The Toshiba Mini Air Fryer Offers Big Things In A Small Package

The air fryer has become a staple in households over the last few years for its ability to easily and quickly crisp up frozen foods or cook typically fried foods, like chicken wings, in a fraction of the time, and without needing to heat a pot of oil for deep-frying. Like any appliance, of course, not all air fryers are created equal. In my professional experience as a recipe developer, I've worked with a multitude of air fryers, from small units to large, heavy double-basket models, and I've found plenty of inconsistent cooking across brands.

When asked to test and review the Toshiba Air Fryer, I was expecting a solid experience, and that is exactly what happened. Toshiba has been innovating since 1875, when it created Japan's first incandescent light bulb, and has since become a well-known and well-respected name in home appliances and consumer electronics. The Toshiba Air Fryer avoided the pitfalls I've experienced with other air fryers. The sleek design boasts an easy-to-use display with digital touch features, a large knob to navigate the settings, and a roomy 5.5-quart basket that cleans up like a dream.

More good news: This handy dandy device is marked down from $99.99 to only $68.99 on Amazon through Dec. 2.

The Toshiba Air Fryer assembles with just three parts: the main unit, the inner basket, and the outer basket. The baskets click together securely and separate by pressing a button on the handle covered with a sliding protection cover, so there is no risk of the pieces coming apart accidentally. The digital display is bright, so it is clear which option you are choosing as you scroll through. The large knob in the center twists to move through eight different cooking modes, which you select by pressing the button on the front of the knob. Each function has preset cooking times and temperatures, which can be adjusted by touching the lit-up Temp or Time buttons and twisting the knob.

The fan was quieter than other air fryers I have used, which was a pleasant surprise considering the powerful motor, which is part of Toshiba's Heat-Q Technology. The Toshiba Air Fryer also has 1-Degree Fahrenheit Accuracy Control, which is a unique sensor that allows it to maintain a temperature within 1 degree Fahrenheit to ensure evenly cooked, crisped, and browned results.

Also notable are the air fryer's safety features. The unit automatically pauses cooking when the basket is removed, and there is an auto-shutoff if the unit has been paused for more than 10 minutes or no program is selected within two minutes. The Toshiba Air Fryer will also protect from overheating with an automatic shutoff if the internal temperature is too high.

The Toshiba Air Fryer has three Menu-IQ presets: French Fries, Chicken Wings, and Fish. These presets work only with frozen foods and do not require preheating the air fryer. To use them, add the food of your choice to the basket and select the correct preset. The unit will take a few minutes to calculate the cook time based on the type and quantity of food and then begin cooking. You can adjust the time and temperature at any time during the cooking, but it will cancel the automatic calculation if you do so before the air fryer starts cooking.

The presets were overall successful during testing. French fries came out very crisp on the outside, tender and fluffy on the inside, and a perfect golden brown without any added oil. Using the chicken preset, the chicken went from frozen to piping hot, crunchy, and juicy in less than 20 minutes. The fish preset works best with filets or larger pieces of fish. I wasn't clear if the button would work with any kind of seafood, so when I tried shrimp, it only needed about half of the calculated time. The shrimp were still a great texture, not tough or bouncy, and the tails were crackly, like a chip. Having these presets is a huge time-saver since foods can go right from the freezer into the air fryer and be ready to eat in a short amount of time.

In addition to the three Menu IQ presets, there are five other preset programs: Air Fry, Dehydrate, Reheat, Bake, and Memory. The Memory function remembers the last time and temperature set, making it a customizable preset for frequently cooked foods in your home without needing to set the air fryer each time.

The differences between Air Fry, Dehydrate, Reheat, and Bake all come down to the beginning temperature and time. Dehydrate has the lowest default temperature of the four options and begins at 210 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour. This can be adjusted as low as 105 degrees, and for as long as two hours. Reheat begins at 280 degrees Fahrenheit, Bake at 340 degrees, and Air Fry at 390 degrees. Outside of dehydrating, the other three functions can be adjusted to a maximum temperature of 400 degrees for up to one hour.

These functions also produced excellent results, including crisp dehydrated lemon slices and a reheated wedge of lasagna that was lightly crisp on top and hot through, but not so scalding that you needed to wait to eat it.

The primary cooking method that the consumer may turn to when using the Toshiba Air Fryer is, of course, the Air Fryer mode. The Air Fry preset defaults to a temperature of 390 degrees Fahrenheit and a time of 15 minutes. The heat level can be adjusted as high as 400 degrees and as low as 105. Unlike the Menu-IQ options, Air Fry does require a brief preheating time before adding food, which is signaled with a clear beep when the air fryer is ready.

To get a feel for how the Toshiba Air Fryer performed, I air-fried bone-in chicken as well as cauliflower florets. I seasoned the chicken with spices, but no oil, and it crisped to a deep golden brown, while fully cooked through, in about 20 minutes. After removing the meat from the basket, I was able to pour off the accumulated chicken drippings and cook a second batch. Each batch requires going through the preheating step, but it is such a short amount of time that it doesn't feel laborious.

Cauliflower is a notoriously wet vegetable, so I was curious how the air fryer would handle it. I tossed florets with a light drizzle of oil, a fraction of what I would use to oven-roast, and seasoned with salt. The cauliflower came out beautifully browned with crispy tips and was tender but not mushy. It was not leathery or dry, which is something I have experienced when air-frying cauliflower in other machines.

The Toshiba Air Fryer is one of the best air fryers I have used. Not only did it produce consistently delicious and well-cooked food with little to no oil, but there was almost no learning curve using the digital display. I was able to quickly find a home for it in my decidedly small city kitchen, thanks to its compact shape, so it's ready to use throughout the day.

The Heat-Q Technology and 1-Degree Fahrenheit Accuracy Control live up to their promises (I even used a wired digital thermometer to monitor the cooking temperature, and it held steady) and work together so that no matter what I cooked, it was ready quickly and required little attention on my part. Cleaning the machine was also a straightforward process. Although the baskets are not intended for the dishwasher, the nonstick coating released any bits of baked-on food with a few swipes of a soapy sponge. The possibilities of what to cook next in the Toshiba Air Fryer are endless, but after reviewing it, I'm confident in reliable, superior results.

You can try it for yourself at a discounted price during Toshiba's Black Friday sale. This device is marked down from $99.99 to only $68.99 on Amazon through Dec. 2.