For quick and easy meals, the Hamilton Beach Air Fryer is a great choice that doesn’t require a lot of effort. It’s easy to use, and has preset buttons for most of the foods you would cook in an air fryer. The digital control panel is convenient to use and has large icons that are easy to read. The temperature and cook time can be adjusted to find the perfect combination for the desired meal.
Here's my only concern: If the air fryer is empty, when I open the door, sometimes, the whole appliance tilts slightly forward! Fortunately, it doesn’t do this when the appliance is full, but that is something to consider.
Otherwise, the air fryer was a joy to use. Keep reading to see how the Hamilton Beach Digital Air Fryer compares to our list of the best air fryers.
Hamilton Beach Digital Air Fryer: Price & Availability
The Hamilton Beach Digital Air Fryer is available on Amazon for $117.27. On the Hamilton Beach website, it retails for $119.99. It’s a good price, considering the build, many features, and ease of use.
Note: Hamilton Beach also made a digital air fryer with a rotating basket with otherwise the same spec. However, that model was discontinued, so it’s no longer available on the company’s website. You may still be able to find one on Amazon, but keep in mind that since it’s discontinued, you may not be able to get support for the appliance.
Score: 5 out of 5
Hamilton Beach Digital Air Fryer: First Impressions
I’ve had the Hamilton Beach Digital Air Fryer for several months. I no longer have the brown shipping box that it arrived in. However, I did snap a photo of the Hamilton Beach box before tossing it. The air fryer was packed securely to protect it during the shipping process.
After taking everything out of the box, I was impressed with the various parts and features. The air fryer comes with 3 removable mesh trays, a drip/baking pan, rotisserie lift and hooks, and rotisserie forks with skewer. There’s also an instruction manual. I was disappointed that there was no sort of recipe book; however, on the Hamilton Beach website, there are recipes from the Hamilton Beach test kitchen.
Hamilton Beach Digital Air Fryer: Design
The Hamilton Beach Digital Air Fryer has a stylish design that makes it look sleek and modern, and the air fryer actually matches the rest of my appliances. It measures 15.4 x 12.74 x 13.53in (h x w x d) which fits on my countertop without taking up too much space. The air vents are on the back of the appliance.
The control panel on top is slightly tilted, which is definitely a user-friendly feature that makes it easier to view and operate. The control panel consists primarily of icons and also up and down arrows. The arrows on the left side are for the temperature and the arrows on the right side are for the time. The icons are for the light, menu, on/off, and rotisserie on.
The preset menu icons are for French fries, meat, chicken, fish, shrimp, rotisserie, vegetables, and dehydrating. When a preset icon is chosen, the control panel alternates between the default temperature and default cook time, and I can make adjustments as desired.
There’s a drip/baking pan in the bottom of the air fryer, and it catches any spills. The three removable mesh trays can be put in various positions (top, medium, bottom) for the desired level of doneness. In addition, they allow different types of meals to be cooked at the same time.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
Hamilton Beach Digital Air Fryer: key specifications
Hamilton Beach Digital Air Fryer: Performance
During the several weeks that I tested the Hamilton Beach Digital Air Fryer, I cooked several types of foods that I eat on a routine basis.
During one test, I made chicken wings. (Note, I used Weber’s seasoning and some Worcestershire sauce as a light marinade for all of the test items.) I chose the chicken preset, and didn’t adjust the time or temperature. However, I did stay close by to ensure the wings did not burn. In the photo above, you can see that the fatty liquids from the chicken dripped down to the drip tray. The advantage of the wire baskets is that meats don’t sit in and absorb these fatty oils. And this makes the meat healthier.
However, the downside to using a wire basket is figuring out what to do with the basket. I didn’t want to ruin my countertops – and I also didn’t want to dirty up a large pan that I would have to wash. So, I decided to use silicone-tipped tongs to remove the items from the air fryer, and left the basket in the oven so it could cool down until I was ready to wash dishes. The chicken was tender and juicy, and tasted much better since it wasn’t soaking in grease. (Note: when I talk about fatty oils, I’m referring to what the meat naturally produces, since I don’t add any type of oil when cooking.)
During another test, I made some corn on the cob. It was frozen, not fresh, so I wasn’t sure how it would turn out. I chose the vegetable setting, and didn’t change the default time or temperature. However, again, I kept an eye on the corn, and when I noticed some browning, I took it out. The corn on the cob was juicy and sweet.
On another day, I tried pork chops. There’s a preset for pork, so I selected it and increased the time by 20 minutes – but ended up taking the food out before the alert sounded. The pork chops were juicy and flavorful.
My final test was cooking sirloin steak. I selected the meat preset, and did not make any adjustments. The steak came out perfectly. It was well done, easy to cut, and flavorful.
One thing I noticed with all of the tested items is that I never ended up with food that was overcooked, or tough.
I didn’t make rotisserie chicken because I don’t tackle that level of food. I cook, but I don’t really cook like that. The idea of trussing a chicken and using cotton strings and then inserting skewers and rotisserie forks, and using lifts – and then trying to take it out of that small oven – was not something that I desire to do, especially since I don’t particularly like rotisserie chicken.
The noise level on the air fryer registered at 54.4 dB. It’s loud enough to notice that there’s an appliance operating, which is a good thing, but not loud enough to disturb the peace.
The drip tray makes cleaning easy, since it catches everything. I washed the drip tray and baskets in the sink in soapy water (although they’re also dishwasher safe). I unplugged the appliance and washed the interior and exterior with a damp, soapy cloth.
Score: 5 out of 5
Hamilton Beach Digital Air Fryer: user reviews
On the Hamilton Beach website, the air fryer only has 3 reviews, and a 5/5 rating. Consumers say it was easy to use and they like that it emits less heat than conventional ovens. Amazon has several more reviews, and the air fryer has a 4.6/5 rating. Buyers consider it a value for the price, and they gave it high marks on performance and taste, while also liking the 3 shelves.
The few negative reviews centered on ease of use, and ease of cleaning. Some reviewers said the air fryer burns some foods, and one person noted that it was easy to get burned while trying to take the basket out.
Should I buy the Hamilton Beach Digital Air Fryer?
Buy it if...
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How does the Hamilton Beach Digital Air Fryer compare?
The Brava Glass Oven is one of the best air fryer toaster ovens. It can air fry, roast, bake, sear, toast, reheat, make rice, dehydrate, slow cook, and keep food warm. And it comes with numerous accessories, ranging from metal trays to a glass tray, square pan, muffin tin, loaf pan, and egg tray. The Brava Glass Oven also has 3 cooking zones with different temperatures, a thermostat, and an internal camera that lets you see food inside. But it’s not budget friendly. Expect to pay $1,995 for it.
If you’d prefer something smaller, the Cosori TurboBlaze 6 quart air fryer can air fry, roast, bake, broil, dehydrate, proof, reheat, keep warm, and cook frozen food. At 6 quarts, it’s smaller than the Hamilton Beach, and has a design that allows you to pick up the entire basket and place it on a heat-resistant mat or trivet without worrying about messy drips. The $119.99 price is competitive.
How I tested the Hamilton Beach Digital Air Fryer
I tested the Hamilton Beach Digital Air Fryer for several months, off and on. When testing, I evaluated build quality, performance, taste, ease of use, and ease of cleaning.
Read more about how we test
First reviewed: May 2024
