces consistently good results (though we'd appreciate a reminder to shake to food for even cooking).

Read our full Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone review

Ninja Double Stack

If you don't have space for a full-width two-drawer air fryer, the Double Stack is the appliance for you. It's deeper and taller, but much narrower than the Russell Hobbs Satisfry or the Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone, and in our tests it produced evenly browned, crispy fries every time.

Read our full Ninja Double Stack review

How I tested the Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer

I used the Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryeror a week, cooking a wide variety of foods including fries, chicken wings, fresh vegetables, steak, cake, and muffins. I tested all the air fryer's various modes and cleaned the air fryer in line with the instructions provided in the manual. For more details, see how we test.

First reviewed January 2025.

Smeg Combi Steam Oven review: a multi-functional countertop oven that looks stunning and cooks well
3:00 pm | November 10, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Air Fryers Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances | Comments: Off

Smeg Combi Steam Oven: one-minute review

There’s no denying that the SmegCombi Steam Oven is a sleek and beautiful piece of kitchen technology that cooks food well in a variety of ways. I tried out the bake, convection bake, air fry, and steamer functions as well as a number of the preset recipe functions. Every single item I made came out perfectly delicious, though I did need to keep an eye on my food and I took a couple of items out early to prevent overcooking.

However, there is one major issue I had with the Smeg Combi Steam Oven. I cannot figure out exactly who this countertop oven is for or what it might replace in one’s kitchen. I already own an oven and a toaster oven and the Combi can’t replace either of those. It’s too small to replace an oven, unless you live in space that doesn’t have room for a full-sized oven. I suppose it could replace a toaster oven, but it has a much larger footprint than the (similarly-sized on the inside) toaster oven I already own. And while I’m sure you can make toast in it, like in any kind of oven, there is no designated toast feature on the Combi.

Smeg Combi Steam Oven: price and availability

  • List price: $999.95 (about £770 / AU$1,500)

That’s right, the Smeg Combi Steam Oven is over $1,000 once you pay sales tax. It’s available at upscale kitchen stores like Williams-Sonoma and Crate and Barrel.

The Smeg Combi Steam Oven is only available in the US at the time of writing, but it may become available internationally at a later date.

  • Value score: 3/5

Smeg Combi Steam Oven: specifications

SMEG Combi Steam Oven: design and features

  • Beautiful mid-century aesthetic
  • Two knobs to access a variety of functions
  • Bake, air fry, steam, and more

The Smeg Combi Steam oven is advertised as a 10 in 1 oven. Just don’t call it a toaster oven! It’s a countertop oven that cooks in a whole bunch of different ways. According to Smeg, the oven uses "Galileo Multicooking technology: innovative airflow patterns and professional algorithms for outstanding results in a compact design.” It offers traditional cooking functions like bake and convection bake along with steam and air fry functions to perform a variety of cooking tasks.

The Combi has 33 automatic chef recipes that take the guesswork out of cooking meat, fish, vegetables, bread, pizza, and desserts. Just choose your preset, pop in your food, and get ready for some deliciousness.

Smeg Combi Steam Oven with accessories

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

The enamel mid-century design is sleek and gorgeous. You can choose from five different colors: black, white, red, cream, and light blue. It comes with the following cooking accessories: two grill racks, an enameled cooking tray, and a perforated cooking tray. The guides along the sides of the oven have two different positions so you can cook on the upper level, lower level, or both at once. The guides can also be removed so you can easily access the sides of the oven for easier cleaning. The window is large and the light inside is always on while cooking so you can keep a close eye on your food’s progress.

The top of the Combi opens up to reveal a water compartment, where you pour in water for the steam function. The interior of the lid has a cheat sheet with all of the chef presets listed as well as a QR code so you can access the owner’s manual, how-to videos, and other information. This water tank is why the Combi is so large - much larger than any toaster oven I’ve ever seen. However, the interior is virtually the same size as my large toaster oven, just two inches wider.

Smeg Combi Steam Oven open water compartment

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

There are two dials for controlling the SMEG Combi Steam Oven and a screen between them. There are three menus you can access via the left dial: Traditional Cooking Menu, Steam Cooking Menu, and Chef Menu. The Traditional Cooking Menu lets you choose broil, air fry, bake, convection bake, convection bottom bake, warm, and defrost.

Within the Steam Cooking Menu, you can choose convection (for pure steam cooking), convection bake (for bake plus steam), and convection broil (for broil plus steam).

When you enter the Chef Menu, you can choose from among 33 presets for a variety of meats, fish, vegetables, desserts, and breads. The use of the dials definitely takes some studying of the user manual and some practice. It’s not necessarily intuitive.

  • Design score: 4.5/5

Smeg Combi Steam Oven: performance

So how did the Combi perform? Overall, excellent. I cooked a bunch of meals in the Combi and there wasn’t a dud in the bunch.

There was definitely a weird smell the first couple of times I used it, even though I performed the one hour burn off (empty oven on highest setting) to get rid of any residues left from the manufacturing process. And it’s quite noisy, getting up to 65 dB(A) at times.

However, unlike every toaster oven I’ve used, it doesn’t get hot on the outside. Even when going full tilt, it only reached a very touchable 76 degrees on the outside. The fan stays on while the oven cools down after cooking is complete, presumably to help it cool down faster. It does take some time to cool down, and a progress bar on the screen lets you know how the cool down is progressing.

SMEG Combi Steam Oven cooking homemade sweet potato fries

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

I made two different kinds of (sweet potato) french fries: from scratch and pre-made frozen. For the scratch variety, I cut up a sweet potato and coated the wedges in oil and seasonings.

SMEG Combi Steam Oven just cooked sweet potato fries from frozen

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

The frozen ones I just dumped out on the tray. I used the French Fry Chef Menu preset for both, which was actually a traditional baking mode rather than an air fry mode as you might expect. In both cases, the fries came out crisp on the outside, soft on the inside, and totally delicious. I also baked a sweet potato whole using convection bake as I typically would and that also came out great.

SMEG Combi Steam Oven muffins

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

I baked blueberry muffins using the Muffin preset from the Chef Menu, which includes steam. The muffins came out moist and delicious. I’d say the browning was a bit uneven; I took them out one minute early because I was afraid some of them might overcook. I probably didn’t need to do that, though.

SMEG Combi Steam Oven roasts brussels sprouts and peppers

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

I used the Roasted Vegetables preset many times, since I eat them just about every day. The most challenging vegetables I made in the Combi this way were brussels sprouts. I make them all the time; when I make them on the stovetop they tend to be slightly soggy but when I make them in the oven they tend to dry out (unless I use a ton of oil.) In the Combi, I used a minimal amount of oil, just a quick spritz all over. They came out crisp, tender, and amazing.

Smeg Combi Steam Oven air fried vegetables and veggie burger

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

I also tried making vegetables in Air Fry mode, using a recipe I found online. I put broccoli, red peppers, and a frozen veggie burger patty in for 10 minutes at 390 degrees. Again, the veggies were delicious: crisp and tender. The burger was fully cooked, just right.

SMEG Combi Steam Oven cooks up a frozen pizza

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

I had to make pizza in the Smeg Combi Steam Oven. There is a dedicated Pizza preset in the Chef Menu, but since Smeg is an Italian company, I know it was talking about homemade pizza. I wanted to make frozen pizza. In fact, I made two different ones over the course of my testing period.

In both cases, I followed the directions on the box. I did one in convection bake mode and ended up taking it out a couple of minutes early so it didn’t burn. I did the second one in regular bake mode, and actually had to add a couple of minutes to the bake time. In the end though, both pizzas came out perfect: lightly browned, fully cooked in the middle, not burnt anywhere.

Smeg Combi Steam Oven steams pierogies

(Image credit: Karen Freeman / Future)

I steamed frozen pierogies (potato dumplings) using the steam mode. The pierogies came out fully heated through, moist, and delicious.

I didn't make toast. Why? Because there is no dedicated toast function. Obviously you can Google how to make toast in any oven, but I cannot for the life of me figure out why Smeg didn’t include a toast setting in the Chef Menu.

Cleanup isn't exactly a breeze, because everything is hand wash only. The trays definitely take some elbow grease, but I was able to get them completely clean every time. The oven itself is another story. The instructions say to let the oven cool and then use a regular cleaner, nothing abrasive, to clean the Combi. I did exactly that, using Dawn Powerwash and a Scrub Daddy (gentle sponge).

