The KitchenAid Digital Countertop Oven with Air Fry is a great choice for kitchens with limited space where you can’t buy a separate air fryer, toaster oven, toaster, and dehydrator.
It’s also a great alternative to a full-size oven when preparing side or even main dishes since it preheats so quickly. A super-legible digital display and simple control panel are designed for easy use, and a convection fan helps to ensure even cooking.
Other features, like a built-in timer and a preheat time of under four minutes, make this one of the best air fryers on the market. See how I got on testing seven of the 12 cook functions.
KitchenAid Digital Countertop Oven with Air Fry review
KitchenAid Digital Countertop Oven with Air Fry specifications
What I thought of the KitchenAid Digital Countertop Oven with Air Fry
The KitchenAid Digital Countertop Oven with Air Fry preheats in less than four minutes, so it’s great for cooking air fryer recipes or reheating foods. With just two knobs and three buttons, it’s easy to learn to use. While the design limits what you can cook in an air fryer (most whole chickens won’t fit), I was impressed by the oven's efficiency.
Setting up the KitchenAid Digital Countertop Oven with Air Fry
The setup process is very simple. I removed the protective packaging and some tape from the oven, and then unwrapped each accessory. KitchenAid states that the accessories can be cleaned in the dishwasher, but I hand washed them before using the oven for the first time.
Using the KitchenAid Digital Countertop Oven with Air Fry
The countertop oven features one knob to select a cook mode, and another to adjust time and temperature. The oven also features Start, Cancel, and Convection buttons. You can figure out how to operate it in just a few minutes.
Choosing settings
When you select a setting, the oven automatically displays a suggested temperature and cooking time. The instruction manual also provides some time recommendations for air frying.
Since the oven offers two rack positions, you do need to pay attention to the recommended rack position for each setting. When testing the bagel function, I had the rack positioned too low and burned the bottom of the bagel.
I quickly realized that I should use the higher rack position for most cooking settings, and didn’t have additional issues.
The oven’s digital display is large, so I had no trouble changing the temperature and cooking times. Once set, it provides a countdown of cooking time that I could see from across my kitchen.
The timer was quiet, and I had difficulty hearing it from the next room while the television was on. The oven’s automatic shutoff feature stops the cooking cycle once the timer goes off, so even if I didn’t hear the timer right away, it didn’t burn the food.
Preheating and general operation
One of my favorite features is this oven’s rapid preheating capability. I found in every mode, the oven reached its desired temperature in three and a half minutes. That rapid preheat made it a convenient addition to my kitchen, and I found that I quickly started using it for most of my cooking needs.
The interior light remains on throughout its entire use. It’s bright and illuminates the food well, so it’s easy to keep an eye on cooking progress. On most settings, like the toast, bagel, bake, and broil settings, the oven is nearly silent.
The convection fan, which must operate during the air fry cycle, can be turned on and off for other cooking settings. Even when running, the fan is quiet. I would compare it to a desktop fan running on medium, and you could easily hold a conversation in the kitchen without feeling the need to talk over it.
Toast and bagel
The toast and bagel functions display different darkness settings, and turning the dial changes the settings. I found that the default darkness setting for both the toast and the bagel settings were perfect and toasted the foods to my preferences.
The oven can accommodate up to six slices at a time (most of the best toasters can only fit four), ideal for preparing meals for multiple people.
The toasting was even (once I raised the rack to the right level), and even a thicker bagel was well-toasted but not burnt. I used the oven to make toast and bagels daily for a week, and the results were consistent.
Baking function
I found the bake and broil settings were very convenient, especially since the oven preheats so quickly. I baked several frozen foods, including a frozen chicken meal, according to the meal manufacturer’s cooking instructions. Those meals were cooked thoroughly and completely, and not at all burnt.
While KitchenAid markets the oven as being able to accommodate up to two full chickens weighing 3.4 lbs each, I couldn’t find poultry that small available in any grocery store.
Broiling function
Air fryer mode
This small kitchen appliance's air fry mode doesn’t require you to turn the foods and features a convection fan for even cooking. I made four batches of French fries with the air fryer and used the default settings.
