Most air fryers are fairly well made and come fully-equipped to handle a variety of cooking tasks. They are not one trick ponies, but multi-functional electrical appliances. From air frying fried food to creating more challenging dishes (bread, meat and dessert, for example), the best large air fryer can do it all. However, not all fryers are built with the same capacity. To help you easily find the perfect fit, they come in two sizes instead: large and medium.
Medium-sized air fryers typically have a capacity between 1.7 and 4 quarts. They are large enough to comfortably fit 2-4 slices of toast, a 2-4-pound rotisserie chicken, or a 12-inch pizza. They are also versatile enough to handle almost every cooking tasks.
Due to the compact size, medium-sized air fryers usually work best in small kitchen, apartments, RVs, and single dorms. However, with a small footprint comes a limited frying basket. That’s why such machines can only feed a family of 2-4 members. If you often cook for a crowd or routinely host large dinner parties, consider getting larger models.
Large-sized air fryers usually have a capacity of 5 to 8 quarts. This is enough to hold 6-9 slices of toast, a whole chicken of 5-6 pounds, a 13-inch pizza, or a 12 cup muffin tray. Because they’re bigger, they may take up more countertop space. They also could certainly be more complicated to move if you ever want to rearrange your kitchen.
There are also models available with even higher capacity (over 20 quarts), but they’re not solely-dedicated air fryers; they’re toaster ovens with air fryer settings, such as the Instant Omni Plus.
So which is better, an air fryer toaster oven vs. large pod-shaped air fryer? If you don’t know how to choose, our reviews can make the buying process easier. Read on to learn more!
How to Choose the Best Large Air Fryer
Cost aside, the most important thing you should consider is the unit’s cooking performance. The general benchmark for the cooking performance of a large air fryer is based on its most common use— air frying fried food. The more crispy and evenly cooked the food is, the better your appliance is.
Air fryers also differ in terms of how long it takes to cook your food, how much space they take up on your counter, and how easy they are to use. As such, you’ll need to evaluate them based on style, design, and feature set. And because air fryers are versatile appliances, you should also consider how they handle other cooking tasks, such as baking muffins, roasting beef, and toasting bread (if it’s an air fryer toaster oven combo).
Some people prefer to use a pod-shaped air fryer over an air fryer toaster oven due to its more compact footprint, while others are not convinced. Read on to find out why!
1. Pod-Shaped Air Fryer
Air fryers work by using a built-in fan and heating element on top of the oven’s cavity to circulate hot air around the food. That way, they rapidly give fried foods a golden brown finish without submerging them in a vast amount of oil.
The built-in fan works to remove moisture, helping to give your food the crispy exterior you’d expect from fried food. The flavor and texture are not exactly the same as traditional deep-fried foods. And this has divided some on the matter.
Despite this, an air fryer is still an appealing countertop appliance for a lot of users, given that it has changed the way they cook, creating healthier habits with minimal effort.
Not all pod-shaped air fryers perform well in their jobs so it’s important to check reviews before you buy. Some run too hot and cannot distribute heat evenly. This makes some parts of your food overcooked while other parts are still raw.
There are also models that don’t run as hot as they say they do. Due to this weakness, they cannot heat up food to the correct temperature you’ve set using the temperature dial. As a result, some take much longer than normal to heat up food.
And if your fryer doesn’t heat up fast enough, there’s a chance that food will soak up any added oil instead of sizzling in it. Apart from making fried foods taste less flavorful, this can even make them come out of the frying basket undercooked.
2. Air Fryer Toaster Oven
An air fryer toaster oven is a convection oven with an air frying setting. It does everything that a pod-shaped air fryer can do while still having all the notable features of an oven.
Unlike some pod-shaped air fryers whose cramped interiors will prevent heat to fully circulate around the food, these ovens have the ability to efficiently distribute heat around the food from all sides. Together with a fan on the top or the side of the oven’s interior, and heating elements on the top and the bottom, they can produce crispier, more evenly cooked food with little to no oil. They even work well enough to eliminate the need for shaking the air frying basket periodically to get evenly outcome— something you often do with a pod-shaped air fryer.
Air fryer toaster ovens generally come with more accessories than any of the pod-shaped air fryers on the market. Often included are items of bakeware such as a baking tray, pizza pan, oven racks, and more. Most pod-shaped fryers can work with accessories for different kinds of cooking, like multi-use racks, skewer racks, grilling trays, and non-stick coated drawer. But you usually have to pay extra for these optional add-ons.
