The Dualit Air Fryer is a brand-new appliance from one of our favourite kitchen brands here at liGo. We've been really impressed with Dualit's kettles and toasters in the past- but how does the air fryer stack up? We put it to the test in another of our in-depth reviews. Read on to find out what we thought of it!
Related: Top 5 Air Fryers
Design & build quality
Air fryers have really taken off over the last few decade, and there are now an enormous number of models on the market. Generally speaking, most single-drawer air fryers have a fairly similar design. However, Dualit have injected theirs with some of their signature style.
While still made from plastic, as virtually all air fryers are, this model feels a bit more premium than most. One thing we really liked about the Dualit air fryer is that it boasts a textured finish. Not only does this look quite sleek, but it also prevents you from getting fingerprint marks all over it- something which we've found an issue with many gloss air fryers.
The controls are all touchscreen, so there are no actual buttons on it. Some people will prefer "proper" controls, but we didn't have any issues when using the touch controls. As you might expect, they're fairly simple to get to grips with.
The "crisper tray" is coated with non-stick coating, and is dishwasher-safe to make your life a bit easier- something we definitely appreciated after testing!
Performance
The Dualit air fryer has a 5.5L capacity, which is a decent enough size for two people. Dualit themselves say that it could fit four chicken breasts, and after testing we'd agree with that- so it would do for three or four people, too. However, it is a bit of a tight squeeze- for optimum results, we'd say this is better suited for two or three people.
It has six different modes: fry, bake, roast, grill, reheat, and dehydrate. It also has a bunch of time/temperature presets for cooking different things. First things first, though, we tried out what air fryers were really made for: chips. There's actually a specific preset for fries, although it's worth noting that the presets don't factor in any pre-heating time. You therefore might want to give the air fryer a couple of minutes on full power before you actually start cooking; we cooked two batches, and found the second came out better.
Next up, bacon: the right air fryer here can be a game-changer. And the Dualit Air Fryer certainly delivered, offering up crisped-to-perfection rashers in just five minutes (including a flip halfway through). Finally, we gave the "finger food" preset a whirl with a packet of frozen chicken nuggets. Despite only being a medium-sized air fryer, we found there was room for the whole packet in the drawer. In just over ten minutes, the nuggets were cooked to perfection: crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside.
We should note that, as with most air fryers (and kettles, too), there's quite a powerful smell that comes off the Dualit air fryer when you first use it. Dualit themselves recommend that you run it a few times to burn this off- we'd advise this too, as well as giving the drawer a very good scrub afterwards.
The handle is quite stiff at first- it almost felt like we were going to break it trying to open the drawer the first time. Once you've used it a few times, though, it does loosen up, and it's a good size.
Dualit Air Fryer: The Verdict
We had high hopes for the Dualit Air Fryer after being impressed by their kettles and toasters, and we're pleased to say it lived up to those expectations. While maybe a little tight for cooking for four people (although that's definitely possible at a squeeze), it's ideally sized for two or three. Delivering fantastic results, it comes highly recommended by us!
