Chefman 5-Quart Digital Air Fryer With Temperature Probe

From what you read, you’d think that anything you put into an Air Fryer will cook perfectly and taste delicious every time. They are however just convection ovens that simplify things and clean up quickly. Air fried foods can be tasty but there still can be trial and error with any recipe. Every cooking chart of Air Fryer times/temperatures I have seen has noticeably different numbers for the same foods. Peoples’ cooking preferences are different, preheating can be relevant, and smaller fryers tend to cook faster. Spraying most vegetables using an olive oil or avocado oil spray bottle is absolutely necessary before cooking for a tasty exterior so definitely get one. I like the spray bottles made of glass.

This Air Fryer is very well-designed and has features that many others don’t. Small footprint for a 5-quart Air Fryer, a window, fairly basic control panel, temperature probe, good underside airflow for items that don’t happen to get flipped, 2-minute (claimed) boost for extra crisping, all black color, display turns off after 20 min of inactivity except for one dim button, pre-heating probably not as important due to having a halogen bulb instead of a regular element, draws only 950 watts, and square shape of basket maximizes surface area better than a round basket to place more items. Biggest concern is that the halogen bulb may not last nearly as long as the regular type of element that most air fryers use.

It’s common to choose Air Fryer size based on “one quart per person”. This five quart air fryer’s unique features influenced my buying decision over the Instant Vortex Plus 4 qt which is simple and known to cook consistently inside and out, along with also having a dehydrate function. I would have bought the Vortex if I didn’t feel capable of working with the Chefman as a “gadget”. I don’t know if the plastic or non-stick surfaces have toxic particles because this is not written anywhere. I bought 7.8″ square paper liners (which are a little large but work well) to separate food from the Teflon and also for easier cleanup. Any liners close to this size will work about the same for this 5 qt Chefman. I usually trim around the edges 3/4″ or so to make them slightly smaller. I also occasionally use a hole punch (designed for notebook paper) to punch holes in the liners in a similar pattern as the holes on the sample flat liners that came with the machine. This can improve both underside airflow and overall browning/crispness for some foods. I very slightly enlarged the hole that the probe wire fits through so it won’t crush the wire long term but I don’t recommend doing this unless you are very good with tools.

It is rare to see an Air Fryer that uses a halogen bulb instead of a regular heating element except in larger air fryers with glass bowls. The bulb is much shorter than a regular coiled element so it uses about 30% less wattage and gets hot quickly. It cycles on about every 40 seconds and off 12 seconds at 400F costing about 25 cents per hour of use. The air flow seems to very evenly surround the food including the underside and the fan is powerful. If the halogen bulb lasts several years with minimal use, I definitely will have made the right decision over buying the Instant Vortex Plus. If the bulb ever went out, removing – replacing – and re-wiring would be a task. I haven’t been able to find a replacement 1000W bulb however so I don’t know if this would even be possible.

As a gadget person I decided to take a chance on the bulb life and cooking ability. With minimal use for 6 weeks so far I am very pleased. It’s quality built with an all around well thought out design, looks good, and there’s no sign of anything peeling off. I have not however seen any dramatic crisping effect so far using the 2-minute boost to 450F button for the particular items I have cooked. Simply adding more time may do the same thing. I was skeptical about the probe but simply hitting the Fish button and placing the probe correctly, produced perfectly cooked Salmon. Absolutely amazing; very pleased.

This is the 3rd, and best air fryer I’ve had. The window is great, the thermometer is incredibly useful, size is perfect. No complaints

I am single, a senior and disabled. Preparing my food is difficult so anything I can do to make meals easier, I’m all for it! I bought the 8 qt because I never wanted to have to make food in batches. I use my Chefman at least 4 times a week. My kitchen is littered with all sorts of kitchen appliances which have been used on occasion. The Chefman makes all sorts of food that I had foregone for a long time because I did not want to heat up the big oven for one serving.

The Chefman is fast and very easy to clean (Try using Dawn Powerwash.) I tried using the probe once and didn’t get the results I wanted. It is going to take some experimentation to dial in the perfect results. I don’t use the preset icons – I like setting the exact time and temp. Many frozen foods don’t have air fryer instructions so you have to wing it. I’ve seen it suggested (and tried) using 80% time of a regular oven. Over time, you learn what the right time and temp works best.

Some people suggest you spray oil on foods meant to be crispy – to make it even crispier. I find this makes food soggy. But the beauty of an airfryer is trying old and new foods at different times and temps (don’t go too crazy) One thing that doesn’t get mentioned too often is reheating pizza. Best way to prepare slices. In fact, single serve frozen pizzas bake perfectly.

I bought a package of parchment liners from Amazon. They work fine (make sure you put food in all four corners). Since the Chefman is so easy to clean, the liners are not really needed – they just make my life a little easier.

Of all the appliances I have bought over the years, the Chefman is the most practical, the most fun and the most economical appliance I have bought for my kitchen.

Very easy to use. I especially like the clear front so you can check on the food. Cooks well. One thing I found out the hard way is that you can’t fill it with liquid: I put some dish soap in it to soak overnight but found that it leaks around the clear plastic part. Found a puddle in the morning.
Update 2/24/24
The removable plate/tray paint has started flaking off in the center, even though I always use the disposable liners and wash it carefully with a soft brush. For this I removed a star.

The food cooked resulted in good taste.

I am genuinely impressed with this air fryer. I took a chance at saving big money over buying a more expensive name brand unit. The viewing window is super clear and large, unit is pretty quiet the probe works great, the display is bright and easy to read and of course the most important part is that it cooks great! I wont ding it stars but a few of the negatives would be that the controls are confusing at first. You only get certain button options if the probe is plugged in or not.

All in all, im super happy with this. It may fail in a few months, maybe that’s why it is cheap. If that happens I will update the review, but so far I love it and wish I had purchased it much sooner.

For those that cant figure out how to turn the unit off, its automatic. Once its done cooking or u press stop the display will stay on for about 10 minutes or so and then sleep.