We roasted 22 chickens to find the best air fryer toaster ovens --[Reported by Umva mag]

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When you're craving a juicy, roasted chicken, but your air fryer is too small and turning the oven on is a hassle, you need a best-of-both-worlds appliance. This is where an air fryer toaster oven comes in handy. It combines the capacity and versatility of a toaster oven with the efficiency and browning abilities of the best air fryers.

I talked to experts and tested 22 appliances for ease of cleaning, user-friendliness, and cooking capabilities to find the best air fryer toaster oven. The Ninja Foodi XL Pro Air Fry Oven is my top pick because it maintains consistent and accurate temperatures, cooks evenly, and has a spacious, attractive design. For a budget option, I recommend the Cosori Air Fryer Toaster Oven. It's about $100 cheaper and requires minimal counter space, but most frozen pizzas won't fit, and the temperatures aren't as consistent as the Ninja.

Learn more about how Business Insider Reviews tests and researches kitchen products.

Our top picks for the best air fryer toaster ovens

Best overall: Ninja Foodi XL Pro Air Fry Oven - See at Amazon

Best compact: Ninja SP101 Digital Air Fry Countertop Oven - See at Amazon

Best budget: Cosori Air Fryer Toaster Oven - See at Amazon

Best splurge: Café Couture Oven with Air Fry - See at Amazon

Best for meal prep: Tovala Smart Oven - See at Amazon

Best smart: Anova Precision Oven - See at Anova

Best overall

The Ninja Foodi XL Pro Air Fry Oven (DT201) is more than a pretty face. Not only does it look sleek on any kitchen counter, but it has intuitive controls built into the handle, which frees up space for the large front window. Combined with the interior light, you can easily watch your food cook. 

The Ninja performed the best in our temperature variance test, coming the closest to maintaining the 350-degree set point. During the two hours, it ranged from 349 to 352, at most only 2 degrees off our goal. It also produced perfectly cooked chicken in an hour and 10 minutes, on the fast end of the fryers we tested. French fries were evenly cooked and tasty, though the cooking time on fries and pizza was average.

It has an extra wire rack and is spacious enough to cook two dishes or pizzas simultaneously. I also like that it features several useful presets, including dehydration. The $220 Ninja does take a while to preheat: it took over 9 minutes to reach 400 degrees and nearly 8 minutes to reach 350.

The Ninja oven replaces the recently discontinued Oster Digital Air Fryer Oven with RapidCrisp as our best air fryer toaster oven. The Oster preheated and cooked faster, but it also ran hotter than the target temperature and wasn't nearly as aesthetically pleasing.

One Ninja Foodi XL Pro version has a built-in probe thermometer for monitoring your food's internal temperature. We haven't tested it yet, but if you don't have a meat thermometer, it might be worth spending the extra $10 to get this model.

Best compact

The Ninja Foodi Digital Air Fry Countertop Oven is the best compact air fryer toaster oven because it has a low-profile design, allowing it to fit tight spaces. You can even store it vertically to save counter space. Despite its small size, it can accommodate the largest pizza (13 inches) of my top air fryer toaster oven combo picks. The bottom opens up to make the interior easier to clean. 

The Ninja Countertop did the best in my preheating tests, reaching 425 degrees in just over 4 minutes. In the temperature variance test, it maintained a consistent temperature, within a degree or two of 389. Unfortunately, this was much hotter than the 350 I set it to.

Another shortcoming is that it's too narrow to fit a whole chicken, so I couldn't perform that test. However, it was the fastest to cook pizza (7 minutes), which came out evenly browned and crispy. It did less well with frozen fries but was still in the middle of the pack for speed and quality.

It's a good option if you want a multifunctional small appliance without giving up a lot of countertop real estate. It even made the list of the best small air fryers I tested.

Best budget

The Cosori 13-quart Air Fryer Toaster Oven's performance rivaled my top pick. However, it lost points because its small interior only fits 9-inch pizzas, smaller than most frozen ones, and it had a higher-than-average temperature variance.

