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Instant Omni Plus 18L Air Fryer vs Cosori Air Fryer Toaster Oven Side-by-Side Comparison
Our Verdict
- Performance (50%)8.1/10
- Design (25%)9.7/10
- Usability (25%)8.4/10
- Performance (50%)8.0/10
- Design (25%)9.4/10
- Usability (25%)8.3/10
This was a heated battle of air fryer toaster ovens between the Instant Omni Plus 18L and the Cosori CO130-AO with no clear winner. Both are in our top list as our pick for the best air-fryer toaster oven and the best-to-buy toaster oven respectively for reasons as follows.
The two machines were equal in terms of their interiors by having more than four heating elements, internal lighting, and a convection system. What gave the Instant a higher score in exterior were its slide-out crumb tray and carrying handles. However, the Cosori edged it out slightly with its higher build quality shown in its more highly visible digital display.
Both units have similar scores in user control with their informative digital display and numerous features. The Instant had a more innovative touchscreen control but the nooks and crannies in its cooking chamber made it more difficult to clean than the Cosori.
Both toaster ovens produced top-tier results in all of our performance tests. On top of the aforementioned design features, they also have the same power output and similar accessories, so it was impossible to point out why one was better at cooking certain foods.
The Cosori was better at toasting bread and roasting whole chicken, possibly because it had the upper hand in even heat distribution thanks to its nichrome heating elements. On top of everything, the Cosori being cheaper than the Instant was the final reason why we chose it as our best-to-buy pick.
Meanwhile, the Omni Plus was better at baking pizza and more so, it was the best unit at air-frying fries overall. This was the main reason it became our best air fryer toaster oven.
Instant Omni Plus 18L Performance
- Toast (40%)7.3/10
- Pizza (25%)8.6/10
- Whole Roasted Chicken (25%)8.4/10
- Baked French Fries (10%)9.3/10
- Toast (40%)7.6/10
- Pizza (25%)7.6/10
- Whole Roasted Chicken (25%)8.9/10
- Baked French Fries (10%)8.1/10
Toast
- Function: Toast
- Number Of Slices: 4
- Toast Level: 2/5
- Cooking Time: 5m 25s
- Second Batch: 4m 1s
- Convection: No
Using the steps of our Toast test, we determined that level 2—5 minutes 25 seconds on the timer—was the best option scoring a 7.3/10. In comparison, the level 1 and 3 had a more uneven while being lighter and darker surface color respectively.
The Toast Level 2 of the Instant Omni Plus 18L produced four pieces with an 85% even golden brown color. Since the fan couldn’t be deployed, the toast had some darker spots and lighter areas resulting in a 6/10.
The first batch of toast was nicely crispy while still soft and moist inside and we gave it an 8/10 for taste. Our head chef Tuyet Pham determined it would be excellent with omelet and eggs benedict but not so good for sandwiches or soup.
This is one of the few ovens with a smart program that automatically deducts time to reach certain temperatures when the oven’s already hot. Thus, the surface color of the toasts was quite consistent throughout multiple batches. In addition, due to its extra crispiness, the second batch was determined to be good enough for soup.
If you want the second batch to be similar to the first, remember to lower it by one level. Overall, the score for consecutive usability was 7/10.
- Function: Toast
- Number Of Slices: 4
- Toast Level: 2/7
- Cooking Time: 5m 49s
- Second Batch: 3m 50s
- Convection: No
We started our Toast test with four pieces of white bread. We ran the toast function at level 3. The results were good, but the color was a bit too brown to be ideal. After examining the outcome on level 2, it was clear that was the best option, earning a score of 7.6/10 in total. We also tried toasting at level 1, which resulted in lightly toasted bread, for reference.
At level 2, which automatically set the timer for 5 minutes 49 seconds, the four pieces of toast mostly had a beautiful golden brown color. However, the existence of lighter areas, especially on the bottom side, kept it from being perfect. We considered it worthy of an 8/10 for even surface color.
The taste deserved another 8/10 thanks to the toast’s crispy surface and soft, moist interior. Our head chef, Tuyet Pham, determined the toast would complement pretty much anything, including sandwiches, omelets, eggs benedict, and soup.
