Breville Halo Air Fryer, Digital Air Fryer Oven, 5.5 Litre, Fry, Bake, Roast and Grill, Black [VDF126]
Breville Halo Air Digital Air Fryer, 5.5 L
Enjoy tasty fried food, the healthier way, with the Breville Halo Air digital air fryer. Using 360° air circulation and 99.5% less oil than standard 3 L Breville fryers, this powerful air fryer oven is ideal for family meals, with a 5.5 L capacity that provides enough space for a whole chicken.
5 cooking pre-sets for chips, chicken, vegetables, steak and fish offer total cooking versatility, plus you can air fry, bake, roast, sauté and grill with just one appliance.
At a Glance…
- Uses 99.5% less oil than standard 3 L Breville fryers
- 360° air circulation
- 5 cooking pre-sets
- Manual mode with adjustable time and temperature
- 1700W power with rapid heating up to 200C
- Dishwasher-safe removable basket and divider
| | | | |
|---|---|---|---|
Healthier and DeliciousCreate tasty family dishes whilst drastically reducing your oil use, for a healthier take on dinner time. *Compared to standard 3 L Breville fryers. | Easy-to-Use DisplayDigital touch screen with sound alert makes mealtimes quick and easy. Choose from both pre-programmed and manual settings with adjustable time and temperature. | Powerful 360° Heating1700 W power heats the Halo Air Fryer rapidly up to 200 C, while 360° air circulation works to cook food quickly and evenly for perfect results every time. | Separate Cooking ZonesCook two dishes at once with the handy basket divider that can be added or removed as you need it. It’s ideal for making multiple side dishes or two separate meals. |
Fuss-Free Cleaning
Both the basket and divider are removeable and dishwasher-safe for quick and easy clean-ups.
| Weight: | 7.52 kg |
| Dimensions: | 42.6 x 39.2 x 33.8 cm; 7.52 Kilograms |
| Brand: | Breville |
| Model: | VDF126 |
| Colour: | Black |
| Colour: | Black |
If you want an air fryer, this does the job well. We have owned for 6 months now. We use this around 3 times a day, our normal oven hardly gets used now, preferring to use this to cook for the whole family. Have now purchased kettle and toaster from breville as brand is reliable.
I am well pleased with the air fryer. It arrived promptly and in good order. I have used it for chips a whole chicken and to roast mixed root veggies. All worked well and with a bit of experiment on flavour additions would be as good as oven prepared, but with easier cleaning and quicker outcome. There is a great deal of useful guidance on the internet.
graham
Cooks things brilliant only drawback was how are you meant to open the basket when foods ready? Fiddly awkward clip.
All round top performance great buy easy to use and clean would highly recommend
Bought as a replacement for our Tefal Acti Fry and 100% prefer this produc
Bought this just over a month ago. Very pleased with the product.
When cooking any food, I would highly recommend spraying some cooking oil over it otherwise food may taste a bit dry and rubbery.
When cooking chips for example, I usually put them in a bowl, then add 1 table spoon of cooking oil and mix it.
Very easy to clean and maintain.
Breville halo air fryer is great for the money it’s so easy to use and clean so if anyone else is thinking about buying one then just do it then you can see for yourselfs
Easy to use, easy to clean (I put a sheet of ton foil on the bottom), great size, big enough for a roast chicken. But feels slightly flimsy, I am wary it could break easily.
The size of the halo fryer is very good, as a family for four adults we were able to air fry a meal in a short time.
To clean you just have to life out the fryer and clean, it even has a divider if you needed to fry more than one item.
I can go on about it, I have really enjoyed the product.
Got this because I love rotisserie chicken, and had a dehydration function. All results so far over the Xmas period have been a dream!
Easy to clean , got big family, dinners making every day quicker, make my live better, recommend
It’s big enough for 4 people easy to clean & use ..food cooks excellent..bit trial error with timing
Only used it once but made chips and they were good
It’s very easy to use, easy to clean and good value for your money
Takes a little getting used to. Best so far is cooked dinner in around 40 mins. Chicken crown in 1st followed by Aunt Bessie’s roast pots 18mins from end. A recipe book is a must and be good to have a thermometer.