The boxy design doesn't take up much space on your counter, though it isn't small enough to fall into the "compact" category. At $120, it barely qualifies as the best budget air fryer toaster oven. Yet, it performed much better than the three cheaper models I tested.

The Cosori 13-Quart has a rotisserie basket that helped it produce the best fries in our tests. Unfortunately, the basket's opening was too small to fit a chicken, so I cooked one in the baking pan. The skin was burned on top when the chicken reached a safe internal temperature, but the meat underneath was flavorful and moist. The pizza came out quickly and was more evenly cooked.

Preheating was fast, taking under 5 minutes to reach 350 degrees and 7 minutes to achieve 425. The temperature variance was higher than most models I tested but still within reason. It averaged 7 degrees less than the set point and didn't vary by more than 6 degrees higher or lower.

If you're looking for an even cheaper toaster oven and don't mind sacrificing performance, the Black+Decker Crisp 'N Bake Air Fry Toaster Oven is about half the price. However, I didn't like that it doesn't have an oven light, and you can't adjust the temperature in air fryer mode.

Best splurge

The Café Couture Oven with Air Fry is incredibly user-friendly, similar to the brand's Café Affetto, which we rank as one of the best espresso machines. The on-unit controls are intuitive: Simply turn the dial to the cook mode you want, turn the time and temp dial to your desired setting, and press start. The oven connects to your phone via the Smart HQ app (iOS and Android). For safety reasons, you can't start preheating the oven from the app, but you can choose your settings and then press the on-unit start button to begin cooking.

The Couture Oven excelled at cooking quickly, and even preheat times were faster than the average air fryer toaster oven combo. It made fast food-caliber fries in 12 minutes. A whole roast chicken took a smidge over an hour, and frozen pizza was ready in eight minutes. Of these, the fries came out the best. The chicken was slightly drier and less evenly cooked than I would have liked. The pizza's toppings cooked faster than the crust. Yet, I've found these issues can be easily remedied using the bake function rather than air fry.

The oven ran hot in the temperature variance test yet did better than most units. On average, it was 13 degrees hotter than the 350-degree set point but didn't vary more than three degrees from that point. Lastly, clean-up was a breeze. All the accessories are dishwasher-safe except for the crumb tray, which is easy to remove and wash by hand.

Our best splurge air fryer toaster oven is available in three colors: matte black, matte white, and stainless steel.

The Breville Joule Air Fryer Pro Smart Oven is also a good splurge option. It did an outstanding job of cooking evenly and maintaining consistent temperatures. However, it took longer than most toaster ovens to preheat and cook. Plus, it's about $150 more than the Couture Oven.

Best for meal prep

The Tovala Smart Oven is the best air fryer toaster oven for beginners because you can scan groceries from brands like Ore-Ida, Pillsbury, and Amy's. The oven automatically sets the right time and temperature for the best results. Tovala also offers a meal delivery service with over 30 easy-to-prepare, restaurant-quality options weekly. I tried it and was blown away by the quality and simple prep. Plus, if you sign up for the meal service, the oven only costs $49.

When cooking manually, the presets, time, and temperature are clearly labeled and easily adjusted. You can choose one of the cooking programs in the Tovala app (available on iOS and Android). The app has hundreds of recipes, from the basics, like bacon and chicken wings, to fancier fare, such as Balsamic-Glazed Chicken Thighs with Caprese Salad. Once you reach the cooking phase of the step-by-step instructions, the app automatically sets the Tovala oven.

The biggest negative with the $330 Tovala Smart Oven was it preheated and cooked slower than average. Plus, it ran hot in my temperature variance test, about 28 degrees above the set point, varying by about 4 degrees from its average of 378.

Still, the Tovala's food was delicious, though it could have been more evenly cooked. Fries were its strong suit. It was among the fastest to reach golden-brown goodness. The chicken turned out moist and flavorful, though the skin was burned in spots.

