Nuwave Air Fryer Review
Best Air Fryers Of 2021
Gourmia and Oster models vie for the top spot in Consumer Reports’ ratings of air fryers. We may receive affiliate commissions if you purchase through our retailer links. Our nonprofit organization receives 100% of the revenue we earn.
In the lab, test subjects cooked French Fries to determine if air-fried food tasted like it does.
Photo: John Walsh/Consumer Reports Crispy fries without all the oil? This is what air fryers promise, and might be the reason why American consumers continue to buy them year-over-year at 10 percent. According to NPD Group’s research, air fries will grow at this pace over the next five year. (So, no, it’s not too late to get onboard.) They don’t even fry foods in these irregularly-shaped countertop ovens. They’re actually small convection ovens. The fan blows hot air through the basket to rapidly cook the food from the outside in. The little devices were initially designed for quick finger food (fries and chicken nuggets), but they can also be used to make chicken nuggets or chicken wings. But you can use an air fryer to cook virtually anything you’d throw in the oven or deep-fry. Most have small capacities, though, from 2 to 5.8 quarts (often smaller than claimed, according to our measurements).
In the lab, we found that the models in our air fryer ratings turned out nicely cooked food, though staffers who sampled the results weren’t fooled into thinking they were deep-fried. Larry Ciufo is the Consumer Reports’ test engineer responsible for air fryer testing.
There are different instructions on how to cook the food. Although we noticed minor differences in browning and temperature, our staff did not detect any major differences. Ciufo says, “Even if we maintained cooking temperatures constants, the results were very comparable, with no discernible differences of taste.” It is the ease of use that makes air fryers different. So we built our tests around it. We evaluate capacity, how easy the controls are to read and use, noise levels , and how much elbow grease it takes to clean a model. Below is a summary of the 7 best air fryers as rated by CR, sorted alphabetically.
Tip: Do not overload your air fryer’s pan. You can make cooking slower and prevent air from reaching the entire food. This will cause inconsistent results. To learn how this countertop appliance works, read our detailed guide to getting the most use of it. See our air fryer buying guides for additional information as you shop. And you’ll find even more options in our air fryer ratings Consumer Reports’ Holiday Gift Guide for updates on deals, expert product reviews, insider tips on shopping, and much more.
This is one of the smallest capacities we have rated. Its measured capacity is 2.4 quarts. Easy to follow controls, including pre-programmed settings make cleaning your air fryer easy. Clean the basket requires some time, which is what earned it a Very Excellent rating in our cleaning review. It also has a quiet interior.
Last Thoughts
This air fryer’s intended use is difficult to determine. First, the size of this air fryer would make it impossible to fit in an average home kitchen. This is why we pulled my wife’s Nespresso machine from the counter and took her “space-saving Keurig” off the counter to do this. There was no cabinet space available to store the Keurig between each use.
The Brio can be quite small, even with its large size. It would be hard to believe that I could produce enough food in 15.5 quarts to make 2 meals per day for my wife and me. But it wasn’t true. Because the chicken thighs were small, I was capable of cooking 5. We could not get two chicken breasts in one batch if we needed them. This is not a good solution for large families, but it’s sufficient for 2 people.
The appearance is the final factor. The appearance of fresh meats such as chicken or beef without any breading or coating is not appealing. Root vegetables came out OK, but others like Brussel sprouts (fried with bacon bits) came out looking like deflated versions of themselves. This fryer will only allow you to cook something with a crisp or brown appearance.
I found the Brio on NuWave’s site when I got it for my first review. As I type this, today, the fryer is no longer listed on NuWave’s products page. However, its smaller brother, the 14.4-quart, does still appear. Unfortunately, the Google search was not able to find this link. I just could not find the fryer through their own navigation and that’s seldomly a good sign.
All in all, I like the idea of the air fryer for things like fries or frozen chicken strips. I am just not sure what else I might make that would come out looking like something I’d want to eat. Amazon is $164.99, while NuWave sells it bundled with a pressure cook for $299 (assuming it’s still in stock). Despite the odd size and other issues you might be able to get a standard-sized fryer so it doesn’t take up too much of your counter.
Pricing: $164.99 Amazon, $199.99 NuWave. Where you can buy:
French fries
French fries are one my favorites. Our honeymoon trip to Belgium was an adventure for my wife. I loved how easy it was to find a fry shop in almost any corner. We were able to enjoy dinner at our longtime friend’s house and were pleasantly surprised at their in-counter deep frying machine. We vowed at the end of that trip, if it was ever feasible, we would have the same appliance someday. With the invention of air fryers however, we may be able to forgo the dirty deep fryer in favour of an air fryer that is much more mess-free.
When I was given the opportunity to test the Nuwave Brio Digital Air Fryer, I knew that I would need to try regular and sweet potatoes. The question was, could I reproduce the crunchy, crispy, and delicious French fry I loved without the need for a large deep-fat fryer?