When that wasn’t enough, I went out and bought some Dawn Professional Heavy Duty Degreaser. That didn’t do it either, despite plenty of elbow grease. I don’t want to damage it with an abrasive cleaner or steel wool, so it just isn’t as clean as I’d like.

  • Performance score: 4.5/5

Should you buy the Smeg Combi Steam Oven?

Buy it if

You want a sleek and stylish countertop oven

The Smeg Combi Steam Oven is a beauty for sure. Since it comes in five different colors, at least one of them will look amazing in your kitchen.

You want a multi-functional mini oven

The Combi lets you air fry, bake, steam, and more with a flick of the dials.

You want an easy way to cook quick and delicious food

I’m all about getting a good meal on the table without a lot of fuss and the Combi definitely helped make that happen.

Don't buy it if

Money is a consideration.

At over a grand (with sales tax) this costs more than some full-sized ovens and far more than a toaster oven.

You want to replace one of your current appliances

The Combi takes up a lot of counter space and I don’t know what appliance this would replace. Maybe your toaster oven, but only if you have no need of a dedicated toast function.

You want easy cleanup

I’ve cleaned and cleaned the Combi but it remains stained at the bottom. An abrasive cleaner might do the trick, but Smeg warns against using abrasives.

Smeg Combi Steam Oven: also consider

If you're not sure about the Smeg Combi Steam Oven, here are some other options to consider...

Ninja Double Oven Air Fryer

Cook two different items two different ways at the same time in this two-compartment air fryer oven. While not cheap, it’s a lot cheaper than the Smeg Combi Steam Oven, and earned a place in our roundup of the best air fryers.

Read our full review here.

Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker

This ultra-flexible countertop oven bakes, steams, air fries, and more. While it’s not nearly as pretty as the SMEG Combi Steam Oven, it has a lot of the same functionality for a lot less money.

Read our full review here.

How I tested the SMEG Combi Steam Oven

  • I used multiple Chef Menu functions
  • I tested air fry, bake, convection bake, and steam modes
  • I cleaned it after each use

I’ve tested quite a few kitchen appliances over the years, both for review purposes and in my private life as the primary cook in my family for several decades. I love a cool cooking gadget and anything that lets me get a nutritious meal on the table fast.

I tested the Smeg Combi Steam Oven for about two weeks. I cooked a variety of foods using a variety of cooking modes, as detailed in the Performance section above. I used a few different presets in the Chef Menu section, as well as the bake, convection bake, steam, and air fry modes. I cooked a variety of fresh vegetables, french fries (both fresh and frozen), muffins, pierogies, veggie burgers, and frozen pizzas. After each cooking session, I cleaned all the accessories and the oven itself to assess how easy it was to clean.

Read more about how we test.

Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker review
1:39 pm | October 24, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Air Fryers Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker: two-minute review

Product info

This model has slightly different names and product codes in different territories:

US: Ninja Combi All-in-One Multicooker, Oven, and Air Fryer SFP701B
UK: Ninja Combi 12-in-1 Multi-Cooker, Oven & Air Fryer SFP700UK

For this review, I tested the UK version. There are minor differences between different countries' models – see specs section for a comparison.

The Ninja Combi is a billed as an all-in-one multi-cooker that can be used like an oven, an air fryer, or even a stovetop (hob). In fact, it offers an intimidating range of modes beyond those, but the headline here is that it has a steam function, which can be used on its own or as part of any of three 'Combi' settings, which combine steaming (for moisture and tenderness) with another cooking mode. It's also designed to be able to cook complete meals – protein, carb, veggies – quickly, and all in one go.

It's sized like a tall microwave, with a sideways-opening door and two internal trays. Inside the cooking cavity, there are heating elements at the top and bottom, and a convection fan at the back to circulate the hot air.

In practice, figuring out sheer number of modes and which one to use for what can be intimidating. There are 12 different options on the UK version I tested, and even more if you're in the US. I suspect that once you've spent a bit of time using the Combi, it'll become clearer which mode suits what meal.

In my tests, the standalone modes all worked efficiently, with expected results. I was especially impressed with the air fryer mode, which got my veggie sausages hot all the way through and nicely browned in double-quick time. It took a little more trial and error to work out the more unusual Combi Meals mode, especially with regards to timings if you're straying away from the set menus in the provided meal booklet. The ability to add steam is unusual, but it does help keep things moist – although the Combi will emit a lot of steam in these modes, so you'll need to put it in a well-ventilated spot.

Aside from the complications that come with navigating all the modes, the Combi is very well designed and straightforward to use. The button controls require no explanation (the giant switch that you flip to shift from standard modes to ones with steam is unnecessary but kind of satisfying). The display offers up useful information, including letting you know when preheating is finished, and alerting you if you've forgotten to add the water tray for steam cooking. There are also some genuinely helpful touches, like how the inside light will come on in the final minute of cooking in some modes.

At $229.99 / £279.99, it's up there with the most expensive options in our best air fryer guide, but this does a lot more than just air fry. While it's not cheap, I actually think it's decent value for money (in the US at least), given the wide range of functions and high build quality. That's the short version; read on for my full Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker review.

Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker review: price & availability

  • List price: $229.99 / £279.99
  • Launched: April 2024
  • Available: US / UK

The Ninja Combi launched in spring 2024, and is currently available in the US and the UK. You can buy direct from SharkNinja, or via various third party retailers.

At time of writing, in the US when you buy direct from Ninja the Combi comes bundled with accessories like a compatible baking pan, Dutch oven and cooking utensils. The list price is $229.99. In the UK, the list price is £279.99, with no accessories bundled in. That's noticeably more expensive than the US option.

Based on TechRadar's price bands, we'd consider anything over $250 / £200 to be a premium air fryer, but this is a slightly different prospect because it offers such a wide selection of functions on top of just air frying.

In the US I think it's really very good value for money, but it's less so in the UK. I'd probably recommend waiting for a discount if you're shopping in the UK – I've seen it drop to £249.99 in the process of writing this review, and I hope more discounts will be in the pipeline when this model gets a little older (the Black Friday sales can be an especially good time to shop for small appliances).

  • Value for money score: 4 out of 5

Ninja Combi specs

Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker review: design

  • Cool, curvy shape, opens sideways via a chunky handle
  • Space for two internal trays
  • Large, intuitive button control panel, plus SmartSwitch

The Ninja Combi looks like kind of like a tiny, curvy oven with a control panel stuck to the front. The door opens sideways, and cooking trays slot into the cavity. You can fit two of these in at once. The cavity is, apparently, large enough to fit a 6lb chicken or a 10-inch pizza.

With the UK version I tested, there was a baking tray, crisper plate (with cutouts) and deep, ceramic-coated 'Combi Pan' included. It's not terribly clear what's included with the US version – the 'What you'll get list' just specifies a baking pan and Dutch oven with glass lid, but I'd expect there to be a crisper plate included too, because how are gonna air fry without one of those? These plates and pans are dishwasher-safe.

Crisper tray and baking tray inside cooking cavity of Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker

(Image credit: Future)

The control panel uses buttons rather than a touchscreen. There are separate up and down arrows for temperature, time and cooking function. There's also a general on switch, a start/stop button, and a lightbulb that enables you to illuminate the inside of the Combi when you want to check on progress. A small, illuminated LED display provides information.

Those are the less exciting controls. The cool bit is the SmartSwitch on the top right of the Combi. If it's pointing upwards, the appliance is in Combi Cooker mode, and if it's pointing sideways, it's in Air Fry / Hob mode. The position of the switch will determine which of the options on the main display panel are available for selection. As such, it's in no way necessary to the function of the cooker, but it is satisfyingly chunky and very flickable.

Chunky 'combi' switch on Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker

If the switch is up, you can select any of the Combi cooking modes; if the switch is sideways, you can select the regular cooking modes (Image credit: Future)

The exact modes offered by the Combi depends on your territory, but you can rest assured that both the US and UK versions have covered plenty of bases. Here's a run-down:

  • 'Combi' modes: Combi Meals, Combi Crisp, Combi Bake, Steam, Rice/Pasta, Proof (Prove)
  • 'Air fry' modes: Broil (Grill), Air Fry, Bake, Sear/Sauté, Slow Cook
  • Extra US version modes: Toast, Pizza, and Sous Vide

If you use any of the 'Combi' modes, you need to add water to the deep Combi Cooker pan. This will create steam in the cooking chamber. If you use it in Steam, Rice/Pasta or Proof (Prove) modes, it'll keep the food moist and prevent it from drying out. On the Ninja website, it also states that this steaming function can also be used to safely and rapidly thaw frozen food – useful if your meal planning abilities, like mine, leave something to be desired. However, there's no dedicated Defrost mode.