I found the default time was a little long and burnt the ends of the fries, but after decreasing it by two minutes the results were perfectly crisp, thoroughly-cooked fries.
Cooking bacon
I also used the air fry setting to cook bacon. The bacon was a little softer than I'm used to when using my best non-stick frying pan, but I think if I’d left it in for another few minutes it would have crisped up. The air frying took longer to cook than the broil function, but the bacon was evenly cooked and I didn’t have to worry about turning it.
Reheating function
The reheat and keep warm functions also performed well. I reheated refrigerated pizza several times, and the reheat function worked well without overly baking or burning it. I also used the keep warm function to keep the bacon hot with no problems.
I should mention that if you enjoy making pizza from scratch, but hate waiting for the yeast to activate, the KitchenAid Digital Countertop Oven with Air Fry has a dough-proofing function too.
Dehydrating fruit
While I’ve never dehydrated food before, I sliced an apple and tested the dehydrate feature. I used the default settings, which are a 150° Fahrenheit cook temperature and a six-hour cook time.
The apple slices were not fully dehydrated by the end of the cycle, but I suspect if I had sliced them thinner, or used a mandoline slicer (like this one from OXO at Amazon) they would have been. They were a bit chewy, but tasted extra sweet, as if the flavor were concentrated.
Cleaning the KitchenAid Digital Countertop Oven with Air Fry
KitchenAid specifies that the oven rack, multipurpose pan, and broiling rack are dishwasher safe, but that hand washing with a little unfragranced dish soap (like Palmolive's Pure+Clear on Amazon) is recommended. I found that all three were easy to wash by hand.
After several uses, the multipurpose pan’s surface started to lose a bit of its shine, though the food didn’t stick and I couldn’t feel any residue on the pan. The crumb tray slides out of the oven, and it’s easy to hand wash. It’s a convenient feature and simplifies the process of cleaning the air fryer.
I noticed that the oven’s interior, especially the interior of the door, gets dirty quickly, and I imagine that’s because the oven is small. Since the interior walls feature a nonstick coating, I was able to easily wipe the oven clean using a damp microfiber cloth (we like these on Amazon).
Is the KitchenAid Digital Countertop Oven with Air Fry right for you?
Outside of the recipe testing that I conducted, KitchenAid claims that it can be used to cook sheet cakes, full one-pan meals, and beef tenderloin/rib roast.
It includes a 62-page instruction manual, and the first 18 pages are in English. The manual includes clear instructions and detailed graphics. KitchenAid offers a one-year warranty from the date of purchase on this oven.
But if you're not keen on this appliance, you might be interested in these:
Rated 4.5 stars out of 5 in our Cuisinart air fryer toaster oven review
Currently in review
Real Homes rating: 5 stars out of 5 in our best toaster guide
How we test air fryers
KitchenAid sent me the KitchenAid Digital Countertop Oven with Air Fry and I tested this air fryer in my home for several weeks. I used these criteria during the testing and review process.
Unboxing: I considered the condition of the packaging and the oven when it arrived. I evaluated the types of packing materials used, including whether the materials were recyclable. I also evaluated how easily I was able to remove and assemble the oven.
The countertop oven was shipped via FedEx, and it was double-boxed. When it arrived, there was a large hole and tear through the top of the exterior box. The hole was also present in the interior box, but because the oven was so well packed with Styrofoam inserts, there was no damage to the oven, itself.
The oven and the accessories were individually wrapped in protective plastic, and the accessories were also packaged in a smaller cardboard box. Everything was in excellent condition upon unboxing.
Operation: I considered my entire experience in using the oven, including how easily I could understand the instructions and operate the appliance. I evaluated how well the different cooking modes worked, and tested the oven using many different types of foods. I repeated many of those tests and looked for a quality cook.
Ease of use: I also evaluated the machine’s ease of use, considering factors like how simple its operation is, the usefulness of the presets, and my experience in using the different accessories and modes.
Ease of cleaning: Finally, I considered how easily I could clean the machine, including whether accessories are dishwasher-safe, and the process of cleaning the interior.
