When it comes to basket-style vs oven-style air fryers, I’m almost always firmly in the latter camp. And testing the Cosori 26-Quart Ceramic Air Fryer Oven only confirms that. While the smaller basket-style variety might be among the best air fryers for some, the larger oven-style ones like this model offer more space so you can do things like roast a chicken or cook a personal pizza. Plus, there’s just more functionality on hand.
For instance, this Cosori 26-Quart Ceramic Air Fryer Oven has 13 different cooking functions as well as a burner plate. That’s more than you would typically find in smaller air fryers. On top of that, there are just about all the different trays that one could ask for, not to mention a food thermometer that’s perfect for making sure that steak is perfectly cooked. And, yes, you can cook a steak in it as well.
Oven-style air fryers are typically a little pricier, around $200 - $400, and that’s certainly the case with this model. I’m also not a huge fan of the fan placement as it can create uneven cooking results if you’re not careful, as well as blow loose food particles, like steak seasoning onto the front glass. Of course, that’s not a design flaw—just a reality of this form factor. A little more concerning is the ease of it to start smoking when it shouldn’t. I believe this to be a little bit of a venting issue, and not an actual hazard. Still, it’s disconcerting to see.
If that doesn’t scare you off though, you might start saying things like “I love this thing” whenever using it, which is a direct quote from one of my family members after they got a chance to make some dishes with it.
James Holland has spent the last three years testing, reviewing, and writing about all sorts of tech, whether it be computers and related peripherals to smart home devices, robot vacuums, and kitchen appliances. His work has been published in Top Ten Reviews, TechRadar, T3.com, and Android Police. When he’s not working, he’s playing music or at least pretending to. He also likes to eat questionable fusion-type foods.
James tested the Cosori 26-Quart Ceramic Air Fryer Oven over the course of a few weeks, including testing most of the functions for multiple types of dishes.
Cosori 26-Quart Ceramic Air Fryer Oven: Price & availability
At $299.99 available directly through Cosori as well as through resellers such as Amazon, the Cosori 26-Quart Ceramic Air Fryer Oven is not cheap. While it’s worth the cost (in my opinion), you can find alternatives with decent capacity for much cheaper. In fact, Cosori has other air fryer ovens that are less expensive, including a 32-quart one that comes with a rotisserie fork.
Of course, you can find similar products for more as well. The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro comes to mind with its $379.95 price tag, for instance.
Score: 4 out of 5
Cosori 26-Quart Ceramic Air Fryer Oven: First impressions
When first removing the Cosori 26-Quart Ceramic Air Fryer Oven from its box, I was impressed by its larger size, as it measures 17 x 24 x 12.6 inches. It also weighs just under 29lbs. While I knew I was getting an oven-style air fryer, I wasn’t sure of its capacity. Looking at it, I could already imagine roasting a chicken in it. Plus, its stainless steel design is a bit classier than the typical black almost-plasticky look of basket-style air fryers.
I was a bit concerned about accessories, until I noticed that Cosori managed to pack all the included trays, sheets, and so forth, inside. This thing is cleverly and efficiently packed.
It does require a little more assembly than I thought it would. Of course, you need (or should) wash all those accessories. But, I had to manually attach the splatter guard in front of the fan. It’s not a big deal, but it’s worth being aware of, even if it took about two minutes.
Cosori 26-Quart Ceramic Air Fryer Oven: Design
Not only do I appreciate the stainless steel look of the Cosori 26-Quart Ceramic Air Fryer Oven—it fits in nicely into any kitchen decor—but I’m a fan of its size. It does take up a good amount of counter space, so those with a cramped kitchen might want to consider something a bit smaller. However, its 17-inch width and 24-inch depth (and 12.6-inch height) allows for a large 26-quart capacity, large enough to roast a small chicken.
Cosori has seemingly done its best to keep its size as small as possible, so all the controls are located on the dropdown door’s handle. While it’s somewhat unusual, it doesn’t affect usage. Speaking of the controls, there are 13 cooking functions on hand with the premium model (the one tested here), which includes a lot of the usual's as well as some more esoteric ones like air sous-vide and dehydrate.
As there’s a burner plate on the bottom of this air fryer, you can press the burner button on the controls and it will only allow you to select from cooking functions that include the burner. Also included in the control panel is a light switch so you can check in on the food during cooking without opening it (the door has a window to look through). The last thing to mention regarding the controls is the fact that you can use a thermometer to check the temperature of any meat (any dish, really) you’re cooking and as long as it’s plugged into the air fryer, the display portion of the control panel will indicate the internal temperature as well as the doneness.
The only real part of the Cosori 26-Quart Ceramic Air Fryer Oven that is annoying is also a necessity. That’s the fact that the fan used to circulate the hot air is at the back of the unit instead of on top, facing the door. Because of its placement, any loose food particles get blown about. When cooking steak, for instance, a portion of the rub used was blown clean off the steak onto the door.
