The Best Air Fryer Toaster Ovens of 2023, Tested and Reviewed

More and more, it’s simpler than ever to cook dinner a meal from scratch with out touching your stovetop or oven. Stress cookers, induction burners, air fryers, and toaster ovens are all taking a slice of the home-cooking pie. These gadgety countertop home equipment counsel the revolution will likely be electrical (and include a flashy LCD touchscreen). However even essentially the most spacious kitchens solely have a lot countertop actual property. In an effort to consolidate home equipment, many kitchen manufacturers now make countertop toaster ovens with air frying capabilities.

However can home equipment that declare to do all of it truly ship? A latest month-long check of Breville’s new Joule Oven Air Fryer Pro confirmed promising outcomes, with some minor irritations and shortcomings. In an effort to judge the more and more busy twin air fryer-toaster oven area, we examined eight fashions from widespread manufacturers. With costs that vary from $180 to $500, these aren’t informal purchases. And in contrast to some fundamental toaster ovens, they’re not petite, both.

We selected fashions from manufacturers that had been well-known and trusted in both the toaster oven or air fryer market. Though most of the models we examined can do extra than simply toast and air fry, we centered our exams on these features, as a result of that’s sometimes how they’ll most frequently be used. (Though the dehydrator characteristic on some could also be useful for DIY-ers).

The Winners, at a Look

This unit is good-looking and delicate, with a basic aesthetic that doesn’t really feel overly stylish. It produced wonderful toast and had minimal scorching spots—an necessary consideration for baking and roasting. We favored that its fry basket was in a position to stand alone within the unit by sliding into grooves on the facet partitions; another fashions required the basket to sit down on a tray, which made maneuvering tough and inhibited browning. All in all, it is a nicely-sized toaster oven with a beneficiant cooking chamber that excelled in nearly each cooking activity.

A detailed runner-up to the Calphalon, this unit had the entire similar profitable components, together with a standalone fry basket; a easy, intuitive interface with guide knobs and dials; and a powerful air fry perform. It’s no shock this was a prime performer; it’s the “air fryer included” model of our favorite under $250 toaster oven.

Boasting a very spectacular variety of features—together with proofing dough—this do-it-all air fryer toaster oven comes with a excessive price ticket however has the products to again it up. It additionally stands out from the gang with an app that lets you management the unit out of your telephone and gives useful suggestions and recipes.

The Assessments

• Toast Take a look at: We positioned one piece of white sandwich bread within the heart of every oven, then toasted it on the medium–darkish setting. We evaluated evenness of toasting on each the highest and backside of the bread, in addition to how lengthy it took to realize the specified outcomes.
• Scorching Spots Take a look at: We examined the fundamental baking functionality by preheating the ovens to 350˚F with out their convection perform. Utilizing the identical model of white bread, we crammed every oven with as many slices because it might maintain with out overlapping, then baked for 10 minutes with out flipping or turning. We recorded the amount every oven might match. By observing darker and lighter shades of toast, we had been in a position to decide the oven’s cold and hot spots (if any).
• Frozen Pizza Take a look at: Toaster ovens are nice at reheating leftover pizza, however how do they deal with frozen pies? We used the identical model in every oven to judge. After preheating the oven to 400˚F with out convection, we baked the pies on the supplied sheet tray for 14 minutes, then evaluated for crust crispiness and evenness of cheese soften.
• Frozen French Fries Take a look at: Then it was time to air-fry. We used the identical model of frozen fries in 16-ounce batches. The model we selected didn’t embody preparation instructions for air fryers; as a substitute, we used the method outlined in our original air fryer test: 400˚F for 20 minutes, shaking the fries solely as soon as, halfway by cooking. If the oven included a “fries” setting on the air fryer (some did), we used that.
• Hen Wings Take a look at: We examined the oven’s potential to air fry meat by cooking two kilos of rooster wings in every one. We used one tablespoon of oil, one teaspoon of salt, and a half-teaspoon of pepper, then air-fried at 360˚F for 12 minutes, flipped the wings, and air-fried for an additional 12 minutes. To complete, we flipped the wings a second time and air-fried for six minutes at 390˚F. After evaluating for crispiness and evenness of cooking, we cleaned the unit and washed the fry basket by hand.
• Person Expertise and Cleanup Assessments: With most cooking check outcomes offering minor variations with which to match fashions, our prime picks relied closely on consumer expertise. We evaluated how intuitive it was to make use of the fashions straight from the field earlier than studying instructions, and regarded the simplicity and effectivity of the controls (LCD touchscreen vs. toggle wheel vs. and so forth.) Lastly, we thought of how simple (or not) it was to manually set the temperature and time, as in contrast with the unit’s presets.