While we haven't tested it yet, Tovala has an air fryer toaster oven with steaming capabilities. We tested their old steaming oven, which didn't air fry, and loved it. The added moisture keeps your food juicy and flavorful.

Best smart

I've been using the $490 Anova Precision Oven for three years. I mainly use it to sous vide, but it does everything a standard toaster oven can, including air frying, baking, dehydrating, and proofing. You can control the oven from anywhere with the Anova Oven app (iOS and Android). 

The Anova Precision Oven did well in my temperature variance test. While it ran about 14 degrees cooler than the target temperature of 350, it only varied from that temp by 2 degrees over two hours.

Of all the ovens we tested, the Anova did the best and quickest job of air-frying chicken, producing an evenly cooked and flavorful bird in just 57 minutes. It also did well making evenly cooked pizza, though it took longer than most units I tested. Unfortunately, it struggled with fries, taking 24 minutes and cooking them unevenly.

The Anova took the longest time to preheat and often fell short of the target temperature. It's also hard to set up and clean. If you use the sous vide function, you'll need to descale the appliance when the app notifies you to. Still, this is the best versatile air fryer toaster oven you can buy.

What to look for in an air fryer toaster oven

Size and capacity: Since many toaster ovens are a pain to move around, you'll want a unit that fits on your counter easily. I provide our picks' exterior and interior dimensions (capacity) so you can check for a perfect fit. The capacity is important because it helps determine what bakeware and pizza sizes you can fit.

Controls: No one wants to consult a user manual while cooking, so look for models with intuitive controls. Some of the best air fryer toaster ovens feature dials, which are easy to set but don't provide precise adjustments. Other units have digital touchscreen controls, which may involve pressing several buttons to get the time and temp you want. 

Functions: Several picks in this guide feature dehydration and proofing functions. These are great if you'll use them, but they may not be worth the additional cost if you won't. Similarly, toaster ovens often have preset buttons for fries, pizza, and other common items. These might be useful for some, but in my experience, they don't guarantee your food will be cooked well.

Racks and accessories: All toaster ovens should have a rack, crumb tray, and baking pan. Some of the best air fryer toaster ovens also have an air fryer basket, which promotes airflow around your food items for even browning. Some common accessories that may come in handy are pizza pans and stones, roasting racks, extra wire racks and baking pans, and more. You can always buy these extras separately.

Cost: Air fryer toaster ovens are more expensive than the classic basket air fryers. If you don't need the extra capacity and versatility of a toaster oven, consider one of the best air fryers. That said, I've found the price of toaster ovens doesn't necessarily correlate with performance. For instance, I've tested several expensive Breville air fryer toaster ovens that didn't cook nearly as well as our guide's Ninja picks that cost half as much.

How we tested air fryer toaster ovens

The main factors we considered when testing the best air fryer toaster ovens are how well they cook various foods, how quickly they preheat, and temperature consistency and accuracy. Below are highlights from our tests. You can also check out this article on how our experts test air fryers for more details.

Ease of use: Units with interior lights got extra points because they make it easier to monitor your food. Generally, the toaster ovens with WiFi connectivity took longer to set up and were harder to use.

Temperature variance: I set each unit to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and took readings every 15 minutes for 2 hours. Units received high scores if they stayed within 15 degrees of the target temperature.

Preheating: The best air fryer toaster ovens preheat faster than your standard oven. In separate tests, I timed how long each model took to preheat to 350, 400, and 425 degrees. Most reached 350 in under 8 minutes and only needed a minute more to reach 425.

Cooking performance: I cooked one pound of frozen fries and evaluated how evenly cooked, crispy, and fry-like they tasted. Then, I made a frozen pizza in each oven to see how long it took to cook at 425 degrees, and how evenly it cooked. Finally, I used a recipe from "Toaster Oven Takeover" to cook 4-to-5-pound chickens in each unit. I evaluated how long the chicken took, how evenly cooked it was, and how it tasted.