After the first batch of toast, we immediately placed the second batch in the oven. The toast level 2 program automatically reduced the time to 3 minutes 50 seconds to account for the last batch’s residual heat.
However, this seemed like too much of a reduction, since the toast came out mostly lacking in color. It wasn’t very crispy either, so we could only give the oven a 6.8/10 for consecutive usability.
Pizza
- Function: Bake
- Temperature: 450°F
- Cooking Time: 3m 50s
- Convection: High
The Instant Omni Plus, having a very strong convection system, did not seem ideal for baking a 9-inch thick-crust meat pizza resulting in an 8.6/10.
A cooking time of only 3m 50s was extremely fast compared to the recommended 10 minutes on the label. After comparing it to other toaster ovens in our Pizza test, it was more than enough for a 10/10.
The crust, although golden brown, was a little soft with some lighter and darker areas due to the short cooking time plus strong fan. It got an 8/10.
The entire surface was a little too dry due to all the convection. In addition, while the cheese was nicely melted, caramelization wasn’t even due to the short cooking time. Thus, the final score for the toppings was 8.2/10.
Our chef gave the pizza an 8.5/10 for taste.
- Function: Bake
- Temperature: 450°F
- Cooking Time: 3m 30s
- Convection: Yes
The Cosori’s ability to maintain a high temperature really shined in our Pizza test, garnering a score of 7.6/10.
With a high power output and powerful convection system, it only took 3 minutes 30 seconds to bake a 9-inch thick-crust meat pizza placed on tray level 2. This was extremely fast and deserving of a 10/10, the same as the Cuisinart TOA-60 which has the current highest pizza score.
However, the short cooking time resulted in uneven heating in the pizza crust and toppings.
While the bottom right quarter of the crust was golden brown, the rest didn’t have much color. Only that well-cooked part was crispy while the rest was soft, so we gave the crust a 7/10.
The same happened to the toppings. The bottom right quarter had a lot of caramelization—to the point that the onions even charred—while the rest was only mildly caramelized. In addition, the cheese wasn’t very melty, so we gave the toppings a 7/10 as well.
Taste-wise, our chef said it would be better if it weren’t for the slight bitterness from the charred onions. She gave the pizza another 7/10.
Whole Roasted Chicken
- Function: Roast
- Temperature: 350°F
- Cooking Time: 50 minutes
- Convection: Yes
Following our Whole Roasted Chicken test, we chose a 3 lb chicken and it fit without a problem scoring an 8.4/10.
However, cleaning up was a big hassle as there wasn’t enough space below to use the drip pan. Worse still, during cooking fat splashed everywhere inside the oven causing the heating elements to smoke.
The roasting time was 50 minutes which was shorter than average and worthy of a 9/10.
The rotisserie kit and high convection together produced perfectly golden brown crispy skin deserving a 9.8/10. One thing to note is that due to the meat being considerably moist, the skin lost its crispiness in a relatively short time span.
The smooth rotation and high convection also allowed the whole chicken to be thoroughly cooked without any pink spots in just 50 minutes. The internal temperature was only a little higher than the USDA recommended 165°F-180°F at 178-190°F, so it got a 9/10.
The meat was almost fall-off-the-bone. Unfortunately, with it being so moist—to the point of softening the skin, our chef could only give it a 7 for taste.
- Function: Rotisserie
- Temperature: 350°F
- Cooking Time: 40m
- Convection: Yes
We’ve conducted our Whole Roasted Chicken test a great many times, and the Cosori wasn’t the only one with a high power output and powerful convection system. What set it apart was its rotisserie kit and function.
In addition, the large cooking chamber had more than enough space for a 3 lb chicken to rotate smoothly with a baking pan below to catch the drippings, unlike the Instant Omni Plus 18L. Everything together scored a whopping 8.9/10.
The oven took only 40 minutes to roast the chicken to a beautiful color. That was the fastest time we’ve had so far, earning it a perfect 10/10. The skin was mostly golden with some appetizing golden-brown color at the wings and the tips.
However, it seemed like the skin cooked a bit too quickly and the fat wasn’t fully rendered, so the skin wasn’t very crispy. Nonetheless, the skin still deserved an 8.5/10.
