There’s something to be said for the simple, user-friendly Gourmia 4-Quart Digital Air Fryer. Because over the past year or so, air fryers have gotten more complicated — and more expensive. While some people love all the bells and whistles, this gadget is the perfect appliance for air fryer newbies, offering the right balance of features and value.
This new air fryer is easy and intuitive to operate, but the best part? It’s as budget-friendly as they come these days, retailing for just $49. (Take that, inflation!) With 12 one-touch cooking options and a 4-quart capacity, the Gourmia is a versatile cooking tool for the kitchen — in fact, it’s up there with the best air fryers we’ve tested.
After putting this small air fryer through its paces for several weeks, we’re confident giving it two big thumbs up. Here’s everything we love about the Gourmia air fryer and why you might want to consider bringing it home.
Gourmia 4-Quart Digital Air Fryer review
What I thought about the Gourmia 4-quart digital air fryer
I’ll be honest: I didn’t have high expectations for the Gourmia Air Fryer, but it proved me wrong! It may be inexpensive (seriously, it costs half as much as many of the best air fryers I’ve tested), but it aced every test with flying colors, helping me whip up all types of tasty food. I used the air fryer to make everything from bacon to chicken breasts, and every recipe turned out nearly perfect, with well-cooked interiors and beautifully browned outsides.
The 4-quart basket is a good size for two people, and unlike many other air fryers, the one-touch cooking settings actually work well without needing any adjustments. Bottom line? If you’re in the market for an inexpensive air fryer, this one gets our resounding seal of approval.
Testing the Gourmia 4-quart digital air fryer
Gourmia 4-Quart Digital Air Fryer specifications
- Model Number: GAF414
- Dimensions (in.): H11.85 x W10.53 x D13
- Weight (lbs): 12 pounds
- Capacity (qts): 4 quarts
- Power (W): 1,200 watts
- Warranty: 1 year
Unboxing and setting up the Gourmia 4-quart digital air fryer
There weren’t any surprises when I unboxed the Gourmia air fryer. It’s an average size and weight for an air fryer, with a black plastic exterior and a touchscreen control panel at the top of the body.
The appliance itself was wrapped in a layer of plastic and held in place by styrofoam inserts, and all I had to do was remove the packaging and tape holding the basket closed. The crisper plate was already inside the air fryer basket, and there was also an instruction manual and air fryer recipe booklet in the box.
Once I had all the packaging removed, all I had to do was wash the basket and crisper plate with a little dish soap (I like Palmolive liquid detergent, available on Amazon) and warm water. After that, it was just a matter of plugging in the appliance, and I was ready to start cooking.
Using the Gourmia 4-quart digital air fryer
What you can cook in an air fryer is not limited to the tests I chose to perform. There are loads of different things you can make, including boiled eggs in an air fryer.
Cooking chicken bites
For the last few weeks, my “hyperfixation meal” has been these frozen breaded chicken bites — I eat them at least three or four times a week for lunch! (They’re just adult chicken nuggets if we’re being honest.) I usually cook them in the oven, which takes around 25 minutes from start to finish, so I decided to see if cooking them in the air fryer, instead.
Using the Gourmia’s preheat function, I let the air fryer warm up before putting in the chicken. It took around three minutes before the appliance beeped at me and told me to put in the food. From there, I followed the instructions on the bag, which said to cook the bites at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes, tossing halfway through cooking. I love, love, love that the air fryer has an optional mid-cycle alarm, which reminded me to shake the basket so the chicken would cook more evenly.
After ten minutes, the chicken was heated throughout, but I wished the exterior was a little crispier. The next time I made them, I left them in for 12 minutes, and they came out perfect! It was so much quicker than cooking them in the oven, and it’s going to be my go-to preparation method from now on.
Cooking French fries
I frequently use my air fryer to make French fries — both homemade and frozen — so it was an obvious test for the Gourmia. I pulled out a bag of crinkle-cut fries from the freezer, and I used the appliance’s one-touch French fry setting, which cooks for 15 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. (The package recommends 12 minutes at 400°F, so the one-touch setting was pretty close!)
When using the setting, which is easy to find thanks to the fry-shaped icon and label, the air fryer automatically selects a pre-heat cycle and turns on the mid-cycle shake alarm. I let it do its thing, and when the fries were finished, they were beautifully browned and crispy.
My partner thought they were perfect, but I prefer my fries a tiny bit less crispy. Still, they were well-cooked and not burnt, so you can use the one-touch setting without any adjustments.
Cooking bacon
Another food I always make in the air fryer? Bacon. It’s way faster than cooking it in the oven and less messy than making it on the stovetop! The Gourmia has a designated bacon setting, which automatically sets a six-minute timer at 375°F. Again, I decided to use the setting without any adjustments to see how well it worked!
The air fryer’s basket is a moderate size, and I was able to fit three strips of bacon inside it without overlapping. The end of each slice did have to fold over a little, though, as the basket wasn’t quite long enough to hold the full strip. Looking back, I probably could have fit another slice in there and still gotten good results. There was no mid-cycle shake notification, and after six minutes, the bacon strips were perfectly cooked!
They were my preferred level of crispness, but some people might want to add on another minute or two if you like your bacon extra crispy. I will say that the air blowing around the basket did cause the pieces to move around a bit, and they were kind of folded up on themselves. They still tasted good, though, so that’s what counts.
Roasting chicken breasts
In addition to its standard air frying function, the Gourmia also has settings for baking, roasting, broiling, and dehydrating, and I wanted to test one out. I was planning to make chicken soup for dinner, and instead of just cooking the chicken in the oven like usual, I put it in the air fryer instead.
