We found that the Cosori Smart Wifi Air Fryer 5.8qt consistently did a good job of air-frying a variety of foods and bringing them to a nice golden brown.
In order to get the most crispy food when you buy an air fryer, you should select one which will deliver as much crunch as possible.
Note: As an Amazon Associate, we earn commissions from qualifying purchases.
Get additional info. at Amazon by clicking here!
As it has digital controls and non-stick baskets that can be washed in the dishwasher, it is also very easy to operate and clean.
Additionally, this air-fryer has an app available that allows it to connect to a smartphone, making it an ideal choice for individuals who are used to technology.
There are a few things we do not like about the Cosori Smart WiFi Air Fryer, one of them being its rather sluggish touch controls. In addition, it is not very good for toasting. However, despite this, the Cosori is one of the best air fryers on the market.
Design
As far as design awards go, the Cosori Smart Wifi Air Fryer 5.8-quart won’t win any. However, in all fairness, we couldn’t think of an air fryer that would win such prizes.
Basically, it’s a big black box that has a protruding handle for removing the cooking basket as well as a smooth digital control panel.
It is easy to use and the buttons for the different settings are not large, but the preprogrammed settings are marked with small icons, such as a carrot for vegetables and a fish for seafood.
The display goes to sleep when it is not in use, making the device appear less cluttered when not in use.
A 12-inch-square appliance, this machine is not a small appliance, and it will take up some space not only on your kitchen countertop, but also in a cabinet or closet if you do not plan on having it on the counter permanently. The size of this air fryer is average for an air fryer, however.
Cooking Performance
Preheat
In order to get the best results when air-frying in the Cosori, it is recommended that you preheat the fryer before cooking. Unlike many air fryers on the market, the Cosori does not automatically enter a preheat mode when you set a program, choose the temperature, or select a menu option. It requires youu to press the preheat pad, then set the cooking temperature and the timer for 3 to 5 minutes, as per the guidelines in the manual; there are multiple temperatures and times suggested in the manual.
Regardless of the fact that this is an extra step, you do know how long the fryer will need to preheat, so you can easily add more time after the cooking is done without having to wait for it to preheat again.
Start Cooking
After the Cosori air fryer has been preheated, food is placed in the basket and a button is pressed that will begin the cooking process. The user can either program in their own temperatures and times, or choose one of the preset settings that suggests temperatures and times, and then press Start.
Also, you have the option of customizing the presets to make sure that food is prepared according to your personal preferences on a regular basis.
As a general rule, it’s recommended that you shake or turn your food halfway through the cooking process. The Corsori conveniently beeps and flashes “Shake” on the display once half the cooking time has passed; however, you can turn off the notification if you don’t want to be disturbed.
Despite the fact that the basket has a capacity of 5.8 quarts, you cannot cook that much food at once. You might be able to load up a basket with something like French fries and after a long cooking time with multiple interruptions, toss and turn the fries, and hope that you achieve the best results. Even so, loading a whole bunch of pieces of chicken and fish on top of each other won’t yield a good result. In general, for the most part, you are restricted to either a pound of food or the footprint of the basket’s bottom, which is 9 inches square. If you leave some space between food pieces for the air to circulate, you will get a better crisping result.
Get additional info. at Amazon by clicking here!
Roast Chicken
In this air fryer, there is no roast setting and there are no instructions for how to roast a whole chicken in it. However, on the company’s website there is an image of a whole roast chicken on the air fryer page, and a lot of air fryers will provide instructions on how to roast a whole chicken. Thus, we decided to roast a three-pound chicken.
In just 40 minutes after a quick preheat it turned out beautifully golden brown with a crackly skin on the top, but not on the bottom. According to our experience, chickens roasted in a conventional oven will inevitably have pale flabby bottoms unless they are done on a spit or turned halfway through the cooking process. We found the chicken incredibly flavorful and moist. Unlike roasting in an oven, roasting outside did not generate any smoke or create any splatters which needed to be cleaned off the walls. In fact, we can think of no easier way to roast a chicken.
Hamburger Patties
Furthermore, we cooked hamburger patties in the Cosori as well. The hamburger patties were cooked in 10 minutes after a 5-minute preheat. On the second side, the browning was better, and it seemed to be the same color as it would be if it were broiling rather than the deep brown crusty exterior it would be if it were grilling or even pan-frying. However, once again, there was no smoke and there was nothing to clear up on the cooktop or pan in terms of greasy splatters.
Toasting Bread Slices
As far as we know, Cosori is the only air fryer that does not also function as a toaster oven but just has a toast setting. In our experiment, we used two slices of bread to test its functionality. After eight minutes on the default setting, the bread was unevenly toasted. It is noteworthy that at some points, the Cosori did actually crisp and brown the bread all the way through.
The Cosori air-fryer is not so “smart” when it comes to toasting bread and is not something that is likely to replace your toaster, however. We recommend only using it as a last resort.
Clean-Up and Ease of Use
The Cosori Smart WiFi Air Fryer series is very easy to operate and the digital controls on the digital screen are incredibly easy to use. The buttons can be just a tad slow to respond when you are setting a time, and if you’re going from a default of 20 minutes down to 5, it can prove tedious if you don’t hold your finger down continuously on the button.
This air fryer consists of two baskets, an outer one and an inner one. There is a button on the cover of the two baskets that you have to push in order to separate the two baskets for cleaning. This can be a little tricky at first.
Each basket is coated with a non-stick finish, so they are easy to clean by hand, or you can also put them in the dishwasher to make life easier.
Temperature of Exterior
The exterior of the Cosori does not get hot enough during cooking that it would cause serious burns to anyone who touches it. We measured the hotspot at a maximum of 128°F on one side only. However, the control handle and the handles remained in an acceptable temperature range of about room temperature.
Noise Level
In operation, the air fryer produces a noise level of 65.3dB, which is equivalent to a normal conversation in the room.
User Manual and Cookbook Included
With this air fryer you get a thorough, easy-to-follow user manual that will help you learn how to use it. A soft-cover cookbook with 66 delicious and very appealing recipes is also included in this package.
Digital App and Wi-Fi
It was easy to connect the air fryer to the WiFi and the app was very intuitive to use as far as programming is concerned. As soon as you have accessed the app, it is much easier to program the fryer than on the machine itself because it explains everything in great detail. In addition to allowing you to turn off the preheat, it also allows you to select whether you want a reminder to shake your food and, if so, at which point.
There is no way to start the fryer remotely because of safety concerns. As a result, once the fryer is preheated, it does not automatically start cooking and you do not get a notice to press the start button again once it has preheated. Generally speaking, we were able to see minimal benefit from the app, especially in light of the fact that it is not difficult to program the machine itself.
Integration with Alexa or Google Assistant
The fryer can also be controlled by voice commands provided by Alexa or Google Assistant once the WiFi is connected.
In Conclusion…
There is no doubt that the Cosori Smart WiFi Air Fryer 5.8-quart is the best air fryer you can buy simply for the reason that it is the best at browning and crisping food no matter what you choose to prepare. That’s the reason you’re in the market for an air fryer in the first place.
Despite the fact that the buttons don’t react very quickly to your touch, this is a task that takes seconds, and not minutes, so the inconvenience is tolerable. Besides the fact that the Cosori cooks with at most a tablespoon of fat, it also contains any drips, spatters, and fumes completely within the device, and the baskets are easy to remove and clean, which makes it an extremely convenient way to cook.
I am sure that if you are a technology enthusiast you will greatly appreciate the capability of monitoring this appliance from your smartphone, searching for recipes with a digital assistant, as well as giving it orders with the digital assistant.