If you use the Combi Multi-Cooker in any of the modes prefaced by 'Combi', the appliance will combine the steam function with another cooking mode, for results that are moist yet crispy. That's my understanding, anyway - it's surprisingly hard to make sense of.

The 'Air Fry' modes are more self-explanatory, although the name itself is baffling, because Ninja is just using it to mean 'modes that don't include steam'.

Control panel on Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker

The Combi offers a wide range of cooking modes, accessed via the control panel (Image credit: Future)

My review model came with a recipe booklet that helped demystify things somewhat – if I hadn't have had that, I'd have been lost. This booklet is also downloadable online (via a QR code on a sticker on the Combi) along with videos and other information. Other appliances I've used add this kind of thing to an app, but I'm very happy not to have to download yet another thing to my phone to use the Combi.

Screenshots from online guide to Ninja Combi cooker

The companion booklet is very useful, and there's also plenty of info available online (Image credit: SharkNinja)

On the UK model I tested, the temperature officially ranges from 120C to a generous 230C. It'll actually go lower for proving / proofing – it kicks in at an automatic 35C in that mode. You can set cooking durations up to a hour and 15 minutes, although if you're cooking above 200C, you can only cook for 30 minutes.

  • Design score: 4.5 out of 5

Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker review: performance

  • Combi modes require trial and error, but yield good results
  • Air fry mode is excellent, and other 'standard' modes all work well
  • Emits a lot of steam, and condensation tray can't be easily emptied

Let's start with a general look at how usable the Combi is. You can fit plenty of things inside, with the stacked trays making the most of the internal space. Ninja says it can cater a meal for eight, and while that seems a touch optimistic, I'd be confident cooking for four to six. It's not too noisy in use, although the bleeping did throw me off a bit. It'll sometimes emit what sounds to me like a 'you've done something wrong' bleep, but is actually an 'everything's fine' bleep.

The display is great for providing all the basic information you need. So when it's preheating, it'll say PRE, and when the cooking is all done, it'll say END. There's no guessing as to what's going on and no need to consult an app to check on progress. When you switch it off, it bids you BYE. It'll also tell you when it's time to add food, and if you try and launch a steam mode without the Combi Pan in its slot, it'll sense that and give you an error message.

Peppers cooking inside Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker

You can switch the light on/off manually, can it'll come on automatically for the last minute of cooking (Image credit: Future)

I like the fact there's a light to see inside the cooking chamber, although its positioning means that if there are two trays in there, you'll only be able to see the top one. The light will switch on automatically when the door is open, and sometimes (I couldn't work out a pattern) for the last minute of cooking, too.

The control panel is self-explanatory and very easy to use. The most challenging bit of figuring out which setting you need. I also appreciate that you can reset the timer mid-cook, if you see that things are going to take longer than you'd initially predicted. The Combi will come up with suggested temperatures and times for each mode, and you can adjust up or down from there.

Condensation building up on the door of the Ninja Combi cooker

Condensation will build up when the Combi is preparing to use any of the 'Combi' cooking modes (Image credit: Future)

In steam cooking modes, the Combi takes a few minutes to get the steam going before it starts cooking. During this time, dashes appear on the display, and the Combi emits a very quiet grumbling. Initially it can seem like nothing is happening, but after a while condensation will start to appear on the inside of the glass door. Once it's nice and steamy, the actual cooking will kick in (noticeably noisier than heat-up, but not overly loud in general) and the timer will start.

It's worth flagging that in any of the modes that include steaming (and a few of the others, too) the Combi emits a lot of steam from a vent on the right of the machine - far more than I get with my regular air fryer. You will want to make sure it's positioned somewhere well-ventilated, or near an extractor fan. Ninja is clearly aware of this because it's addressed in the troubleshooting section of the guide booklet, where it makes it clear it's normal and expected.

GIF showing steam coming from Ninja Combi in use

(Image credit: Future)

The steam that doesn't escape condenses on the inside of the viewing window. Ninja has added a little channel where water can collect, so your worktop doesn't end up soaked. Unfortunately, there's no easy way to empty it. After every few uses, I'd have to dip a dry cloth in, let it soak up some liquid, carefully wring it out, then repeat until dry. Not ideal.

Liquid channel, full of water, on Ninja Combi multi-cooker

This channel quickly fills up with condensed water, and there's no way to easily empty it (Image credit: Future)

Combi cooking modes

One of the USPs here is the ability to 'combi' cook. There are three dedicated Combi modes, and it's not immediately clear what the difference is between them. These are the 'best for' suggestions for each, as per Ninja's accompanying recipe booklet:

  • Combi Meals: cooking proteins, grains / pasta and vegetables at the same time
  • Combi Crisp: whole roasts, fresh/frozen proteins, vegetables, crusty breads
  • Combi Bake: homemade batters, boxed mixes, soft-baked breads, delicate baked goods

I think the Meals option is when you're cooking different elements at the same time, the Crisp is for things you want to turn out crispy, and the Bake is for when you want things to turn out soft.

I started by testing the Combi Meals mode. Broadly, the process is: your carb (rice or pasta) goes in the Combi Pan with water, your protein goes on the Bake Tray, which slots in above. In the final 6-7 minutes of cooking, you can add any veggies you want to steam into the Combi Pan alongside the carb.

In the recipe booklet, there are suggestions like salmon with brown rice and steamed broccoli, or tomato pasta with meatballs. I decided to make brown rice, veggie meatballs, steamed courgette and leek, and roasted tomatoes.

Frozen veggie balls and uncooked rice in the Ninja Combi multi-cooker

Your rice or pasta goes in the bottom tray with water, while your protein goes on the top tray (Image credit: Future)

I was at a bit of a loss as to how long to cook it for or at what temperature. There is a guide in the recipe booklet, but I needed to adjust both the quantities and rice type (they specify 'easy cook'; I only had regular). The booklet suggests setting the cooking time based on the protein, that clearly wasn't going to work here.

In the end, the balls and tomatoes ended up cooking way quicker than the rice, and I had to take that tray out and extend the rice cooking time. I also had to add more water as the rice had dried out.

Tomatoes and raw vegetables being added into the Ninja Combi cooker mid-cook

Vegetables to be steamed are added later in the cooking process (Image credit: Future)

All of this to say, figuring out combination meal timings is tricky, and I suspect will take some trial and error. It's more straightforward with something like the Ninja Double Stack air fryer, where you can set different temperatures and durations for each drawer, and leave the appliance to figure out when to switch each one on so they're done at the same time. But that's a regular air fryer, so you'd be sacrificing the steaming possibilities.

Timing mishaps aside, I was pretty impressed with the results of the Combi Meals setting. The veggie balls ended up evenly browned and crispy on the outside, and the tomatoes roasted up nicely. The rice and veggies were tender and slightly crispy on top. I guess if you want to avoid any crispiness, you want to just use the steam mode.

Other functions

During my review period, I also tested out the Combi's other functions, and I didn't have any issues with any of them. I used the bake function for a range of heating-up tasks, and it performed reliably well. I'd like to give a special shout-out to the dedicated Air Fry mode, too. With other multi-cookers I've tested, this function has been a let-down (leading me to suspect that 'air fry' has just been added to the list because it's a buzz-word in cooking right now, rather than it being something the appliance has been designed for). That was not the case with the Combi.

Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker with browned sausages inside

(Image credit: Future)

It took my veggie sausages from frozen to cooked at least as quickly as my dedicated air fryer – despite the fact that the cooking cavity here is larger. They were hot through and browned evenly on the outside. I'd have no qualms recommending this model to someone for whom air frying was a particular priority.

  • Performance score: 4 out of 5

Should you buy the Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker?

Buy it if...

You regularly make meat + veg + carb meals
The Combi function is designed for you to be able to check off these three elements all in one appliance, rather than having to crack out, say, a hob, grill, and steamer.

You want to be able to steam food
The point of difference here compared to an air fryer or big oven is that there's a dedicated steam function, which is great for vegetables.

