How To Choose The Best Air Fryer Toaster Oven
One of the most significant advantages of buying an air fryer toaster oven is that it allows people to enjoy their regular fried food like nuggets or fries guilt-free.
The hot air circulation replaces excessive oil usage and converts your daily meals into healthy ones by retaining the taste and flavors.
However, the numerous variants available in the market make it hard for you to decide on a suitable air fryer toaster oven.
Dont worry because we have compiled a list of features to guide you in buying one of the best air fryer toaster ovens. These are:
Capacity
Its the main deciding factor, which is based on your family size. You can opt for a smaller air fryer toaster oven if you are a family of two or three people. However, if you love to host weekend parties for your friends and family, its a good idea to go for a higher-capacity air fryer toaster oven.
Presets
Many air fryer toaster ovens come with preset cooking options in addition to the standard temperature regulator. These provide convenience, especially to beginners who dont know what time and temperature to set for a particular meal.
Moreover, these preset cooking settings range from the basic five options to 12 in specific models.
Footprint
Best Affordable Air Fryer Toaster Oven
For anyone looking to get an air fryer toaster oven that actually works for a good price, check out the Black & Decker Crisp N’ Bake Air Fry Toaster Oven. Although it only has five different functions, it comes with the typical accessories of an air fryer toaster oven and can fit a 12-inch pizza. You’ll be able to cook most things in this Black & Decker machine, and will find it easy to clean and easy to use.
It only uses 1500 watts, so not quite as much power as some toaster ovens, but it can still generate plenty of heat to cook whatever you’re craving. And although it doesn’t have convection settings, remember that air fryers are built like convection ovens, so anything you want to be cooked via convection you can cook in an air fryer. This machine doesn’t have absolutely everything you could want in the air fryer toaster oven, but it gets the job done well for an unbeatable price.
You can get the Black & Decker Crisp N’ Bake Air Fry Toaster Oven at Bed Bath & Beyond for $94.
Breville Bov900bss Smart Air Fryer Toaster Oven
Award:HONORABLE MENTION
WHY WE LIKE IT: Great choice for families looking for a nifty all-in-one cooking solution, as this combo unit features six independent quartz heating elements, for temperature precision, and a maximum capacity that can accommodate a 14lb turkey, among other large ingredients.
Pros
- Can take up to 20 minutes to reach max temp
- Extremely heavy, at nearly 40lb
This Breville smart air fryer toaster oven is a great option for consumers looking for a versatile all-in-one kitchen solution, as this air fryer toaster oven boasts 13 programmable cooking functions to suit a wide variety of recipes, including options for dehydration, cookies, bagels, slices of toast, and more. We loved the generous capacity here, as this unit can easily handle a 14-pound turkey, and the six independent quartz heating elements. These heating elements allow for ultra-precise temperature control and excel at broiling, among other tasks.
Though the large max capacity was much appreciated, this is an extremely heavy model, clocking in at a whopping 40 pounds. Also, the preheating element can be on the slower side, as it takes up to 20 minutes to reach the maximum temperature of 480F. If the size is an issue, our best small toaster oven buying guide has more options as well.
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What To Look For In A Hybrid Toaster And Air Fryer Oven
Since you’re potentially going all-in on one machine, there are a few functions you want it to perform and perform well. For the purposes of this list, I took four main cooking functions into account: Air fry, broil, bake and toast. These, along with roast, are the oven duties the average home cook will rely on most. While some of these cookers sport dehydrate, proof, pizza and other niche cooking functions, most didn’t, so I stuck to testing functions that were possible across all the hybrid ovens.
Air frying: This trendy term has nothing to do with frying but rather mimics the results of deep-frying using super hot, fast-moving convection air for food that’s crispy outside and moist inside. Having an air fry function was the baseline criteria for consideration on this list. You can air fry lots of things, but chicken wings and french fries are two popular options, so I employed them for testing.
Broiling: I’m a big broiler person, especially for fish but also for things like mac and cheese, certain chicken recipes and anything else I want a crispy crust on top of. I find that ovens differ wildly in broiling ability so I wanted to see which of these ovens did it best.
Baking: Baking can mean a lot of things but when it comes to, let’s say cookies and cupcakes, consistency is key. The sign of an oven that bakes well is simple: Will it hit the temperature you set it to and then stay there consistently throughout the bake?
Calphalon Performance Air Fry Convection Oven
Price: $$
Calphalon, a trusted cookware brand, offers a highly rated air fryer convection oven that boasts a turbo convection feature for increased air circulation and a faster cooking time.
It also offers 2 levels and can cook a large whole chicken.
While the reviews are overall positive, some customers complain that the bake option doesnt work as well as a traditional oven.