When I hit the “Roast” button, the air fryer defaulted to a 25-minute timer at 400°F . I let it preheat, then arranged two chicken breasts inside the basket. They fit nicely side-by-side with enough space to let air circulate them. The air fryer prompted me to flip the chicken halfway through the cooking time, and the meat was starting to brown up on the outside. I checked the meat’s internal temperature with around two minutes remaining, and decided to add a few extra minutes to the cooking time. When I was checking the temperature, I did notice that the outside of the appliance was quite warm — it wouldn’t burn you, but it was definitely hotter than I expected. Keep this in mind if you have small children around the house.
When the air fryer dinged at me to let it know the cycle was finished, the chicken breasts were a tiny bit darker than I would have liked — I probably should have just left it at 25 minutes and let the residual heat finish cooking the inside. Overall, though, the chicken was cooked throughout and made the perfect addition to my cozy wintertime soup.
Cleaning and maintaining the Gourmia 4-quart digital air fryer
I hate washing dishes by hand, but it's so easy to clean this air fryer. So easy that I can’t even complain about it. The nonstick finish on the basket and crisper plate — which is free from PFOA and PFTE, aka “forever chemicals”— doesn’t let anything stick to it, and I was able to wipe out crumbs and oil with a paper towel. We've got a whole guide on how healthy air fryers are if you're concerned about the aforementioned acronyms.
After that, all it needed was a quick scrub with some soap and water, and it was as good as new. Alternatively, you can put the basket and inner plate in the dishwasher, but keep in mind that the basket is pretty big, so it’s going to take up quite a bit of space.
Is the Gourmia 4-quart digital air fryer right for you?
The Gourmia 4-Quart Digital Air Fryer has a lot going for it. It’s super easy to operate, impressively versatile, and best of all, really budget-friendly. It’s a perfect mid-size option if you’re cooking for two or three people, and its one-touch cooking settings take all the work out of programming the appliance. If you’re cooking bacon, fries, or even chicken, you can just hit a button and let the air fryer do the rest. It doesn’t get easier than that, so this model is a top choice for anyone who’s maybe a little less tech-savvy or a newbie when it comes to air frying.
Not sure it's right for you? These 4-quart air fryers might be better suited to you
Capacity: 4 quarts
Size (in): H12.8 x W10.8 x D14.8
Rating: 5/5 stars in our Cosori Lite review
Price: $99.99
+ Contemporary colorways including sage green and white
+ Programmable with app
+ Easy to clean
- Most expensive in our small air fryers buying guide
The Cosori Lite 4-Quart Smart Air Fryer is best for small families or couples thanks to its smaller capacity and it comes in three muted colorways to suit all kitchen countertops. Despite this, it can fit a whole 3.5-pound chicken. The smart control system lets you start cooking, monitor your food's progress, find recipes, and more all from an app on your phone. Voice-activated cooking is your party trick if you have a smart speaker.
Capacity: 4 quarts
Size (in): H11 x W12.1 x D8.5
Price: $99.99
+ Ceramic-coated nonstick basket
+ Dishwasher-safe parts
- Most expensive on our list
- Some say it's too loud (not suitable for people with pets)
Sure, it might not have drawers like the DualZone but if you want a 5-star air fryer for a small apartment — go for this branded beauty! I envy those who have it because I'm scrolling through all the Amazon air fryer reviews and seeing loads of "easy to clean," "easy to use," and "highly recommend" mentions. It's currently under $100, so run — don't walk!
Capacity: 4 quarts
Size (in): H11 x W12.1 x D8.5
Rating: 4.5/5 stars in our Dreo air fryer review
Price: $64.09
+ Round shape is aesthetically pleasing
+ Most affordable on our list
+ Can be used to make yogurt
- You'll need to buy a rack
Our reviewer Louise put the Dreo air fryer through its paces cooking three square meals in this device so that she could be super thorough. Given how deep the gadget is, she noted that it could have done with having a cooking tray which would open up opportunities for cooking multiple items at a time. You can buy an air fryer rack from Amazon, though. Otherwise, think outside of the box when using this machine, as it's great for making smaller foods such as croissants, and hash browns... you get the idea. It's an ideal buy for dorms as it's not too complicated, not too expensive, and nice and compact with a rounded design, and it does the job well.
Where to buy
The new Gourmia 4-Quart Digital Air Fryer is a Walmart exclusive. You can buy it on Walmart.com.
How we test air fryers
There are a few key factors that make amazing air fryers stand out from the crowd — because there certainly is a crowd when it comes to these popular small kitchen appliances, with hundreds of models out there to choose from! Here’s what I’m looking for when we test air fryers at Real Homes:
- Power: People love air fryers because they create a lovely brown, crispy exterior on food without using oil. They do this by circulating hot air around the cooking basket, just like a convection oven. When testing air fryers, I like to look at their wattage (that is 1,200 in this case), and I assess how well the appliance crisps the outside of food while also cooking the interior.
- Ease of use: There are some air fryers out there that you need a mechanical degree to operate. I don’t know about you, but I don’t have time for that! I like when appliances are easy and intuitive to operate, with clearly labeled buttons and easy-to-navigate settings. I like to test out multiple cooking functions and cook a variety of different foods to get a sense of how easy it is to use the appliance.
- Safety: Good safety features are a must-have for air fryers. I evaluate whether the outside of the appliance and basket handle are comfortable to touch during use, if the appliance automatically pauses when the basket is removed, and overall, whether it feels safe to use.
- Clean-up and storage: There are some people out there who enjoy washing dishes, but I’m definitely not one of them. If you ask me, the best air fryers are quick and easy to clean, even after cooking messy foods like bacon. Bonus points if the components can be put in the dishwasher!