You've had your eye on an air fryer but are short on space
The Combi's air fryer mode is excellent, so if you've been lusting after one of those but don't have the space to justify a single-function appliance, it could be a great choice. The wide range of functions, including proof/prove, grill/broil, steam, and slow cook let you explore different cooking styles, without compromising on the essentials.

Don't buy it if...

Your kitchen lacks ventilation
In any of the Combi cooking modes, the Combi emits quite a lot of steam. It really needs to go near a window, or at least an extractor fan.

You want minimal effort
Cooking different food types at once does require a bit of figuring out. A dual-basket air fryer, which lets you cook foods at different temperatures and will sync up the timings for you, is less fiddly.

Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker review: also consider

Not sure if the Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker is right for you? Here are a couple of alternatives to consider.

Samsung Combi Smart Microwave oven
This multi-cooker adds microwave functionality to the list, and boasts a sleek, minimalist look. There's smart control via a companion app, and the option to instruct it via voice assistant too. However, it's nowhere near as efficient at air frying as the Ninja Combi, and while the capacity is technically larger, you don't have shelves to maximize use of the space. It's also UK-only.

Read our full Samsung Combi Smart Microwave Oven review

Ninja Double Stack
It's a dedicated air fryer so you won't get the wide range of cooking style options, but the Double Stack is arguably better suited to cooking two things at once. You can set individual temperatures and cooking durations for each drawer, and use the sync function so the machine will work out timings so both are ready simultaneously.

Read our full Ninja Double Stack reviewView Deal

How I tested the Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker

  • I used it regularly for around a week
  • I tried out the various different cooking mode options
  • I compared the results to my dedicated air fryer and oven

I used the Ninja Combi Multi-Cooker regularly for a week before writing up this review, testing it on everything from bread, to ready-made pie, to veggie sausages. I assessed the results in terms of texture, evenness of cooking, and browning (if relevant). I also compared the results and timings to what I'd expect using my usual method of cooking, be that a dedicated air fryer, oven, or stovetop.

To test the 'Combi' functions, I used the Combi to cook variations of the kinds of meals suggested in the companion booklet – i.e. those that feature a rice/pasta, vegetable, and protein component. I judged how well it cooked each of those individual elements, and if the steam function made a difference to the texture of the results.

I also considered how straightforward and intuitive the controls were, if there were any features I felt were confusing or missing, as well as maintenance aspects such as how easy it was to clean.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed October 2024

Ninja Double Stack air fryer review: half the footprint, double the fun
11:49 am | May 8, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Air Fryers Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances | Tags: | Comments: Off

Ninja Double Stack air fryer: two-minute review

The Ninja Double Stack air fryer demonstrates once again that the brand is king of convection cooking, offering blazing cooking speeds in a clever form factor that serves to address the needs of smaller households and keen cooks the world over. Without a doubt, it’s one of the best air fryers I’ve ever used – and I’ve used a fair few at this point. 

Shopping for the perfect air fryer can leave you feeling a bit like Goldilocks, and especially if counter space is at a premium in your kitchen. A two-drawer model like the Instant Vortex 9-quart Air Fryer with VersaZone technology might be perfect for the number of mouths you typically have to feed, but these are typically behemoths. Alternatively, you could opt for one of the best small air fryers, but then these often have a meager, sometimes single-portion only capacity.

It’s been my perennial issue as a single-person household that regularly has guests. My kitchen is fairly compact, so I've been incredibly limited for space when I’ve tested larger models like the Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Dual Air Fryer. That’s why since I learned about the Ninja Double Stack air fryer – styled as the DoubleStack in the US – I’ve been itching to get my hands on it. 

Ninja Double Stack air fryer in reviewer's home

(Image credit: Future)

As the name suggests, the Ninja Double Stack air fryer stacks its two cooking drawers stop one another instead of side by side, as we tend to see in dual-basket air fryers. Instead of a top- or front-mounted dashboard, a small panel juts out to the right side of the device, hosting all the functions and controls you’ll need to operate the Double Stack. Plus, Ninja has even thrown in two extra racks, which can be slotted in above the main crisper plate, giving you bonus surface area to cook with – though the grill spacing makes these far better for larger food items. 

Just like other products in the Ninja line, I saw great results from the Double Stack air fryer, from delicious fluffy fries to perfectly crispy chicken and succulent salmon. It should be no surprise, but I was concerned before trying the device that the cooking quality may have been compromised by the new design. Thankfully, there were no cooking compromises that I could detect. The only real down-side is the price, which is on the high side for a dual-basket air fryer – but for those who need to protect their previous counter space, it's well worth the extra cost. Here's my full review.

Ninja Double Stack air fryer review: price & availability

  • List price: XL (8.3qt / 9.5L): $229.99 / £269.99 / AU TBC
  • Availability: UK and US – Australia TBC

At time of writing, the Ninja Double Stack is available in the UK and US. In its XL 8.3qt / 9.5L capacity, it has a list price of $229.99 / £269.99. Availability and pricing in Australia is TBC. There should also be a standard, 6.7qt / 7.6L model to go alongside the XL model reviewed here, but since the devices were first announced earlier this year, we haven't heard anything about it. 

The Double Stack XL is a fair bit more expensive than comparable double-drawer air fryers like the Instant Vortex 9-quart air fryer, which costs $199.95 / £199.99 / AU$399, but for the price difference, you get an as of writing one-of-a-kind device offering superior performance and maximum air frying potential.

It comes with two non-stick, dishwasher-safe drawers and crisper plates, two stainless steel racks and a recipe guide.

  • Value for money score: 4.5 out of 5

Ninja Double Stack air fryer specs

Ninja Double Stack air fryer review: design

  • Space-efficient design, with two drawers stacked vertically
  • Side-mounted dashboard
  • Two extra stainless steel racks doubles the cooking space

For anyone with a smaller kitchen or who prefers a more compact setup, the Ninja Double Stack is a revelation. It’s the first air fryer to stack two drawers vertically to optimize counter space, and the inclusion of its two stainless steel racks doubles the surface area available for cooking. The air fryer is available in one colorway; a sophisticated slate gray shell, with ridged silver handles. It’s simple and subtle, and I personally prefer that to the glossy black cladding many air fryers opt for. 

Ninja Double Stack air fryer in reviewer's home

(Image credit: Future)

To account for those who might have lower-hanging cabinets, the controls for the Double Stack are mounted to the right of the air fryer, which does add 2in / 5cm to the overall width. However, it’s fairly unobtrusive, and unless you plan on having the right side of the air fryer flush to the wall shouldn’t pose a problem (reminder that you should be leaving at least 5 inches of space around an air fryer if you don’t want to make one of the biggest mistakes of air fryer cooking).

The side panel offers all the usual Ninja air fryer features. There’s a screen at the top which shows the timer for each drawer as well as the temperature setting. Beneath are numbered buttons to individually control each drawer, as well as a list of the six presets for air frying, roasting, max crisp, reheating, baking and dehydrating. Each setting has a light indicator next to it to show which mode is currently selected, and you can tweak the settings using the temperature and time buttons in tandem with the roller dial. Lastly, you’ll find the Double Stack Pro, Sync and Match buttons above the power and stop / start buttons. 

Ninja Double Stack air fryer in reviewer's home

(Image credit: Future)

Its two dishwasher-friendly 5qt / 4.75L baskets have individual handles, so you can fully manage each drawer independently. However, if you’re using the two stainless steel trays on top of the base crisper plates, it might be a little more annoying to flip and adjust your food mid-cooking cycle. Ninja has made efforts to ease this slight drawback by adding handles to the trays, making them nice and easy to quickly remove. 

It’s worth noting that the back of the baskets each have a grate with fairly large holes, so it’s not suitable for cooking high volumes of liquid – we recommend against cooking these kinds of dishes in an air fryer instead of one of the best instant pots, regardless, but some users do like to break convention. These holes also mean that if you shake particularly oily, batter-laden or otherwise messy foods, some liquid may splash behind the baskets onto the back of the air fryer. It’s a very small issue judging by my testing so far, so long as you keep on top of cleaning the Double Stack. 

  • Design score: 5 out of 5

Ninja Double Stack air fryer review: performance

  • Same fantastic performance as other Ninja air fryers
  • Perfectly crisp chicken wings and fluffy fries
  • Time and effort-saving Sync and Match settings

Before I tested the Ninja Double Stack air fryer, I was a little dubious about how its performance would hold up against other Ninja models I’ve tested. Surely, there would be a compromise to vertically stacking the drawers, otherwise, it would have been done far sooner, right?