Many kitchen gadgets I have bought over the years are usually confined to a cupboard after a while. I can honestly say this will not be one of them.
Easy to use and really tasty results from chips to steaks and whole chickens. This machine is great!
I love my Air fryer & have cooked all sorts of food in it from Chip, chicken nuggets all the way to pie’s, looking forward to trying a whole chicken when I get a chance.
The air fryer is very easy to use and clean, with the different options for products it makes it very easy to proper some veggies to roast in no time so it saves a lot of time if you have to prep for a meal. Also really easy to clean once used. Would definitely recommend to have in the kitchen.
First i bought TEFAL ACTIFRY GENIUS XL 2IN1 very difficult to clean and use and enough space, this is best and half the money.
Ive owned this for some time now before leaving a review. Overall im fairly happy with the fryer its much healthier than a deep fat fryer etc and a lot cleaner in terms of the kitchen area. The only issue is there is times where it will just turn off and cancel the cooking program which is very annoying. So for example Chicken mode cooking at 200c for 22 mins it will shut off at 5 mins in. I have to program it again and guestimate how much time has passed i have found lowering the temp to 190c gives a slight improvement on this issue.
I bought it on Black Friday. Good price.
It’s easy to cook and clean up. Save more cooking time. I love it.
Having been very disappointed by a previous air fryer I decided to try once more and I’m so glad I did!
Great taste, wedges/chips crispy on outside and fluffy on inside, meat cooked to perfection. Very easy to operate and clean.
***TIP***
Although it doesn’t state to preheat apart from first use, if you run for about 12 mins at 200* before putting food in to cook you will get perfectly cooked food
I like this. Can do a good range of foods.. most of which I’m yet to try but from what I have used it for I’m happy.
The only downside I have found is that is very powerful, so if the packet on chicken nuggets says 200 for 18 mins.. I reduce both the time and temp.. otherwise they are quite hard and hard to eat..
Looks good in the kitchen and has a good capacity
I’ve been after an airfryer for ages, I’ve looked into all different makes/models/shapes and sizes on my quest to get what I thought would suit our family best. I eventually went for this breville model and got it for around 60 on offer, I wanted the security of a name brand but I know myself and if I’d have spent top on a ninja just for it to sit on the side I’d kick myself. So far I’ve made chicken breast, coated crispy chicken, hash browns, fries, home cooked wedges, warmed things like yorkies/pastries, cooked off paninis, roasted veg for a soup, pork chops, steak. I know everyone always says it but I genuinely barely use my oven now, it can take a while to get the timings right but aside from that it’s super easy to use. Smart looking, we don’t have spare cupboard space to this lives on the side no problem without looking out of place. I went for this model as it has a large square basket and with a bigger family that’s ideal! Easy to clean/maintai
I think it’s really good value for money! As a veggie it cooks almost anything and everything veggie in a fraction of the time our oven as rarely been on! It’s easy to use easy to clean and has halved our cooking time the food is well made crispy and tasty really happy about i
The air fryer is very easy to use, I’ve used it almost everyday so far. It’s very easy to clean, though I have had to change the recommended temperature.
What an absolutely brilliant air fryer, my second one and the best by far, easy to use and even easier to clean. Highly recommend.
We love it having a smaller kitchen this has been used so many times by all the family easy to use and keep clean the only down side is we’re putting on weight the food comes out so crispy and yummy. Lol . Ignore the negativity you won’t be disappointed
Absolutely amazing, my culinary life will never be the same again. Gone are the days of trying to decant old oil in to a milk bottle, gone are days of the whole house smelling like an oil refinery just because I cooked some chips. So far I have air fried the hell out of chips, chicken nuggets, sausages, tempura prawns, a whole chicken (mind blown) and it was all excellent. Some cook quicker than you think so don’t be afraid to check during cooking. Going to try making toasties in it today. Can’t recommend highly enough.