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What About Using A Full
For the record, you can get similar air-fried results when cooking food in a full-size oven with convection. But because a full-size oven is so much larger than a toaster oven or an air fryer, it takes much longer to preheat and can take longer to cook food. The Cuisinart TOB-260N1 toaster oven preheats almost immediately, making it the better choice if speed is part of what appeals to you about an air fryer.
How To Choose An Air Fryer Toaster Oven
More and more homemakers are scrambling to own an air fryer toaster oven. Homemakers are loving the fact that an air fryer toaster oven allows the family to enjoy quilt-free deep fried food.
The hot air circulating inside the air fryer toaster oven replaces the use of excessive cooking oil. It allows you to retain the taste and flavors of food and cooking healthy meals.
But, how do you choose the best air fryer toaster oven?
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Other Features And Accessories To Note
Most of these ovens come standard with a baking tray, wire racks and mesh air fry basket. The air fry basket is meant to allow the circulating hot air to hit food at all angles and save you from having to turn it. These are great for fries and certain veggies, but beware that fatty foods, including chicken wings, will drip through as they cook and it ain’t pretty. I always use parchment paper when cooking things of that sort.
All but two of the ovens I tested — the Crux and the Calphalon — have an internal light, which is nice when you need it but not necessary by any means.
Every oven on this list has a digital interface with dials, buttons or both to control it, although some were much better than others. The Breville’s was the most complex, a result of all its many functions and cooking presets, while the Cuisinart interface was the only one I truly did not like. It drove me batty, in fact.
| Breville BOV900BSSUSC |
Flaws But Not Dealbreakers
Due to the Cuisinart TOB-260N1s large interior, this model took about five minutes longer to cook frozen french fries than some of the smaller air fryers we tested took. That said, its slightly slower cooking time often produced more evenly cooked food that was better tasting. We think thats a trade-off well worth the few extra minutes of your time. And the Cuisinart is still small enough that it can preheat and cook faster than a standard oven.
Since Cuisinart doesnt market the TOB-260N1 as an air fryer, it doesnt come with a cooking chart for commonly air-fried foods. However, we found that in most cases, the same temperatures youd use to cook in a standard oven can also be used in the Cuisinart, whereas smaller, pod-shaped air fryers require you to cook at lower temperatures. We also found that when youre air frying vegetables with lots of moisture, such as eggplant and zucchini, its best to chop them into 1-inch or smaller pieces to prevent them from getting mushy. We have more tips for cooking air-fryer recipes in the Cuisinart below.
The Cuisinarts baking pan may warp slightly when the oven is roasting at high temperatures, but this in no way affects its cooking performance the pan will return to its normal shape when it cools. If you want a better pan, we recommend that you get a Nordic Ware quarter-sheet pan, a smaller version of our favorite baking sheet, which fits perfectly inside the Cuisinart oven.
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Ninja Sp101 Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven Combo
Similar to others, this unit is a multiple-function kitchen combining its strong 1800W power. And thanks to the support of Digital Crisp Control technology, your meals, particularly fish filets, can come out deliciously without being too dry or too tough.
Even though Ninja SP101 has a smaller size than other products, its capacity is also a huge bonus as you can cook a 13-inch pizza inside it. Whats more? It has enough space to fit 9 slices of bread, or 6 chicken breasts. So good, right?
But the Ninja SP101 can also save up to 50% of your kitchen space due to its compact shape, making it ideal for those who live in a dorm or small apartment.
Key Features:
What makes this Ninja SP101 Digital a must-have item?
What Else We Recommend And Why:
Dash Chef Series 7-in-1 : There’s a lot to like about the Dash toaster oven, but it just wasn’t the best in any category. It has convection cooking/air frying and did an outstanding job baking cookies and pizza. The Dash oven was also one of the fastest to roast a chicken and one of the evenest toasters. Yet, it took a long time to toast, parts of the chicken skin were burnt, the unit took longer than most to preheat, and it had the most significant variance in temperature during our tests.
Emeril Lagasse Power AirFryer 360 : Though we prefer to roast our chicken on a roasting pan, we like that this toaster oven from superstar chef Emeril Lagasse comes with a rotisserie spit. It also has an easy-to-use knob control system with backlit digital display. The Power AirFryer 360 preheated quickly and did a good job with chicken, pizza, and cookies, but it took a long time to toast and was uneven. It also did the worst in our temp variance test.
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Most Compact: Emeril Lagasse Power Air Fryer
This air fryer toaster oven is constructed with an easy-to-read LCD display to simplify the way that you cook your favorite foods. On top of this, the Emeril Lagasse Power Air Fryer is small and lightweight, weighing 15 pounds and standing at 9.5 inches, making it a portable model that wont take up much room on your kitchen counter.