Thankfully that doesn’t seem to be the case with the Double Stack. Everything I cooked came out just as good as I’d expected, with perfectly crispy chicken wings without the need for a drop of oil, and gorgeous fluffy fries with the perfect amount of bite. There was a small degree of unevenness; fries towards the back of the basket cooked ever so slightly faster than the front, but it was to such a small degree I don’t think most users would notice.   

Chips / fries in Ninja Double Stack air fryer

(Image credit: Future)

The Double Stack offers six cooking modes – Air Fry, Max Crisp, Roast, Bake, Dehydrate, and Reheat – all of which work just as well as in other Ninja air fryers. The different modes all have different temperature and time limits, but the Double Stack can reach temperatures of 450F / 240C and cook for up to an hour. It doesn’t require pre-heating, meaning you can get straight to cooking. 

Food cooked on the stainless steel trays seems to fare just as well, though you do lose the benefit of the crisp trays’ surface area. For some foods, that’s a benefit; you don’t always want foods to cook via contact as well as convection, which was definitely the case for the chicken wings I cooked across both types of trays. 

Chicken in Ninja Double Stack air fryer

(Image credit: Future)

You’ll also have to think about the overall temperature setting of each basket and put foods with like-for-like cooking times and temperatures in each basket, or open up the trays to add in food later. This can be slightly annoying at times; I had to strategically plan how I cooked four tapas dishes to make sure I’d optimized both the strengths and weaknesses of both types of tray, as well as the cooking times and temperatures of each dish. It’d still opt for this rather than heating up a whole oven, though.

Chicken cooked in the Ninja Double Stack air fryer

(Image credit: Future)

In case you’re new to the world of Ninja air fryers, it’s worth highlighting the Sync and Match cooking modes, which work to ensure your food all comes out at the same time. Simply select your cooking mode, set your time and, if you’re synchronizing the two baskets, select the cooking times for each, and you’re all set.

Unlike other dual-drawer models I’ve tested, including Ninja’s Instant Vortex 9-quart air fryer, there’s virtually no heat leakage between the two trays, which is excellent news if you’re working with very precise foods or just don’t want to waste energy by passively heating two areas when you only need one. 

Ninja Double Stack air fryer in reviewer's home

(Image credit: Future)

On the down-side,  you can’t cook larger foods like pizzas or whole chickens in the Double Stack like you can in wider air fryers with larger cooking cavities. It’s the natural trade-off with its smaller footprint, and there are plenty of options that do cater to that need, if that's your priority. While Ninja claims the XL model I tested can feed eight people, I’d say that’s a little ambitious unless you’re padding out the meal with non-air fryer foods too. 

  • Performance score: 5 out of 5

Should I buy the Ninja Double Stack air fryer?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Ninja Double Stack air fryer: alternatives to consider

How I tested the Ninja Double Stack air fryer

  • I used the Ninja Double Stack air fryer for two weeks 
  • I used it to cook all of my meals, including chicken wings, fries and salmon
  • I also tested the different cooking functions

I used the Ninja Double Stack air fryer as my main countertop cooker for two weeks, using it to cook everything from fries to chicken wings, salmon and even cauliflower cheese. I evaluated how each food item cooked across all four trays, using different settings to see how well each function performed. I assessed how succulent meat and fish were after cooking against how well the outside crisped, as well as the evenness of the browning, and how well fries managed to retain their internal fluffiness while still achieving crispy skin. 

In addition to the cooking, I evaluated how easy maintenance was; is it easy to clean the baskets and trays both with and without a dishwasher, are there any extra considerations for cleaning, and how easy is the device to actually operate. 

I’ve been testing air fryers for two years, and in that time I’ve tried everything from premium to affordable, single-serve to full family models. This experience combined with my love of food and cooking help to inform my findings in every review.

Instant Vortex 9-quart Air Fryer with VersaZone technology review: competent, but not flawless
4:24 am | April 23, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Air Fryers Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances | Tags: | Comments: Off

Instant Vortex 9-quart Air Fryer with VersaZone Technology: One-minute review

Instant has long been a leader in the air fryer space and its latest model, the Vortex 9-quart Air Fryer with VersaZone Technology (also called Vortex Plus VersaZone Air Fyer 8.5L in the UK and Vortex Plus Versazone XXL Air Fryer 8.5L in Australia) aims to make air frying even more versatile, thanks to a large capacity basket that can be divided into two separate sections. 

A large 9-quart / 8.5L basket makes it an obvious choice for families, with plenty of capacity to comfortably feed four, but singles and couples will also appreciate the compartments – which are 4.5q / 4.25L each – to cook mains and sides in one go. Moreover, the intuitive cooking programs ensure everything finishes cooking at the same time. 

I found Instant’s latest air fryer a joy to use and it made me fall in love with cooking again. It does most of the grunt work for you with consistently good results… just as long as you know how to use some of the dedicated programs. I had to go through a bit of trial and error with my first few cooking sessions, but once I learnt them, there was no stopping me.  

The expansive cooking basket does mean it’s a physically imposing air fryer of course, so if you lack kitchen counter space or don’t have much in the way of storage, you may struggle to find a proper home for it. I do think it’s attractive though, as much as an air fryer can be, so I had no issue leaving it on my kitchen counter. If you do need to store it away, I found it to be relatively lightweight, so moving it in and out of cupboards shouldn’t prove too much of an issue. 

Instant Vortex 9-quart Air Fryer with VersaZone Technology: Price & availability

  • List price: $199.95 / £199.99 / AU$399
  • Available directly from Instant Brands and third-party retailers
  • Regular sales and bundles

Considering its size and raft of features, the Instant Vortex 9-quart Air Fryer with VersaZone Technology is competitively priced in my opinion, especially when compared to its closest rival in the Ninja Foodi FlexBasket 11qt / 10.4L dual air fryer. It’s available directly from Instant in the UK and Australia along with a host of third-party retailers. While it is listed on the US website, you’re not able to buy it directly. Instead you can find it from retailers such as Walmart. 

It was launched in July 2023 and, since then, has gotten some discounts – directly from Instant and at third-party retailers. The offers tend to change, but if this air fryer is of interest, I'd recommend waiting to pick it up during a big sale like Black Friday, which makes it even better value than it already is.

Instant Vortex 9-quart Air Fryer with VersaZone Technology: Design

  • One 9qt / 8.5L basket that can be divided into two zones
  • Large enough for a family of four
  • Simple touchscreen and manual controls

Instant Vortex VersaZone Air Fryer

(Image credit: Future)

The Instant Vortex VersaZone is a large machine, make no mistake, although with its dimensions coming in at 15.9 x 12.5 x 15.1in / 40.3 x 31.7 x 38.4cm, it is smaller than its Ninja competitor. However, the Ninja Foodi FlexBasket does have a larger capacity for the individual compartments to justify its size. The VersaZone is lighter too, tipping the scales at 7kg, meaning most people shouldn’t have too much of a problem manoeuvring it around their kitchen. 

You do of course need to factor in extra space for airflow at the rear, as well as in the front so you can actually open the basket to get your food in for cooking. I was able to find a perfect permanent spot for it in my kitchen, but those with smaller counters and who are limited on space may have to carefully consider if this is the best air fryer for you. 

I feel the Instant Vortex VersaZone to be quite an attractive air fryer – as attractive as air fryers can be anyway – employing just a single physical button in the form of a control dial on its front surface. All other controls are handled via a touch-sensitive panel on the front. When not in use, all you see is the shiny black top section, the basket handles and the silver control dial. This, coupled with the angled design of the top section, make it a slick-looking machine, and certainly helps to disguise its size compared to if it was a large black box. 

Instant Vortex VersaZone Air Fryer

(Image credit: Future)

Do note that the shiny nature of the top section does mean the Instant Vortex VersaZone is a serious fingerprint magnet. When you’ve been handling food before putting it into the cooking basket and using the touch control panel, you’ll soon find it builds up a large fingerprint collection, so you’ll be spending a lot of time keeping it clean. 

The main basket has a removable tray and a divider, the latter fitting into the former to split the compartment into two equally sized cooking sections. There are some rubber grips on the cooking tray and divider that help them to stay in place during cooking, but they do provide a fair amount of friction, so be prepared to use a little more force than you may have initially assumed to get them into place.

