Once a cooking mode is selected, the Ninja automatically goes into a short preheat mode and beeps when it’s time to place food in the oven. Unlike most air fryers, the 7-quart Gourmia GAF798 Digital Air Fryer required preheating (probably due to its large size). Annoyingly, however, if you want to add a few minutes to the cooking time after the initial set time runs out, the appliance automatically kicks into preheat mode again, even though the air fryer is already hot. In addition, instead of a basket, this model uses a tray at the bottom of the bucket, which occasionally falls out when you invert the bucket.
But when we later ordered another model to photograph, we didn’t have this problem. The Pro LE comes with a two-year warranty, but Cosori does not offer any replacement parts, so you’re out of luck if your outer basket handle breaks or you lose the tray. In February Cosori issued a recall of 21 air fryer models following incidents of them catching fire, melting, overheating, or smoking. Our budget pick, the Cosori Pro LE Air Fryer, isn’t part of the recall. The major design difference between the TOA-60 and TOA-65 is the interface. The TOA-60 model is a completely manual interface with four knobs that toggle temperature, time, presets and function.
The back also opens to give you easy access to the interior for cleaning. Its large nonstick sheet pan can cook chicken, beef, or shrimp and veggies for four in under 30 minutes. In addition to being an excellent toaster, this Cuisinart is one of the top air fryers you can buy. It was our former Best Overall until Cuisinart introduced a newer, digital model. Fortunately, the TOA-60 is still available and a wonderful option if you want to spend a little less than the TOA-65.
They also make cooking kind of fun—pop open a drawer, pour in some food, toss it halfway through, and it’s done before you know it. For that reason, we think they’re a great tool to get uninitiated chefs interested in cooking for themselves. Pod-shaped air fryers can also be an invaluable cooking alternative for people with certain disabilities (video), since they don’t require handling a hot tray, or bending over to open or close an oven door. Some smart models, like the Cosori Pro Smart Air Fryer, even come with apps that pair with your phone to make the appliance accessible via voice controls (video), though we haven’t tested those features yet. An Air fryer is a kitchen appliance that cooks by circulating hot air around food. They do a fantastic job cooking up frozen foods that are meant to taste deep-fried.
The touch sensor LED display shows all of the functions in clear, easy-to-read text. It even has a “shake” button that makes the machine remind you halfway through the cook time to toss the food—a nice feature for the fiercely forgetful (guilty). The tempered-glass display on the top of the machine is slightly slanted to make it a little easier to see on a high countertop. This setting is fixed at 450 degrees F and can broil continually for to two hours (which, frankly, is unnecessary).
The interior has a nonstick coating, and the air fryer basket and baking pan can be tossed in the dishwasher. Cuisinart provides a helpful manual complete with cooking charts and appealing recipes, as well as a quick reference guide that conveniently stores in a slot in the bottom of the oven. In our tests, the Ninja Foodi Air Fry Oven air fried crispy, even wings and fries.
For example, when we cooked chicken nuggets, we set every air fryer to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for seven minutes, per the nuggets’ air fryer cooking instructions. Generally speaking, air fryer toaster ovens range in price from $70 to $500. While exceptions exist, the less expensive models tend to be smaller and less powerful with fewer settings. When it comes to toasting and air frying, they get the job done, but the pricier models typically offer larger capacities and greater functionality. Cuisinart® makes air frying easier than ever, with presets to perfectly fry favorites like wings, fries, chicken nuggets, snacks and veggies. Frying with air instead of oil is delicious and guilt-free, and this large capacity oven fries up to 3 lb.
That’s right—this is our favorite model that landed itself the best overall spot our air fryer toaster oven buying guide, and it even has an added accessory perk. Since it has a hybrid design, it can tackle eight different cooking functions with ease. It can air fry, convection bake, convection broil, toast, cuisinart toaster costco bake, broil, and grill. It has a 3-pound air fryer capacity, and according to the brand, it can fit up to six slices of bread, a 12-inch pizza, and 3 pounds of wings. “Air fryer toaster ovens tend to be on the larger side and can take up a good amount of countertop real estate,” say the Norrises.
When you’re all done, the nonstick interiors make cleanup easy for our air fryer toaster ovens. Adding an air fry function gives you capabilities of a toaster oven and air fryer in one appliance, often with additional features cuisinart choppers as well. Some models can roast on a rotisserie, slow cook, or dehydrate, making them even more useful. The digital controls are intuitive to program and there’s a bright oven light, but I do have one major quibble.