What impressed us most was the near-perfect doneness—9.9/10—in such a short amount of time. The chicken had no pink spots and a consistent internal temperature of 178°F-181°F. It was basically spot-on to the USDA’s 165°F-180°F recommendation.
Unfortunately, for some reason, the meat wasn’t as juicy as we had expected. Combined with the less-than-crispy skin, our chef couldn’t give the chicken a higher score than 8/10 after tasting it.
Baked French Fries
- Function: Air Fry
- Temperature: 400°F.
- Cooking Time: 15m
- Convection: High
The Instant Omni Plus was excellent at baking 12 oz of french fries with a score of 9.3/10.
After performing our Baked French Fries test on different toaster ovens, we came to the conclusion that the ideal cooking time for baked french fries was 15 minutes. However, it wasn’t the fastest one on our list so it scored a 9/10.
The strong convection combined with the air fryer basket produced evenly golden fries worthy of a 9.8/10 for color.
What helped the color also baked perfectly crispy fries while retaining a nice amount of moisture. This earned the oven another 9.8/10 for the texture of baked french fries.
Our chef gave the fries a 9/10 for taste.
- Function: Bake
- Temperature: 400°F
- Cooking Time: 17m
- Convection: Yes
The Cosori took on our Baked French Fries test with its air fryer basket and scored an 8.1/10.
It took 17 minutes to bake 12 oz of frozen fries on tray level 2—quite fast compared to most. After comparing it with other units from our data, we gave it an 8.4/10 for cooking time.
The fries mostly had a great golden color with some of the thinner pieces looking the most appetizing. However, some thicker pieces weren’t as golden, so we gave the fries an 8/10 for color.
The same can be said about the texture of the fries, which earned another 8/10. Most of the fries were crispy on the outside and moist on the inside, but the thinner ones were a bit dry and the thicker ones weren’t crispy enough.
Overall, though imperfect, the fries were delicious enough to get one final 8/10 taste score from our chef.
Instant Pot Omni Plus Toaster Oven Design Review
- Exterior (25%)9.5/10
- Interior (30%)9.5/10
- Build Quality (50%)9.0/10
- Exterior (20%)9.0/10
- Interior (30%)9.5/10
- Build Quality (50%)9.5/10
In the Instant Pot Omni Plus 18L Box
- Model: 140-4002-01
- Warranty: 1 year (US and Canada only)
- User Manual
- Baking Rack
- Baking Pan
- Rotisserie Kit and Lifter
- Air Fryer Basket
Besides keeping all the accessories in place, the packaging also has interesting illustrations for the key information on the Instant Omni Plus 18L. You can quickly access the download page for the Instant Pot App thanks to the QR code on the package and the user manual.
Their website provides the full manual, how-to videos, FAQs, and more. You’ll also need to go there to register your product and activate your warranty.
- Model: CO130-AO
- Warranty: 1 year
- User Manual
- Baking Rack
- Baking Pan
- Broiling Rack
- Removable Crumb Tray
- Rotisserie Kit and Lifter
- Air Fryer Basket
The Cosori toaster oven was packed between two foam pads while all six of its accessories were wrapped in carton sheets and taped to the oven. Everything comes in an aesthetically pleasing box with minimal information on it.
All the documents you’ll need are inside a nice envelope. You get a user manual, a recipe book, and some quick references. You’ll also find a QR code leading you to the manufacturer’s website where you can register your product to extend your warranty by an additional year.
Exterior
- Weight:25.4 oz (721 g)
- Length:16.5" (42.0 cm)
- Width:15.8" (40.0 cm)
- Height:13.9" (35.3 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Color:Silver
- Door Handle:cool-touch
- Tray Indicators:Yes
- Crumb Tray:Yes
An example of the Instant Omni Plus 18L’s clever design is the slide-out crumb tray not to mention its two strong base stands as well as air ventilation on two sides and the back. For safety, it has two buffers on the back to prevent the oven from sitting too close to the wall and a cool-touch door handle.
To accommodate its many cooking functions, there are tray-level indicators on the glass door. Our measurements of the oven’s footprint of 16.54" x 15.75" x 13.90" were quite different from the manufacturer’s 12" x 12" x 13.89" in terms of length and width.
