Cuisinart air fryer mini oven review
4.5
You can cook a 12" pizza or traditional-sized cake in this versatile 17L mini oven
Pros
- Glass panel frontage and interior light, tactile interior oven light button, good size - you could roast a large chicken with some traybake potatoes or cook a 12" pizza, 17 litre capacity, suitable for family of 4
Cons
- Temperatures marked at odd intervals e.g. 180 - 210 C, toaster control has the same pinger resistance to the timer, mode dial hard to twist, no audible ping at the end of cooking – manual keep warm function
Cuisinart air fryer mini oven at a glance
Most air fryers cook using convection technology, but you’re limited by cooking capacities of usually up to 7L. Buying a mini oven that features an air frying function will give you much more room. They’re also an extension of a traditional oven, so particularly useful if you’re cooking for a crowd for events like Christmas.
Cuisinart’s new model is a 17L mini oven with two shelves, offering seven functions that include air fry, roast, bake, grill toasties, toast and 'keep warm' modes. And it boasts the ability to cook up to 30% quicker than a conventional oven – a claim we didn’t specifically focus on testing, but is achievable with methods of cooking like air frying.
Read our full guide to the best air fryers
Setting up the Cuisinart air fryer mini oven
The model was simply packaged, supported by polystyrene inserts and wrapped in plastic. Once unboxed, it’s relatively compact on the countertop although deep, as you would expect.
How easy is it to use the Cuisinart air fryer mini oven
The instruction manual offers a useful guide to where and how the components should be stacked for the best results. It also offers temperature and time guidelines for air frying different ingredients, although the 10-20 minute recommendation for hand-cut chips left a large window for error.
There are four control dials: on/oven timer dial in 10-minute intervals; the oven temperature dial, which has six options; the function select dial; and the toaster level dial. The function dial was particularly stiff to turn and its icons are small – we needed the manual to decipher the meaning of those including keep warm and air fry.
Apparently there is an audible ping when cooking ended, but it was very quiet. We were in the same room and found it difficult to hear. This wouldn't matter so much if there was an automatic keep warm function but, being more of a convection oven than a multifunctional digital air fryer, this is only a manual option and so the low volume was a downside.
Cooking results
The combination of the baking tray and air fryer basket allows the hot air to be circulated efficiently around food. This meant chips were evenly cooked without us needing to toss them, but they really stuck to the mesh, as did halloumi.
We got the best cake results from this model, which is able to fit a standard-sized cake tin onto its trays. The apple and almond cake had a nice rise and was evenly baked with a slightly golden crust.
The quiet ping at the end of cooking was difficult to hear and meant we overcooked the aubergine, which could also have been turned half way through. Although this could be easily remedied by setting your own alarm on your phone.
How sustainable is Cuisinart air fryer mini oven?
We were encouraged by the three-year UK warranty on this mini oven covering defects occurring under normal use within the home, known as 'consumer use'. We also found it was quick to heat up, heating in under two minutes, which was significantly less time than a standard oven and therefore, used less energy.
Cuisinart air fryer mini oven summary
This mini oven behaves exactly as you’d hope it would – like a miniature oven. The added versatility of its additional functions makes it exciting. It’s a practical option for families of four thanks to its two cooking levels, capacity to cook a 12” pizza or bake a standard cake.
Cuisinart air fryer TOA60U mini oven specifications
Food capacity: 17L
Comes with: 2 shelves, one oven rack, baking tray, air frying basket, interior light
Wattage: No information
Weight: 12kg
Dimensions: 31 x 40 x 35cm
Safety features: 60-minute timer for automatic shut-off
Guarantee: Three year guarantee
Pre-sets: Seven functions include air fry, roast, bake, grill toasties, toast and keep warm
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