When I was a kid growing up in the 90’s my parents had this huge glass contraption in our kitchen which had a motor on top that looked like the roof of a Pizza Hut. All together it looked like a spaceship landed on our counter but I knew that whatever they put in there always came out delicious. This is what is now conventionally referred to as a “Turbo” convection oven. It is amazing how something that has existed for decades (in various forms) can finally hit mainstream popularity in households. Enter: the age of the Air Fryer. And lucky me, I just got one for Christmas. The Cuisinart TOA-60 Convection Toaster Oven Airfryer
First things first: How does an Air Fryer Work?
An air fryer is essentially a strategically designed convection oven. Convection cooking utilizes a heat source and a fan to continually move the heat around the food, ensuring that the surface of your food is continuously being brushed by a fresh source of piping hot air. Most toaster and conventional ovens have a convection function, but air fryers both beef up the size of the fan for optimal air flow and strategically place the food & heat source in a way that maximizes the level of heat circulation around your food, leading to a crispier outcome than if you were to use a convection function in another device.
What can’t you do in an air fryer?
I tend to compare the limitations of an air fryer to one of a toaster oven because most table-top air fryers come in a similar size and dimension as the more conventional toaster oven. With that said, I have always thought the spectrum of foods a toaster oven is used for was rather narrow (toasting a sandwich, crisping chicken nuggets, mini pizzas, etc…). Don’t get me wrong, I admit I haven’t pushed the boundaries of my toaster oven in the past.
Also, depending on the model you get, you may not even have the same features as a toaster oven. The Cusinart TOA-60 we were gifted has more of a conventional toaster oven look and feel, down to the turn-dial knobs, plus the added function of an air fryer. For someone who does not want to lose out on multi-functionality I recommend a model like this.
So is an Air Fryer the right kitchen tool for you?
It obviously depends on who you are and what you eat. You may or may not have the counter space for another kitchen device or prefer a stove top. Certainly, if you are looking for an alternative way to cook foods that minimize the oil but not sacrifice quality (a la a George Foreman grill), you should seriously consider an air fryer. It really depends on the lifestyle, but if you’re an average person like me, you may want to consider it.
Here’s why I LOVE my air fryer and why I think it’s good for someone like me. Let’s start with who I am.
- A husband, busy working father of 2 kids and the main cook of the house. When I’m not working from home in a pandemic I only have about 30-45 minutes to make a meal when I get through the door.
- I love to cook and put effort into our dinners (not many microwave meals or frozen dinners in this house)
- I am conscious about what I feed myself and my family
Here are the ways our Cusinart TOA-60 air fryer has been useful for us!
Low-effort & Quick: It’s relatively quick and very low effort. In a single day working from home due to the pandemic I made our family both battered fried chicken wings for lunch and a ribeye steak for dinner. Air frying is much like putting something in the oven in the sense that you’re not tossing food into the air or managing it in a pan. You prep and place into the container and allow the cooking process to do its thing. It even allows you to focus on other aspects of the meal, like sides, vegetables or anything you might be preparing on the stove.
For some of my air fryer recipes & other recipes visit my recipes page.
Maintains Food Quality: Just because you set something, turn on a timer, and walk away does not mean you are skimping on any technique or quality. After a quick egg bath, a dredge in seasoned flour, and a spray of avocado oil my chicken wings came out crispy as though I dropped them in a pot of sizzling oil. Our ribeye was also cooked evenly inside and out to just the right temperature with the thermometer. With an air fryer you are merely modifying the heat source and the method of cooking, so there’s no need to sacrifice technique.
Cleans up our cooking: I get to manage my family’s health by cooking in a way that limits the additional fat we put in our food. Since an air fryer does not use mass amounts of oil (only that which sticks or coats the food) our family gets to enjoy some of our favorite foods without the extra grease on top. It is actually pretty gratifying to see the drippings build up in the pan below our food because it reminds us of how much does not end up in our bodies. It makes something like the occasional ribeye steak feel that much less guilty.
What I specifically like about my Cusinart Air Fryer?
These are the top three things I specifically love about our Cusinart TOA-60 air fryer.
- It is sleek. I know this is superficial but when you consider it lives on your counter semi-permanently, it has to look good. I’m not opposed but not entirely sold on the spaceship or egg-shaped air fryers out there either. So we got the stainless steel model and it matches everything else on our counter top like the coffee maker and toaster (which we still keep to isolate having to only clean one crumb tray). It’s a beaut!
- The sheer depth of the oven is great. I haven’t tried it but apparently you can fit a 12” pizza in there. However, the air fryer basket is about 10”x11”, large enough capacity to fit a good amount of food (~20 wings). When you consider having to prepare for a family of four, you need capacity. And given the rectangular shape of the air fryer I think it maximizes the space a bit more than most baskets found in egg-shaped air fryers.
- I like having options. This particular model is multi-functional. So while I ditched my old toaster oven, if I ever wanted to make a toasted sub or give some shrimp a quick broil, I could use these functions as well in addition to air frying.
For more information, I included the manufacturer specs below.
The Cuisinart TOA-60 Convection Toaster Oven Airfryer
- Boasting a large interior and premium cooking capabilities, the Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven lets you enjoy a variety of broiled, baked, and fried dishes
- 7 cooking functions: Air Fry, Convection Bake, Convection Broil, Bake, Broil, Warm, and Toast
- Wide temperature range: 80 degrees to 450 degrees F
- Adjustable time with preset ranges for each function
- Auto shutoff
- Toast shade selector timer
- Nonstick interior
- Whisper quiet operation
- Interior light
- Auto shut off
- Can accommodate a pizza up to 12″
- 6-slice capacity
- 3 lb. air fryer capacity
- Includes:
- Oven rack
- Baking pan
- Air fryer rack/basket
- Steel/tempered glass/nylon/silicone
- Wipe-clean exterior
- 1800 watts
- 0.6 cu. ft. interior
- Measures 16″ L x 17″ W x 14″ H
- Cord measures 36″ L
- Weighs 19.2 lb.
- 3-year limited manufacturer’s warranty
- Imported
- Model TOA-60BKS (Black Stainless); TOA-60W (White); TOA-60CS (Copper Stainless); TOA-60 Stainless Steel