We could explain that the difference in width was because we also took the dial and the back buffers into account but not the difference in length. Nonetheless, we didn’t find this to be a problem.
- Weight:15.7 lbs (7.1 kg)
- Length:20.0" (50.7 cm)
- Width:17.3" (44.0 cm)
- Height:12.6" (32.0 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Color:Silver
- Door Handle:Cool-touch
- Tray Indicators:No
- Crumb Tray:Removable
During our assessment, a prominent aspect of the Cosori toaster oven is the air ventilation holes on all sides of the casing to accommodate its powerful convection system. In addition, the glass door has indicators corresponding to the oven’s three tray levels and twelve cooking functions.
The oven doesn’t have carrying handles but it’s not heavy for its size so it’s not a big problem. Our measurements of 19.96" x 17.32" x 12.6" pretty much aligned with the manufacturer’s 20.1" x 16.5" x 12.5" with marginal differences being less than one inch. The difference in width is probably because we took the door handle into account.
Control Panel
- Type:black LCD digital touchscreen + one master-control knob
- Temperature:150°F - 450°F
- Timer:1 - 60 minutes
- Indicator Light:Yes
- Status Bar:No
- Light Toggle:Yes
- Convection Toggle:Yes
- Rotation Toggle:Yes
- Automatic Preheat:Yes
- Audio Cues:Yes
This oven has a black LCD digital touchscreen and one master-control knob. The display includes the cooking status bar, functions, and toggles for Light, Convection, and Rotation. Besides the automatic oven preheat feature, it features an audio cue to turn food halfway through the input cooking time.
Audio cues include the beeps when you plug in the oven, select a function as well as adjust time and temperature, and when the oven finishes cooking. According to some reviews we’ve seen, they can be a bit loud, especially for households with children and/or pets. However, they can be turned off by pressing and holding the control knobs for 5 seconds until the screen displays S OFF.
- Type:LED display + 2 control knobs + 3 buttons
- Temperature:80°F - 450°F
- Timer:1 minute - 6 hours + 12 hours + 24 hours
- Indicator Light:Yes
- Status Bar:Yes
- Light Toggle:Yes
- Convection Toggle:Yes
- Rotation Toggle:No
- Automatic Preheat:Yes
- Audio Cues:No
The Cosori Air Fryer Toaster Oven has 2 control dials, one for functions and one for both timer and temperature. It also has 3 buttons, one for both the interior light and the temperature conversion, one to deploy the convection system, and one Start/Cancel button which lights up when the oven is running.
The LED screen will display ‘E1’ when there’s an open circuit in the temperature monitor and ‘E2’ for a short circuit.
Cooking Functions
- Air fry (180°F - 450°F)
- Broil (350°F - 450°F)
- Bake (180°F - 450°F)
- Roast (180°F - 450°F)
- Dehydrate (85°F - 175°F)
- Reheat (120°F - 360°F)
- Warm (170°F - 300°F)
- Toast (level 1-5)
Even though there’s no Rotisserie function, the oven comes with a tailored rotisserie kit and a Rotation Toggle. Besides making dried fruits, herbs, and meat jerky, the Dehydrate function is also ideal for proofing bread dough at 85°F and Low Convect.
- Toast (level 1-7)
- Bagel (level 1-7)
- Pizza (150°F - 450°F, 1 minute - 6 hours)
- Bake (150°F - 450°F, 1 minute - 6 hours)
- Roast (150°F - 400°F, 1 minute - 6 hours)
- Air Fry (150°F - 400°F, 1 minute - 6 hours)
- Broil (150°F - 450°F, 1 minute - 6 hours)
- Cookies (150°F - 450°F, 1 minute - 6 hours)
- Rotisserie (150°F - 400°F, 1 minute - 6 hours)
- Dehydrate (100°F - 180°F, 30 minutes - 24 hours)
- Ferment (80°F - 110°F, 30 minutes - 12 hours)
- Warm (140°F - 230°F, 1 minute - 12 hours)
Besides the basic cooking functions, which already have a wide time and temperature range, the Cosori air fryer toaster oven also has various practical additional cooking functions allowing for even wider time and temperature ranges.