Even with the largest pod-shaped models, you could only cook a maximum of 4-5 servings of food at a time, while combo models allow you to cook a larger quantity of different types of food. Of course, coming with a large cooking capacity is a relatively bulky footprint. That’s why air fryer toaster ovens aren’t practical for tight spaces.
3. Standard Features
Ideally, you should find something with a digital touch screen featuring cooking presets. As this allows you to conveniently start cooking with the touch of a button. Additionally, your fryer should also have temperature and cooking time dials to provide you with more control over your cooking.
It’s a must that an air fryer’s basket is detachable and toxin-free. It should also have a non-stick surface, making it easier to take out the food. If your machine is shipped with accessories, make sure they are dishwasher safe for easy cleaning and sterilizing.
We think you will be happier if your fryer is built with Auto Shut Off and Overheat Protection functions. These are useful features that aid in protecting the unit from catching on fire if there happens to be a design flaw or user error. Be aware that not all models have these functions, so it’s best to check the product description for sure.
As noted by many users, a handle that gets hot to the touch makes air fryer cooking more complicated. So we recommend you find an item with a handle that always stays cool to the touch. In this way, you can safely cook without fear of burning your hands.
Reviews of the Best Large Air Fryers in 2021
Having looked at the details to consider, if a large air fryer is conducive to your space and lifestyle, by all means get one.
Here is our list for the Best Large Air Fryers:
- GoWISE USA GW22956 – Best to Buyin 2021
- Instant Vortex Plus – Best Large Capacity Air Fryer
- COSORI – Best Large Air Fryer Toaster Oven
- Ultrean – Best Extra Large Air Fryer
1. GoWISE USA GW22956 – Best to Buy in 2021
The GoWISE is a reliable pod-shaped air fryer that comes with a large capacity, high wattage rating, and smart touch screen design. With three stackable racks included, it allows you to prepare multiple servings in one go, leaving you more valuable time to spare.
- Smart program settings
- Fast and efficient
- Stylish design
- Three stackable racks included
- Keep warm function
- Dehydrate function
- Gets hot while cooking at high temperatures
At 7-quart cooking capacity, this fryer offers a decent amount of space to fit 800g of chicken nuggets, an 8-inch round cake, or a 2 pound bag of French fries. With an ideal size for feeding a whole family of 2-7 people, it should be a perfect fit for every space, from small kitchens to large custom kitchen designs.
Be aware that coming with an extra-large cooking capacity results in a relatively large footprint. If you buy this air fryer, you’ll need to find an open spot, probably on a kitchen island or countertop. And because the GoWise USA is quite tall and heavy, you should leave it sitting permanently in its location. The machine itself does not allow for portability.
Equipped with the rapid air circulation technology, the GoWise USA can efficiently circulate super hot air around the food to ensure fast and even cooking. It can also lock in moisture to give your fried foods a delicious crispy, golden brown finish without any added oil.
The fryer’s digital LCD display is large and easy to read. It provides everything you need to know about the temperature, cooking time, cooking function, and more. Under the display is a full touchscreen menu which allows you to set a cooking time and temperature to customize the dishes per your preferences. Not only that, the touchscreen menu also features a variety of built-in smart programs, letting you air fry, roast, boil, grill, bake, and keep warm with the touch of a button.
With a wide temperature range from 180°F to 400°F and an extended cooking timer for up to 60 minutes, the machine is also capable of drying foods. Thanks to the built-in dehydrate function, it can remove enough moisture from fruits through evaporation to make them taste sweeter and store well for a longer period of time.
Store-bought dehydrated snacks taste good, but are often loaded with preservatives, additives, and calorie-laden ingredients. They don’t have much nutritional value like homemade dehydrated snacks— which are simply dried all-natural ingredients. That’s why the GoWise USA is formulated with the dehydrate mode to bring you more flavorful and shelf-stable foods. Not many inexpensive air fryers have this feature, so for us, this is a great bonus.
If you don’t know the differences between each cooking style, an included recipe book provides a crash course in cooking basics. It also includes step-by-step recipes for grab-n-go breakfasts, filling lunches, tasty dinners, and super healthy snacks. The air fryer even comes with up to three stackable racks. This makes it easier for you to prepare multiple servings at a time.
