When I received an email asking about air fryers, I turned to two owners of the NuWave Brio Digital Air Fryer, who both said it worked well. One said she liked hers so much she kept it on her counter ready for action. She said the machine made the best sweet potatoes — better than her old methods of steaming, boiling or baking — and also produced good results with frozen chicken nuggets.
The other person said the device also worked well for him with frozen breaded items. He likened it to a convection oven, since both cook by circulating hot air.
Neither had used the device to cook raw meat, although that is one of its advertised purposes.
How it works: Makers of the NuWave fryer state that it “fries” foods without fat or oil, using “hot air with high-speed air circulation.” Food goes into a 3.5-quart basket that is placed into a base that slides into the air fryer. Cooking time and temperature are set on a digital display.
Does it work?: Kind of. I tried cooking raw chicken thighs and pork, comparing batches made in the air fryer with those baked in an oven. I used a seasoned flour on both chicken and pork, and also coated some chicken pieces in Kraft’s Oven Fry Extra Crispy Chicken mix.
The Kraft-coated chicken turned out well in the air fryer, although it wasn’t like chicken deep-fried in oil (honestly, I don’t think you can get all-over crispiness without oil). It was crisper than the pieces that came out of the oven, although the oven-baked chicken seemed juicier.
The pieces coated in the flour mixture didn’t get crisp in the air fryer or oven. They were pale, as though cooked in the microwave, and some uncooked flour remained on the air-fryer chicken.
Frozen chicken nuggets turned out OK in the device, just as the two owners said.
Pros: The chicken tasted good, and using no/less oil means a healthier meal. Thirty recipes are included, from apple pie to eggs. The sweet potato mentioned above was prepared using the baked potato recipe, showing that with imagination your repertoire could grow.
Cons: While the handle doesn’t get hot, the base it is attached to does, so if you accidentally brush the base — OUCH! It might cook “quickly and efficiently” but not necessarily faster than traditional methods: A steak takes eight to 14 minutes, for example, about what it would take to cook on the stove, if not longer. Big families might have to cook in batches. It’s a chore to clean the greasy baking pan, the basket and the appliance itself. It takes up a lot of space (almost a cubic foot) and needs 3 inches of clearance in the back for the vent to work properly.
Cost and availability: $149.94 ($99.99 plus $19.95 shipping and a $30 surcharge) from mynuwavebrio.com (upgrade to a 6-quart for $50 more); $99.99 plus $11 shipping at bloomingdales.com; and $89.74 on amazon.com and $104.49 on target.com, both with free shipping.
Worth it?: While I like its healthful features, it’s too big for my tiny kitchen. But others really like it.
Got a gadget that you love? Curious about one you’d like us to test? Email crave@staradvertiser.com or write Crave, Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813.