The ones that impressed us the most were Warm, Dehydrate, and Ferment which can maintain the oven at as low as 140°F, 100°F, and 80°F respectively. Looking at a number of recipes, these temperatures fit their intended purpose, which means this oven can act as a family-sized dehydrator and dough proofer.
Note that only the bottom heating elements operate during these functions.
Interior
- Heating Elements:4 quartz and 1 nichrome
- Convection Fan:Yes
- Lighting:Yes
- Tray Levels:4
- Rotisserie:Yes
- Safety Hook:No
The Instant Omni Plus has four golden quartz heating elements. These pipes use infrared light to cook, which produces more heat and also cools down faster.
They are also easier to clean and more energy-efficient but don’t last as long in terms of durability. However, if grease splashes onto the heating elements while cooking, it’ll leave permanent stains.
Featuring safety guards, the heating elements are kept out of direct contact with baking pans and trays. The oven even includes a coil nichrome heating element at the top, specifically for broiling.
To top it off, this oven has a powerful and not noisy convection system as an interior light. In addition to 4 tray levels, you can make use of the baking rack with its rack-up and down positions.
- Heating Elements:4 nichrome
- Convection Fan:Yes
- Lighting:Yes
- Tray Levels:3
- Rotisserie:Yes
- Safety Hook:No
The interior features include a convection fan, light, a rotisserie socket and bracket, three tray levels, and four nichrome heating elements. To be nitpicky, we think it’s a shame it doesn’t have a non-stick coating, so it may accumulate some stubborn stains.
Capacity of the Instant Pot Omni Plus 18L
- Length:13.8" (35.0 cm)
- Width:12.6" (32.0 cm)
- Height:8.7" (22.0 cm)
The Instant Omni Plus can comfortably fit a 12-inch pizza or a 4-pound chicken which is true to its description. However, it can’t quite fit 6 slices of toast. Moreover, when roasting only a 3-pound whole chicken with the rotisserie kit, there wasn’t enough space to fit a baking pan below. This wasn’t the case with a larger unit like the Cosori CO130-AO.
We measured the cooking chamber’s volume to be roughly 24.6 liters—a lot different from the manufacturer’s provided capacity of 18 liters. However, this could be because we measured from the cooking chamber’s walls to walls whereas the manufacturer stopped before reaching the heating elements.
- Length:14.2" (36.0 cm)
- Width:13.8" (35.0 cm)
- Height:9.8" (25.0 cm)
The Cosori has a spacious cooking chamber even compared to other large ovens. It can accommodate 6 slices of toast, a 13-inch pizza, or a 5-pound chicken.
We measured the volume to be around 31.49 liters compared to the manufacturer’s listing of 30 liters. The difference is minor and could just be a difference in measuring standards.
Power Cord
- Length:2.8 ft (0.9 m)
- Type:3-prong plug
- Power:1800 W
- Rated Output:120 V ~ 60 Hz
The power cord is roughly 33.46"—more than long enough for household use. However, the cord can’t fully wrap around the two back stands as they are too high up.
- Length:40.9" (104.0 cm)
- Type:3-prong plug
- Power:1800 W
- Rated Output:120 V ~ 60 Hz
The power cord has plenty of length for household use—roughly 40.94 inches. It protrudes from the bottom of the oven, unfortunately, so it may create awkward kinks now and then.
Accessories
- Length:12.4" (31.5 cm)
- Width:11.4" (29.0 cm)
- Height:0.9" (2.4 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The rack fits perfectly with the guide which helps prevent accidents when placing your food in the oven.
- Length:14.2" (36.0 cm)
- Width:13.4" (34.0 cm)
- Height:0.3" (0.7 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The baking rack fits perfectly onto its guide rails to prevent accidents when placing food in the oven. It’s also shaped to maximize the space inside the cooking chamber.
Accessories
- Length:13.8" (35.0 cm)
- Width:12.4" (31.5 cm)
- Height:1.8" (4.6 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
Thanks to its perfect size, the baking pan does a great job of catching the meat juice and drippings from the air fryer basket. Thus, it helps prevent making a mess and avoid the danger of fire from dirty heating elements. Keep in mind that the dishwasher can damage the enamel coating.
