Importance Score: 12 / 100 🟠
Air Fryer Chicken Wings: A Comprehensive Test
Chicken wings prepared in the Ninja air fryer, showcasing excellent results.
Chicken wings are a universally popular food, especially when cooked in an air fryer. The ideal air-fried chicken wing boasts a crispy exterior and skin, while maintaining a succulent interior. To assess the air frying capabilities of various ovens, a test was conducted using frozen chicken wings. Three frozen wings were cooked in each air fryer on the air fry setting at 450°F for 30 minutes, with rotations every 10 minutes. Each oven was fully preheated before the wings were introduced, and photographs were taken immediately after removal. Taste tests were also performed once the wings had cooled sufficiently.
Success in air frying hinges on high temperatures and effective hot air circulation facilitated by a powerful fan. Faster cooking is crucial. The quicker an air fryer cooks and the more efficient its convection system, the faster the skin will achieve crispiness, reducing the likelihood of dry chicken inside.
Chicken Wing Air Fryer Performance: Top Contenders
The Ninja Foodi oven emerged as the top performer in the chicken wing challenge, producing the crispiest wings after 30 minutes. They were also remarkably juicy internally and exhibited no signs of burning. The Cuisinart oven also excelled in the wing test, requiring a slightly shorter cooking time of approximately 25 minutes to reach optimal doneness. While some minor skin burning was observed on the Cuisinart wings, it was not significant enough to be detrimental. The Breville and Crux ovens also performed admirably, yielding good browning and crispy skin. In contrast, the KitchenAid finished sixth and the Calphalon seventh, lacking sufficient browning and crispiness to meet the desired standard.
Air Fryer French Fries: Speed and Even Cooking Evaluation
French fries cooked to a golden brown in the Ninja and Breville air fryers, demonstrating rapid and even cooking.
The subsequent air fryer evaluation focused on assessing the ovens’ power, speed, and uniformity in cooking. Frozen french fries (McDonald’s style) were placed in each air fryer at 450°F, and the time taken to achieve a desirable golden brown hue was recorded. Given that speed and convenience are primary advantages of countertop air fryer ovens, quicker cooking times are considered superior. All ovens tested, excluding the Cuisinart, ultimately reached the desired level of doneness. However, the speed and consistency of achieving this varied considerably among models.
French Fry Air Fryer Performance: Speed Test Results
Breville secured the top position in the french fry test, producing perfectly golden fries in just six minutes. The Ninja, set to a slightly lower temperature of 390°F as per its manual, achieved excellent results in eight minutes, securing a close second place. Had the Ninja been set to 450°F, it likely would have tied or surpassed the Breville. KitchenAid also took eight minutes at 450°F to achieve golden fries, while the Crux required nine minutes and the Calphalon 12 minutes. Notably, the Cuisinart was the fastest at a mere three minutes but exhibited uneven cooking, with burnt edges on the fries. This observation led to the suspicion that the Cuisinart possesses an exceptionally intense air fryer function, which may be advantageous or disadvantageous depending on the food being prepared.
Broiled Salmon Test: Achieving a Caramelized Crust
The Breville and Ninja ovens effectively created a crust on broiled salmon within four minutes.
The broiling function was evaluated using a 4-ounce salmon fillet brushed with a mixture of mustard, olive oil, and brown sugar. Once each oven reached preheated broiling temperature, the salmon was placed approximately 2 inches from the top broiler and broiled for four minutes before removal for assessment.
Broiled Salmon Performance: Browning and Crust Formation
The primary criterion for this test was the broiler’s ability to impart a caramelized crust to the salmon’s surface. Ovens like the Calphalon and Cuisinart showed minimal browning, while the Ninja and Breville ovens produced appealing color and the beginnings of a desirable crust. Consequently, the Ninja and Breville shared the top ranking in this test. The KitchenAid and Crux models demonstrated some browning, placing them in third and fourth positions, respectively.
Toast Test: Accuracy and Speed of Toasting Presets
Both the Calphalon and Ninja air fryers produced consistently toasted bread on their medium settings; the Ninja (pictured) achieved this in half the time.