I hate when oven baking chicken/wedges you get soggy parts if you don’t turn it enough. We’ll no more with this! Food cooked perfect, crispy and even. Super simple to use and takes less time than in the ove
Bought to replace a smaller fryer. This is much better with more versatility and cooking options.
Still to try the rotisserie chicken setting. But am sure it’ll be good.
Really easy to use. Made great chips both frozen and from potatoes. Made meatballs stuffed with mozzarella and they cooked perfectly. I do find it a little difficult to take the drawer out to clean but I think it’s just practice. Very Happy with it. My sons got the same one and loves it too. Would recommend.
Overall great machine, but it looks like this model got a problem with tray sensors.
I couldn’t turn it on at the beginning as well as others.
There are two sensors on the left and right, to discover if the tray is fully inserted.
Simply put something between left or right edge, I use a knife or thin piece of metal so that doesn’t melt.
That it would hold the sensor and machine can be turned on.
Easy one touch pre set start for meat, veg, fish, chicken. Also easy to increase or decrease time or temperature. Easy to clean. All in all – easy…….
I can highly recommend this product. Saves lot of time and cooks more healthy
I was looking at a ninja but the price put me off. I decided to take a risk on this machine and I couldn’t be happier. It’s so easy to use and the different foods come out great. Don’t spend a fortune on other products
It’s faster and more efficient than my last air fryer with preset patterns to choose what you want but this can be done manually also where you choose temperature and time.
No down sides. A very good airfryer which is easy to clean 5 *
Absolute must have it has totally changed the way of cooking. Very easy to clean. Love i
Its really easy to use and good for a big family
This had some decent reviews and some mixed ones but I chose to take the plunge regardless. Glad I did as it turns out to be perfect for my needs. Easy to use, simple and clear touch controls, fairly elegant looks and quiet during operation. I would recommend to anyone who’s in the market for a mid to large size air fryer, although there are cheaper alternatives out there for sure this doesn’t seem like poor value to me.
This air fryer is amazing cooks a food lovely it’s well worth the money and it’s easy to clea
Brilliant fryer, we are buying another so that we can do protein (ie wings, fishballs etc) in one and fries or waffles in the other. Highly recommend this one, have a european branded one more than twice the price but poor service led me to buy the Breville and boy are we delighted it.
The 1st Breville was a great product, however after 7 months the setting buttons on the display stopped working. I rang Amazon customer services, explained the fault and the operater said it was a faulty product thay had been having multiple issues with. He arranged a replacement and e-mailed me a returns label. I recieved a new Breville and sent the old one back in the new box through Hermes with the pre- paid label on it ( Amazon pay the return postage.)
I was recommended this air fryer by a friend – I’d never considered having one before and goodness, it’s been a game changer! I cook so much in it – from the normal chips and potatoes, nuggets etc to fish, sausages and veggies. My oven is almost entirely neglected now, only being switched on to warm the occasional pizza!
Pros:
– It’s large and a good price for the size (at the time of buying, Amazon offered the ‘pay in instalments’ function which certainly helped spread the cost too). To be honest, with just my daughter and in the house I probably didn’t need one so big but it will cook a whole roast chicken in an hour with no fuss at all.
– It’s so quick and convenient ! I can literally cook a portion of chips and chicken nuggets in there in about 12 minutes.
– It’s easy to use. Takes no time at all to work out the buttons and what they do.
– Healthier. I add oil to things like roast chicken as per manufacturer instruction in the guide booklet but not to things like pre-packaged oven chips. Your food is not sitting in the oil because of the basket.
– Even cooking you just can’t obtain in an oven with constantly checking and turning food.
– Lovely and tasty crispy chips, potatoes, chicken, salmon etc every time!
Cons:
– it’s quite a lump on the kitchen side and it’s not exactly sleek looking (more resembling a bumbling droid from Star Wars).
