Dual drawer air fryers are my favorite kinds: they offer capacity and versatility, perfect for busy homes. Cosori’s 8.5 L model has entered the market in a strong position, ready to take on the likes of the Ninja Foodi 8-in-1 and Instant Vortex Plus.
We’re always keen to test the best air fryers on the market, so our team of experts couldn’t wait to take this to our kitchen to test it properly. So we could really see what the Cosori is capable of, we made everything from fries and grilled vegetables to crispy bacon. Spoiler alert: it's can do an expert job of almost everything.
Whilst the price point is low in comparison to lots of other dual drawer air fryers, the Cosori's performance is top-of-the-game (especially if you eat more bacon than veggies). So, if you've got lots of mouths to feed and a smaller budget to shop with, this might be the air fryer for you.
Specifications
Unboxing
As you might expect from a large, dual zone air fryer, the Cosori Dual Drawer is big. It’s smaller than a microwave, but only marginally, so you’ll need to clear room on your countertops for it. That being said, the Cosori’s design is sleek. The sharp lines and curved corners make this look like a premium air fryer, even though it doesn’t have the price tag to match it.
As this is a big machine, it comes with plenty of of packaging, designed to keep it looking smart upon arrival. This is a combination of recyclable cardboard (big tick) and non-recyclable soft plastics (big cross). Whilst it would have been nice to have completely recyclable packaging, I understand that it’s not always easy, so the fact that there was some recyclable cardboard is a good start.
Cosori also provide a baking rack, skewer rack, and metal skewers for grilling and rotisseries. This is a nice touch, which isn’t often included with other air fryers, even premium models, so it’s certainly worth celebrating – just ensure you have somewhere to store these extras.
Who would it suit?
The Cosori Dual Zone was designed with busy homes in mind. The deep drawers will cook a whole meal quickly and efficiently. The Sync Finish function, which is becoming increasingly common in models, means you can cook protein and vegetables at the same time without having to worry about timings. It really takes a lot of stress out of the kitchen.
Cosori’s price point also makes this a good option for those shopping on a budget. You can still enjoy the techy, touchscreen luxuries of more premium air fryers, but for less money. Some features are less premium (the drawers can be stiff and the controls aren’t the most intuitive), but they’re worth compromising on to save a hundred dollars.
Whilst the large capacity makes this perfect for big homes, it inevitably comes hand-in-hand with a large footprint. This takes up a lot of space on the countertop, so you’ll need to have deep cupboards or some countertop space that you’re willing to sacrifice for the Cosori.
What is it like to use?
The Cosori makes a great first impression. It looks good, the touch screen is sensitive and responsive, plus there are lots of well-considered features. Viewing windows are always useful, but what’s even better is that each drawer has independent lighting, so you can switch one on and not the other. The lights will also automatically switch off after 30 seconds to save your utility bills.
However, our experts noticed a few, less convenient quirks to the Cosori, too. The drawers are quite stiff to pull out, especially the first time that you use them. Also, whilst the rubber feet on the crisper trays protects the non-stick, they’re not very smooth to lower in. You’ll need some muscle to properly force them down.
Test 1: Fries
Our experts wanted to maximize on the Dual Zone technology, so tested fries alongside nuggets. We took a look at Cosori’s pre-set guide, which is handily stuck on above the drawers, and saw that they recommend cooking fries for 20-25 minutes. We know that Cosori has a tendency to overshoot on cooking times, so agreed to keep an eye on the chips, checking on them through the viewing window every five minutes. There was also a setting which gave us the chance to opt for a shake reminder, which beeps and flash every five minutes, reminding you to turn your food. We gave this a go, because nobody likes unevenly cooked fries.
Once we had set up one drawer on the fries setting, we pressed 'sync finish' and the Cosori transferred our cooking instructions across to both drawers. There was no reprogramming necessary, which is really useful if you don't want to waste minutes setting temperatures and functions.
The drawers preheated for six minutes before telling us to add food in. You can turn off the pre-heat function, but you’ll get much less consistent results. Whilst heating, this made some noise (about as much as an extractor fan). Whilst it didn't emit that new air fryer smell, once we had gotten into our tests, we all agreed that this isn't a stealthy cooker. We could smell the fries throughout the whole, large, test kitchen.
At twenty minutes, we decided the fries needed to come out. We could see that they were browning nice and evenly and we didn’t want dry fries, which is what we were worried the extra five minutes would lead to.
Our team gave the fries a taste test and concluded they were pretty average fries: they were fluffy inside, but erring on dry, and overly crispy on the outside. We wouldn’t complain about them, but they were very forgettable.
Test 2: Nuggets
In the drawer next to the fries, we had a batch of nuggets, cooking at the same temperature for only 16 minutes. We had the same shake reminder and the sync cook setting on, so kept checking on them every five minutes.
Even though Cosori suggested these would only need 20 minutes, we took them out at the 16 minute mark. The breadcrumb exterior was nicely crispy and the nuggets were warmed through. If we were being picky, we might say that these were a little dry, but the whole plate got eaten, so they can’t have been that bad.
