Nowadays, air fryers became stable in many homes, cooking delicious chicken wings, the perfect crispy french fries, crunchy vegetables or whatever you may desire easily.
They use advanced technology for hot air circulation at high speed around our food using a fan, to end up with crispy delicious fried goodies, making fried food way more healthy.
And as Chrisanne Urban, a known dietitian, once said “We do like our fried foods”.
However, these air fryers are considered a new gadget to many of us, making it hard to decide if it’s worth it to get one or stick to our trustful oven or microwave.
What makes taking this decision harder, is the variety of models available in the market offering different cooking techniques, capacity, prices, and more. We all want to get our money’s worth without regretting taking that step.
Is it worth buying an air fryer?
If you’ve been asking yourself this question then the answer is, Yes.
Air fryers are:
- More energy-efficient than a convection oven
- Uses less oil in comparison to deep-frying, making the food lighter, healthier, and guilt free. Fewer calories, YaY.
- Faster cooking and food is served in no time
- Cleaner, as they prevent oil splatter
With all these benefits and more, you can see how efficient this device will be in your kitchen.
What to look for in an air fryer – Features and more
As we mentioned, the many aspects to consider when buying this new gadget may make us think twice about buying it.
But no worries, we put together a small list of the most important aspects that you have to look for.
- Size comes first on our list, as you have to choose the right size for your kitchen space. Small kitchens may come in your way if you want a big device, so you have to think smart. In most cases air fryers are not that big, however, you have to measure how much countertop space you can spare.
A compact air fryer will be a great choice for small kitchens. - Capacity comes second on our list, which can vary according to the air fryer type. You can find air fryers with a starting capacity of 2 quarts (about 1.9 liters) up to 7 quarts (about 6.6 liters).
Your choice will mainly depend on your family size, as you don’t want to overcrowd the basket. If you are a family of 5 or more, consider buying the larger fryers. - Wattage is the next on the list, which can go up to more than 1800 watts. Getting an air fryer with the right watts consumption will make your life easier.
- Of course, we have to put Price on the top of our list. Air fryers are a one-time investment, you can find them for less than 100$ with prices escalating up to more than 400$ for top-of-the-line models.
- Last but not least, you have to check the Presets. If you want this kitchen appliance to cook your own recipes, go with ones that come pre-programmed with that setting.
- Other feathers to look for are whether the air fryer has a toaster oven, dehydrator, or rotisserie cookers. The ones with these features may come with a higher price, so think twice if you really need these features.
What is the best air fryer this year?
With many companies and brands in the market, you may be wondering about which brand is the best in offering all the above features and more.
With Philips, Cosori, Cuisinart, and many other companies competing in the air fryers field; Nuwave stands out with various offerings packed with advanced technologies.
How It Works!
Most air fryers use the same cooking process, which is a heating source and convection. The NuWave air fryer oven cooks in an -easy to remove- basket, resembling an oil fryer more.
The NuWave air fryers have a digital display LED touchscreen on the front for maximum control. It comes with a vent on the back part and a retractable power cord.
To start using the NuWave air fryer, start with plugging in the power cord, then press the power button to put it on and start frying.
Once you turn the machine on, it will start cooking at 360° for 10 minutes according to the default setting, yet you can set another cooking temperature and time using the up/down arrow buttons.
Using the start/pause button, you can stop the air fryer for 5 minutes without erasing the preset temperature and time settings. Or you can press the on/off button to erase it yourself.
You can even preheat your NuWave air fryer, to put your food after it reaches a certain temperature.
NuWave brio digital air fryer models
NuWave has its main model, the NuWave Brio, which comes in different capacities. With the company’s intention to offer more models in the future.
The NuWave Brio offers a quart capacity of 3-qt, 4.5-qt, 6-qt, 10-qt and 14-qt.
3-qt NuWave Brio
- Powered by 1300 watt
- Maximum temperature of 400° F
- Preheat and reheat features
6-qt NuWave Brio
- Powered by 1800 watt
- Offering maximum temperature of 400° F
- Preheat and reheat features
10-qt NuWave Brio
- Powered by 1500 watt
- Maximum temperature of 400° F
- Preheat, warm, sear and stage cooking features
Parts And Features
The NuWave air fryer comes with:
- Frying basket
- A basket divider
- Grill pan
- Base tray
Using the basket
- To safely remove the basket and the base tray just hold the handle and pull straight out without pressing the demounting button
- Place the base tray on a heat resistant surface then pull out the frying basket from it, by lifting the safety cover and pressing the demounting button
Note: You can follow the same steps with the grill pan accessory
What Other Accessories Are Available For The Cooking Pan?