Cleaning: I clean all units inside and out, noting how easy it is to reach and remove debris. Most toaster ovens have a crumb tray, making cleaning much easier. Appliances with dishwasher-safe components (racks, baskets, etc.) earned bonus points.

Air fryer toaster oven FAQs

Are air fryer toaster oven combos worth it?

A toaster oven with air fryer capabilities gives you more flexibility in making your meals, including faster cooking. For example, baking frozen fries in a traditional toaster oven would take longer and wouldn't come out as crispy as with an air fryer toaster oven, which utilizes the browning Maillard reaction. Plus, since most of today's toaster ovens come with air frying, the price is similar to those that don't. 

Samantha Erb, the creator of Everyday Family Cooking, said the best air fryer toaster ovens are worth it when you cook for a group because their spacious interiors allow you to cook large batches of food or several items at once.

What is the difference between an air fryer and air fryer toaster oven?

Traditional air fryers have controls on top and a removable basket on the bottom half for the food. Air fryer toaster ovens have essentially the same design as a traditional toaster oven, featuring a front door that you open to insert your food. Unlike the conventional basket design, the oven versions have a window to monitor the cooking process and tend to have a larger capacity. However, Samantha Erb noted that traditional air fryers usually cook faster.

How do air fryer toaster ovens work?

Air frying relies on the Maillard reaction, which crisps or browns food by blowing hot air over it. Air fryer toaster ovens have a heating element and a fan to achieve this reaction and produce food that tastes almost like fried, though you'd never mistake the results for deep-fried food.

Are air fryer toaster ovens healthier?

"Healthy" is a loaded term that means different things to different people. That said, air frying appliances create crispy food while using less cooking oil than if you were to use a deep fryer. Also, some accessories do not have a nonstick coating, a plus since microplastics from nonstick cookware may end up in your food.

How do I clean an air fryer toaster oven?

After each use, you should clean every piece that comes in contact with food, including the crumb tray, basket, wire rack, and roasting pan. Even though some models feature dishwasher-safe elements, it is ideal to hand wash with warm water and a mild detergent. Check your user manual to find out what pieces are dishwasher-safe. Wipe your unit's interior and exterior with a damp sponge to avoid grease and oil buildup. 

Consider picking up one of our guide's best silicone air fryer liners to make cleanup easier.

Best overall: Oster Digital Air Fryer Oven with RapidCrisp

Pros: Preheats and cooks food quickly, has several useful presets, stays at a consistent temperature, easy to use and clean

Cons: Runs hot

None of the ovens we tested produced perfectly even results, but the Oster Digital Air Fryer Oven came out on top when we averaged all our test results. We made evenly cooked, flavorful fries in 12 minutes, pizza in 9 minutes, and a whole chicken in 1 hour and 7 minutes. All three tasted great, though the pizza and chicken could have been more evenly cooked.

The Oster ran a little hot in our temperature variance test, averaging 366 degrees Fahrenheit instead of the set 350. However, it maintained a consistent temperature, only ever varying from 366 by 3 degrees. Plus, it preheated quickly, reaching 400 degrees in under 6 minutes.

The $200 Oster Air Fryer Oven only comes with the basics, like an air fry basket and baking pan, but it has useful presets, including dehydration and baking. It also features a crumb tray and dishwasher-safe parts to speed up cleaning. 

The bottom line is the best air fryer toaster oven cooks food quickly, evenly, and deliciously. The Oster was the best, or among the best, in these areas. While it may lack the extras and features of more expensive models, it performed the best in what matters most: speed and quality.

Read our full Oster Digital Air Fryer Toaster Oven review. 

Best compact: Ninja Digital Air Fry Countertop Oven

Pros: Takes up minimal space while still fitting a 13-inch pizza, easy to clean and use, interior light, preheats quickly, did a great job of cooking pizza, maintains consistent temperatures

Cons: Too narrow to fit a chicken, runs hot

The Ninja Digital Air Fry Countertop Oven has a low-profile design allowing it to fit tight spaces. You can even store it vertically to save counter space. Despite its small size, it can accommodate the largest pizza (13 inches) compared to our other top picks. The bottom opens up to more easily clean the interior. 