Start by taking medium-sized Idaho potato and cutting them into 1/4-1/2″ by 4-inch batons. The skin was left on, but I could easily have peeled the potatoes. French fries “skin-on” is my favourite style of French fry. The fries were tossed in some salt and oil for a better cooking experience.
The oven was preheated to 400 degrees F. Once the alarm went off, the fry were placed in the food basket. Finally, the Nuwave air Fryer was turned on. I set the timer at 18 minutes according to the quick guide. Then, I waited for their results.
The Results
These fries were really good and even moreso, when compared with previous experiments making fries from scratch in my oven. There was a significant difference between these fries and traditional French fries. But, considering that they had 90% less fat, were less messy, and required less time to fry, it is clear they are better. Additionally, one recipe trick I learned along the way that made fries more delicious for me and others will help you make them even better.
It is important to prepare the potatoes in advance before you fry them. The potato should be soft and fluffy inside. Most fries that you have ever had were pre-cooked. You can either use frozen fries that have been precooked before you fry them or make your own fries by cutting the potatoes in fries, then cooking at lower temperatures for about 3-5 minutes.
However, there are notable exceptions.
Five Guys Burger and Fries makes every order fresh. When the fries are allowed to rest for a bit they can become softened, much like roasted potatoes. Although this isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it is more my preference. However, cooking fries twice can make them even better.
I ended up with a substantial amount of frozen fries after trying them out for the review. After putting the fries in the refrigerator for a few hours, I decided to make a run for it and put them back in my air fryer, at 375°F, for 5 minutes. I was much more close to deep-fat french fries than the result. They were crispy on the outside and fluffy inside. With a satisfying crunch they tasted better than any french fry you can make at home.
I placed the fries in a refrigerator and, the next morning, in a fit o brilliance I loaded cold fries back into an air fryer at 350F. For 5 minutes. It was very similar to a french fry deep fat.
In this fryer, you can also make frozen fries. There are a lot of different options out there, and everything from crinkle to shoestring and waffle fries has worked exceptionally well in the Nuwave Brio 6 quart Digital Air Fryer. A fry basket divide that comes with the machine allows for simultaneous cooking of frozen chicken nuggets or frozen French fries.
Nuwave Brio 6-Quart Air Fryer Review
Fried food has a reputation for being high in fat and unhealthy. The air fryer allows you to cook healthy fried foods without the use of oil. The Nuwave Brio Air Fryer is one of the best selling air fryers that you can purchase for your frying needs.
This is my review of the Nuwave Brio 6-Quart Air Fryer. The Nuwave Brio 6-Quart Air Fryer has been seen on several occasions in “As Seen On TV”. Because it’s much cheaper than other brands, the Nuwave Brio Digital Air Fryer has become a very popular product. Is this an air fryer that lives up to its name? We’ll take a look at both the positives and negatives before we make our final decision.
You can read my NuWave Brio 6-Quart Digital Air Fryer reviews to help you decide.
Quick Overview of 2 Top Quality Nuwave Air Fryers
NuWave is another foremost brand that has achieved great innovations in air frying technology. Their appliances have been able to produce high quality air-fried foods with little compromise to taste. Here’s my selection of NuWave top-rated air fryers.
NuWave offers a high-quality offering which allows you to enjoy healthy, crispy fried foods without any sacrifices to your taste.
Because we’re all here to have fun, fried food is the mainstay of any party. However, tasty junk food can be the best. After switching to NuWave Brio I stopped worrying about how much I had been frying my hearts.
NuWave’s air fryer XL has a larger size than most of the products I have reviewed. The appliance has dimensions of 19.6 inches, 17.7 inches and 16.2 inches. It can also cook for larger parties.
It helped me a lot when I had to create starters and snacks at family events or friends.
This air fryer is quite versatile in that you can cook just about anything with it. I have cooked a long list of items ranging from crispy fried chicken , fish and potatoes to mozzarella sticks. I have even gotten the fryer to bake, grill, toast, and roast. You can get many functions out of the appliance which makes it a good investment.
Are Nuwave Air Fryer Brands Good?
The noise level of this air fryer was not great. It earned a Very Good in our noise testing. It is louder than a microwave countertop, and you can still hear the fan running. December 12, 2021
Which one is more powerful, the Nuwave or the Power Airfryer.
It has a capacity of 1 cubic feet that translates into a whopping 30 quarts. Emeril Lagasse Power Air Fryer 360 has a dimension of 15.1×19.3×10.4 inches. With this, it can store 16 quarts. Nuwave Bravo XL wins in size because it is able to make even bigger meals.
These are The 3 Best Air Fryers
Philips Premium Airfryer XXL.Cosori Air Fryer Max XL 5.8-Quart.Cuisinart Compact AirFryer.Cuisinart AirFryer Toaster Oven.Dash Deluxe 6-Quart.Ninja Air Fryer.Ninja Foodi.Dash Compact.More items…
.Nuwave Air Fryer Review