- Fries Food Using Little to No Oil
- Hot Air Circulation Technology
- Cooking Timer up to 30 Minutes
- 3.3 Quarts (3.2L) Cooking Capacity
- Temperature Control 170-400 Degree F
- Multi-functional Air Fryer: Grill, Bake, Roast, Fry
Say goodbye to deep frying!
01/12/2016
This review is from: Rosewill Air Fryer 3.3 Qt, Oilless Air Fryer Oven, 1400-watt Power, Timer and Temperature Control Frying w/Low Fat, Oil Free, RHAF-15004
Pros:
- Heats up faster than my deep fryer of comparable size
- Very easy to clean up
- No oils required
- Quiet
- Very simple to use... Set the temp & timer. Done!
- It made me a PERFECT medium-rare 16oz NY Strip!
- Cleanup is a breeze due to the teflon-like non-stick coating.
Cons:
- The outer metal basket is exposed when not in the unit. Definite burn hazard!
- Plastic is mildly brittle
Overall Review:
I took the offer to review this while thinking, "Eh, I'll take a break from reviewing all the techie stuff.
Plus, I like kitchen gadgets. I've been curious about these for a while. Let's give it a shot."
My first test was to try things I typically put in the oven like frozen fries. Inevitably, putting 'em in the oven is very time consuming. And I always seem to get them over-done or still mildly soggy. And flipping them in a pain.
With this unit, I just tossed in just a bit more than enough to cover the bottom. Maybe two layers worth. (I think the instructions suggest 17oz, whatever that equals in frozen fries!) I set the temp & timer according to the (minimal) instructions and waited a few minutes. Fries came out great!
Next up came the stuff I usually deep fry in peanut oil like breaded green beans, breaded pickles, cheese sticks...your typical bar food / appetizers. Again, impressed! The only thing to note is that in this unit, if you go too long, the breading and vegetable inside will start to dry out as well taking away from the taste.
The overall time from freezer to plate is about the same. Whereas the deep fryer may take 7-10 minutes to get up to temp, the air fryer gets up to temp much quicker. However, that is offset by the deep fryer only needing 1.5 minutes and the air fryer needing about 4-6 minutes. I think once you get the temp and time dialed in, all things being equal from start up to completion, this air fryer may be overall quicker than the deep dryer.
Lastly, and this is what I was waiting for before I posted this review... The instructions said that this unit can cook a steak. "Say what??? This can't possibly replace grilling a steak! I've GOT to see this for myself!"
So yesterday I bought a 16oz (1 lb) NY strip steak. I was about 1.5-1.75" thick. A nice cut!
I won't bother getting into the 'proper' way to prep a steak for grilling. I'll just say that this steak went from the fridge to a plate where I rubbed some sea salt and general steak spices on both sides. It was out for about 5 minutes or so while the air fryer got up to ~360° (as noted in the instructions). I then laid it in the basket and set the timer for about 12 minutes.
*DING!* timer goes off. I check the steak. It's definitely hot on the outside and still rather juicy. Not charred or anything, just grayish and hot! I take it out and place it on my plate. I cut into it. Whoa! This is the textbook version of medium-rare. Hot, gray outside and cool pinkish-red center. Then I take a bite. "WOW!!!" Short of having grill marks and maybe some char from the grill, I've never prepared a steak this precise of medium rare! I AM SOLD!
Now, all that being said, there was only enough room in the basket for one of these steaks, so unless you plan on splitting a steak of this size, you're not going to get two in there. However!!! Two or three 8oz filet mignon would likely fit in quite nicely. "Filet Mignon in an air fryer! That's blasphemy! How dare you!!" Yeah, ya know what? I might just take that dare!
General notes...
- I don't know the accuracy of the temp dial. The spacing of the numbers is kind of strange. For example, the last temp settings printed on the dial are "330 ¤ 400". So the dot represents ~365° ...OK? Kinda strange, but whatever.
- There is no heat shield on the basket when you remove it from the fryer. So you should NOT set it on a counter top. It's as hot as the temp you set, so BE CAREFUL. Fortunately, my gas stove burner grates are raised just enough that I can set the metal basket on there and the plastic part of the outer assm rests on the countertop.
- There is a thumb button to release the inner-basket from the outer basket. Be sure that you don't inadvertently depress the button. Otherwise, literally, the bottom ('outer basket') drops out. That's how I determined the plastic is mildly brittle. Mine dropped about 36" and a small piece of the plastic housing chipped. Nothing significant though. It's a bottom-corner that you never really see.
That's also what makes it mildly awkward since the outer basket is just as hot and unshielded: After taking it out of the fryer, you need to figure out where you can place the entire HOT basket assm so you can release the inner basket for dumping out the contents (if it's that type of food, like fries or veggies)
- The unit is fairly straightforward as being a small convection oven. The fresh air is drawn in from the top by a fan. That fan blows the air over a standard electric stovetop coil. The same fan keeps the hot air cycling around inside. Standard convection oven science.
5 eggs! I'll miss my deep fryer, but only kind of. Speaking of eggs, that reminds me! Tomorrow morning I'm going to try frying an egg in a baking cup and see what happens!
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