The Ninja Countertop did the best in our preheating tests, reaching 425 degrees in just over 4 minutes. In the temperature variance test, it maintained a consistent temperature, within a degree or two of 389. Unfortunately, this was much hotter than the 350 we set it to.

Another shortcoming is that it's too narrow to fit a whole chicken, so we couldn't perform that test. However, it was the fastest to cook pizza (7 minutes), which came out evenly browned and crispy. It did less well with frozen fries but was still in the middle of the pack for speed and quality.

Overall, it's a good option if you want a multifunctional small appliance without giving up a lot of countertop real estate. It even made the list of the best small air fryers we tested.

Best splurge: Café Couture Oven with Air Fry

Pros: Made perfect fries, cooked pizza and chicken quickly, fast preheating, user-friendly, maintained fairly accurate and consistent temperatures, app connectivity, features dehydrating and proofing presets.

Cons: Pizza toppings cooked faster than crust, chicken could have been juicier and more evenly cooked, can't preheat the oven from the app

The Café Couture Oven with Air Fry couldn't be more user-friendly, similar to the brand's Café Affetto, which we rank as one of the best espresso machines. The on-unit controls are intuitive: Simply turn the dial to the cook mode you want, turn the time and temp dial to your desired setting, and press start. The oven also connects to your phone via the Smart HQ app (available for iOS and Android). For safety reasons, you can't start preheating the oven from the app, but you can choose your settings and then press the on-unit start button to begin cooking.

The Couture Oven excelled at cooking quickly. Preheat times were faster than average. It made fast food-caliber fries in 12 minutes. A whole roast chicken took a smidge over an hour, and frozen pizza was ready in eight minutes. Of these, the fries came out the best. The chicken was a little drier and less evenly cooked than I would have liked. The pizza's toppings cooked faster than the crust. Yet, I've found these issues can be easily remedied using the bake function rather than air fry.

In the temperature variance test, the oven ran hot yet did better than most units. On average, it was 13 degrees hotter than the 350-degree set point, but didn't vary more than three degrees from that point. Lastly, clean-up was a breeze. All the accessories are dishwasher-safe except for the crumb tray, which is easy to remove and wash by hand.

If you want to save $100 and don't need app connectivity, consider the Ninja Foodi XL Pro Air Fry Oven. It cooked much slower than the Couture Oven and takes up more space, but it has an attractive design and did a better job cooking chicken.

Best budget: Cosori Air Fryer Toaster Oven

Pros: Did the best job making fries, takes up minimal counter space, comes with useful accessories and presets, preheats quickly, close-to-accurate temperatures, interior light

Cons: Only fits pizzas up to 9 inches in diameter, didn't cook chicken evenly, higher than average temperature variance

The performance of the Cosori 13-Quart Air Fryer Toaster Oven rivaled that of our top pick. However, it lost points because the small interior only fits pizzas up to 9 inches in diameter, smaller than most frozen pizzas, and it had a higher-than-average temperature variance.

The boxy design doesn't take up much space on your counter, though it isn't small enough to fall into the "compact" category. And, at $140, it barely falls into the "budget" category. Yet, it performed much better than the three cheaper models we tested.

The Cosori 13-Quart has a rotisserie basket that helped it produce the best fries in our tests. Unfortunately, the basket's opening was too small to fit a chicken, so we cooked one in the baking pan. The skin was burned on top when the chicken reached a safe internal temperature, but the meat underneath was flavorful and moist. The pizza came out quickly and was more evenly cooked.

Preheating was fast, taking under 5 minutes to reach 350 degrees and 7 minutes to achieve 425. The temperature variance was higher than most models in our tests, but still within reason. It averaged 7 degrees less than the set point and didn't vary by more than 6 degrees higher or lower.

