Air Fryers are popular kitchen appliances that have enjoyed much debate and discussion over the last few years. They speed up the cooking process and can cook a wide range of food, from crispy chips to roast chicken and grilled vegetables. Air fryers also save energy over traditional cooking methods and are compact in design. But if you’re looking to buy one of the best air fryers for the first time, it can be a minefield of what to choose.
I was excited to try Cosori’s TurboBlaze Air Fryer. Although it's exclusively available at Amazon, Cosori is still one of the top air fryer brands on the market and sits comfortably next to the likes of Ninja. I was impressed with the TurboBlaze’s design, which looked sleek and compact on my countertop and, despite initial reservations, didn’t look out of place. It certainly outsmarts Cosori's Smart Wi-Fi Air Fryer on looks and styling.
The Cosori TurboBlaze Air Fryer also offers a generous 6-quart basket, great for feeding large families, although it would be too large if you’re cooking for one. In this instance, you might the Dash Compact air fryer which has a 2-quart basket. I cooked a generously sized chicken, and found there was plenty of space for cooking chips and sausages for a family of four. Here's how the Cosori TurboBlaze performed in two weeks of testing.
Cosori TurboBlaze Air Fryer review: Specs
Cosori TurboBlaze Air Fryer: Price and availability
The Cosori TurboBlaze 6 Quart Air Fryer is available from the Cosori website for $119/£159 and on Amazon for $119/£99. Its U.S. price is identical to Ninja’s Air Fryer Pro 4-in-1, although the Ninja model has a smaller 5-quart basket.
Cosori TurboBlaze Air Fryer review: Design & setup
I was pleasantly surprised when I unboxed the air fryer to see how compact it looked despite having a 6-quart basket. My husband was also over my shoulder checking it out, as he was reluctant to have yet another kitchen appliance permanently on our countertop. The TurboBlaze feels much less of a space hogger than the Ninja Foodi 2 Basket 8-Quart Air Fryer, although I’d still be happy to squeeze one in my kitchen!
I like the TurboBlaze’s overall design, including how the top touchscreen is angled slightly to make it easier to see and how the display is trimmed with a silver edge. It’s a small detail, but it adds to the overall aesthetic.
Plus, with five fan speeds, the Cosori TurboBlaze provides plenty of versatility when cooking. Turbo mode uses the top fan speed and covers air fry, roast, broil and frozen — making for speedy results. But you can also reheat, bake, prove, dehydrate and reheat.
The basket is designed for ease of use, with a central handle that is comfortable to hold and provides a secure grip when removing heavy items, such as a whole chicken. The air fryer has a crisper plate that sits slightly raised from the bottom, allowing air to circulate underneath the food for a more even cook. However, it can be removed, especially if you’re roasting meat.
There’s also a cable tidy at the back of the appliance, so when not in use, you won’t be able to store it flush against a wall.
Cosori TurboBlaze Air Fryer review: Performance
I started by air frying some potato and sweet potato wedges in the air fryer. While prepping the wedges, I set the air fryer to preheat. Some air fryers don't have automatic pre-heat time, but the Cosori has a pre-set program that takes 4 minutes at 419°F (215°C).
I lightly coated the potatoes in olive oil and selected the air frying function before setting the temperature to 419°F (215°C) for 12 minutes. This is the guide temperature time mentioned in the accompanying recipe book.
I was anxious to check how the wedges were cooking, as I know that sweet potatoes cook more quickly, so I pressed pause halfway through and took the opportunity to give them a shake. Unlike some other Cosori air fryers, such as the Cosori 9-Quart Dual Basket Air Fryer, the TurboBlaze doesn't come with an Shake Reminder to alert you when it's time to flip the food. Everything looked fine, so I continued cooking the wedges until 2 minutes before the end time, removing the sweet potato before finishing the remaining wedges. The wedges were perfectly crisp, and depending on the thickness you prefer, you’ll soon learn whether your fries need less or more time.
I enjoy roasted vegetables, especially peppers and zucchini, although my crop could have been better this year. I always look for quick tricks in the kitchen, so being able to cook multiple veggies at once saves time and washing up – that’s a double win in my books!
To prepare the veg, I cut the pepper and zucchini into strips and covered them with a light coating of olive oil before placing them on the crisper tray. I ran the preheat mode while I was preparing the veg, then selected the Roast mode, with a temperature setting of 428°F (220°C) for 8 minutes. The vegetables were lightly charred, and to my taste. But the benefit of using the air fryer is that if you require a deeper char, it will only take a minute of two.
