Fritaire Air Fryer Overview, Examined & Reviewed

#1: Design

The Fritaire air fryer really makes a press launch on the counter. With a rounded type and a glass bowl, it doesn’t look like the enclosed square-cornered fryer we’re used to. Not solely is the shape and magnificence distinctive, it moreover is out there in a variety of colors so you too can make it a spotlight of your kitchen.

The glass bowl makes it easy and thrilling to look at the meals all through all of the cooking course of, though it moreover means you might even see any mess afterward. It’s straightforward to scrub by itself, nonetheless the Fritaire boasts a self-cleaning attribute that entails together with water and cleansing cleaning soap to the bowl and turning the unit on to cook dinner dinner off any caught meals. I didn’t wish to do that, even after I made a gooey grilled cheese sandwich that dripped melted cheese.

The draw again of the thick glass bowl is that it’s a bit heavy. Not so much that it’s going to require a very good good friend to maneuver it, nonetheless it’s heavier than a typical air fryer basket. It moreover will get scorching on the skin all through cooking. Nonetheless, the inserts on the lid make it easy to lift it off of the bowl, and the bowl has handles, so points could be safely moved, even when the glass is scorching. Furthermore, lifting the lid turns the unit off immediately, and it resumes cooking when the lid is modified. It’s a good safety attribute, however moreover means that you would be able to drop in extra meals in the middle of cooking.

#2: Effectivity

Basic, this labored along with completely different air fryers I’ve examined. Like most, meals does have to be flipped over all through cooking to get all sides toasty or browned. That was most evident with a grilled cheese sandwich when the underside was pretty pale sooner than I flipped it over.

This has an impressively large 5.5-quart functionality, nonetheless that doesn’t suggest it’s possible you’ll pile 5 quarts of fries into it. Most air fryer recipes suggest putting meals in a single layer. Whereas I’ve been recognized to flout that rule by stacking points like tater tots and stirring them further sometimes, completely different meals won’t cook dinner dinner properly if stacked.

#3: Versatility

To make this fryer rather more versatile, it consists of numerous gear. For a lot of cooking, you’ll use a rack sits on the bottom of the fryer to take care of meals off of the underside so air can circulate into. Nevertheless I was considerably inside the rotisserie rod, which turns the air fryer proper right into a mini-rotisserie, with an emphasis on mini. It’s important to note that the rotisserie power unit twists onto the side of the fryer and requires batteries.

I bought the smallest rooster I’ll uncover that wasn’t a Cornish hen, nonetheless there was no means I was going to get it onto that rod. In actuality, I couldn’t match that total rooster inside the fryer with out the very best being perilously close to the heat. In its place, I skewered a sous-vide cooked steak that wished a remaining sear, which labored properly. The rotisserie may very well be helpful for very small roasts or perhaps rooster breasts, nonetheless you acquired’t be recreating store-bought rotisserie rooster at residence with this.

A basket that moreover works with the rotisserie could be included. I used it for cooking tater tots along with rooster wings. In idea, the basket eliminates the need to flip meals over all through cooking. Plus, it’s gratifying to look at. It was working properly until I used it for saucy meals, which precipitated pretty the mess.

A “grabber” that hooks on to the basket or rotisserie rod is supposed to make it safer and easier to remove these gear. It labored, nonetheless then I wished mitts to open the basket or get meals off of the rod, so it appeared so much simpler to utilize waterproof mitts barely than the grabber.

One remaining discover…

Whereas the fryer labored properly, I had some quibbles with cleaning. The metal gear aren’t dishwasher protected, and shouldn’t be soaked in water, which is okay when cooking fairly dry meals. Nonetheless, after I used the rotisserie basket for wings, they dripped their juices onto the basket and caught. I spent quite a few time brushing and rinsing the basket. Lesson realized. Use it for fries and tots, and cook dinner dinner wings on the rack.

Why Perception The Spruce Eats?

Donna Currie is a meals writer, cookbook creator, and product reviewer. Over a couple of years, she has reviewed over 100 merchandise for The Spruce Eats, along with air fryers and comparable house gear.