Recently, I received an inquiry from the marketing team at Cosori to see if I would be interested in reviewing their new product and writing an Air Fryer review.
I was definitely familiar with what Air Fryers could do after seeing articles in NYT Food, in Epicurious and even Food and Wine. But I wasn’t sure up until then that I needed one.
So after reading a bit more, I agreed to write a review and create a few recipes (the first thing I did was air fry avocado slices). And then a few weeks later, a box arrived with my new Cosori Air Fryer.
Do I Really Need an Air Fryer?
That was the big question. In general, I have a preference for gadgets that can server multiple purposes. Thus, I don’t have any interest in things like ice cream makers, rotisserie cookers, etc. that just do one thing. The economics just don’t support them.
And I thought the Air Fryer would be the same way. But it turns out that it bakes, it broils and it fries food all at the same time.
I also thought that an Air Fryer was only essential if you want to recreate the appetizers menu at TGI Fridays. While it can definitely make your chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks and pizza poppers, it will also make crispy Brussels sprouts and will roast a red pepper.
What is an Air Fryer?
Think of it as a countertop oven with a really powerful fan. The oven cavity (the tray that slides out of the unit) itself isn’t huge, but it’s a little deeper than your toaster oven you probably already have.
The big difference is the how the tray is designed for air to easily rush around the food and create a crispy exterior with very little oil.
And that’s the part that I’m amazed with — how it makes food deep fryer crispy with a minute amount of oil.
In some cases, a spritz of non-stick cooking spray is all you need for the crisping process to take off.
Converting a Recipe to an Air Fryer Recipe
Many individual sized frozen food items you would normally cook in an oven can be done in the air fryer. I say individual, meaning foods like tater tots, chicken nuggets
Until the industry publishes air fryer cooking times, you’ll use a little trial and error to figure it out. Fortunately, the included recipe book covered a lot of ground.
In general, use 20-25% less on both the total time and temperature to convert cooking times. So instead of 450 for 20 minutes, try 370 for 16 minutes.
Cosori Air Fryer Review
[Updated] After 4 weeks of using the Cosori air fryer several times a week, I can say that I’m a big fan. The control panel took a little getting used to because it completely shuts off when you pull the basket out. If you make any settings, then it will forget them. So there’s a specific sequence you have to follow, outlined in the manual, that you need to follow closely.
The size is going to be a little tight if you’re cooking for a family of four, especially if the family involves two really hungry kids.
But if you’re following the general rule that each serving should be the size of a deck of cards, then you’ll be OK.
Something that I’d add in here is a shelf. It would be convenient to have a metal rack that could drop in about half way up so you can cook two layers of food without overlap.
A Few Cosori Air Fryer Recipes
So far, I’ve been cooking with the Air Fryer once or twice a week. Usually at least once substituting it for the counter-top oven and one other time with a net-new recipe. I’ll update this section as I add more recipes.
Air Fryer Avocado Street Tacos | |
Roasting a Red Pepper in an Air Fryer | |
Crispy Air Fried Artichoke Hearts | |
Kale Salad with Air Fried Herb Chicken |
It’s definitely a keeper. And it’s getting solid reviews on Amazon. Check out the Cosori Air Fryer for yourself and see what you think.
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i just bought one of these from amazon and really love it.
we make alot of tater tots and i love that i don’t have to fry them!!!
It is a great air fryer, BUT it failed after the second use. It reset after about 30 minutes so we tried it again. It failed about 10 minutes into the cycle again and reset 20 minutes later. This seems to be a major reliability problem for a number of buyers as noted on Amazon. Seems like they have a poor design or possibly component failure. It appears to be a over temperature sensor. But I should let you know that I was using at a lower temperature setting, not one of the hottest.
Again, a great design, but fails to perform.
Your review is spot on. Just recently purchased this model and am very impressed with the results so far. The cookbook provided with the air fryer has several good recipes and tips. You can purchase the accessory kit for $23 with a rack, baking pan, etc. I think there are occasional lemons with any mass market small appliances (finding a good toaster these days is a nightmare) but Cosori seemed to have one of the best warranties. I’m beyond pleased with my Cosori.
I did a review of the Cosori 5.8Q fryer live while cooking chicken and ribeye steaks:
https://youtu.be/w8eMKzD9-hE
I am looking to buty one of these
Go for it! I’m always surprised how much we use ours, and how many times I’m looking to alter recipes to use it.
I absolutely love our Cosori 5.8 air fryer! We’ve had it several months and so far, so good. The steam is normal on the right front side with occasional foods. But, it’s never been enough to cause any water on the counter at all. The door can be hard to close, but I just grab the back of the unit while pushing in the drawer. It snaps right in, tightly. Some say to occasionally check the screws that hold the handle on because they can loosen over time. And to hold the bottom of the drawer while holding the handle at the same time so it takes off some of the stress from the handle. I wash mine by hand. Very easy. And I treat it like I would any non stick pots or pans. No scratches or peeling. I highly recommend this air fryer!
can i use ovenproof dish in my fryer
I used a Corning Ware bowl that I could live without in it as an experiment and worked great.