- Length:14.2" (36.0 cm)
- Width:11.8" (30.0 cm)
- Height:1.2" (3.0 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The baking pan also fits the guide rails to fully utilize the cooking space. It has ridges and grooves which can give your food attractive roasting marks and allow drippings some space to flow away. Its coating isn’t completely non-stick, so it may gather some stubborn stains, though.
Accessories
- Length:13.4" (34.0 cm)
- Width:11.4" (29.0 cm)
- Height:0.9" (2.4 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The rotisserie kit does a perfect job of securing a chicken thanks to the 4-pronged forks with adjustable angles.
The structure of the forks isn’t very strong so parts can get bended although not by much.
- Length:14.0" (35.6 cm)
- Width:12.0" (30.5 cm)
- Height:0.8" (2.0 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Not advisable
The crumb tray is a helpful accessory to clean up the pesky falling crumbs and bits. However, some may still fall to the oven’s floor as the tray is removed.
Accessories
- Length:14.6" (37.0 cm)
- Width:11.0" (27.9 cm)
- Height:2.0" (5.1 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
The air fryer basket has a good elevation to help with heat circulation around the bottom of the food.
- Length:13.8" (35.0 cm)
- Width:13.2" (33.5 cm)
- Height:1.3" (3.3 cm)
- Material:Stainless steel
- Dishwasher Safe:Yes
With angle-adjustable 2-pronged forks, the rotisserie kit does a fantastic job of securing the chicken. The forks are made from thick steel so they won’t bend. They don’t have a coating, though, so they may be subject to permanent stains. The rod and the lifter, however, have a coating so you won’t need to worry about rust.
Build Quality
The Instant Omni Plus 18L is a well-built and intricate piece of equipment, to say the least. It provides a helpful cooking status bar, smart programs, and automatic features. The oven does consume a lot of electricity so make sure your outlet can provide and handle 1800 W.
The meticulous design shows in the bottom tray, safeguards for heating elements, and cooling fan for its mainboard. However, the bottom tray can easily slide out if you tilt the oven. Also, during our roasting of a whole chicken, the hot drippings created some oxidation on the crumb tray.
The Cosori is made from high-quality and durable 304 stainless steel. The thick casing provides good insulation in addition to a well-thought-out convection system. Thus, the oven only gets hot to the touch after a long cooking time at a high temperature (>400°F).
As for the control panel, the LED display is very easy to see, the control dials turn smoothly, and the buttons are responsive. The accessories are designed to make the most out of the cooking chamber’s interior space.
Instant Omni Plus 18L Usability
- User Control (30%)9.9/10
- Ease of Use (50%)8.0/10
- Cleanability (20%)7.0/10
- User Control (30%)9.5/10
- Ease of Use (50%)8.0/10
- Cleanability (20%)7.5/10
User Control
The Instant Omni Plus 18L has 8 settings to choose from but can serve more than 10 functions. Although the LCD display could be improved with better contrast, it’s not a big problem.
The master-control knob can be confusing for first-timers but it should take little effort to get familiarized with it. The temperature can be adjusted in 1°F increments by turning the knob slowly and in 10°F increments by turning the knob fast. Also, the timer is specified by the minute.
If you want to readjust the setting during cooking, simply tap the feature and adjust it with the knob. Don’t tap Cancel as it will reset your inputs and repeat the automatic preheating.
The convection setting is applicable to almost all except for toast. One thing to note from the manual is that most recipes recommend reducing the temperature by 25°F when convection is on.
The convection fan speeds can toggle between high and low which is not very common for ovens, especially at the same price range. The two exceptions are Air Fry which always uses High Convect and Warm using Low Convect.
The convection feature can toggle between normal and high, and neither setting makes much noise. The fan can run on all functions except Toast and Bagel.
Since time and temperature are controlled by a single dial, you must toggle between functions. Press the dial’s face to switch between them. Temperature can be adjusted in increments of 5°F or 2°C-3°C.
