The Tower Xpress Pro 5-in-1 Digital Air Fryer certainly stands out from the crowd with its host of extra features. In particular, the promise of juicy rotisserie chicken at home (in an air fryer, no less!) was something we just had to put to the test. But did it live up to our experts' expectations? Read on to find out what we thought about it!
Related: Top 5 Air Fryers of 2024
Design
The first thing to mention is that the Xpress Pro 5-in-1 is a hefty machine indeed. With an 11-litre capacity, it's considerably bigger than the average air fryer. If you only have limited space in your kitchen, then you may find that it's a bit too big. However, with all of its features (which we'll come onto later), it certainly packs a lot in. We found the extra space it takes up is offset by just how much more you can do with it.
Another feature which sets this air fryer apart from others is its glass door. This means you can look inside to see how your food is getting on, without letting the heat out. By default, the light inside the fryer will stay switched off, but there's a handy button that turns that light on when you want to have a look. On the top, there are also touchscreen controls for setting the mode, temperature, and timings.
Most smaller air fryers come with a single basket inside to hold the food you're cooking. Due to its size, though, the Tower Vortex 5-in-1 has multiple trays that you can pop in, just like a regular oven. This is really handy for cooking several different things at once. For instance, you could have some chicken breasts going on one shelf, chips in the middle, and veggies on a third shelf.
Finally, the power cable is 80cm long. With some air fryers that we've tested in the past, the cable has only been 50cm long. This can be a bit of a pain if you need the fryer further away from a plug socket. Thankfully, we didn't have that experience this time around. 80cm is plenty long enough, butwon't get in the way if the fryer is right next to the socket.
Rotisserie Chicken
It's called "5-in-1" for a reason- this is so much more than just a standard air fryer. Those five modes are: frying, roasting, baking, dehydrating, and rotisserie. We'll be honest, the last of these was the one that caught our attention the most. An air fryer that can cook a whole rotisserie chicken? We thought it sounded too good to be true- so we just had to put it to the test.
The Tower Xpress comes with all the extra kit you need for the rotisserie mode: a spit to pop the chicken on (which comes in two parts), and a detachable handle for taking it safely out of the fryer when hot. Tower themselves recommend a 1kg chicken based on the size of the air fryer. You could fit a slightly bigger chicken in here- the one we cooked for testing purposes was 1.2kg. Either way, though, we'd recommend that you tie up the chicken with butchers string to ensure the legs and wings don't get stuck while the chicken is rotating.
Hey presto, in just over 40 minutes we had a juicy, golden chicken with deliciously crispy skin. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of the chicken. If you're really pushing the Tower Xpress with how much it can fit, then you may find you need to cook for longer than 60 minutes. Unfortunately, this is as long as the timer will go- so you'll need to add on extra time yourself at the end of that initial hour. For most foods, though, that 60 minute limit will be more than you need. After all, air fryers cook food around 30% faster than a conventional oven, because there's less space inside to heat. We didn't try it this time, but the rotisserie mode would be great for roast pork with crispy crackling, too.
Other Features
As we already mentioned, the Tower Xpress comes with an additional four modes. You'll most likely use it for the air fryer mode, though, since this is really what it's intended for. It performs above average here- the tray design means you don't have to keep shaking the basket to ensure your food is crispy on all sides, since the hot air can circulate underneath as well. One thing that's worth noting, though, is that Tower advise you parboil homemade chips before putting them in. If (like many of us), you mainly use your air fryer for chips, this may be something that puts you off. For frozen chips, though, we found they cooked relatively quickly and to a satisfying level of crunch.
If we had a criticism of the Tower Xpress, it's the instructions. With so many different modes, this air fryer is a bit more complicated than most. However, the included instructions could do with going into more detail. We managed to get it up and running with a little trial and error, and it's not that tough to understand once you've done things once.
Cleaning is also a little bit more hassle than a standard air fryer, because of that glass door. With most fryers you wouldn't even be able to see this area. When it's see-through, though, you might get annoyed at how mucky it gets, especially after cooking a rotisserie chicken. Thankfully, though, the door just lifts off for easier access inside, and all of the trays are removable to make things a bit easier.
Tower Xpress Pro: The Verdict
Given the price and size, the Tower Xpress Pro isn't for everyone. If you just want an air fryer for cooking chips, you might be better off with a smaller, simpler model. However, our experts were seriously impressed with the plethora of extra features on offer here. In particular, the rotisserie mode will be a real game-changer for your Sunday roasts.