What We Discovered

Air Fryer Toaster Ovens Didn’t Make Nice Toast

Many older fashions of toaster ovens are fairly compact. They’ve a small countertop footprint and petite cooking chambers. However to accommodate the area wanted for baking, roasting, and air frying, these new hybrid fashions have giant, cavernous chambers. (There was one exception: the Ninja Foodi, which was a bit wider than our different fashions, however far more squat.) The big chamber is critical for wonderful air frying: ample room for a fry basket permits meals to be organized in a single layer, which ends up in crispier, golden brown meals.

Sadly, the extra-large chamber means there’s a better distance between the racks and the heating models. We discovered that toasting on the center rack (when accessible) took an nearly comically very long time—nearing 10 minutes for darker shades. Whilst you might ameliorate this problem by shifting a rack nearer to the heating rods on the prime or backside of the oven, that will end in burning or uneven toasting, and also you’ll actually should flip the toast midway by. We’ll admit that ready just a few further minutes for correctly cooked toast is hardly an imposition, however it’s price considering in case you plan on often utilizing your unit to make toast.

In the event you’re hoping to make use of your air fryer toaster oven to roast and bake, you’ll discover it helpful to know not each mannequin will be dialed in to a particular temperature. Some characteristic temperature adjustments in 5- and even 25-degree intervals (akin to having choices for 325F˚, 350˚F, 375˚F, and so forth).

Air Frying In a Toaster Oven Was Messier than Utilizing an Air Fryer

Air frying is completely much less messy than conventional deep frying, even in case you use a self-contained deep fryer. However our check shortly revealed one draw back of utilizing a toaster oven to air fry: the fats causes splatters when the tray is eliminated, which makes cleanup annoying. Throughout our rooster wing exams, the rendered fats from the wings and oil splattered everywhere in the glass door after we pulled out the basket to flip the meat. (The crumb or drip tray doesn’t routinely come out when the door is opened, so the fry basket will hover over the door as you pull it out.) We both needed to stability the tray precariously over the door to flip and switch the wings, or set it on a trivet on our counter: Both manner, it was a messy, oily enterprise that required us to clean our oven mitts, kitchen towels, and naturally, the oven door after every use.

By comparability, self-contained air fryers are extra effectively designed to comprise oil and fats inside the unit, even when eradicating the basket (most conventional air fryers have a dealt with basket, somewhat than the handle-less sq. or rectangular ones discovered within the air fryer toaster ovens we examined). Whereas the completed wings had been crispy and golden, the cleanup was laborious. The hampers required vigorous scrubbing with a bristle brush, and the inside of the unit needed to be cleaned with a vinegar-based answer to wipe away grease.

Fitted Baskets and Trays Made A Massive Distinction in Usability

Most fashions we examined had easy tray baskets, which needed to be located on the wire rack or baking tray. The baking tray possibility is a much less messy method to fry, though it would hinder the 360-degree airflow wanted for satisfactory crisping. Nevertheless, a handful of models—the Ninja Foodi, the Breville, and the Calphalon—had a basket with a large lip meant to slip into the oven’s facet grooves, similar to its oven racks. Not solely did it enable for higher airflow, it additionally made pulling the basket out simpler.

Some fashions, like the Toshiba, had so many facet grooves, it was tough to slip a rack or tray in evenly on the primary attempt. However typically talking, we most well-liked fashions that allowed for a number of tray positions, which meant we might situate meals on the highest, backside, or in the course of the oven. The Ninja solely permits for meals to be positioned on the very prime or backside of the unit: there’s no center floor.

Fan Placement Mattered

The fashions we examined had followers both on one facet of the unit or put in within the prime. Overwhelmingly, the highest followers resulted in darker, extra completely cooked meals, because of direct, intense warmth—however not in a great way. Whereas it is a nice design in principle, in apply it generally resulted in burning or blackening. The most important prime followers, as in the GE and Cuisinart, usually yielded overdone meals.