– I personally don’t find it hugely easy to clean – I can never seem to degrease it entirely.
– I am on my second one of these now. My first, bought in March 2021 was fine until the end of July 2021 when it decided to die peacefully but mysteriously when not in use (it just stopped having power). Sadly, it wasn’t an easy fix of changing the plug fuse, so I notified Amazon Customer Services who promptly sorted me out with a replacement. Fingers crossed the new one at least makes it to it’s first birthday (hence the four stars).
This item is fantastic, really quiet when running. I’m now converted to Air frying
I like the air-fryer, it’s does my chips so love
Absolutely brilliant I have not used my oven since i have had it cook whole chicken /chips /pie ect easy to use and clean my steak was tender and tasty chicken tender and juicy wouldn’t be with out it I’ve had breville air fryer since 2014 i give my daughter mine to have this one only because I could get whole small- med chicken in it and it’s brillia
I’m so impressed with this
cooks the best bacon. With no smells!!
First off, this airfryer is BIG! Had a Philips one for nine years and used it daily. The basket became too hard to clean and it was very noisy so wanted a replacement model without a mesh basket.
It’s very quiet which is great and we can now talk to each other without shouting! Basket is easy to clean. Build quality is a bit flimsy. My Philips one was a lot sturdier. Casing marks easily and finger prints are hard to remove. My one gripe is that when you open the basket to shake the food, you have to reset the display as it doesn’t remember where you are in the cooking process. This is a major flaw in the design. Cheaper models can do this so why not Breville?
I’ve been using this for about a month now and everything cooks well in it. I bought this as a warehouse deal so happy with the price. I doubt I’ll get nine years out of it though!
Perfect for our family! Plenty of room for an XL chicken!! Best investment I have made in the kitchen for a while
Easy to clean & use. This is so efficient the programmes are too long/hot to cook the food. My 1st attempt at chips using the preset option they ended up as brown twigs. I only use it on the manual option & adjust the time/temperature checking half way through cooking. This fryer has heated or cooked your food by the time a main oven has reached cooking temperature, so saves on electricity.
didn’t know how much time i was wasting in the kitchen standing over an oven until i got this, food tastes better and it so easy to clean, main positive is it saves money on Gas
This is simple to use, easy to clean and seems like it will hold up fairly well over time.
I’ve mostly used this for chicken wings or fries so far and have used it a dozen or so times without any major problems.
As with any of the stationary basket types you’ll need to shake/turn food part way through cooking but that’s no big deal really.
Generally quicker than oven cooking with better results for me.
Great capacity, easy to use. Not so great cleaning. Leaves grease droplets, even though no fat is added and doesn’t wash out in dishwasher or by hand. Therefore builds up over time. First one stopped working all of a sudden after a few months, using replacement now. But same cleaning issue again.
Ist air fryer I’ve owned. Love love it, easy to use, clean, and food tastes delicious. Breville is an excellent make, and I love the ease of use brilliant purchase I would highly recommend.
Great product. Very easy to use with the included guide. Easy set up and programme for great results.
I like my air fryer cooks perfect food.
The only problem is the micro switches at the front where the pan goes in, it does not always push them up properly, a design fault.
To sort this out I glued some heat resistant silicon to both front corners of the pan. 1 picture is attached to show where to put the silicon, remember both front sides need doing.
Excellent and perfect for a larger family. Would be lost without it, you can cook virtually anything in this so much so that I use this more than I use my cooker noe
Good buy but… Didn’t even work 1year fr me the heating element stopped I bought in Oct 2020 and now march 21 the heating element is gone
Had this a couple of months, it was a gift. At first i thought, its an easy bake oven, what an i gonna do with this, i made muffins in it. Its great, i love it. My 15 yr old uses it, if hes distaced it turns itself off, so no burning the house down. All students should get one, replace the microwave. You can cook almost anything in it, roasties in 25 mins, fries in 5, even bacon. Love it, great for cooking for 1 especially, even tho its says family. Get one for your student kids.