If you're looking for an even cheaper toaster oven and don't mind sacrificing performance, the Black+Decker Crisp 'N Bake Air Fry Toaster Oven is about half the price. However, we didn't like that it doesn't have an oven light, and you can't adjust the temperature in air fryer mode.

Best for beginners: Tovala Smart Oven

Pros: Can scan some grocery items to automatically set the time and temperature, intuitive controls, app connectivity, produced delicious food, interior light

Cons: Runs hot, cooked slowly and unevenly

The Tovala Smart Oven is great for beginners because you can scan groceries from brands like Ore-Ida, Pillsbury, and Amy's. The oven automatically sets the right time and temperature for the best results. Tovala also offers a meal delivery service with over 30 weekly restaurant-quality options and easy to prepare.

When cooking manually, the presets, time, and temperature are clearly labeled and easily adjusted. You can also just choose one of the cooking programs in the Tovala app (available on iOS and Android.) The app has hundreds of recipes ranging from the basics, like bacon and chicken wings, to fancier fare, such as Balsamic Glazed Chicken Thighs with Caprese Salad. The app automatically sets the Tovala oven once you reach the cooking phase of the step-by-step instructions.

The biggest negative with the $250 Tovala Smart Oven was it preheated and cooked slower than average. Plus, it ran hot in our temperature variance test, about 28 degrees above the set point, varying by about 4 degrees from its average of 378.

Still, the food the Tovala produced was delicious, though it could have been more evenly cooked. Fries were its strong suit. It was among the fastest to reach golden-brown goodness. The chicken turned out moist and flavorful, though the skin was burnt in spots.

Best versatile: Anova Precision Oven

Pros: App connectivity, probe thermometer, sous vide capabilities, maintains consistent temperatures, cooked chicken and pizza evenly, interior light

Cons: Preheats slowly, did poorly making fries, hard to use and clean

I've been using the $700 Anova Precision Oven for two years. I mainly use it to sous vide, but it does everything a standard toaster oven can, including air frying, baking, dehydrating, and proofing. With the Anova Oven app, you control the oven from anywhere. 

The Anova Precision Oven did well in our temperature variance test. While it ran about 14 degrees cooler than the target temperature of 350, it only varied from that temp by 2 degrees over the course of two hours.

Of all the ovens we tested, the Anova did the best and quickest job of air-frying chicken, producing an evenly cooked and flavorful bird in just 57 minutes. It also did well making evenly cooked pizza, though it took longer than most of the units we tested. Unfortunately, it struggled with fries, taking 24 minutes and cooking them unevenly.

The Anova took the longest time to preheat and often fell short of the target temperature. It's also hard to set up and clean. If you use the sous vide function, you'll need to descale the appliance when the app notifies you to. 

What to look for in an air fryer toaster oven

Size: Since many toaster ovens are a pain to move around, you'll want a unit that fits easily on your counter. We provide exterior and interior dimensions of all our picks so you can check for a perfect fit. The internal dimensions are important because they help determine if you can fit your favorite bakeware or how large of a pizza you can make.

Controls: No one wants to consult a user manual while cooking, so look for models with intuitive controls. Some of the best air fryer toaster ovens feature dials, which are easy to set, but don't provide precise adjustments. Other units have digital touchscreen controls, which may involve pressing several buttons to get to the time and temp you want. 

Functions: Several picks in this guide feature dehydration and proofing functions. These are great if you'll use them, but they may not be worth the additional cost if you won't. Similarly, toaster ovens often have preset buttons for fries, pizza, and other common items. These might be useful for some, but in my experience, they don't guarantee your food will be cooked well.

Racks and accessories: At a minimum, all toaster ovens should have a rack, crumb tray, and baking pan. Some of the best air fryer toaster ovens tend to have an air fryer basket, which promotes airflow around your food items for even browning. Some other common accessories that may come in handy are pizza pans and stones, roasting racks, extra wire racks and baking pans, and more. You can always buy these extras separately.

