We followed the instructions to the letter, brushing the bird with a tablespoon of oil before leaving it to cook on the rotisserie spit for an hour. When the 60 minutes was up, we took a tentative look and were impressed. It looked perfectly cooked and after leaving it to sit for 10 minutes, we started carving it. It was juicy, moist and cooked through, with a crispy skin. The drip tray also meant that clearing up was pretty straightforward, too. The controls are a bit stiff to turn and get just right, but we liked how each setting was clearly defined by its own marker, so there is no guesswork needed.

Selecting each setting is also easy thanks to the control dial and well-defined markers which is something that lets a lot of other models down. The eight cooking functions include convection, conventional, grill, pastry, bain marie and defrost, the latter of which is missing on a lot of others. Most are much easier to clean than standard ovens. There is no bending down to see what you’re doing, for a start.

About Salter

Oil: Both air fryers and toaster ovens significantly reduce the amount of oil required in cooking. Whereas you'd perhaps typically slosh oil around a frying pan or baking tray, a minimal spritz is required with air fryers and toaster ovens. The air fryer has stainless steel features and requires no pre-heating to help you save on energy for faster and more efficient cooking. This makes it great if you want an oven which can take you from baking cupcakes at the weekend to some bacon on a Saturday morning and a tray of mediterranean vegetables for a Sunday dinner alternative. Air fryers are one of those things where sometimes you’re unsure as to how they work – but we can assure you they are incredibly simple to use and produce great tasting fried food using little to no oil. Using hot air which is rapidly circulated around the cooking chamber, these health fryers create deliciously golden and crispy fried foods without the need for deep frying.

Space: How much room do you have on your kitchen countertop for the product? While some toaster oven air fryers can be a little bulky, others are more slimline and compact. Make sure you actually have room for the model you buy!

Specification

Range of cooking options: Both products will offer you a wide selection of cooking modes to ensure you can cook food exactly as you wish to.When considering this, do also be mindful of how the product's height might impede the range of food types you can use it for. Temperature Range: Do you frequently toast croissants in the mornings at 60°C? If so, getting an oven which only begins at 100°C may see a few burnt results. Getting it ready is also seamless, taking just minutes to warm up so little preheating is needed. There is a toast function too, taking away the need for a separate device dedicated to this which is great if you are low on space. From 0°C to 180°C in three minutes and up to 230°C in just under five, this is one speedy mini oven for all you impatient cooks and bakers out there.

If the timer is selected, it will automatically turn off when it hits the ‘0’ mark; there is no risk of it being left on overnight – great if you live in student accommodation or are just a bit forgetful.The product's Element IQ system utilizes a quintet of quartz elements for spot-on heat circulation within the oven, resulting in perfect crispiness every time, without the need for excess oil. With 10 different cook modes available, ranging from classic 'Air Fry' and 'Roast' all the way through to 'Grill' and 'Crumpets' – we were impressed by how easy it was to operate and how little user intervention was needed. All in all, it was a pretty self-explanatory experience, and the product and its parts (including a fry basket) are straightforward to clean and reassemble post-use. If your chosen model comes with a crumb tray, this will help your cleaning massively. It will be able to catch any crumbs from bread or dripping fat or cheese from bacon/cheese on toast. All you will need to do is remove this when cleaning and that is job done. Are Mini Ovens Expensive To Run? Whereas a lot of other mini ovens with hobs don’t allow you to use them both at the same time, with this model you can (although the heat with the hobs is slightly compromised). Still sufficient if you want to simmer some frozen vegetables while your lasagne is cooking, and each has three warmth settings which can be controlled independently to one another too. It is basic so perfect for anyone who doesn’t need an all-singing-all-dancing model. Three cooking functions (standard, grill and lower heating) create the heat and setting you need. Temperature ranges from 60°C to 220°C, which is good for most standard oven-based meals and foods. The timer is very generous, reaching 120 minutes and giving you a bell when the cooking is done. Size: An air fryer will typically be smaller than a toaster oven, making them better suited to smaller kitchens and easier to store on organized countertops. A toaster oven will often boast a bigger capacity that's suited to larger food items, or bigger quantities.

Because there is a smaller space, the heat can be more concentrated on your food, too, so less energy is wasted. To test the heat distribution we baked a tray of Madeleines. We were impressed with the Cuisinart Air Fryer Mini Oven as the cakes cooked evenly: golden on top with a crisp base. Much like a conventional oven the Cuisinart Air Fryer Mini Oven has dual heating elements at both the top and the bottom. Meaning that the heat is consistent throughout. Typically air fryers have a single heating element paired with a powerful fan. This model also has the addition of a fan meaning that heat is evenly circulated. The design means that the Cuisinart Air Fryer Mini Oven can perform a range of cooking methods including grilling and air frying. With adjustable time and temperature settings you have full control of your cooking, from 100-200°C and a 60-minute timer. Easy to use, this mini oven is dial controlled, and is an ideal appliance to replace ovens in caravans or for keeping on worktops. There are several key differences between toaster ovens and air fryers, which may influence which one you choose to buy. These include: For starters, it seems to be the best price out there (for this or similar looking and/or differently branded versions) and it arrived promptly with standard delivery.The latter is a rare issue, but the former three are all relatively common, so it doesn’t take away from the fact that it is still a top 10 item in our minds. It’s just a bit fiddly to operate, so maybe not one for anyone who likes precision or can’t deal with spending a while getting it all right. Yet, the dials are very easy to turn which makes it easy to operate. Offering incredible value for money is Russell Hobbs' Express Air Fry Mini Oven. Combining five cook functions with a generously sized capacity, we found it passed the all-important fries test (crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside), and it's also great for cooking freezer food, pizza, fresh bread, tray bakes, and more.