The first air fryer I ordered made by a different company seemed poor and flimsy but this Breville air fryer seems much sturdier and made to a higher standard, like all kitchen ‘gadgets’ it takes some getting used to and I would advise buying a recipe book designed for air fryers to get you started, the machine itself is well made and didn’t take long to work out how to use it and now I’m really pleased I bought this machine as when cooking things like chops, steaks etc the results are superb, practice makes perfect with these machines but they are easy to use and they are very quick and efficient, it’s easy to clean and a great addition to the kitchen as it is used more and more and almost making my cooker oven redundant, they are big enough to cook a smallish chicken or joint and give fantastic results especially when using small amounts of seasoning to enhance the flavour even more yet keeping the meat juicy and not dried out, I would definitely recommend this machine as good value for money and a better way of cooking without using additional oils or fats so better for my waistline as well ()
This product is amazing, my partner is a student who has had an air fryer in her student accommodation whereas I hadn’t heard of one before. Since purchasing this, we’ve been using it nearly daily as a family. The flavour of the food is fantastic, it’s great and easy to use. Perfect addition to our kitchen.
What a brilliant purchase. Quick and easy to use and transformed the way I have lunches and dinners. In short I am eating much more healthily when I need to prepared Protein and Veg based meals. Food tastes great too and I am using the oven less.
We absolutely love this air fryer! it’s the first air fryer we’ve had but it’s great we cook everything in it. Food is cooked so fast and conveniently. Best chips ever!!
I was disappointed that the manual did not include more details about baking – had to figure out the hard way that it’s supposed to be 155 degrees, instead 180 like a regular oven. The plastic covering did change its shape slightly on top due to the heat, near where it meets the other half of the fryer.
The veggies seem to be steamed rather than fried, but I’m happy with it.
Slightly bigger than most air fryers, but this is good for a large family. Very easy to use and clean, it’s nice to know that the food you are eating is good for you and it tastes amazing.
Really easy to use. I found the best way to cook food was to use a spray oil such as coconut oil spray. Value for money. Food cooks evenly and quickly. You do have to experiment to find out how long to put food in for though. But overall a great addition to the kitchen.
This is my first air fryer, impressed with the range of foods I can cook with almost no oil. Chips are best if cut, washed, dried then tossed in oil. Roasts work well as does sausage, cheese on toast, bacon, nuggets et al. If cooking many chips the fryer goes mental when the water driven out affects the control panel, so have to wipe the excess water out from inside. Other than this I’m really happy with results.
I’m wonderfully surprised how effective this air fryer oven is. It’s economical, fast and easy to use. You just have to get used to HOW fast it can be, and check on your food which is simple, you just pull out the drawer, check and push it back in to resume the program you set. An excellent purchase. I’m very happy.
I bought my Halo air fryer after a friend had recommended it to me, and I haven’t been disappointed!
I love how easy it is to use, so far I haven’t found any food that I don’t like after I have cooked it in the fryer.
There was a slight issue with my first one that arrived, but I called Breville and they apologised for the fault, gave me a number and I just did a straight exchange through Amazon. The process was very easy, and the new fryer works perfectly.
Extremely easy to wipe down and clean.
Would I recommend it? Yes, but just make sure you have the room, as it is a substantial size.
cooks food really well. Very good size but it doesn’t last long. I’ve had it replaced 4
Times. I’m not cooking anything out of the ordinary nor do I use it every day but it just isn’t durable. Guaranteed to break down at some point with a few months. Look elsewhere
Mainly used for chips and chicken nuggets and the food comes out a lot crispier and less greasy. Definitely feels healthier and is very easy to use! Isnt too large, think ruler length in width, depth and height and fits in with other appliances well.
2 downfalls, first, bit noisy, but I kind of expected that and after a while you don’t really notice it, especially when its only 10-15 mins its on, second, glossy black is a finger print magnet which isn’t helpful when you are handling food and get some residue on your hands. just make sure to have a cloth on hand to wipe down the front or it starts to look a bit grubby!