How we tested air fryer toaster ovens

I put the best air fryer toaster ovens in this guide through several objective tests, similar to how I tested air fryers. The main factors to consider when testing are how well it cooks various foods, how quickly it preheats, and temperature consistency and accuracy.

Ease of use: I time how long it takes to set up the air fryer toaster oven and note if I need the instructions or if any steps make it particularly hard or easy. Units with interior lights got extra points because they make it easier to monitor your food. Generally, the toaster ovens with WiFi connectivity took longer to set up and were harder to use.

Temperature variance: For recipes and consistent results, you want the temperature to remain close to what you set it for. I set each unit to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and took temperature readings every 15 minutes for 2 hours. Then, I calculated the average and deviation of the readings. Units received high scores if they maintained a temperature within 15 degrees of the target temperature.

Temperature variance	Minimum temperature	Maximum temperature	Average temperature	Difference from target
Oster with RapidCrisp	363	369	366	16
Cosori 13-Quart	340	349	343	-7
Tovala	374	380	378	28
Ninja SP101	387	390	389	39
Café Couture Oven	360	365	363	13
Anova Precision	334	338	336	-14

Preheating: The best air fryer toaster ovens preheat faster than your standard oven. To see which models preheated the fastest, I timed how long they took to preheat to 350, 400, and 425 degrees in separate tests. Most reached 350 in under 8 minutes and only needed a minute more to reach 425.

Cooking performance: 

• Frozen french fries: I cooked one pound of Ore-Ida Extra Crispy Fast Food French Fries at 400 degrees and timed how long they took to cook to golden crispiness. Then, I evaluated how evenly cooked, crispy, and fry-like they tasted.
• Frozen pizza: I evaluated how large a pizza each air fryer toaster oven could hold, how long it took to cook at 425 degrees, and how evenly it cooked. I used 11-inch pizzas in all but the Cosori 13-Quart, which was too small. I cooked a Totino's Party Pizza in the Cosori.
• Whole chicken: I used a recipe from "Toaster Oven Takeover" to cook 4-to-5-pound chickens in each unit. I used the ThermoWorks Dot leave-in probe thermometer to gauge when the internal temperature reached a safe 165 degrees. I evaluated how long the chicken took, how evenly cooked it was, and how it tasted.

Air fryer toaster oven FAQs

Are air fryer toaster ovens worth it?

Samantha Erb, the creator of Everyday Family Cooking, said the best air fryer toaster ovens are worth it when you cook for a group because the spacious interior allows you to cook large batches of food or several items at once. 

What's the difference between an air fryer and an air fryer toaster oven?

Traditional air fryers have controls on top and a removable basket on the bottom half for the food. Air fryer toaster ovens have essentially the same design as a traditional toaster oven, featuring a front door that you open to insert your food. Unlike the traditional basket design, the oven versions have a window to monitor the cooking process and tend to have a larger capacity. However, Erb noted that traditional air fryers usually cook faster.

How do air fryer toaster ovens work?

Air frying relies on the Maillard reaction, which crisps or browns by blowing hot air over your food. Air fryer toaster ovens have a heating element and a fan for achieving this reaction and producing food that tastes almost like fried, though you'd never mistake the results for deep-fried food.

Are air fryer toaster ovens healthier?

"Healthy" is a loaded term that means different things for different people. That said, air frying appliances create crispy food while using less cooking oil than if you were to use a deep fryer. Also, some accessories do not have a nonstick coating, a plus since microplastics from nonstick cookware may end up in your food.

How do I clean an air fryer toaster oven?

After each use, you should clean every piece that comes in contact with food, including the crumb tray, basket, wire rack, and roasting pan. Even though some models feature dishwasher-safe elements, it is ideal to hand wash with warm water and a mild detergent. Check your user manual to find out what pieces are dishwasher-safe. Wipe down the interior and exterior of your unit with a damp sponge to avoid grease and oil buildup. 

To make cleanup easier, consider picking up one of our guide's best silicone air fryer liners.

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