This evaluation aimed to determine the accuracy of each oven’s toaster presets and the speed at which it toasts bread. One slice of bread was placed in each oven and set to the medium toast setting. While this test was weighted less heavily than others, it is acknowledged that all ovens can ultimately achieve the desired level of toastiness. However, this may require more or less time, as well as some adjustments or familiarization with the preset settings to achieve optimal results.
Toast Performance: Preset Accuracy and Speed Comparison
The cooking time for the “medium” preset varied considerably among the ovens, ranging from over six minutes for the Calphalon to just three and a half minutes for the Ninja. The Calphalon and Ninja produced the most consistently even and visually appealing toast that corresponded to the medium preset; however, the Ninja (top performer) accomplished this in half the time. The Breville, KitchenAid, and Crux ovens barely toasted the bread at all on the medium setting, indicating a need for a darker setting. Conversely, the Cuisinart over-toasted the bread on the medium setting.
Cookie Baking Test: Temperature Consistency in Baking
The Ninja and Breville air fryer ovens tied in the cookie baking assessment, both yielding near-perfect results.
Next, the evaluation shifted to assessing the accuracy and consistency of each oven’s temperature maintenance during baking. Cookie baking serves as an excellent test for this. A tablespoon-sized sphere of Toll House cookie dough was placed on parchment paper and baked in each oven on the middle rack, following the recommended settings of 350°F for 10 minutes.
Cookie Baking Performance: Results and Observations
The cookie baking results were exceptionally close between the Ninja and Breville, which both produced nearly flawless cookies, resulting in a tie. The Cuisinart cookie was overbaked, as was the Crux cookie (though to a lesser extent). In contrast, the KitchenAid cookie was slightly underbaked.
Preheat Speed Test: Countertop Oven Advantage
A significant advantage of using a countertop oven over a conventional oven is its faster preheating time. During the cookie bake test, the preheating time for each oven to reach 350°F was measured.
Preheat Speed Results: Ninja Leads the Pack
The Ninja Foodi significantly outperformed all other ovens in preheating speed, reaching 350°F in a remarkably rapid 50 seconds. Most other ovens required approximately three and a half minutes to preheat, while the larger Breville oven took five minutes to reach the target temperature. Although an official air fryer preheat test was not conducted, it was observed that the Calphalon oven took noticeably longer than the others to reach 450°F on the air fry setting.
Temperature Accuracy and Consistency Evaluation
Maintaining accurate and consistent temperature is a crucial function for any oven, especially for baking. Inconsistent temperatures can complicate recipe adherence, increasing the risk of burning food and requiring constant monitoring. Thermocouples were used to measure the internal temperature of each oven while baking at 350°F for 10 minutes. Average temperatures and real-time temperature fluctuations were recorded.
Temperature Accuracy Performance: KitchenAid Excels
The KitchenAid oven excelled in this evaluation, registering an average temperature of precisely 350°F with minimal fluctuation. The Ninja (average 343°F), Cuisinart (346°F), and Breville (345°F) also performed well. However, the Breville exhibited an initial temperature spike followed by a decrease. The Crux, running hot at an average of 365°F, and the Calphalon, running cold at 337°F, were the lowest performers. Both the Crux and Calphalon ovens also displayed the most inconsistent temperatures throughout the baking cycle.
Cleaning and Maintenance Considerations
The Ninja oven features a design allowing for easy interior access for thorough cleaning.
With the exception of the Ninja, the cleaning and maintenance of these ovens and their heating elements are generally standard. They feature conventional stainless steel interiors of varying sizes that necessitate regular cleaning with scrubs and wipes. Each oven also includes a removable, dishwasher-safe crumb tray to collect food debris.
Ninja Oven Cleaning Feature: Enhanced Accessibility
The Ninja oven, due to its compact interior, is more susceptible to splattering and stains, especially when cooking fatty foods like chicken wings. However, it incorporates a thoughtful design element: the entire bottom of the oven folds open, providing direct access for cleaning with a cloth or scouring pad. While the Ninja may require more frequent cleaning than other models, this feature simplifies the process. Individuals who are not diligent about regular cleaning should take this into account.