Overall, very happy with the purchase and would recommend to others who are looking to be healthie
I’ve had air fryers before but cooked in this is absolutely great never tasted chicken this tender and tasty
Took quite a few burnt meals before I got used to how fast it cooks. If cooking instructions say 200 for 20 mins it cooks perfectly at 160 for only 12 mins! Even fits a small pizza. Barely used my oven since I got it.
Arrived on time and good quality for the price. I think this is the best item I have bought for the kitchen. I have used it every day for all different foods from chips to chicken it keeps the flavour in all the food that is cooked in it. I would recommend one of these to anyone.
This product is a great addition to any kitchen it’s easy to use and clean I highly recommend it I purchased another branded make but had to send it back as was not working this was an ideal replacement!!
Excellent buy. Very easy to use, I don’t tend to use the preset settings but choose my own. Easy to clean after use and nice and quiet while in use. Very happy
Used instead of oven/grill. Produced end product perfectly cooked, eg whole chicken with crisp skin. Cooking time faster than oven.
So far only cooked chips and a chicken but both are far better then in a conventional oven.
Very happy with the product. It is considerably larger than our previous airfrier though, so do check the dimensions as it requires a fair amount of worktop space.
Absolutely first class product, stopped using my George Foreman and ove
Cooks everything brilliantly, although you do have to adjust the temp to suit as their instructions i found burnt everything but once you have sorted it out to your own taste bloody brilliant until you clean it, then everything starts to stick, i only cleaned the basket with a cloth & now everything sticks…….
I love this product,its so easy to use,and quick ,no waiting on oven to heat up,I do most things in here now.So far I’ve done a whole chicken,roast potatoes veg,also made a lasagne and cooked it in here.
Great piece of kit and big enough. Rust though is appearing where handle is attached to basket.
Gets hot very quickly and cuts cooking times dramatically.
This was larger than expected and takes up a lot of space, but is good-looking, and cooks like a dream.
I would’ve liked a lot more info on cooking times, especially how to translate normal oven times/temps.
Wife loves this item easy to use easy to clean and the food is perfect when cooked
I absolutely love this air fryer. I’m new to air fryer’s in general but this has changed the game for me. We’ve made chicken wings, fresh chips and hash browns. It’s very easy to use, easy to clean and we are excited to explore further recipes!
Bought this fryer to replace a faulty tefal actifry, I wish I had done it much earlier as the results are so much better, batter is crisper, chips are more evenly cooked and miraculously the cooking times are shorter, The basket is generously sized I’ve even managed to roast a small whole chicken in it. Highly recommended purchase.
Great family size, easy and straightforward to use by everyone. food tastes great, cooks quickly. highly recommend
Bought this to replace my old Halo. so far i am very happy with it chips are lovely and crisp. Bacon is great but i did bye a couple of pizza meshes to go either side of the bacon to stop it curling. i have cooked salmon steak sausages every thing is perfect.
Excellent product. Great family size. Have cooked several whole chickens in it in under an hour. The chips especially taste really good. I am very happy with this purchase. I would highly recommend this product.
From opening the box to setting it up in my kitchen I have had no issues, the size & shape really fits well in my kitchen and has a smart look. The appliance is very sturdy and well made, the digital display is easy to read and the instructions very simple to follow. I am now looking forward to discovering what this machine can really do.
1) Healthy cooking with little or no oil without compromising on taste. Has always sounded like a dream to me;
2) Large (5.5l) basket with convenient removable basket divider provided (in case you cook 2 dishes together or just would like to separate main and side dish). Enough to cook a proper dinner for bigger families (I had no problem cooking for 4-5 people);
3) Quicker than oven with much better results! I’ve tried oven home-made fries like billion times and it’s not so easy to achieve desirable soft inside, crispy outside. I’ve burned my fries and got them half-raw at the same time… Air fryer gives tasty restaurant quality fries in less than 20 mins. You can adjust time during process, depending on cut.
