6 Best Air Fryer Toaster Ovens Of 2021
A full-size toaster oven with a built-in air frying feature, the Cuisinart Air Fryer not only bakes, broils and toasts—it also introduces a healthier way to fry. Air frying, which uses powerful hot air, allows you to prepare crispy, delicious fried favorites—from wings to fritters to fries to shrimp—with much less oil. Even a large, four-pound chicken requires only about a teaspoon of oil to fry. Due to the Cuisinart’s large interior, it took this model about five minutes longer to cook frozen french fries than it took some of the smaller air fryers we tested. That said, its slightly slower cooking time often produced more evenly cooked food that was better tasting. We think that’s a trade-off well worth the few extra minutes of your time.
Engineered to ensure golden brown results, this high-efficiency unit air fries 2.5 lbs. of wings and cooks a wide variety of foods with minimal noise and maximum ease. Just turn one knob to regulate the temperature, and the other to set the timer.
Plus, the bottom portion (you know, where crumbs fall and then start burning?) has a CRUMB TRAY. Which honestly I didn’t even know until I went to write this post and discovered it! (So, proof you don’t have to clean it too often. ?) But it’s GENIUS! All you have to do is pull out the crumb tray, wipe it off, and put it back in. You never cuisinart griddler elite have to deal with sticking your hand into the bottom and cleaning around the coils like you do with toaster ovens. I use the air fryer to reheat anything that was once crispy–it’s absolutely AMAZING for warming up takeout. However, I would not use it for reheating anything else that was not once crispy, such as soup, pasta, etc.
It has a dehydrate function (with temperatures as low as 83°F) to make treats like jerky or banana chips. You can also toast up to 9 slices of bread, slow cook an entire meal in a 5qt dutch oven, and even bake pizzas. The Cuisinart really does look like an oven too, the build quality is exceptional. The stainless steel build and spring loaded glass oven door make it feel hefty and not cheap like the other plastic air fryers. There are two tray positions in the oven – top rack and bottom rack. The oven is big enough to roast a whole chicken when using the bottom rack, but to air fry, the directions say you must use the top rack only.
That said, we hope to test newer models once our test kitchen is fully operational again later this year. One major distinction between the Cuisinart and most pod air fryers is that you can turn the fan off entirely if you don’t want to use it, such as when you’re making toast. Also, you can adjust the fan’s speed if you want a gentler circulation of air, when you’re baking cakes, for instance. The Cuisinart affords you more flexibility so you can tailor it to your exact cooking needs, whereas most air fryers have only one powerful fan, which may not be best for every recipe.