Aspect-installed followers, as within the Breville and Calphalon, resulted in meals that was extra reasonably cooked. These models tended to have extra scorching spots when convection was not used, however this drawback might be solved by rotating the meals midway by cooking. (It’s not obligatory for toast.) Equally necessary, they made extra environment friendly use of their area: the followers are put in behind the management panel. We discovered these models to be the least imposing when left on a counter, regardless of having comparable footprints—a lot of the top-fan models appeared hulking, because of their top-heavy design.

A number of Dials and Knobs Had been Simpler to Navigate than Minimalist Interfaces

Whereas each air fryer toaster oven we examined got here with an in depth instruction guide, we first tried to make use of the models with out studying it, to gauge how intuitive the interfaces had been. Overwhelmingly, we most well-liked fashions with multiple dial or knob. The better the guide choices, the simpler it was to make use of. In distinction, the Instant Pot Omni Plus has a completely touchscreen interface, which was extra complicated to function (and shortly bought greasy when adjusted throughout cooking).

We didn’t like that some fashions had fussy interfaces that required quite a lot of babysitting. The Toshiba requires a preheat cycle, however it doesn’t routinely start cooking as soon as the chosen temperature is reached. Throughout just a few exams within the Toshiba, we overcooked meals as a result of we didn’t understand it had been sitting at temperature for a handful of minutes. (Considered one of our prime picks, the Sensible Oven from Breville, additionally has that undesirable characteristic, however we favored sufficient of its different qualities to nonetheless advocate it.)

The Calphalon and Breville methods had been our favourite, with a number of clearly-labeled buttons and dials that made selecting a setting simple. It was additionally simple to regulate the controls whereas the unit was in use.

Noise, Steam, and Odor Variations

The entire models made some noise throughout their cooking cycles. However we discovered a few of them to be offensively loud. The Instantaneous Pot was essentially the most intrusive, significantly when air frying. The Ninja Foodi had an irritating “calm down” interval that brought on the fan to whirr noisily lengthy after it had stopped cooking. The Calphalon and Breville had been the quietest on all settings, however barely perceptible when toasting or just baking with out convection.

One other consideration when shopping for an air fryer toaster oven: steam. Each unit we examined emitted some steam when air frying, however some turned our kitchen right into a meat-and-potato-scented sauna. The Cuisinart was significantly offensive right here, with clouds of steam escaping by the highest of the machine. Each it and the Instantaneous produced a lot steam, it collected on the glass door and ultimately leaked onto the counter. The foggy kitchen home windows and lingering “fried meals” scent are annoying, however we see one other, extra major problem with heavy steam emitters: they will injury wooden cabinetry over time. We examined the models on a countertop straight beneath cupboards containing packaged meals. After a day of testing, there was condensation on the within of the cupboard doorways and on the cabinets.

Are Air Fryer Toaster Ovens Price It? And How Do They Evaluate to an Air Fryer?

Our analysis was based mostly on efficiency and consumer expertise, though after 4 rounds of testing throughout the models’ numerous capabilities, we famous that each one fashions produced sufficiently crispy meals with the air fry perform. Nevertheless, they had been all, to various levels, messier to make use of than traditional air fryers, and a few had been a ache to scrub up. Disappointingly, a handful of the toaster ovens struggled to make evenly toasted bread. So, are any price shopping for?

Finally, air fryer toaster ovens are satisfactory in any respect duties, however not higher than their single-function opponents. Nevertheless, they’re bigger than many air fryers and may accommodate extra meals, for these often cooking for 4 individuals or extra.

With this in thoughts, we decided that consumer expertise trumps all when shopping for an air fryer toaster oven. You probably have the room in your kitchen and can often use each home equipment, we propose investing in each an air fryer and an air fryer toaster oven or toaster oven. That stated, funds and area could dictate your choice. Three of the fashions we examined outshone the competitors, with better-than-average efficiency, in addition to interfaces that had been actually pleasurable to make use of.

The Standards: What to Search for In an Air Fryer Toaster Oven

The most effective air fryer toaster ovens have spacious chambers with loads of choices for situating racks, trays, and fry baskets. Interfaces that weigh closely on guide knobs are preferable for ease of use—and to reduce grease on touchscreens. Search for doorways that open and shut easily, with out snapping or spring-back, which can lengthen the longevity of your unit, and work to maintain steam inside. Lastly, take into account the footprint versus usable area. Some models are very giant however have comparatively small cooking chambers. Overwhelmingly, models that had convection followers on the highest of the unit had been bulkier and took up extra space. Our prime winners made environment friendly use of their measurement with giant chambers and had facet followers.

