TaoTronics Air Fryer Review

We purchased the TaoTronics Air Fryer so our reviewer could put it to the test in her kitchen. Keep reading for our full product review.

Air fryers have officially overtaken pressure cookers as the most in-demand kitchen appliances out there, and with that notoriety comes a lot of options. While you can likely get basic air-frying jobs, like frozen French fries or chicken wings, done with any machine, the real test comes when it’s time to venture out of the box into things like chicken breasts or pork chops. With that in mind, I put the TaoTronics Air Fryer to the test to see if it was worthy of the counter (or cabinet) space in your kitchen.

I made different kinds of foods, like chicken and bacon, and used the preset functions as well as the manual settings to see if they worked equally well. Read on to see how the TaoTronics fared against my kitchen scrutiny.

Design: Functional and beautiful

When it comes to design, the TaoTronics Air Fryer gets high ratings from me. A lot of the initial air fryers were round, which seemed like a good idea, but as reviews and feedback started pouring in, manufacturers realized that a more square-shaped design resulted in a greater surface area that allowed you to cook more food at once. 

With its squared-off base, the TaoTronics Air Fryer has that design improvement. In addition to the intuitive squared shape, the basket also has a large 6-quart capacity that allows you to fit more food without piling it on top of each other. That being said, I'm not quite convinced that you could make a family-sized meal in one go—I was able to get two 5-ounce chicken breasts in the basket—but it’s still a lot larger than many other air fryers on the market.

The container is also extra deep, which ensures that the air is able to circulate around the food freely so that it cooks evenly (as long as you don’t overcrowd the basket). The deep design is also really convenient for foods that you can pile up, like French fries, chicken wings, and Brussels sprouts. I cooked all three and was able to cook a considerably larger volume than with my previous round air fryer and still get great results. I did have to toss the food around a couple of times during the cooking process to ensure even cooking, but that’s pretty standard with all air fryers.

In addition to its impressive functional design, the TaoTronics Air Fryer is also sleek and high-end-looking. It has a shiny black finish with stainless steel accents and a large LED screen. The only thing that I didn’t like about the design is that it’s not a full touchscreen. There are five buttons at the bottom of the touchscreen that you can use to toggle between the preset functions, but there’s no way to directly choose an individual function without having to go through all of them.

Features: Standard, but all you need

The TaoTronics Air Fryer isn’t loaded with extra features, but, as far as standard air fryers go, it has everything you need. You can choose from a manual operation, which allows you to fully control the time and temperatures, or there are 11 preset cooking functions for things like chicken, steak, fish, French fries, vegetables, and cake that have automatic time and temperature settings. All you have to do is choose the preset function you want then press start.

The TaoTronics Air Fryer uses a feature called TaoTemp Technology, which helps control the temperature while you’re cooking so that it doesn’t get too hot or too cold during the process. This was designed to ensure even cooking and, based on my experience, it works well. The food that came out of this air fryer was always evenly cooked, something that many other air fryers can’t promise.

Perhaps the most impressive feature is its 1,750 watts of power, which means that it heats quickly and air circulates faster, so you can cook a larger volume of food in a shorter amount of time.

Performance: Perfect after some practice

For the initial testing, I relied only on the preset functions to see how intuitive they were. First, I tested chicken, then I made some air-fried Brussels sprouts. While the Brussels sprouts came out perfectly the first time, the chicken was a little overcooked. On the second go-around, I turned the time down to 25 minutes (it automatically sets it for 30), and the chicken was juicy, evenly cooked, and absolutely delicious. 

Granted, no preset function is going to be perfect, so I didn’t take any performance points off for this. Chicken and other meats come in all different shapes and sizes, so no matter which air fryer you have, you can’t fully rely on a machine to tell you when it’s ready. In most cases, you’re going to have to make some time and/or temperature adjustments.

The most important performance note here is that the chicken was really evenly cooked—there weren't any overcooked or undercooked spots on the same piece—and that’s something that can be difficult to achieve with air fryers, in general. After the chicken, I cooked bacon—another item that many air fryers have difficulty with—and it came out divine and evenly crisped with no burnt spots.

Another standout part of the TaoTronics Air Fryer’s performance is how quiet it was. All other air fryers I've used have been so noisy that if I'm trying to carry on a conversation in the kitchen while it cooks, I've had to raise my voice considerably. This air fryer was so quiet that you could barely even tell it was on. When I first started testing it, I actually turned it off and on a few times, because it was so quiet, I didn’t think it was working.

Cleaning: Wipe and go

Cleaning the TaoTronics Air Fryer was an easy, straightforward process. The nonstick metal frying basket detaches from the drip pan with the touch of a button. I was able to clean both surfaces really easily with a regular sponge, some mild dish soap, a bit of hot water, and very minimal scrubbing.

I prefer to hand wash nonstick materials, but both components of the air fryer basket are dishwasher safe, so when you’re done cooking, you can take the two pieces apart, toss them in the dishwasher, wipe down the outside of the machine if needed, and that’s it.

The only gripe I had wasn’t with the cleaning process itself, but with the finish of the machine. As soon as you operate it, your fingerprints are really noticeable on the touchscreen. You can wipe it down, but as soon as you use it again, it gets all smudged up.

Price: Falls somewhere in the middle

Retailing around $130, The TaoTronics Air Fryer isn’t the least expensive option out there, but it definitely falls below others of its caliber and size. With the preset functions, square-shaped basket, and impressive cooking performance, it’s worth every penny.

Competition: You've got options 

There are a lot of air fryers out there, and while the TaoTronics is a great choice and one of the best I've seen as far as even cooking goes, there are some other options if you’re not totally convinced or you want more of a multipurpose machine that can take the place of several different kitchen appliances.

Cosori Pro Air Fryer: Similar in price (it retails around $120), basket size, and overall aesthetic, the Cosori Pro Air Fryer is another highly-rated option. One thing that gives the Cosori a slight edge is that it has a full touchscreen that you can use to access the 11 preset options easilky, but it is a little bit larger than the TaoTronics air fryer, so it takes up more counter space.

Instant Vortex Plus 7-in-1 Air Fryer Oven: All air fryers are pretty versatile, but if you’re looking for a kitchen appliance that’s designed for multiple functions, the Instant Vortex Plus 7-in-1 Air Fryer Oven, which I also tested, is it. In addition to air frying, it bakes, roasts, dehydrates, and broils. It even includes a spit rod so you can make a rotisserie chicken. This air fryer retails for around $120.