Choosing the right air fryer for your needs is getting increasingly difficult because quite frankly, we’re spoilt for choice.
But when an air fryer claims to be 46% faster than other air fryers, that’s something that cuts through the noise of this oversaturated market and catches our attention. And that’s exactly what the new COSORI Turbo Blaze air fryer claims to be able to do.
COSORI is no newbie to the air fryer game – the established Amazon-exclusive brand regularly makes it to our best air fryers round-ups and the COSORI Lite model is one of the best air fryers under £100 in our opinion.
With its 6-litre capacity, which should be big enough to feed the whole family, and innovative features, including an energy-efficient DC motor, which makes sure the hot air-circulating fan cooks quickly, evenly and consistently with less noise than most air fryers. And even though we wouldn’t say this air fryer is 46% faster than other air fryers as the brand claims - a percentage actually based on a comparison with COSORI’s CP158 air fryer - we do agree that it is a bit quicker than most air fryers, cooking chips from frozen in just 14 minutes, for example. Here's how we got on with it when we put it to the test.
COSORI Turbo Blaze 6L Air Fryer specifications
- Material: Plastic, aluminium
- Colour: Black
- Capacity: 6 litres
- Modes: Air fry, dehydrate, air roast, reheat, grill, bake, defrost, warm, proof and preheat
- Weight: 6kg
- Power: 1725W
- Size: (H) 30.1 x (W) 30 x (D) 40cm
Unboxing and first impressions
Given the bold claim of being 46% faster than other air fryers that COSORI makes about its Turbo Blaze, to say I was intrigued would be an understatement. So the excitement was real once the rather sizable brown cardboard package arrived. And within was the brown cardboard was another, white and orange box that was almost just as big as the other.
Being someone who places quite a lot of importance on sustainability, I was a bit disappointed when I opened the box and was met with an old-fashioned polystyrene insert which was holding the appliance securely in place from both the top and bottom. Those polystyrene inserts were also pretty huge, and unnecessarily so I’d say. So there’s definitely room for improvement packaging-wise.
The crisper plate was separate from the air fryer itself, placed right on the top when opening the box. But other than that, the appliance was all put together, no assembly needed whatsoever. All I needed to do (and did) was pop it on the kitchen worktop and plug it in. But before using it for the first time, I did wash the inside of the drawer and the crisper plate as recommended by the manual.
Knowing the capacity ahead of time, I was pleasantly surprised that the air fryer wasn’t absolutely huge and fit on my kitchen counter pretty comfortably - even though when not in use, it actually lives in my pantry, or appliance garage I should say.
I’m also a fan of the matt finish, which makes the air fryer look rather elevated. Even if it shows fingerprint marks very easily.
But the most satisfying part? Peeling off that protective film of the very sleek digital display.
Using the COSORI Turbo Blaze air fryer
The COSORI Turbo Blaze has 10 cooking modes that are available at your finger tips and you can play around with. And while you can experiment, COSORI also took any possible guesswork out of the equation with clear directions in the manual, telling you what mode you should choose, what temperature and length of time for specific foods from shrimps to veggies to chips.
Additionally, the recipe book featuring everything from breakfasts to dinner dishes also provides plenty of ideas.
Making homemade granola
As mentioned, the air fryer comes equipped with a little recipe booklet. So I gave one of the suggested recipes a try and had a go at making a homemade granola in an air fryer. I’ve made granola at home before but in an oven so I was interested to see how this would compare.
The toasted granola recipe sits in the breakfast section of the provided book and the mixture for it was really easy to make - just throwing some oats, nuts and spices into a bowl, coating them with honey and oil. It’s a very versatile recipe which you don’t have to stick to 100% - you can substitute things you don’t currently have at home for ingredients you have at your disposal. But something I was rather disappointed with, and which has become a bit of a theme throughout using this air fryer, is how little of the granola the recipe would make if I didn’t double the ingredients.
This air fryer is advertised as being big enough to feed the whole family, which I honestly don’t think it’s true. There are only two of us at home and the portions the air fryer was able to provide in one batch were just about enough for us. And when making something like granola, you want to make enough to last you a while. And if I followed the recipe I would make enough for maybe four portions.
The recipe advises removing the crisper plate and preheating the air fryer, which I did. Once the granola mixture was done and the air fryer preheated, I spread it directly on the bottom of the drawer.
The touch display located on the top of the air fryer is easy to use and looks very sleek and modern. I selected the ‘bake’ mode and set the temperature at 175°C and the timer at 7 minutes. Then I pressed start. Halfway through the cooking time, I paused the process to give the mixture a little toss about as recommended.
After the 7 minutes were up and the timer went off, I removed the drawer and let the granola cool. This is when granola gets its signature crispiness. So if you’re making granola and it’s still soft at the end of the baking time, don’t worry - it will crisp up when cooling down.
Comparing this experience to making granola in the oven, the main difference is, of course, time. While you need to bake granola for about 30 to 40 minutes in the oven, it only takes 7 in the air fryer, which is a game changer.
Cooking chips
Making fresh chips from scratch in an air fryer is a go-to testing method here at Ideal Home, measuring how good an air fryer actually is. I opted for thin-cut French fries rather than traditional thick chips, which should cook quicker.