The air frying basket, cooking tray and divider are all dishwasher safe, making clean-up relatively easy. However, if you don’t have a dishwasher, then you’ll need to factor in the sink space required to wash the whole basket. 

Instant Vortex 9-quart Air Fryer with VersaZone Technology: Performance

  • Large basket makes cooking a meal a breeze
  • Good results achievable once you learn the functions
  • Pre-heating times can be annoying

The Instant Vortex 9-quart Air Fryer with VersaZone Technology can air fry (obviously), roast, bake, grill, dehydrate and reheat various foods. Each program has its own default settings, including the minimum and maximum temperatures they reach. The grill program reaches the highest maximum temperature of 450°F / 232°C for a maximum of one hour. Air fry, roast and bake can all reach a high of 401°F / 205°C for an hour also. 

Anytime you wish to use the Instant Vortex 9-quart Air Fryer with VersaZone Technology, it needs to spend a few minutes preheating before it notifies you when to add food. While I can appreciate this is needed, it became increasingly annoying that the air fryer needed to preheat when I went to make a second dish immediately after a cooking program had finished. I found this a bit strange, since the cooking basket would surely have still been hot. I also noticed the preheating time for the second cooking session wasn’t that much quicker than the initial preheat from cold. 

The Instant Vortex 9-quart Air Fryer with VersaZone Technology also has SyncCook and SyncFinish modes to help streamline your cooking and to ensure certain dishes don’t go cold while you wait for something else to cook. SyncCook allows you to use both cooking compartments and have them cook with the same time and temperature settings. SyncFinish is used when you have two separate dishes on either side of the divider that require different cooking times, but you want them to finish at the same time. 

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Instant Vortex VersaZone Air Fryer

(Image credit: Future)
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Instant Vortex VersaZone Air Fryer

(Image credit: Future)
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Instant Vortex VersaZone Air Fryer

(Image credit: Future)
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Instant Vortex VersaZone Air Fryer

(Image credit: Future)

I used the SyncFinish mode the most, as I would cook a chicken breast or a piece of salmon, for example, on one side and some green beans or asparagus on the other. Setting up SyncFinish is simple: a quick double press of the control dial puts it into dual cooking mode and from here you can adjust the time and temperature individually for both sides. Once you’ve made your adjustments, just press the SyncFinish button, followed by Start, and you’re away. The side with the shortest time will remain on hold while the other preheats and begins cooking. The Instant Vortex 9-quart Air Fryer with VersaZone Technology will then begin preheating the second cooking section so that it’s ready to begin cooking when the time remaining aligns on both sides. 

Instant Vortex VersaZone Air Fryer

(Image credit: Future)

The aforementioned chicken breast came out juicy and tender, while the salmon was buttery soft and fell apart when I cut into it with a fork. I did have a few teething problems when cooking some hand-cut sweet potato wedges however. I hoped they would come out crispy but, upon my first try, they did seem a little raw still. I put this down to both shortening the cooking time I would normally use for an oven, and the wedges themselves being relatively thick in size. 

Throwing some chicken tenders into the basket also proved successful. What was especially handy (and as I've been noticing more and more with food packets lately) is that they had specific air frying instructions on the pack. I followed these to a tee and the results were sublime. They were hot, the breadcrumbs had a great crisp to them and they were juicy inside. 

It did take me a bit of time to adjust to cooking with an air fryer compared to a conventional oven or frying pan, predominantly with cooking times as opposed to temperatures. I had expected the Instant Vortex VersaZone to cook food slightly quicker than the old-school method but, in reality, it took the same amount of time or occasionally longer. I found this to be a fair compromise as the cooking results were superb. 

I also tried out the bake function to make some chocolate chip cookies. I loved the fact the basket was big enough to cook what most people would call a batch, but what I would call a single serving. I've made these cookies before, using a fan-forced oven to bake. I followed the same recipe, cooking time and temperature using the bake function on the Instant Vortex VersaZone air fryer but found they came out slightly under baked. If I were to bake them again, I would keep the temperature the same but leave them in for a few minutes longer. 

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Cookie dough before and after being baked in the Instant Vortex VersaZone Air Fryer

(Image credit: Future)
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Cookie dough before and after being baked in the Instant Vortex VersaZone Air Fryer

My batch of cookies needed a bit longer to bake compared to a fan-forced oven (Image credit: Future)

The only niggle I found with the SyncFinish and SyncCook functions were that they won't allow you to change temperatures and cooking times midway through the program. During an instance when I was cooking a chicken breast on one side and broccoli in the other, I wanted to adjust the temperature of the meat, but with the SyncFinish function activated, this wasn’t possible. You first have to cancel the program, make your adjustments and then start it again – this also causes the air fryer to preheat again. 

My advice here would be to make sure you know the exact temperature and time you want before pressing the all-important start button.

Should I buy the Instant Vortex 9-quart Air Fryer with VersaZone Technology?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Also consider

How I tested the Instant Vortex 9-quart Air Fryer with VersaZone Technology

  • Used air fry, roast and bake presets
  • Cooked salmon, chicken, fries and vegetables
  • I used both the dual zone and the large single basket 

I used the Instant Vortex VersaZone air fryer to cook a variety of food. I would most often cook some meat or fish in one side of the basket and some accompanying vegetables or potatoes in the other. I also attempted to bake some cookies. This allowed me to test the various synchronised cooking functions of the air fryer, as well as determining how well it actually cooked food. 

I also used it for more basic cooking tasks, such as air frying hash browns or fries for a quick hot snack. 

Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Dual Air Fryer review: a behemoth air fryer that can serve 8+ people
6:30 pm | February 20, 2024

Author: admin | Category: Air Fryers Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances | Tags: , | Comments: Off

Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Dual Air Fryer review: one minute review

You might be wondering how many more ways a company can innovate on the best air fryers, but Ninja is at it again with its enormous Foodi FlexBasket dual air fryer, also known as the FlexDrawer in the UK. This vast air fryer can serve eight (or more, by a small margin – although I felt six was the sweet spot) and offers up Ninja’s excellent air fry features, including Dual Zone technology.

But is bigger always better? Broadly speaking, yes – and if you regularly need to cook for more than four people, the Ninja Foodi FlexBasket 11qt / 10.4L dual air fryer is easily the best large-capacity air fryer I’ve tried. For a bit of visual context, 11qt / 10.4L can easily fit a whole leg of lamb and accompanying vegetables. 

It isn’t flawless, of course. Compared even to Ninja’s own dual-drawer competition, the Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer AF300, the Foodi FlexBasket has one large basket with a divider rather than two distinct drawers that can be independently opened and cleaned. Granted, this difference is intentional; the FlexBasket allows you to cook either across two zones or remove the divider to create one aptly named MegaZone, which is excellent for cooking larger meals such as roasts. 

When using the independent zones, you can choose any of the seven cooking functions, different times and temperatures, and use the Sync mode to ensure cooking in both compartments completes at the same time. 

It’s a delightfully easy machine to use that delivers consistent, fantastic results; but it absolutely dominated my kitchen countertop. Were it a little lighter then I wouldn’t have been so bothered by it, but the combination of size and weight make it difficult appliance to stow away.

A portion of fries cooked in the Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Dual Air Fryer

(Image credit: Future)

Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Dual Air Fryer review: price and availability

  •  Price: $199 / £270 / AU$599.99 
  •  Available directly from Ninja and most third-party retailers 

With great power comes a pretty hefty price tag for the Ninja Foodi FlexBasket 11qt / 10.4L dual air fryer, coming in at  $199 / £270 / AU$600. It’s available directly from Ninja in the UK and Australia as well as from third-party retailers; but, interestingly, it appears to only be available from the likes of Walmart in the US at the time of writing. 

The slightly smaller 7qt FlexBasket is more widely available in the US both at Ninja and on websites such as Amazon, where it’s also available for other regions wanting a slightly less domineering MegaZone air fryer, and sells for $179.99 / 

There’s little else to consider in terms of maintenance costs and accessories for this air fryer, and it’s pretty well-priced overall. Considering that some rival models, such as the Instant Vortex Plus XL 8QT ClearCook, come in at a far higher price for less capacity – and, in my opinion, inferior build materials – the Ninja Foodi FlexBasket dual air fryer offers impressive value for money. However, I’d have loved to see a cooking window included. 