4) Easy to install and use (it’s recommended to do cleaning and 1 cycle on empty fryer to get rid of any possible manufacturer’s residue). Very easy digital menu panel. 2 buttons plus adjustment “arrows” to control time and temperature. All the cooking guidelines are provided in a very simple instruction. The air fryer produces very little noise (almost like nothing) during operation and has a sound timer. Not loud at all, btw. I can’t hear it if I’m not in the kitchen…
5) Easy to clean. Removable basket and divider are both dishwasher safe. Some condensation appearing inside the oven after cooking can be just wiped with kitchen towel (when the device is cooled down and not connected). The “drawer” (where the basket gets attached) is not dishwasher safe and can’t even be immersed in water. It does have lots of juices collected after cooking, however, some cloth with soapy water does the job really well.
What I didn’t like:
1) One tiny thing – button cover for the button you need to push in order to take the basket out. It looks and feels a bit flimsy and something tells me it won’t survive for long. Especially in a dishwasher;
2) Price…. I received it for testing purposes, however, always take into account “value for money” aspect. You could find plenty of air fryers from unknown brands (mostly chinese) much much cheaper. I did buy an air fryer via amz before, a while ago, and did return it as it was… faulty. That experience put me off for some time. Breville is a well-known and, moreover, reliable brand. I bought their crepe maker last year and it works magic! So I do have high expectations regarding their air fryer durability.
…I couldn’t find reasons to deduct any stars from this kitchen helper. This is without a doubt a 5 star product. Must have for healthy cooking. Absolutely love it.
It is super easy to use, there are preset cooking programmes but these are all customisable when using. So when you select the “fries” option it has a preset time of 18 minutes and my fries only take 16 so you can select to minus off the two minutes before pressing start.
First thing I tried were sweet potato wedges *see photo*. I used 516g of sweet potato cut up into standard sized wedges. I put them in a bowl and put one tablespoon of sunflower oil on and some smoked paprika and gave them all a good coating. I then popped this in the fryer basket and used the “fries” option extending the time to 25 minutes as that is how long they would take in my fan oven. I stirred them halfway through and towards the end could smell they were cooked so I ended the cooking at 20 mins. Something to be aware of because of the 360 degree cooking it cooks much faster than expected. Results were delicious (with some homemade salsa and salad). There was pretty much no oil left in the fryer just a few crumbs so only needed a wipe out to clean after.
Second use I thought let’s try frozen food, I cooked some chicken dippers and fries *see photo*. For this I used the basket partition, it wasn’t necessarily needed I could have cooked them together. The partition sadly doesn’t fit very well, it doesn’t seem to catch fully so is easily knocked out of place. So much so that when I served them the partition fell over and I hadn’t realised there was a dipper under there and it got wasted. Having a close look at it, it is missing one of its rubber ends so this is probably why it didn’t stay in place. I have to say though it cooked them perfectly. The dippers looked like they had come from a famous brand of chicken takeaway and the fries were crispy. Despite giving them a stir the ones on the outside of the basket were crispier by the end. Much much better results than my fan oven.
Something to take into account is the weight of what you cook, when I had the fries and dippers in the basket became very heavy. It already has a bit of weight to it before you pop in your food but I didn’t really notice when doing the sweet potato wedges. If you’re listening Breville I think if you only needed to take out the basket on its own that would be a much better design, and instead of a drawer you had a door that opened down – you could also sit your basket on that to stir or serve. Failing all of that two handles on the drawer/basket combination would also help.
I have to say one of the big advantages of this machine is the speed, I have a pretty decent range fan oven but I have to switch it on a good 20 minutes before I want to cook to get the oven up to temperature. This air fryer is instant! How amazing is that.
Overall despite the weight and the ill fitting partition (due to a missing rubber end), I am more than happy to recommend this air fryer but I have taken off a star to reflect this. As a kitchen gadget it saves so much time/electricity and is very versatile with far superior cooking results than a standard fan oven.