Keep in mind that the exterior surface might get hot when the air fryer is operating at high temperatures. For your safety, avoid touching or standing by it to wait for it to finish cooking.
Verdict
Whether you’re a busy home cook, a professional chef, or just a health food enthusiast, the GoWISE will not disappoint. From dried herbs and beef jerky to roasted fish and baked cake, this 8-in-1 appliance promises to give you that crunchy taste you’re addicted to.
2. Instant Vortex Plus – Best Large Capacity Air Fryer
The Instant Vortex Plus comes with a practical control panel with touch screen controls and an easy-to-read LED display. It’s one of the few pod-shaped air fryers on the market that are built with the extra large LCD display. The larger screen is good, since it helps enhance visibility, thus allowing for more accurate control.
- Large LCD display
- Solid construction
- Energy-efficient
- Shut-off mode
- Status messages
- Emits plastic smell within first few uses
Many users like that the Instant Vortex Plus is designed with a dial control, beyond function buttons. Because in comparison to pressing buttons, rotating the dial makes it faster and easier to adjust cooking times and temperature.
They also like that besides cooking time, temperature setting, and error messages, the oven’s LED display also shows indicators regarding things that you’ll need to follow during the cooking process.
Status indicators include “Preheat” to indicate that the air fryer is preheating, “Cook” which lets you know that cooking is in process, and “Turn”, reminding you to turn or shake your food for more evenly cooked results. When the “Turn” message is displayed, your air fryer will beep for ten seconds to notify you, and then it will automatically resume cooking. If you feel annoyed by the alert sounds, the fryer also allows you to turn them off by touching and holding both the Temp and Time keys for five seconds.
Like most pod-shaped air fryers, the Instant Vortex Plus is equipped with a range of built-in smart programs. They include roast, bake, broil, air fry, reheat, and dehydrate. While these six smart programs have pre-set cooking times and temperatures, you can customize them with your own settings.
There are several complaints about the burning plastic smell given out by this air fryer, which will then contaminate the food, causing a bad taste and impaired flavor. But based on our research, the Instant Vortex Plus air fryer does not contain any mechanical part that could release an odor or impart the toxic plastic taste on your food.
Because most components inside the device are plastic, the strong odor of burnt plastic emitted during the cooking process is expected. However, it will dissipate naturally after 5-7 times of first use.
Verdict
Capable of efficiently blowing super heated air around your food, the Instant Vortex Plus lets you enjoy all the rich flavor of deep-frying without the mess, fuss, oil, and hassle. Compared with the top pick, it has a smaller capacity. But unless you plan on hosting a big gathering, it’s still spacious enough to feed a medium family of 3-5.
3. COSORI – Best Large Air Fryer Toaster Oven
The COSORI is an affordable air fryer, standing out from the rest with its voice-controlled technology. It works with Echo devices to let you monitor the cooking process without performing any traditional control tasks (pressing buttons). It’s even intelligent enough to let you adjust temperature, choose a cooking function, receive notifications, and control the oven light from anywhere using your smartphone.
- Fast cooking time
- Multi-function
- Non-stick interior coating
- Spacious cooking capacity
- User-friendly
- Oven’s surface gets hot while operating
In terms of performance, the COSORI is much more versatile than our top pick; it does anything that the GoWISE can do and more. Apart from an air frying function, the machine also has other cooking presets for some common cooking tasks such as rotisserie, dehydrate, bake, toast, and ferment.
It even includes a Keep Warm function, allowing you to keep your food at the recommended temperature for up to 12 hours until you’re ready to serve. Truly, this oven is \
formulated to satisfy a variety of cooking needs, from toasting bread to baking muffins and proofing dough.
Despite featuring many functions, the oven is still practical and easy to use. This is a great bonus if you’re a beginner with no experience when it comes to air fryers. All you have to do is turn the function knob to your desired operating mode. And then press the start button to let the device begin. Optionally, you can customize the temperature and time during the cooking process by using the time/temp knob so as to make your dishes just the way you like them.
Keep in mind that after you choose the cooking function and press the start/cancel button, the oven will automatically preheat. But unlike other models, when preheating is finished, you have to press the start/cancel button one more time to begin cooking.
And because this convection oven takes a very long time to preheat (between 8 and 10 minutes depending on the cooking function), you may feel it is very annoying. Especially given that if you forge, after ten minutes of inactivity the selected cooking function will cancel and the oven will stop heating.