Value: 4.5/5

Ninja Foodi Flexdrawer air fryer

(Image credit: Ninja)

Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Dual Air Fryer review: design

  •  One 11qt / 10.4L basket that can be configured to have two zones 
  •  Absolutely enormous 
  •  Easy controls 

Let’s talk about the elephant in the room; literally. The Ninja Foodi FlexBasket dual air fryer is huge at 12.9 x 19.5 x 12.4 inches / 32.7 x 49.6 x 31.6cm and weighs in at 9.3kg – which shouldn’t be surprising, really, given its capacity. However, it's when you factor in things like the clearance needed at the front of the machine to open and close the drawer and the space required on either side to ensure good airflow while cooking that its size could become an issue. 

The basket itself measures 12.9 x 19.5 x 12.4 inches / 13.7 x 37 x 21.5cm, and with its 10.4L capacity, there’s plenty of cooking room available. Simply insert the two crisper trays (and the divider, if you want to cook across two zones) and you’re ready to get started. Note, too, that all of the drawer parts are dishwasher friendly, for convenient cleanup.

However, if you don’t have a dishwasher then you might find cleaning the Ninja Foodi FlexBasket dual air fryer a little annoying. Since it uses one large basket instead of the two independent drawers of some other dual air fryers, you’ll have to wash the entire basket regardless of whether or not you used both sides. 

On the front of the machine are the controls: you can select the time and temperature as well as one of the seven cooking modes that include air fry, max crisp, roast, bake, reheat, dehydrate and prove. 

There’s a silver roller dial that allows you to navigate these modes, as well as buttons to switch between Sync and Match cooking times and powering the machine on and off. It’s overall a very inoffensive control system, although every now and then, it would become non-responsive if I pressed too many buttons in close succession while trying to change cooking zones.

Ninja Foodi FlexBasket Dual Air Fryer review: performance

  •  No need to preheat 
  •  Gorgeous, crispy results 
  •  Very configurable for every meal 

Ninja Foodi cooking a chicken

(Image credit: Future)

As a smaller household, I was a little intimidated by the sheer size of the Ninja Foodi FlexBasket dual air fryer, but I put it to the test by making several meals using a variety of ingredients – including a whole roast chicken. 

The air fryer can heat up to 450°F / 240°C for up to four hours (although not at its highest temperature, which only offers up to 30 minutes of continuous cooking time) and offers seven cooking modes – air fry, max crisp, roast, bake, reheat, dehydrate and prove. These offer rough guidelines for cooking times and temperature, although it’s likely you’ll need to tweak these set times. 

One of the key benefits of standard air fryers is that they’re able to deliver speedy results, using less energy, due to their reduced capacities over regular ovens. As such, I had expected the FlexBasket’s cooking times to be longer. Pleasingly, I didn’t find a significant difference, with cooking times only a few minutes longer. 

The Ninja Foodi FlexBasket dual air fryer doesn’t require preheating, doing so very quickly during the first few minutes of cooking time, but it does have an automatic cooling mode at the end of the cycle. Of course, there’s no imperative to observe this, but it won’t alert you to remove your food until that time has elapsed. 

You also have Sync and Match cooking modes, which allow you to set individual temperatures and times for both sides of the basket, cook on just one side, or use the MegaZone. All of these settings worked as expected but, every now and then, the air fryer would become a little confused or overwhelmed when I was flitting between the different drawer settings – although this is more likely me being too scattergun than it is the machine being faulty.

Ninja Foodi air fryer cooked chicken

(Image credit: Future)

A lot of the air fryers I’ve tested feature automatic shake timers that encourage you to move your food around mid-cook to ensure even cooking results; but this air fryer doesn’t, and that isn’t the end of the world. Especially given that this behemoth of a basket couldn’t be easily shaken. It’s much better to just grab a fork or a pair of tongs to shuffle around your food. 

As with most Ninja air fryers, the Ninja Foodi FlexBasket dual air fryer performs exceptionally on test, delivering deliciously crispy results with ease. In addition to our standard tests of fries, potatoes, and chicken wings, I wanted to try using the MegaZone configuration for its intended use. I opted to test with a whole roast chicken and a few roast potatoes thrown in for good measure. 

Ninja air fryers easily cook the best frozen fries I’ve ever tried, and it was no different with the FlexBasket I tried both its max crisp and bake settings for my thick-cut fries, and the results were excellent, with the air fryer producing wonderfully crispy fries with soft, fluffy centres – although the max crisp came out on top. 

Likewise, my chicken wings were perfectly cooked, too. Full of flavor and moist on the inside, and crisp and golden skinned on the outside, even without the use of lashings of oil. 

However, it was the full roast chicken and potatoes that were the pièce de résistance. I was incredibly nervous that the innermost part of the chicken wouldn’t reach an adequate temperature to cook off any harmful bacteria, but I forged onwards, and I’m so glad I did. I cooked the chicken at 350°F / 180°C for 40 minutes, adding in the roast potatoes after 10 minutes, and turning the chicken halfway through. I cranked up the temperature a little for the last five minutes, for good measure; but I don’t think it was required. My chicken came out gorgeously cooked: succulent inside, and with a wonderful brown skin on the exterior. The roast potatoes were some of my best, despite having cut back on the amount of butter I usually use to encourage a crispy outer layer. 

One issue I have found is that the divider doesn’t prevent heat transfer between the two cooking zones. However, this is only a problem if you’re cooking food at vastly different temperatures, or only using one zone since energy is wasted heating the whole fryer. TIt proved most problematic when cooking my greatest nemesis, crispy kale. At the best of times, I struggle to nail perfect results even in the oven; but when you’re contending with the other side of the air fryer leaking much hotter air into the side holding the kale, it produces less than ideal results. I ended up with a lot of too well cooked kale. 

Should I buy?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

How I tested

  •  I used all of the air fryer presets 
  •  I cooked fries, potatoes, chicken wings, and a roast dinner 
  •  I used both the dual zone and MegaZone configurations 

Ninja Foodi air fryer end result

(Image credit: Future)

Testing the Ninja Foodi FlexBasket dual air fryer involved eating a lot of food. As well as performing all of our standard tests (fries, potatoes, and chicken wings), I used it to cook my usual weekday meals, including salmon, kale, and roast vegetables to see how well the presets represent standard cooking times as well as the overall cooking performance of the machine.

I tried out the various basket configurations, and the Sync and Match cooking modes to see how easy the air fryer was to set up, use, and clean. 

I’ve been testing home appliances for three years now, from cleaning tech to cooking to smart home, and I’ve become familiar with what a variety of different users need from their home devices. I’ve also been cooking with an air fryer almost every week throughout that period, so I’m pretty used to navigating these clever cookers.

Dreo ChefMaker air fryer review: the best air fryer, but also more than an air fryer
11:00 am | December 20, 2023

Author: admin | Category: Air Fryers Computers Gadgets Home Small Appliances | Comments: Off

Dreo ChefMaker: One-minute review

Outside of soups, casseroles, stews, and fondues, there’s nothing you can’t cook in the Dreo ChefMaker. And I’m not just talking about air-frying a steak here; I’m talking about a properly and perfectly cooked steak that’s worth serving in a steakhouse.

That’s because while the ChefMaker is one of the best air fryers on the market, it’s so much more than that. Much more. It has two other cooking modes, namely the Chef mode and the Probe mode, both of which deliver restaurant-worthy results. And Chef mode is supported by an app that comes with a plethora of clever Chef-curated recipes that are so delicious you'll feel like you’ve got Thomas Keller whipping up dinners in your own kitchen.

This is perhaps my favorite kitchen appliance by far. Since using the ChefMaker I've enjoyed one of the best and cooked-to-perfection medium-rare steaks I’ve ever had, home-cooked or otherwise. That’s saying something because (1) I’ve only cooked steak three times in my life, and (2) I didn’t have to do anything here but prep the steak, insert the included probe and put it in the basket, and press a couple of buttons. The ChefMaker's air fryer function delivers super crispy yet super-moist results – the best results I’ve gotten from any air fryer.

Dreo ChefMaker during testing

(Image credit: Future / Michelle Rae Uy)

It’s also a near-perfect product. It’s sleek and beautiful; it’s well-built and doesn’t take up too much space; and its touch controls are so responsive that they feel luxe. It’s also effortless to use, thanks in large part to its very useful app.