Nuwave offers an extra accessories kit for its air fryer that you can buy separately:
- Silicone cupcake liners, oven safe up to 500° and microwave and freezer safe, to bake delicious cupcakes without the need to grease the liner
- Silicone trivet, to protect your countertop from heat
- Baking pan for baking cake or anything you want
- Reversible cooking racks, to cook multiple layers of food at once
Performance & Cleaning
- To set temperature, press the time/temp button once then use the up/down buttons to set the desired temperature.
- The temperature is adjusted by 5° with each single press, or you can press and hold to adjust by 50° F increments for precise temperature control.
- The temperature ranges from 100° to 390° F and can be adjusted while cooking.
- Change the time by pressing the time/temp button twice and continue as you did with the temperature.
- Through the digital timer, you can set time for up to 99 H and 59 minutes when cooking with a temperature under 345°. However the maximum time set for a higher temperature is 1 hour.
- To preheat the NuWave air fryer, press the preheat button then set your desired temperature and time as previous. It will begin to count down when it reaches the preset temperature.
When the appliances beep “ready”, you will have 5 minutes to place your food then it will start cooking for the preset timing - To clean the NuWave Brio, remove the cooking chamber from the machine and separate the basket and the removable baking rack by pressing the dedicated button.
The cooking chamber, basket and stainless steel baking rack can be washed on the dishwasher top rack.
NuWave Brio pros and cons
Pros
- Easy to use and intuitive: cooking settings can be adjusted from the touchscreen
- User-friendly control buttons: to adjust the temperature, cooking time, pause, and more
- Versatility: Can be used to prepare a wide array of healthy and crispy meals. So you can expand your healthy menu.
- Easy to clean: you can take the NuWave Brio Digital Air Fryer inner drawer and the basket out and clean them in the dishwasher.
- Cost-efficient: the NuWave Brio gives you many features for an affordable price that’s lower than other similar models
- Convenient: with features like the digital LED screen, automatic shut off, removable drawer/food basket, preheat and smart automatic pause feature
- Has multiple accessories: NuWave Brio air fryer comes with a set of accessories, which you can get either free in the box or buy them for additional functionality
These accessories include a reversible rack, a grill pan, a carrying case, utensils and silicone cupcake liners - Safety Features:
Automatic shut-off and basket detection feature to detect when the basket moves out of place and automatically shut down the appliance until securing the basket back into its place - Wattage control: customize your cooking and save power by choosing between 900, 1500, and 1800 watts while keeping the temperature you want
- Precise control: with the easy-to-use touch screen and 6 pre-set cooking functions
- Even heat distribution
NuWave fry pan basket is patented. The basket is designed to distribute airflow from all directions; for perfectly crispy food - Compact design
- 90-day money-back guarantee: so you can rest assure while trying this appliance
Cons
- No stir feature: this feature is available in some other air fryers in the market to ensure even cooking of the food. Unfortunately, it’s not available in the NuWave Brio
- Rare issues in the quality of the non-stick finish: few buyers report that the interior of the non-stick coating came off or cracked after a few uses.
Do you use oil in the NuWave air fryer?
The NuWave Brio Digital Air Fryer cooks your food to be crispy on the outside, soft from inside with no oil.
However, you can add oil to your food for flavor or texture purposes if you want.
NuWave air fryer manual
The air fryer comes with 2 manuals out of the box:
- A full users manual/recipe guide
- Quick start guide
For more recipes and cooking techniques using the air fryer, you can check the Nuwave Cooking Club app.
Recipes you can cook in the NuWave Brio
- French fries and chips
- Roast steak, ducks
- Crispy vegetables
- Chicken nuggets
- Tostones
- Twice baked potatoes
- Yakitori
- Pizzas
Which model to choose?
As we mentioned, NuWave introduced one air fryer model that is NuWave Brio, which comes in 5 different capacities.
If you were a couple you could go for the 3-qt or the 4.5-qt models.
But if you are more than 2-3 individuals, and intending to expand your family, then going for the 6-qt, 10-qt and 14-qt models is the best for you.
Conclusion
In case you are still in search for a value offering air fryer, the NuWave air fryer is a great choice. It offers the best of both worlds; good price and different capacities yet with all the options you will need in an air fryer.
In addition to the main features and parts found in most air fryers in the market, the NuWave air fryer Brio comes with additional optional accessories to help you create your perfect dishes.
Most NuWave Brio air fryer reviews are positive, with customers praising the functionality and efficiency of this device.
So, if you are thinking of buying an air fryer, check out the NuWave Brio air fryer, it could be what you are looking for.
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