As far as the included accessories, there’s the aforementioned thermometer. But, there’s a casserole pan, wire rack, sheet tray, roasting rack insert, and fry basket. It’s a nice assortment.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
Cosori 26-Quart Ceramic Air Fryer Oven: Key Specs
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Row 0 - Cell 1 |
| Capacity: | 26.4 qt / 25ltr |
| Power: | 1800 watts |
| Functions: | Toast, Bagel, Pizza, Air fry, Air Bake, Air Roast, Air Sous Vide, Proof, Bake, Broil, Dehydrate, Warm, Reheat, Burner |
| Weight | 28.6lbs / 13kg |
Cosori 26-Quart Ceramic Air Fryer Oven: Performance
Using the Cosori 26-Quart Ceramic Air Fryer Oven required a little bit of an adjustment after having spent time with the Cosori TurboBlaze Compact Air Fryer. That smaller air fryer is true to its name and heats up quickly—I’ve often had to shave a minute or two off cooking times with certain items. Cosori’s larger model reviewed here does not suffer from that issue.
In fact, sometimes I need to add a little time when cooking. I’ve had to do that with the little frozen pizzas from Costco that usually take seven or eight minutes at 350°F as indicated by the packaging, where I need two more minutes for it to look fully cooked. I also had to do that when I cooked steak in it. While this is not a deal breaker by any degree, it’s important to be aware of, and is probably just due to the larger interior size.
That said, it does a good job cooking and is reasonably consistent, as long as you remember that the fan is at the back of the air fryer instead of on top. For instance, I did roast a five pound chicken. It turned out well, however, I did have to rotate it halfway through to get consistent crisping on the skin.
Of course, for food that doesn’t require crisping, this is less of a concern. This air fryer oven did a great job cooking up salmon, sweet potatoes, roasted vegetables, and eggplant parmesan.
One of the concerns with this air fryer is the fact that it tends to smoke at the top of the door when cooking certain things. Now, it could be steam as when I’ve noticed this, the contents being cooked weren’t burning. And, nothing ever caught fire or seemed to be in any real danger. Still, it’s a little scary to see what looks a little like smoke escaping the top of the air fryer. I hope Cosori considers some R&D on venting for whatever air fryer oven they eventually replace this model with. At least it's not that loud, measuring around 47dB during use.
The other concern with air fryer ovens in general is cleanup. You can’t remove the entire interior the way you can with an air basket-style air fryer. However, since the bottom panel is a burner, it’s a different surface than the usual stainless steel. It’s fairly easy to wipe down and clean out. Though, if you do have a spill, you’re going to have a much tougher time cleaning it up. Plus, it’s easy for particles to fall into the gap where the door hinges with the air fryer and that’s a pain to clean out.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
Should you buy the Cosori 26-Quart Ceramic Air Fryer Oven?
| Attribute | Notes | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Price & availability | The Cosori 26-Quart Ceramic Air Fryer Oven is on the pricier side, but it’s worth the cost of entry. | ★★★★ |
| Design | It has a large capacity, a burner plate, and plenty of cooking functions, not to mention a see-through window to check on your food. | ★★★★½ |
| Performance | While there’s some concern with smoking as well as slower cooking, this air fryer does a very good job cooking whatever you put in it. | ★★★★½ |
Buy it if...
Don’t buy it if…
How does the Cosori 26-Quart Ceramic Air Fryer Oven compare?
One of the most similar models out there to the Cosori 26-Quart Ceramic Air Fryer Oven is the Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro, which comes with a slightly higher $379.95 price tag. It’s a similar size and also has 13 cooking functions. More importantly, it uses “super convection” to heat up quickly, making it a little more efficient than the Cosori. However, it doesn’t come with a thermometer, which is very useful for anyone cooking meat.
Compare the Cosori 26-Quart Ceramic Air Fryer Oven to a basket-style air fryer like the Cosori TurboBlaze Compact Air Fryer and you can see the difference in price you’re dealing with. That smaller unit goes for $119.99. Of course, it’s six quarts instead of 26 and has a much more limited set of cooking functions, not to mention no accessories beyond the crisper plate. Of course, it’s ideal for bachelors while the Cosori 26-Quart Ceramic Air Fryer Oven is better for families.
How I tested the Cosori 26-Quart Ceramic Air Fryer Oven
I tested the Cosori 26-Quart Ceramic Air Fryer Oven over the course of a few weeks, using multiple functions including toast, Air Fry and Air Roast, as well as the burner plate to see how it performed. I used the thermometer and messed around with the control panel to see how easy it was to use. For actual performance, I cooked steak, a full chicken, many personal pizzas, sweet potatoes, an assortment of roasted vegetables, salmon and eggplant parmesan.
Read more about how we test.
