Drew & Cole Microwave Air Fryer Oven Combo review

Until you’ve been residing in a cabinet, you’ll know that air frying is the cooking perform du jour. It’s no shock that it’s popping up on ovens and combi microwaves as a further function, providing you with the choice of preserving treasured worktop house.

That’s actually the purpose of Drew & Cole’s Microwave Air Fryer Oven Combo, for not solely does it oven prepare dinner, grill, microwave and air fry, its useful presets can mix just a few of these strategies for sooner, crispier outcomes. Plus, there are many presets, akin to defrost and reheat, which are perfect for busy life.

Design & Construct

• Button and dial operation
• Giant dimension: 28 x 49 x 38cm
• Comes with cooking equipment

Whereas it might need a number of capabilities, from the skin, the Microwave Air Fryer Oven Combo appears like every other microwave. Completed in shiny black, it’s fairly giant (H28 x W49 x D38cm), taking on a lot of a mean worktop that there isn’t loads of house in entrance to place down dishes. And whereas it could butt up towards a wall on the rear, you’ll have to think about 20cm both facet and 30cm above. As soon as positioned, it’s finest to go away it there because it’s additionally heavy at 16.1kg.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

Inside, there’s a glass turntable, which is dishwasher secure. It’s provided with three equipment, though it’s not clear if any of these are dishwasher secure: a perforated non-stick aluminium oven tray, plus a brief and a tall wire rack for elevating meals in the direction of the grill aspect on the roof of the 25L cavity.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

There’s a second aspect on the rear for convection cooking, and the microwave part on the proper. The controls are pretty easy contemplating the variety of presets accessible: seven named buttons mixed with a dial that can be utilized to pick out each weight of meals and modes.  

Efficiency & Options

• Low air fryer energy (1000W) means gradual cooking
• 25L capability
• Vary of presets

Air frying may be this Microwave Air Fryer Oven Combo’s most eye-catching function however it’s not what it excels at. The rationale for this, as turned clear throughout testing, is that the air frying energy is decrease than standalone air fryers, at simply 1000W.

In comparison with the potential energy consumption of a mid-sized 5-6L air fryer, which is often not less than 1500-1700W, and the equal 1000W of a compact (round 2-3L) air fryer, heating a 25L cavity seems to gradual the method down.

We examined it utilizing uncooked chipped potato, washed and dried then tossed in a small quantity of oil, utilizing the corresponding air frying programme for fries/wedges. The perforated oven tray lent itself nicely to this perform, though the directions made no suggestion of utilizing it for this goal.

It wasn’t clear if this programme was meant for pre-cooked chips, and there was no information to what temperature the meals was being cooked at, or what an acceptable quantity may be, though there was a preset time of twenty-two minutes. There was no choice so as to add further minutes whereas cooking.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

After the time had elapsed, the potato was smooth and pale, so we ran the programme once more after turning the items over. This produced higher outcomes – crispier items across the fringe of the pile and browner items within the center. Nonetheless, a complete working time of 44 minutes for one batch is way longer than a standalone air fryer (20-Half-hour). In case you do loads of air fryer cooking, this equipment will value you time.

There’s a good vary of 9 air fry presets although, which incorporates steak, burgers, greens and fish/prawns. Nonetheless, in contrast to standalone air fryers, there’s no prompt air frying temperature for every one – or in its handbook air fry mode (adjustable in 5-minute increments) – which means it’s more durable to transform your favorite oven recipes, and there’s extra test-and-adjust cooking concerned.

The opposite capabilities have extra energy: it contains a 900W microwave and a 2100W convection oven and grill. We examined the grill by cooking hash browns from frozen on the tall rack. There was no alternative of excessive or low grill, and cooking took longer than anticipated, 35 minutes utilizing the non-microwave combi setting.

This was extra time than it might usually take underneath our traditional grill, and the hash browns lacked crunch. Nonetheless, the grill did higher with toasted gadgets, and we favored that minutes may very well be added because it grilled.

We had probably the most success with cooking rooster on an auto preset, of which there are 10, together with reheat, potato, cake, soup and pizza. These could be diverse by weight, however they’re fairly tightly outlined: rooster affords 4 weights of 500g, 750g, 1kg and 1.2kg, with little data within the directions about how lengthy every programme is or what kind of cooking it includes.

For instance, the rooster programme used microwaving and convection warmth, whereas the reheat alone was solely microwaving. Contemplating that metallic equipment can solely be used on non-microwave programmes, this sort of data is salient. The rooster legs emerged with golden and bubbled pores and skin, and the meat cooked by means of to the joint.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

Value & Availability

This microwave air fryer combo is out there within the UK from Amazon, the place it’s presently priced at £179.99 – £20 decrease than its RRP. Nonetheless, this places it at across the similar worth level as many Ninja air fryers – that are broadly thought of to be among the many finest accessible. For our prime picks from this model, take a look at our round-up of the perfect Ninja air fryers and cookers.

But when counter house is at a premium and also you’d like a mix air fryer and microwave, this Drew & Cole equipment may very well be price it – it’s not over-priced for its glorious function set. In case you assume an air fryer oven combo would serve you higher, you’ll be able to try our prime air fryer oven suggestions.

Must you purchase Drew & Cole’s Microwave Air Fryer Oven Combo?

If it’s largely air frying you’re after, Drew & Cole’s Microwave Air Fryer Oven Combo most likely isn’t the proper match: it prices greater than mid-sized standalone air fryers, and takes longer to get the job accomplished.

It really works higher as a mixed microwave oven, the microwaving trimming cooking time whereas fanned scorching air crisps up meals. You might have just a few disappointing outcomes till you develop into conversant in its processes however when you’re keen to keep it up, this 3-in-1 may very well be a useful helper at dinner.

Not the proper air fryer for you? Take a look at our prime picks in the perfect air fryers we’ve examined.