I then cooked some frozen food in the Cosori air fryer, starting with chicken nuggets — not my usual fare, but all for the sake of the review. I cooked six chicken nuggets, selecting the Frozen mode at 383°F (195°C) for 6 minutes, although the recipe instructions suggested 7-9 minutes. If I’d been cooking a greater quantity of nuggets, I’m sure they would have taken the full 7-9 minutes to cook.
When it comes to heat, the air fryer doesn't exude a great deal, and you won't find your kitchen overheating on a hot day. It is also safe to touch the casing, although when removing the basket, always use the handle.
Next came sausages and bacon. I usually broil sausages and bacon and must be constantly vigilant to ensure the meat doesn’t burn or set off my smoke alarm. However, in the air fryer, it was safe to leave the meat to cook without constantly checking it.
Having said that, I did pause the cooking halfway through to check on it and turn the food over. I was taken aback by how much easier it was to cook. Apart from the meat tasting delicious and the fat rendering well on the bacon, the cooking smells were noticeably reduced and cleaning up took a fraction of the time. I cooked six slices of bacon at 330°F (165°C) for 7 minutes, turning the rashes after 5 minutes.
I then choose a recipe from the Cosori cookbook, which includes a good selection of breakfast, appetizer, entrée, side and dessert dishes. However, I was eager to cook a whole chicken and decided on the spiced rotisserie chicken recipe — a whole chicken rubbed with a spice mix before cooking. The recipe is for a 3.9lb chicken, which sat comfortably within the basket.
The instructions were to remove the crisper plate and place the chicken breast side down in the basket. It was then cooked on Air Fry at 365°F (185°C) for 30 minutes before I turned it over and reduced it by 10°F for another 30 minutes.
The chicken was beautifully moist without drying out, and the skin was crispy. As before, with the bacon and sausages, I was impressed with the lack of lingering odor left in the house. It's also a perfect way to cook a roast in the summer when you want to reduce the heat emitted from a range.
I’ve also tried a few other favorites. A quick lunch in my house is cheese on toast, and this can all be completed in the air fryer without using a broiler. I was able to toast the bread under the grill function and then top it with cheese for a final 1.5 minutes. Crispy potatoes and using the air fryer to warm yesterday’s pastries were also winners.
I was also interested in the noise level output and placed my mobile by the side of the air fry to check the decibel output using the Sound Meter app. I set the air fryer onto the highest fan speed, for the hottest temperature 446°F (230°C) for 2 minutes, and the average reading was 68dB. As a comparison I completed the same test for my electric range, with a result of 62dB.
Cosori TurboBlaze Air Fryer review: Cleaning
I found the Cosori air fryer super easy to clean, and I’ve never put it in the dishwasher. Unlike a gloss or stainless steel outer casing, the external surface only needs a quick wipe over. I’ve also noticed that other users of air fryers complain about how dusty the touch screen becomes. As a self-confessed neat freak, I didn’t find this a problem, and once again it only needed a quick wipe over.
Cleaning the inside was also a dream. It’s one of the main benefits I found using the air fryer, compared to the lengths it takes to clean up after using a broiler, frying pan, or oven. Even when roasting a chicken, I was able to clean the basket with hot spuds without soaking. The same was true for the crisper plate, which just needed a quick hand wash even after air-frying chips.
Although the air fryer is dishwasher safe, I found it easier to wash it up by hand rather than sacrificing space in the dishwasher for other items.
Cosori TurboBlaze Air Fryer review: Verdict
I found that the Cosori TurboBlaze air fryer gives a powerful performance, delivers crisp results, and is incredibly user-friendly, plus it’s easy to clean. There’s not much more you could want out of an air fryer that offers turbo fast cooking and nine cooking modes. Whether you are air frying chips, meat or vegetables, I found the TurboBlaze to be a lot more hit than miss, and as a bonus it can even dehydrate fruit or prove bread dough.
If you want a simple and powerful air fryer that feeds a family of four, the Cosori TurboBlaze is a great option. There are many models on the market that come with more bells and whistles, such as the super-smart Dreo ChefMaker which has a temperature probe and can alert you when your food is done. You could also opt for a dual-zone fryer such as the Ninja Foodi Dual Zone if you wanted the option of cooking two elements of your meal independently. But what the Cosori Blaze does, it does very well, and it also offers excellent value for money at around $100.