Calphalon Performance Air Fryer Toaster Oven Combo
The highlighted feature in this Calphalon device is its high contrast LCD screen to support you in reviewing and setting all feature controls. Besides, the black stainless-steel appearance will increase the modern look as well as its value to your kitchen.
Alright! Enough talking about its exteriors lets explore the amazingness inside the machine. First, the built-in Quartz Heat technology will produce 40% more heat to cook your food quicker and more effectively.
The Turbo Convection can ensure the air circulation around the food to cook them completely and evenly. You can choose any of 11 functions to create hearty treats. But if you select its air frying function, your meals are not only tasty but also have a perfect crispy finishing.
Key Features:
Here is an in-depth review to check the thermal precision of the Calphalon Performance air fryer.
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Best Air Fryer Toaster Oven With Large Space
Have you ever considered cooking Thanksgiving dinner in an air fryer? Well if you have, the Ninja Foodi 10-in-1 XL Pro Air Fry Digital Countertop Convection Toaster Oven is the perfect option. Not only can this fit a 4-pound chicken with a basket of vegetables on top, but it can also fit an entire 12-pound turkey. That’s right, if you are cooking a turkey for just a few people , use this air fryer toaster oven.
It has 10 different settings and is also great for baking. Even if you don’t want to cook something as enormous as a turkey, this is still really nice because you can cook entire meals at once thanks to all of its space.
Keep in mind, though, that with space comes weight, and this is not a lightweight oven. It weighs over 30 pounds, so you won’t be moving it around much and probably won’t want to haul it in and out of storage for a couple of holidays a year. But, if you want it for other reasons, like easy meal prep or baking a multi-tier cake, Ninja has the ultimate air fryer toaster oven.
Best Overall Air Fryer Toaster Oven
The Cuisinart AirFryer Toaster Oven has everything there is to want in an air fryer toaster oven. This 1800-watt machine has multiple functions, is non-stick, has enough space to bake a 4-pound chicken, and comes with an oven rack, baking pan, and air fryer basket. Some of its alternative functions include bake and broil, as well as convection bake and convection broil.
With just this one machine, you can bake or cook virtually any dish you can imagine, and with its space you can even cook multiple things at once by utilizing the different accessories it comes with. This toaster oven is equipped with an automatic turn-off function and even comes in a couple of different colors to fit any home aesthetic.
One of this machine’s best features is its quietness. Air fryers can operate quite noisily, but this one works at low decibel levels, making it even more attractive for anyone with a small space. At a great price and size, Cuisinart has made the best air fryer toaster oven available this year.
You can find the Cuisinart AirFryer Toaster Oven on Amazon for $229.
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Can You Air Fry With A Convection Toaster Oven
For years weve used the convection fan on our Breville Smart Oven Pro plus a wire rack inserted into a sheet pan to cook all manner of crispy vegetarian foods with great results.
If youve got a convection toaster oven that you love, upgrading for one single feature probably isnt going to be worth it.
To help you try out air fryer recipes in your toaster oven weve put together this post with tips on how to air fry with a convection toaster oven.
You may find that your current toaster oven does a great job air frying. If not, you can always come back and read the rest of this article!
Best Compact Air Fryer Toaster Oven
Some of us don’t need to cook an entire rotisserie chicken in our air fryer toaster ovens. We just want them for chicken wings and fries, and maybe some slices of toast. If that’s you, you need the DeLonghi Livenza 9-in-1 Digital Air Fry Convection Toaster Oven.
This thing really does do it all. You won’t be able to cook more than one thing at once unless you split up space in the basket, but you will be able to cook many different foods because of its different presets.
This is a heavy appliance, so you won’t be able to move it around a lot on your countertop, but you won’t really need to since it’s so compact. If you have a small kitchen but still want an air fryer toaster oven, check out the DeLonghi Livenza.
You can buy the DeLonghi Livenza 9-in-1 Digital Air Fry Convection Toaster Oven on Amazon for $208.
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Also Great: Philips Premium Airfryer Hd9741/96
*At the time of publishing, the price was $250.
The Philips Premium Airfryer HD9741/96 is the best pod-shaped air fryer weve tested. Its a far less versatile appliance than the Cuisinart convection toaster oven, but its smaller footprint may make it ideal for tiny kitchens with limited counter space. Smaller households that plan to make only one or two portions of food at a time may also prefer this model. Compared with other pod-shaped air fryers we tested, the Philips cooked food the most evenly, aside from the occasional soggy french fry on average, it cooked faster than most other models we tried and with better results. Like all pod-shaped air fryers, this Philips model isnt good for baking or making toastits fan is too powerful and produces overcooked, irregularly shaped cakes and wonky, unevenly browned toast. But if you dont plan to bake in it, we think its a suitable choice for cooking frozen snacks, smaller portions of meat and vegetables, or certain dishes you want extra crispy, like chicken wings or flautas.