Thanks to the 32 quarts of cooking capacity, the COSORI can feed a whole large family. Its interior is spacious enough to comfortably handle a 6-pound whole chicken, 6 slices of toast, or a 13-inch pizza. Preparing 2 types of food at once in the COSORI is also very easy. This makes the oven a perfect time-saver for busy home cooks! More impressively, the interior is coated with a nonstick coating. So, you can easily get better cleaning results with less residue left behind.
However, except for the handle, the outer surface of the oven is hot during and after use. Make sure you only use the handle to open the oven and always have heat-resistant gloves, pads, or oven mitts available.
We appreciate that the COSORI comes with tons of useful accessories. They include a basket, wire rack, food tray, crumb tray, cookbook with 100 recipes, and a rotisserie shaft and handle. Be advised that only the food tray is dishwasher safe. And for best long-term use, you should only use a non-abrasive liquid cleanser when hand washing the accessories.
Verdict
While costing twice as much as the top pick, the COSORI is worth the investment, given its larger capacity, longer lifespan, and more included accessories. With a full range of cooking options, it’s set to offer you complete convenience, making it faster and easier to enjoy healthy, delicious meals.
4. Ultrean – Best Extra Large Air Fryer
Not only does the Ultrean air fryer help produce healthier food with less fat and less grease, it also lets you enjoy splatter-free cooking, keeping yourself safe from hot oil when frying food. While its price is pretty much the same as the top pick, it comes with larger capacity, allowing you to serve more tasty dishes for up to 6-8 people. Its 18-month warranty is also quite a bit more generous than the coverage for most of the models on this list.
- Safe to use
- Auto Shut Off and Overheat Protection functions
- Big cooking capacity
- Ergonomically designed touch screen
- Easy to clean accessories
- Relatively bulky
Featuring 7 pre-set cooking functions, the Ultrean offers a more convenient way to get nutritious meals on the table. Just tap the touch screen button to choose one from various common dishes (chips, meat, shrimp, cake, chicken, steak, and fish). And then wait for the food to come out tasty and crispy. If you like crispier results, use the time/temperature control to adjust the settings and customize the dishes according to your preferences.
As a great bonus, the full touch screen control panel is very intuitive and straightforward to use. In order to give better visibility with minimal restrictions to the users, it’s specially angled to face you. That way, you can have clearer sight-lines without having to bend down.
In terms of functionality, the oven works pretty well. It uses 360° Hot Air Circulation technology to make golden crispy fries. This technology also helps promote faster cooking time. Compared with a traditional oven, it only takes about half the time to prepare a delicious meal.
Unlike the COSORI CO130-AO, it doesn’t require you to preheat beforehand. This aids in shortening the cooking time by a tremendous amount. Thanks to the Auto Shut Off and Overheat Protection functions, you can do other things while waiting for your food to be cooked without any safety concerns.
With a footprint of 15 inches tall by 14 inches wide, the oven is quite tall and bulky. So just make sure your counter is roomy enough to be able to fit it. And because the dishwasher-safe air frying basket is pretty large, there is a chance that you might have to struggle to pull it out entirely to empty it when it’s loaded.
Verdict
The Ultrean is a perfect solution for those who want to treat their friends to fat-free delicious meals for any occasion. While its rapid air frying technology makes short work of preparing healthier fried food, the extra large cooking capacity ensures that everything needed for a hearty meal can be put in. For such an inexpensive price, this oven offers more than you’d expect.
Top-rated Large Air Fryer Comparison Chart
| Product | Capacity (Quarts) | Cooking Functions | LCD Display | Warranty (Years) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GoWISE USA GW22955 | 7 | 8 | Yes | 1 |
| COSORI | 31.7 | 12 | Yes | 1 |
| Ultrean | 8.5 | 7 | Yes | 1 |
| Instant Vortex Plus | 6 | 6 | Yes | 1 |
Conclusion
Powerful, easy-to-use, and energy-efficient, air fryers have made our cooking adventures more enjoyable. As multifunctional appliances, they cook healthy meals in no time at all while still maintaining the food’s natural flavor.
Our list of the best large air fryers features not just solely-dedicated models, but also combo models like the COSORI 12-in-1 convection toaster oven. No matter which one you’d like to buy, we hope that our reviews can help you make the right decision.