What we favored: A beautiful, charcoal-colored mannequin that doesn’t purchase into stylish designs, this mannequin excelled at each cooking check; it even re-crisped day-old rooster wings to close perfection. Though the messier air frying course of was nonetheless current, it was such a excessive performer within the different duties (toasting and baking), we really feel it’s price shopping for for these capabilities alone. It measures barely taller than the Breville, however is 5 kilos lighter, and has a transparent, unobstructed glass door for simple monitoring. The timer is exact—it consists of seconds—and the sunshine is vivid and useful, particularly for monitoring doneness whereas air frying. It’s tops at holding steam and cooking smells (comparatively) contained contained in the unit. The fan is put in within the facet of the unit, behind the management panel. The air fry basket is standalone, that means you don’t should relaxation it on one other rack or tray.

What we didn’t like: The temperature can solely be adjusted in 25-degree increments (like 325˚F, 350˚F, and 375˚F), so it’s not a sensible choice for precision baking. The preheat cycle, whereas speedy, doesn’t routinely kick into cook dinner mode. Though that’s not a deal breaker, you’ll wish to both add your meals as quickly as you set the timer and begin the machine—or keep shut by till the countdown has begun. The fry basket is smaller than the Breville’s, which can end in overcrowding (or require a number of batches). The dials have small grooves, which might gather crumbs or grease over time.

Value at time of publish: $288.

Key Specs

• Weight: 22.5 kilos
• Dimensions: 11.6 x 18.7 x 15.8 inches
• Kind and dimensions of air fry basket: Standalone wire basket, 12 x 9 inches
• Interface kind: Handbook, with two dials and 5 push-buttons complete, together with turbo convection
• Capabilities: Air Fry, Bagel, Bake, Broil, Defrost, Dehydrate, Hold Heat, Pizza, Roast, Toast
• Minimal temperature: 150˚F
• Max temperature: 450˚F

What we favored: A sensible choice for counter tops quick on actual property, the Breville has one of many smallest footprints of any of the fashions we examined, because of its side-installed fan behind the controls. Fortunately, it doesn’t really feel missing in cooking area. We favored the easy-to-use interface that was intuitive, because of a number of dials and buttons (and a high-contrast LCD display). The fry basket is broad and roomy, which implies you’ll be able to cook dinner a big quantity of meals with out sacrificing crispiness. It additionally matches straight into the grooves of the facet partitions, making it extra environment friendly to maneuver out and in. It’s a hardworking multitasker, with hold heat, dehydrate, and gradual cook dinner features. And whereas aesthetics aren’t all the things, they do rely in an equipment that may dwell in your countertop. The Breville is out there in a handful of neutral-adjacent shades, together with a deep blue and a creamy white.

What we didn’t like: At $350, it’s one of many priciest fashions we examined. Nevertheless, it’s nonetheless cheaper than shopping for a standalone toaster oven and an air fryer (the highest two from our opinions are round $469 collectively). The person elements—together with the wire fry basket—have to be hand-washed, which is cumbersome after messy cooking duties, like frying rooster. It does all the things speedily, together with making toast and preheating, however its efficiency generally fell behind different fashions in consequence. Condensation and steam will be overwhelming throughout high-heat, high-convection cooking duties.

Value at time of publish: $350.

Key Specs

• Weight: 28 kilos, 12 kilos
• Dimensions: 18.5 x 15.75 x 11 inches
• Kind and dimensions of air fry basket: Standalone wire basket; 11 x 12.75 inches
• Interface kind: Handbook, with 3 dials and 5 push-buttons, together with turbo convection
• Capabilities: Air Fry, Bagel, Bake, Broil, Cookies, Dehydrate, Reheat, Roast, Sluggish Cook dinner, Toast, Heat
• Minimal temperature: 120˚F
• Max temperature: 450˚F

What we favored: The air fry perform was top-notch, with fries and wings popping out crispy, golden, and juicy. The big cooking chamber makes this a great swap for conventional oven cooking, permitting the consumer to roast and bake for a (small) crowd. The flexibility to cook dinner with convection (even when not air frying) is a big time saver, and we appreciated the actually expansive listing of features.

What we didn’t like: A good quantity of condensation collects on the door throughout sure cooking duties. The app is usually a little glitchy and we want to see additional developments and oven-app integration. It’s undeniably expensive.

