Air frying is all the rage in the kitchen scene. But choosing the right air fryer is a complicated combination of cost, size, features and quality. If you pick a too-cheap one, you could sour yourself on air frying, but you also could waste money on a top-dollar one just to find yourself disliking the cooking method.
Gourmia air fryers such as the Gourmia Digital Toaster Oven Air Fryer Combo are positioned right in the middle, giving you an effective and reasonably priced fryer you can upgrade from in a few years.
Gourmia makes five types of air fryers.
A general rule of thumb for capacity is that you need twice as many quarts as the number of people you want to comfortably feed. "Comfortably" is the operative word here, as having 1.5 times as many quarts as the number of people to feed is usually doable, but the portion size will be limited. For example, if you want to feed a household of four, you need a 6-quart capacity to feed them enough, but an 8-quart capacity to feed them well.
Gourmia air fryer types have different capacities.
Gourmia air fryers come with either digital or analog controls. Digital controls sometimes cost a little more thanks to one-touch presets, but otherwise you’re free to pick whichever you prefer.
Most Gourmia air fryers have a selection of presets to make cooking easier. At a minimum, this means preset cooking methods such as baking and broiling, but more advanced Gourmia fryers have food-specific presets such as french fries, bagels, seafood and bacon.
Gourmia air fryers' compact line costs as little as $40. Larger sizes typically cost $80-$120. Gourmia’s biggest and best usually cost $150-plus.
A. Yes. Air fryers don’t function like microwaves, so they don’t have the dangerous aversion to aluminum foil and metal takeout containers that microwaves do. In fact, lining your air fryer with aluminum foil is a great way to cut down on your cleanup; just don’t cover any critical components.
A. You can cook just about anything you can think of. That said, some of the more common meals made in air fryers are, well, fried foods such as french fries and chicken wings. Take note that you aren’t restricted to foods that would normally be deep fried.
Gourmia Toaster Oven Air Fryer Combo
What you need to know: The value of this combo machine is difficult to beat.
What you’ll love: The oven is large enough to fit a 12-inch pizza or six slices of bread. It is stainless steel and features a large glass window for easy viewing. Accessories included are a toasting rack, a frying basket and a baking pan, which are dishwasher-safe, as well as a recipe book.
What you should consider: It takes up a large amount of counter space at 17.1 by 14.2 by 11.8 inches. It doesn’t turn off automatically.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Gourmia 7-Quart Digital Air Fryer
What you need to know: This has excellent features and a large capacity for a great price.
What you’ll love: The 7-quart capacity comes mostly from width so you can spread your food out instead of having to stack it up, and a turn reminder function makes it easy to evenly cook your food. It has 12 presets, including reheat, keep warm, broil and dehydrate.
What you should consider: A few customers reported it running loud. Others had issues with the basket getting stuck. Some said theirs stopped working within a year.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Gourmia 5-Quart Digital Air Fryer and Waffle Maker
What you need to know: The waffle maker add-on is the major draw of this Gourmia.
What you’ll love: The waffle maker insert is easy to use and can be flipped for more even cooking, but what’s better is that the waffle-making process is guided; instead of guessing, you’re told when to add batter and when to flip for perfect waffles.
What you should consider: It doesn’t have as many presets as others, making it a little harder and slower to get off the ground with other meals.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Jordan Woika writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
