French fries and chicken nuggets cooked using the standard time and temperature settings recommended on the packaging came out less browned than we’d like. And both batches cooked unevenly—none of the fries had a nice golden crisp to them, and a handful of the bunch were overly floppy and soggy. Similarly, the breading on the chicken nuggets was pale and black decker toasters crumbly in comparison to the batches that the Philips Premium Airfryer produced. But we’ve found that most pod-shaped air fryers struggle to cook food evenly due to their cramped cooking baskets. For the price—and the nice user interface—we still think the Pro LE is a good option. The Cosori Pro LE Air Fryer was the best model we tested for around $100.
Other abilities in the toaster oven’s wheelhouse include modes to bake, broil, toast and keep food warm. The large-capacity toaster oven comes with a 9 by 13-inch interior pan. Black & Decker says the appliance provides sufficient space for a 12-inch pizza or as many as eight slices of toast.
This is going to need to sit close to a power outlet when in use, so if it’s going to live on the counter that placement is something to keep in mind. There is no administration fee charged for entering into a special payments plan. Each month during an equal payments plan you are required to pay in full by the due date that month’s equal payments plan instalment. Express Delivery is available at select stores & postal codes.
Also, the preprogrammed settings, which may look enticing for new cooks, are generally inaccurate, so you’ll likely need to adjust the time or temperature a bit when using them. This can require a little trial and error, but if you spend the time to get to know your machine and how it tends to cook, this issue may not bother you. Finally, compared with washing a baking pan, some air fryer baskets are a pain to clean. Some claim to be dishwasher safe, but most have a nonstick coating that can be damaged by the dishwasher and will eventually wear off no matter how well you treat it. This fantastic Black+Decker toaster oven comes with air fry technology so you can deep fry your ingredients without the fat.
However, if you like to make minor changes to fine-tune recipes to maximize the results, the Extra Wide Crisp N’ Bake may lack the consistency needed to make those efforts worthwhile. This is certainly a utilitarian tool rather than a gourmet one. The Black+Decker Extra Wide Crisp N’ Bake is the perfect budget toaster oven option for those that want an easy way to make standard meals with a kitchen appliance other than a conventional oven. Still, those that seek out recipes with higher degrees of difficulty may be disappointed by its propensity for temperature inaccuracies. The Purifry will shut itself off when it is done cooking, which is a good safety feature found in most air fryers. It was also warm but not hot on the outside during our testing.
No more batch cooking necessary, which means you can get dinner on the table for your whole family faster. If your main priority is simply to get a small, inexpensive appliance to heat food better than a microwave, you might be happy with a small toaster oven without convection. These are even more inexpensive than convection toaster ovens and more suitable for small spaces. We recommend the Panasonic FlashXpress (a top pick in our guide to toaster ovens). It won’t blast food with hot air, but it can still bake relatively quickly and provide crispy results due to its small oven cavity, which is similar in size to a pod-shaped air fryer. Even when filled to capacity, the Mini Vortex managed to cook food evenly.
Our best overall air fryer was updated in 2022 to the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro. When it comes to packaged or frozen foods, the air fryer manufacturers recommend cooking 70°F less and black decker toaster oven halving the cooking time. For example, for a serving of chicken nuggets that might recommend cooking at 375° for 20 minutes, you would cook it in your air fryer at 300° for 10 minutes.
If you have the space and budget, we recommend an air fryer toaster oven, which is more versatile and cooks more evenly than its pod-shaped counterparts. But we have learned over the years that many people prefer the pod-shaped style for a few reasons. Pods are typically more compact, which means they cook a bit faster, since there’s less oven space to heat. Some people also find that it’s easier (or just more fun) to use an air fryer basket with a handle, rather than pulling a hot pan from an oven. But if you are short on time or space, cooking just a few servings, and favor crispy food, a pod-shaped air fryer might be right for you.