Test 3: Roasted veg
We gave the Cosori a break and came back to it an hour later to cook Mediterranean vegetables (pepper, courgette, aubergine, and onion). We had the option of a fifteen minute pre-heat, but that’s as long as the vegetables needed cooking for, so we decided to use the skip setting and put everything straight in, for 15 minutes, at 350 degrees.
Even though we could see steam coming out the side of the drawers, the viewing windows remained crystal clear and easy to see through. Nine minutes into cooking, our team decided that the vegetables looked crispy enough, so we took the vegetables out.
Even at nine minutes, we thought the vegetables could have had less time. Cosori air fryers are really powerful. The vegetables were crispy and cooked thoroughly and evenly. Some small vegetables had fallen through the crisper tray, which can’t be helped, but it’s worth watching because you could lose a lot of onion or garlic through these slots.
Cosori also recommends using an oil spray on the non-stick, which our experts thought sounded a little like overkill. There's almost no point in non-stick if you still have to use oil. We didn’t use any initially and found that a few pieces of vegetable did stick to the tray. Lesson learned: manufacturers know best. Although, if you delight in oil free cooking (like me) you might find this a little disappointing.
Test 4: Bacon
We followed Cosori’s advice to cook bacon at 340 degrees. However, it recommended that we leave our rashers in for ten minutes, which, by the measure of our fries and vegetables, would be far too much.
We kept an eye on the bacon and, at seven minutes, decided that the rashers had crisped up perfectly. The edges were nice and brown and we could see all the fat sizzling (not to mention the delicious smoky smell). After just one mouthful, one of the experts (from our sister brand), Christina, declared: ‘this is the best bacon I’ve ever had in an air fryer’. She has high standards, so that’s real praise. It was crispy without being crumbly: the perfect bacon.
Cleaning, storage, and maintenance
The drawers are both dishwasher safe, but, thanks to the non-stick, they’re also really easy to clean by hand. All the grease from our food ran straight off. If you don’t like the idea of big drawers in your dishwasher, I would recommend placing some silicone inserts, such as these from Walmart inside your drawers. You can put them in the dishwasher and they’re much less bulky.
We did spot that the touchscreen panel showed up our fingerprints almost straight away. I wouldn’t get rid of the touchscreen panel: it’s a really premium feature, but I would keep a microfiber cloth nearby. You’ll be able to keep it much cleaner.
As for storage, this is a big air fryer. It has family-sized capacity and quite some weight to it, so I would recommend clearing a space for it on your countertops and leaving it there. If not, you’ll need to dedicate a whole shelf of a deep, low cupboard to the Cosori, which isn’t convenient at all.
How does it rate online?
On Amazon, this has an average of 4.7 stars from over a thousand reviews. That’s seriously impressive, so it’s clear that this is popular with the people. Everyone praised the capacity and simplicity of the Cosori, scoring it particularly highly on the ‘value’ discriminator. Most reviewers made use of the spacious drawers, cooking separate ingredients at the same time. Plenty of people said that it has made their conventional oven redundant.
People did also say that the design is big and a little clunky. Most people cautioned against the pre-sets as they experienced the same as us; the Cosori is definitely more powerful than it thinks. They also noted that the accessories (skewers and baking tray) are really only suitable for single-servings.
How does it compare?
Most brands have now launched a dual drawer air fryer and some are better than others. The Cosori is probably the cheapest I would go if you still want value for money. We have tested the Ultenic K20, which is even cheaper, but it comes with a ton more compromises. I found it much more fiddly to use, the build quality felt cheaper, and it doesn’t have any viewing windows, which is helpful when you’re new to air frying and want to keep an eye on your food.
More expensive alternatives to the Cosori are the Ninja Foodi and the Instant Vortex. The Ninja, again, doesn’t have useful viewing windows and also doesn’t have a pre-heat function. Even though it’s quick to cook, the lack of the first two features can make it harder to achieve consistent results. If you’re new to air frying, the Cosori is your better bet.
The Instant is a great option if you’re more advanced in air fryers and willing to spend more money. It has OdorErase technology, helping to lessen the lingering smell of fries in your kitchen the morning after dinner. It’s also quick, easy to use, and feels much more premium than the Cosori. The baskets slot neatly, rather than stiffly, into place, for example. However, as I’ve mentioned, it’s much more expensive, so you’ll need to be ready to splurge.
Should you buy it?
If you have a lot of mouths to feed and a capped budget, you can’t go wrong with the Cosori. It has one of the best viewing windows I’ve tested and did a decent job of air frying a range of foods. Plus, you can’t forget Christina’s comment about the unbeatable bacon.
How we test
At Homes and Gardens, we are committed to giving you real-life, representative reviews. That’s why any product that we recommend has been tested by our team of experts in a dedicated test kitchen. We have a series or standardized tests which help us to determine a few things: how effective an air fryer is, whether it is worth the money, and finally, how it compares to other air fryers on the market.
We air fry everything from bacon, fries, Mediterranean vegetables, and nuggets, testing the texture and flavors alongside how easy it is to achieve perfect results. If you're curious to find out more, you can read all the details of how we test air fryers on our dedicated page.