Value at time of publish: $500.

Key Specs

• Weight: 23 kilos
• Dimensions: 21.5 x 17.3 x 12.8 inches
• Kind and dimensions of air fry basket: Standalone wire basket; 11.75 x 15 inches
• Interface kind: Handbook, with three dials and 6 push-buttons, together with an “A bit extra” button so as to add just a little further cooking time
• Capabilities: Air Fry, Bagel, Bake, Broil, Cookies, Dehydrate, Pizza, Proof, Reheat, Roast, Sluggish Cook dinner, Toast, Heat
• Minimal temperature: 80˚F
• Max temperature: 480˚F

The Competitors

• Cuisinart Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven: This air fryer runs aggressively scorching, largely because of the XL fan on the highest; each check produced darkish, almost-burnt outcomes. In high-fat meals, just like the rooster wings, this resulted in a considerable amount of rendered fats to scrub up. The cooking chamber is small in comparison with most different fashions.
• GE Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven: This stainless-steel equipment has the good look of a “chef’s kitchen.” The big top-of-unit fan produced extra-dark, extra-crispy outcomes, which is probably not to everybody’s style. It’s loud, and the timer begins routinely, with out accounting for preheating. That resulted in over- and under-done meals. There are not any presets for issues like fries and wings, however the consumer guide gives useful pointers.
• Instant Pot Omni Plus Air Fryer Toaster Oven: With a completely touchscreen interface, this techy mannequin was a ache to maintain clear and grease-free. It was additionally the loudest and largest of the fashions we examined, with a hulking overhang that doubled as a door. The temperature will be set to particular levels, however each button pressed sounds in an irritating beep.
• Ninja Foodi Digital Air Fryer Oven: This mannequin initially caught our eye because of its smaller footprint; it’s very quick. However with solely room for “prime” and “backside” rack positions, meals bought too darkish irrespective of the place it was located. Its small chamber is hard to scrub effectively, and the side-handle door was awkward to make use of. We did just like the standalone fry basket, that slid neatly into the facet grooves.
• Toshiba Air Fryer Toaster Oven Combo: Whereas this mannequin has the potential to toast, bake, and air-fry effectively, we discovered it irritating to make use of. A complicated interface, and the shortcoming to regulate settings whereas it was in preheat mode resulted in overcooked meals in most of our exams. People who plan on air frying usually will respect the 11 settings beneath that perform, together with rooster nuggets, squid rings, and spring rolls.

FAQs

Can an air fryer substitute a toaster oven?

Though air fryers carry out some cooking duties very effectively, they don’t seem to be a 1:1 alternative for a toaster oven. The design of standalone air fryers just isn’t ideally suited for cooking in giant batches; we found that XL air fryers lagged in efficiency and function. Air fryers are greatest for approximating fried meals with minimal oil and simpler cleanup. Toaster ovens excel at conventional baking and cooking duties on a smaller (and faster) scale. They’re each fairly nice at heating up leftovers, although.

Is a toaster oven the identical as an air fryer?

Toaster ovens and air fryers work in another way. A toaster oven features like a miniature oven that cooks meals by heating a chamber to a set temperature. An air fryer makes use of a built-in high-speed fan to extra effectively flow into air round that chamber. Meals that has been roasted or baked in an air fryer can have a really crispy texture, just like deep fried meals. Toaster ovens with air fryer capabilities embody a convection fan. Cooks can manually flip the fan on and off for cooking features like bake and roast, though it routinely activates when the air fry perform is chosen..

What’s the greatest air fryer toaster oven?

Our exams revealed the Calphalon Air Fryer Oven,Breville Sensible Oven Air Fryer, and the Breville Joule Oven Air Fryer Professional are the most effective air fryer toaster ovens in all classes, together with consumer expertise. They carried out fundamental toasting features effectively, with minimal scorching spots, and air fried sufficiently. And, lastly, they had been essentially the most intuitive to set, modify, and use.

Are you able to toast bread in an air fryer oven?

First, a clarification: air fryers and air fryer toaster ovens use comparable expertise, however usually are not interchangeable. You may completely toast bread in a twin air fryer-toaster oven unit; simply use the “toast” perform. Whereas standalone air fryers do have extra features, like bake and roast, they’re not the most effective equipment for making toast (although with some jiggering and watching you could possibly make toast in a single).