KitchenAid Digital Countertop Oven with Air Fry Review
Our Verdict
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Kitchen Aid Digital Countertop Oven with Air Fry had pretty impressive performance across the board, except for our temperature accuracy metric, which ultimately held it back from winning any of our top awards.
Performance Comparison
Baking
The Digital Countertop with Air Fry had above-average results in baking performance. Baked drumsticks came out with crisp skin and a juicy interior. Cookies came out golden brown on the outside and chewy in the center. The cake our testers baked, cooked a little too quickly, and was on the dry side, but overall still quite tasty. We found a noticeable amount of unevenness in the cooking in our tests. It wasn't horrible, but it indicates a few cool zones in the oven. While a few models performed better, unless you're a serious baker, we doubt you'll have any issues with this oven's baking abilities.
Ease of Use
This toaster oven had one of the best overall scores in the ease of use metric. The digital display and simple controls make this unit a pleasure to operate. This model really shines in how easy it is to keep clean. The large crumb tray slips in and out of the oven with ease, and its non-stick coating keeps food from sticking, even gooey melted cheese. Crumbs can fall under the hinged door, but all it takes is a folded paper towel or rag to sweep them out.
Temperature Accuracy
While our testers found the KitchenAid Digital Countertop with Air Fry to be a generally high-performing model, its issues with temperature accuracy are too glaring to ignore. We preheated the device to 350°, 400°, and 450° and checked the internal temperature at 7, 15, and 30 minutes. Our thermometers found that the actual temperature inside the oven was consistently low, often by as much as 25°. While this isn't the end of the world and food often cooked faster than instructions called for, it makes it much more difficult to get repeatable results when you're not exactly sure what temperature you're working with, and ultimately keeps this model behind the top-performing competitors.
Frozen Foods
Heating frozen pizza is one of the quintessential uses for toaster ovens, and this model does it quite well. Pizza was cooked thoroughly, quickly, and without any burning. Frozen tater tots are cooked equally as well. They were finished faster than the instructions said they would be and came out consistently crispy and evenly cooked.
Toasting
The KitchenAid Digital Countertop with Air Fry performed in line with other high-scoring options regarding the simple task of toasting bread and bagels. There are some small dead zones in the back corners, but it still produced a very evenly cooked piece of toast. The medium setting was a bit darker than expected, but not to the point of the toast being burnt. The bagels came out with a nice crisp to the cut side, while the bottoms were warm and chewy. When it comes to toast, there isn't much more you could ask for without looking into one of best toasters from our toaster testing.
Should You Buy the KitchenAid Digital Countertop with Air Fry?
The KitchenAid Digital Countertop with Air Fry performed reasonably well across our cooking metrics. It produced moist baked goods, crisp but not burnt toast, and almost perfect frozen pizzas. It does struggle with temperature accuracy, and given the price point, it does not outperform similarly priced options. It's worth buying if you find it on sale, but it wouldn't be our first choice. While our testers generally enjoyed using this toaster oven, you can find better-valued options elsewhere when it comes down to it. It performed above average in most metrics but was rarely a top performer. Combined with its abysmal temperature accuracy scores, it is a tough sell since it is in the same price range as the two best toaster ovens.
What Other Toaster Oven Should You Consider?
In this price range, the Ninja Foodi Digital Oven is the better pick with higher scores in almost every metric with notably better temperature accuracy in our tests. We love the versatility and cooking capability of the Ninja and think the ability to air fry and dehydrate makes it all the more appealing. If the KitchenAid is within your budget, we think you'll be happier and less frustrated with the Ninja. Alternatively, if a limited budget is your primary motivator, the Black+Decker TO3250XSB can meet the basic requirements of a toaster oven for a much lower price.