I'd been researching air-fryers when this popped up on my radar, so I thought I'd take a chance on this brand even though I was only aware of the compact refrigerators they make. I'm really glad I did. I was not big on air fryers when I got this, so I was starting from zero knowledge about what to cook in it. But I had finally realized that it was for making far more than just wings and other "fried" foods, and I have been amazed at everything I can do with it... even bake if I want to. Using this air fryer has so far been an easy-peasy and delicious experience. The more I use it, the more I use it. I do noom, so air frying foods has already made noom a great experience for me because far less fat is needed to make food that's as tasty as what I used to make with far more oil. Actually no oil is needed, but I use it for taste and ultimate crispiness. I especially love it for veggies and chicken, although I can't say I've made anything bad in it. Even steak turns out well. What I Like: -- The controls are very intuitive, so much so that it was practically plug and play to start using, even though I've not had this type of air fryer before. The only thing I had to look up in order to get going was the time and temp to set, and those are conveniently in a booklet that comes with the machine. -- There is a very convenient automatic "shake" timer that dings halfway through the cooking, which signals that the food in the basket should be shaken, stirred or flipped. -- Preheating does not seem to be necessary for most foods, unless the fryer is being used for baking or other very temperature-sensitive cooking methods or foods. -- There are presets for Fries, Steak, Vegetables, Chicken, Bake, Fish, Frozen, Pizza, and Reheat, that automatically set the most common temp and time for each type of food, but changing either of those settings is as easy as pushing the plus or minus buttons until you arrive at the setting you desire. -- The basket is large enough to easily hold a 4lb whole chicken. -- Frozen foods can be cooked in the machine without thawing. -- The button you push to disengage the basket from the drawer is under a tab that has to be flipped up in order to do so. I think this is a great safety feature that prevents accidental release of a hot basket and drawer. -- The basket and drawer are non-stick and clean-up is super easy. -- The kitchen does not get heated up when the air-fryer is in use. I live where the summers get quite hot, so that is a big deal. -- The design is a sleek minimalist cube - one of the reasons I never got an air-fryer before was that I didn't like the aesthetics of the bulbous egg-shaped fryers. The control panel is on the top of the machine. What I'm Not Crazy About: -- The timer chime is not very loud. I can barely hear it even if I'm in the kitchen when it goes off. What Might Be A Concern For Some: -- The controls are on the top of the machine. Since this is a countertop appliance, that puts the controls at a pretty good height. I'm 5'4 and can see them fine, but I'm not sure if it would be that easy if I was much shorter than that. Once I made the first few things, I was sold. I'm now of the same mind as the You Tube cooks who say, "Once you make a whole roast chicken in an air fryer, you'll never make it any other way." That's happening with other foods as well. My husband and I have loved everything that's come out of this air-fryer, and I'm now at the point where I'm looking around for things to make in it at every meal. Super happy with this! I would not hesitate to recommend this brand.