I’m going to say right off the bat that I made the mistake of making too many of the fries and therefore overfilling the drawer, which is something you shouldn’t do. You shouldn’t layer chips on top of each other, instead they should be spread out on the crisper plate to allow them to cook thoroughly.
The provided manual recommends that thin-cut fries should be air fried for 12 to 16 minutes at 205°C, a direction I followed. But because the drawer was a bit too full, after 16 minutes, my fries were unevenly cooked, with some parts still raw, while others crisp and golden. So I then had to finish them off in batches to cook them thoroughly.
But I must say that if I was to cook only the amount that would allow the chips to be properly spread out, then that would be enough for only one portion. And given the 6 litre capacity, which is advertised to be enough for the whole family, I find that a bit disappointing.
Cooking frozen chips
To redeem both myself and the air fryer at least a little bit as I got to grips with how to use it, I wanted to give frozen chips a go in the air fryer and see how that would turn out. And despite the fact that they weren’t extremely spaced out on the crisper plate and there was still some overlapping of the chips, they turned out perfect.
Again, COSORI provides recommended settings for cooking frozen chips as well. So I cooked these using the ‘frozen’ function (instead of the previously used ‘air fry’ mode) at 200°C. And 14 minutes later, they were ready. A much better result this time around.
Cooking veggie meatballs
Premade shop-bought snacks, party foods and the like are perfect for throwing in the air fryer. Even if the packaging instructions don’t suggest it, similarly to these veggie meatballs. So it was time to freestyle. As the cooking instructions on the meatball box recommended frying them for 9 to 10 minutes, I decided to air fry them instead for 9 minutes at 200°C, using the ‘frozen’ function as I was cooking them from frozen.
This method makes it that little bit healthier by not needing a ton of oil for cooking, there are no oil splatters to clean up and you don’t have to tend to the cooking process and keep flipping the meatballs. You just put them in the air fryer and pull them out once the timer goes off.
And when the timer was up and I pulled out the drawer, the meatballs were perfectly cooked and ready to be served with some spaghetti and tomato sauce.
Cooking empanadas
Speaking of freestyling, an air fryer review wouldn’t be a proper air fryer review without a slightly rogue recipe. And in this case, it was my empanadas. If you’re not familiar with this South American delicacy, they are parcels made from corn flour-based dough traditionally filled with meat and vegetables. Once filled, these pockets of goodness are shaped into half circles and deep fried. Which is a whole lot of oil.
So I wondered if they could be cooked in an air fryer instead. And it turns out, they could.
I made my dough from scratch and let it rest, wrapped in cling film while making the filling. As mentioned, empanadas are usually filled with some meat. But because I don’t eat meat, I used jackfruit instead, together with some cooked potatoes, tomatoes, peppers and some seasoning.
Once the parcels were filled and closed, I lightly brushed them with a touch of oil so that they could get nice and crispy. And after preheating the appliance for a couple of minutes, in the air fryer they went.
On the touch display, I chose the ‘air fry’ mode, set the temperature at 185°C and the timer for 8 minutes. The first one came out slightly too soft and I wanted a crispy shell so I put it back for a couple more minutes to crisp it up a little more. For that reason, I adjusted the temperature to 195°C for the following batches to speed up the cooking and crisping process. And it worked like a charm.
Cleaning
The COSORI Turbo Blaze is extremely easy to clean in my opinion. The air fryer basket and crisper plate are both completely removable and both can be washed either in the dishwasher or by hand. The only thing to look out for if you’re washing them manually is the nonstick coating. So don’t use anything abrasive when cleaning it up - even the rougher side of your sponge should be avoided so that you don’t damage the nonstick finish.
How does it compare to other air fryers on the market?
As COSORI advertises the Turbo Blaze as 46% faster than other air fryers and able to feed the whole family, then we need to compare it to the most well-known air fryer that does just that - which is the Ninja Foodi MAX Dual Zone Air Fryer. So how does the COSORI stack up against this much-loved icon?
For starters, it is cheaper than the Ninja. The Ninja’s RRP is £249.99, while the COSORI is priced at £159.99. But it is also smaller than the Ninja, which boasts a 9-litre capacity and a dual-zone basket which allows you to cook multiple foods at the same time. And as previously mentioned, I don’t think the 6-litre COSORI is big enough to provide food for a family, while the Ninja is. Despite the fact that in terms of measurements, they are quite comparable - the only thing is that the Ninja is bigger in its width and the COSORI packs its larger measurement in its depth.
But in terms of speed, they are, impressively enough, rather similar as both take less than 15 minutes to cook some chips.
Should you buy the COSORI Turbo Blaze air fryer?
Despite the fact that I felt the air fryer underdelivered on some of those promises made by COSORI, I still thoroughly enjoy using this air fryer. And if you are looking for a moderately sized, efficient and fast-cooking air fryer that’s also not too loud, then I would recommend the COSORI Turbo Blaze.
Its price point of £159.99 is also very good, especially given all of its features available and the tips and support that come provided.
If you already have an air fryer that serves you well, then I don’t think you need to rush out to get this one instead. However, if you’re in the market for an air fryer, this is a worthy candidate for your consideration.