I say near-perfect because there is the smaller matter of the price, which isn't small. All those features do come at a premium – not so high that the ChefMaker would be a luxury purchase, but definitely more than what a lot of people would expect to pay for an air fryer. However, I would say that it’s worth every penny and then some. If you’re thinking of buying an air fryer, you won’t regret getting this one. 

Dreo Chefmaker: price and availability

  • How much does it cost? $359 / £279 (about AU$540)
  • When is it available? Available now
  • Where can you get it? Available in the US and the UK

The Dreo ChefMaker is much more expensive than regular air fryers of the same size and capacity, and it’s also pricier than most double-basket models. In fact, at $359 / £279 (about AU$540), it’ll cost you as much as some large-capacity air fryer ovens. Now you may think that’s too much for a combination cooker with a 6-quart / 5.7-liter basket capacity, but honestly, given its versatility and what it can do, I’m mildly surprised that it doesn’t cost more. 

Unfortunately for Australian customers, however, it doesn’t look like it’s available there at the time of writing. It is, however, readily available in the US and the UK.

  •  Value: 4 / 5 

Dreo ChefMaker: Specifications

Dreo ChefMaker during testing

(Image credit: Future / Michelle Rae Uy)

Dreo ChefMaker: Design

  • Easy to set up and use
  • Beautiful and fairly compact design
  • Touch controls are a pleasure to use

Setting up the Dreo ChefMaker is just as easy as setting up a regular air fryer. You simply place the cooking tray at the bottom of the basket or the grilling rack at the top, slot in the basket, plug it in, and turn it out. The one thing to consider here is that the cord isn’t very long, so you will have to find a spot in your kitchen that’s close enough to the outlet, or have an extension cord handy.

Dreo ChefMaker during testing

(Image credit: Future / Michelle Rae Uy)

I’ve always found the design of most air fryers unappealing, even the ones from Ninja, but I adore the design of the ChefMaker. Trapezoidal in shape with a gentle tapering in the front, it’s got elegant rounded edges, a beautiful black-on-dark silver finish, and a long oval handle with a hollow middle.

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Dreo ChefMaker during testing

(Image credit: Future / Michelle Rae Uy)
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Dreo ChefMaker during testing

(Image credit: Future / Michelle Rae Uy)

At the top is a shallow square water tank for water, which the ChefMaker uses for cooking – it utilizes its water spray system for better results, and to ensure that the food doesn’t dry up – with a square lid that’s easy to pop off and replace. And at the front, just above the basket, is where you’ll find the control panel, which has touch buttons and a big 4.3-inch display with a fairly extensive menu, so you can easily navigate through and choose your cooking mode or function, adjust temperature, change cooking time, and more.

Dreo ChefMaker during testing

(Image credit: Future / Michelle Rae Uy)

The touch buttons are incredibly responsive and work perfectly with just a light tap, and the display is bright enough so that everything is visible, even when it’s in a brightly-lit area. Thank goodness for its backlighting.

The ChefMaker is taller than many air fryers of the same capacity, and slightly heavier as well. But it really doesn’t take up too much space, and is light enough to take with you if you want to use it offsite. 

Dreo ChefMaker during testing

(Image credit: Future / Michelle Rae Uy)

Just like regular air fryers, it has its hot air vent in the back. One thing I’ve noticed about this vent is that it blows a hot more hot air than other air fryers I’ve tested – so much so that it’s triggered my smoke and carbon monoxide detector that’s above the hallway next to my kitchen a few times. So be sure you’re leaving enough space for it to 'breathe.'

As far as cleaning, the trays and the basket are all dish-washer safe – though they are fairly-easy to hand wash, especially the basket since it is non-stick. The inside of the appliance can be cleaned the usual way.

  • Design: 5 / 5

Dreo ChefMaker during testing

(Image credit: Future / Michelle Rae Uy)

Dreo ChefMaker: Performance

  • Air fryer produces crisp and moist results
  • Chef mode makes the best dishes
  • Vent produces a lot of hot air

If I could only keep one tabletop cooking appliance in my kitchen, I would probably go with the Dreo ChefMaker. It’s not ideal for making stews, soups and other dishes drenched in sauce or gravy – if you make a lot of those, you should probably go with one of the best multicookers – but while I do enjoy a good stew, those are easy to make using my good old stove, whereas the ChefMaker actually allows me to not just quickly whip up meals when I’m pressed for time, but also make dishes that I don’t usually make, like a good steak or a tender brisket.

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Foods made in the Dreo ChefMaker during testing

(Image credit: Future / Michelle Rae Uy)
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Foods made in the Dreo ChefMaker during testing

(Image credit: Future / Michelle Rae Uy)

It’s not just versatility and effortless cooking that the ChefMaker offers. All the dishes I’ve made in it, from the air fryer recipes I found online to the ones on the Dreo app, are cooked to perfection. I’m particularly impressed that its air fryer function delivers better results than other regular air fryers I’ve tested, producing gorgeously and evenly cooked results that are super crispy on the outside and mind-bogglingly moist on the inside.

Foods made in the Dreo ChefMaker during testing

(Image credit: Future / Michelle Rae Uy)

Foods made in the Dreo ChefMaker during testing

(Image credit: Future / Michelle Rae Uy)

My favorite chicken wings recipe, Vietnamese chicken wings, came out even better when I made them with the ChefMaker, as did my favorite pork belly recipe. And I didn’t even need to fill up the water tank, or adjust the temperature or cooking time from the recipes, to get those results. 

Foods made in the Dreo ChefMaker during testing

(Image credit: Future / Michelle Rae Uy)

The water tank does play a massive role when using the cooker’s Chef and Probe modes, however. The ChefMaker uses water atomization via its water spray system, and super convection heating, with the occasional assistance of the included dual-sensing probe, to cook dishes, and the combination works wonderfully. 

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Foods made in the Dreo ChefMaker during testing

(Image credit: Future / Michelle Rae Uy)
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Foods made in the Dreo ChefMaker during testing

(Image credit: Future / Michelle Rae Uy)
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Foods made in the Dreo ChefMaker during testing

(Image credit: Future / Michelle Rae Uy)

I tried several of the Chef mode recipes on the Dreo app, including the Perfect Steak and the Garlic Parmesan Potato Wedge recipes, and they were not only easy to make but also came out incredible, with the steak nicely seared but beautifully pink in the middle and very tender, and the potatoes coming out with a nice crisp. 

The best part about making the steak was it took the guesswork and a chunk of the work out of the whole thing – just what a steak-cooking novice like me needs. I’ve only really made steak three times in my life, so while two out of those three came out great, I’m not exactly a steak master. With the help of the ChefMaker, however, my fourth steak came out steakhouse-worthy. 

Foods made in the Dreo ChefMaker during testing

(Image credit: Future / Michelle Rae Uy)

Fair warning, though: the Dreo ChefMaker seems to produce a lot more heat than regular air fryers, even when it’s on air fryer mode. Even when there’s a lot of space behind its rear vent, it still manages to set off my smoke and carbon monoxide detector which is a few feet away in the hallway next to my kitchen. This never happened with the similar-capacity air fryers I’ve tested. I did, however, find that turning on my range hood helps minimize that issue.

This also was not a deal-breaker for me, especially since my kitchen isn't the biggest, and the bigger air fryer ovens I've tested have done the same thing.

  • Performance:  / 5

Should I buy the Dreo ChefMaker?

Dreo ChefMaker during testing

(Image credit: Future / Michelle Rae Uy)

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Dreo ChefMaker: Also consider

How I tested the Dreo ChefMaker

  • I tested the Dreo ChefMaker for a couple of months
  • I used it as my main air fryer almost every day, cooking different recipes
  • I also tested its other cooking modes, especially Chef mode

I utilized the Dreo ChefMaker as my main air fryer and cooker almost every day for about two months, making sure to use different recipes I found on the Dreo app and from social media as well as my favorite recipes. I also made sure to test all three cooking modes available, documenting my process and the results.

As a regular air fryer user, TechRadar's Interim Homes Editor and someone who loves to cook, I've used and tested more than my share of cooking appliances, from air fryers to multicookers and the occasional baking implement.

We pride ourselves on our independence and our rigorous review-testing process, offering up long-term attention to the products we review and making sure our reviews are updated and maintained - regardless of when a device was released, if you can still buy it, it's on our radar.

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First reviewed December 2023

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