The timer, however, has different steps depending on the cooking function. For Pizza, Bake, Roast, Air Fry, Broil, Cookies, Rotisserie, and Warm functions, the timer can be adjusted in increments of 1 minute until it reaches 60 minutes, then in increments of 5 minutes from 1-2 hours, in increments of 10 minutes from 2-3 hours, and in increments of 15 minutes from 2-3 hours. For Dehydrate and Ferment functions, the timer only adjusts in increments of 30 minutes.
On top of the many practical cooking functions, the ease with which you can adjust time and temperature makes this oven, overall, simpler to use than many other digital ones. In addition, you can press and hold the time and temperature dial to turn off the display to save energy while you’re not cooking.
Ease of Use
When you adjust temperature and time for a function, the Instant Omni Plus saves your setting for next time use. After the oven finishes cooking, it will beep and automatically switch to Keep Warm mode until the display shows End.
After a period of no interaction, the digital display will show the word OFF similar to when you’ve just plugged it in. You’ll then need to push the knob once to turn it on. It’s advised to unplug the oven after you finish using it.
The light automatically turns off after 30 seconds of no interaction and turns on 30 seconds before finishing cooking. Opening the oven door pauses the cooking but the light stays on for another 30 seconds. Closing the oven door resumes the cooking but it will go into stand-by mode resetting all inputs after 5m30s.
Taking the rotisserie kit out of the oven can be a bit tricky even with the lifter. However, with a bit of practice, it’ll be no problem at all. The oven has good heat insulation, so the casing doesn’t get too hot to the touch at 350°F and 400°F but be careful at 450°F.
The Cosori has an automatic preheat phase which engages for the Pizza, Bake, Roast, Broil, Cookies, and Air Fryer functions. If the oven’s already hot, the function will recognize that fact and reduce its preheating time.
This toaster oven is one of the rare units that actually preheat to the input temperature. Most others simply heat to a hardwired preheat temperature that cannot be adjusted.
According to our observation, the Cosori takes around 2-4 minutes to reach 300°F, 3-5 minutes for 325°F, 4-6 minutes for 350°F, and 6-8 minutes for 400°F. When preheating is finished, the oven will beep several times and the display will flash once every minute. You’ll need to press start to initiate cooking or the cooking function will be canceled after 10 minutes.
Thanks to the light toggle button, you have full control over when to turn the light on and off. The door can rest open at a 70° angle to allow food to cool inside the oven. Opening the door doesn’t stop the heating elements or the interior light.
The oven turns off automatically after 30 minutes of no interaction. Nonetheless, we still suggest unplugging it after use for safety reasons.
The Cosori’s EvenRapid Tech™ is advertised to reduce cooking time by 30% thanks to increased heat circulation. Suffice to say, it met our expectations with fast cooking times and even surface caramelization (except on our Pizza test).
Cleanability
We cleaned the Instant Omni Plus 18L following our toaster oven cleaning guide. Despite having an internal and external coating, it still wasn’t easy to clean due to some very tricky nooks and crannies. The small gaps between the heating elements and internal walls didn’t help either.
Most of the mess came from the considerable fat splatter from roasting a whole chicken. It left difficult stains on the heating elements and their safeguards which were already tricky to clean.
With the removable oven-bottom tray, cleaning up the crumbs was extremely easy but we still had to tilt the oven to get all of the crumbs out. On the bright side, having thought it would be difficult to clean caramelized bits of food from the air fryer basket due to the fishnet design, we were happy to find this wasn’t the case.
The Cosori’s exterior and interior are made of stainless steel, so they’re usually easy to clean. However, the interior doesn’t have a non-stick coating, so the grease from our whole roasted chicken test led to some extremely stubborn stains on the cooking chamber’s ceiling. We couldn’t completely remove them even after brushing them with a paste of baking soda and water.
The rotisserie forks and rod as well as the rotisserie bracket and the baking pan developed equally stubborn stains. On the bright side, it wasn’t difficult to clean caramelized bits of food from the air fryer basket despite the fishnet design.
The grease on the other walls and around the fan cavity was easy to clean. We were worried that grease might splash into the fan cavity, though.
We were able to easily remove fallen food scraps thanks to the removable crumb tray. However, we still had to tilt the oven to get them all out.