When we say Breville air fryer, what we are really reviewing is our Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro, but for the sake of time we shortened it – haha! Let’s start off by explaining what first led to us purchasing the air fryer. We have a very old oven in our home that takes a long time to heat and also uses propane (which is fairly expensive at the moment). We wanted to find a solution to save both time and money which led us down the path of researching oven/air fryer combos and ultimately deciding on the Breville air fryer.
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Breville Air Fryer Pros
Since purchasing it, we RARELY use our main oven. We are totally on the Breville bandwagon and let us tell you why:
- It saves us time. It is so quick to preheat unlike our regular oven. Also, for the bake and air fryer settings, which we use the most, it uses convection cooking which means it cooks food faster. Let us give you an example – we used to bake some vegetables like sweet potatoes or brussell sprouts at 400 degrees for 30-40 minutes (not including preheat time). I recently roasted some cubed up sweet potatoes in our smart oven and the entire process took 20 minutes – TIME SAVER.
- It saves us money – Our regular oven uses propane which is rather expensive these days. Other than the initial cost of the appliance (and some electricity), this oven costs us $0 to use. Also, with how much we have used it, I think it is safe to say the Breville air fryer has since paid for itself.
- It’s size. As a family of four (who also loves to entertain) we love that you can cook larger portion sizes. You can fit 9×13 pans, muffin tins and even a chicken (up to 14lbs) if you want to roast one.
- All the different settings. As mentioned before, we typically use the “bake” and “air fry” settings the most but there are actually 13 different functions to choose from. These include: Toast, Bagel, Broil, Bake, Roast, Warm, Pizza, Proof, Airfry, Reheat, Cookies, Slow Cook and Dehydrate.
Breville Air Fryer Cons
Now nothing is perfect, and yes, there are things we would change or things you have to consider before you choose to get a Breville air fryer.
- It’s preheat function. When you preheat the unit and it reaches the desired temperature, it automatically goes straight into cooking and the timer starts. This means one of two things, first, we either put our food in and it technically will start cooking while the oven is preheating, which throws of cooking time. Or, you have to set the timer for longer, put the food in when the oven has been preheated and then readjust the time once the food is in. It is not the worst thing in the world, just slightly inconvenient and took some getting used to.
- Shuts off when timer goes off. Similar to the above, the oven will shut off when the timer reaches 0. This is a bit inconvenient since many times we have to put the food back in (if it’s not fully cooked to our satisfaction). This requires to turn the oven back on, and it goes into it’s preheat cycle, and the timer does not start until the preheat is done. Slightly annoying.
- Cleaning it. Ovens get messy and because the walls of this one are even closer to the food, it can get pretty dirty. However, we have a pro tip! We have found that if you line the bottom grease tray with tin foil, you can clean it soooo much easier.
- It’s size. While we stated above its size was a pro, we also consider it a con. It is large and can cook a lot of food, but you now have a large appliance sitting on your countertop or stored somewhere. We are fortunate to have a lot of counter space in our pantry, but I would still say the size is also a con.
For us, the pros far outweigh the cons and we have really been impressed with it since the day we opened it.
Breville Air Fryer Accessories
Did we mention everything that came with our Breville air fryer? Our unit came with the following accessories:
- 1- pizza pan
- 2 – oven racks
- 1- 9×13 broil rack
- 1- roasting pan
- 1- mesh basket for dehydrating and air frying
Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer vs Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro
Before we purchased the Breville air fryer, we needed to know what the difference was between the smart oven and the smart oven pro. The smart oven pro is more expensive and we wanted to see if the features were worth the additional cost.
Here is what we found – the main difference is the size between the two models. The pro is larger and can fit larger size pans and more food in general. The other difference is the pro has two more functions, the dehydrate and the proof setting. Ultimately, we wanted the larger size since we have a large family and like to entertain a lot!
FAQs
Yes it can! And depending on which model you get, the Breville Smart Oven or Smart Oven Pro, it can do a lot more than just bake or air fry. It can also toast, broil, dehydrate, proof and more.
The main difference is the size between the two models. The pro is larger and can fit larger size pans and more food in general. The other difference is the pro has two more functions, the dehydrate and the proof setting.
About The Authors
John and Megan are the founders of Arched Manor, which is a passion-project turned business featuring home design, renovations, DIY tutorials, décor, e-Design, and 3-D rendering services. This married couple lives in Leesburg, Virginia, and is currently renovating The Arched Manor, a brick colonial house built in 2000.
