This genius tri-zone air fryer was made for households where everyone wants a different dinner – it even features a dedicated pizza zone

There's a new air fryer design on the market, one which which offers not one or two, but three different cooking zones and a whopping 13.6L of cooking space. It even offers 9 different cooking programmes.

There aren't many people out there who don't own one of the best air fryers now, but in case you need any convincing, it's a great investment if you hate waiting for your oven to preheat, and if you want to speed things up. Some air fryers, like this one from Cuisinart, also double as a toaster, a grill, a dehydrater and more — so there's heaps of versatility there.

This innovative Cuisinart air fryer (which is reduced for Black Friday down to just £123.49 via Amazon) ticks all our boxes, and it even has a cooking tray for pizzas, cookies and more. It's ideal for families, as you can use it to cook 3 things at one time, and the best part? All accessories are dishwasher safe. With all of the added bells and whistles — viewing lights, a shake food reminder — it's super intuitive, and it has definitely earned a spot on my kitchen countertop. Here's what I've used it to cook...

In a nutshell

If you've got the countertop space, the Cuisinart AirTwin XXL Dual-Zone Air Fryer is a total game-changer, whether you're a budding chef or you'll be using it for fish fingers and frozen chips. Design-wise, it offers 3 drawers for cooking, two glass viewing windows and a light.

One drawer sits at the bottom of the unit and is a tray, which is perfect for cooking things like pizza, cookies, toast and more. All parts of it are dishwasher-safe, too, even the drawers. It boasts a shake reminder, as well as a 60-minute timer.

What about cooking? It offers 6 functions, from air fry to roast, grill, bake, dehydrate and max crisp for its baskets. Then, there are a further 3 cooking programmes to choose from for its tray. Its touchscreen controls are intuitive, and I didn't even have to refer to the manual. Better yet, it alerts you to shake your food halfway through cooking, plus it preheats while your food is in the baskets.

There are some things I didn't like about this air fryer, but they weren't enough to put me off keeping it in my kitchen. It does make a loud humming noise while it's cooling down after cooking. I do think this is smart, because it ensures that you switch it off at the socket for safety. Also, when you open one of the drawers, all of them automatically pause, which can be a little annoying.

Product specs

• Type: Tri-zone
• Dimensions: ‎D42.2cm x W39.9cm x H40.4cm
• Cooking area: W16.5cm x L23cm x H 12cm (baskets)
• Weight: 13.6kg
• Maximum temperature: 230°C
• Cooking modes: 6
• Power: 2400W
• Size: 13.6L
• Colour: Steel & Black or Black
• Material: Metal, Plastic (PFAS-free)

Who tested this air fryer?

Annie Collyer

Annie was previously Deputy Ecommerce Editor at Ideal Home but is now in a freelance role. She has reviewed everything from hot tubs to pan sets and even a hot tub for Ideal Home. Annie used this air fryer in her family kitchen for over a week, to help cook the regular meals she cooks for her family of three.

Annie used the Cuisinart Tri Zone 13.6L Air Fryer & Oven to cook fish fingers, frozen chips, homemade chips, chicken nuggets, bacon, sausages, and Mediterranean vegetables. She also used its tray to cook paninis, toast, and a mini pizza.

Annie was allowed to keep this air fryer and plans on doing so. It's now in a permanent spot on her countertop, since her toaster recently broke, and this doubles as a toaster, too.

Unboxing

This air fryer arrived in a very large box that was quite heavy, and inside that box was another box. In this box was the air fryer, all its parts and the manual. The packaging was, admittedly, excessive — each accessory was inside a plastic foam bag, which is recyclable, but depending on your local authority.

These definitely could have been packaged inside a cardboard sleeve, in my opinion. Otherwise, all of the drawers were taped shut, and there were lots of stickers to remove on the main unit, which was inside a plastic bag. The cord was wrapped in a bag, too.

My first impressions were overall positive. It is large, but it offers a lot of cooking space, hence its size. The bottom basket is undeniably handy, especially for cooking pizza, and it just feels high-quality.

It did have a subtle chemical odour, so it suggests cleaning all accessories and baskets before first use, in soapy water. I did just that, and then dried them all and put them back in the machine. I did struggle to fit the bottom tray back, as it felt and looked like I was putting it in wrong — the manual was pretty useless, so I looked at photos online to see what I was doing wrong. Luckily, I found an unboxing video on the Cuisinart website, and I realised that the crumb tray sits underneath the heating element.

Otherwise, the manual doesn't say that you have to use this air fryer before the first use, so it's ready to go once it has been washed and dried.

You'll also find information in the manual explaining where to safely put your air fryer in your kitchen. BTW, these are the worst places to put your air fryer, which could potentially be a fire hazard.

Testing

I used this air fryer to cook various foods, fresh and frozen. I loved that it has 3 different compartments, so I can cook several meals at one time. It's very easy to work — I didn't even need to refer to the manual.

The maximum temperature for this air fryer is 230°C. The maximum time limit you can set is 1 hour, or on the dehydrate setting, it's 12 hours.

There are 6 preset programmes available for the two smaller cooking baskets. These are:

Air Fry
Roast
Grill
Bake
Dehydrate
Re-Crisp (or Max Crisp)

For the cooking tray, there are 3 options:

Toast
Pizza
Manual

Chips
I first tested this air fryer with frozen chips. They cooked so fast and so well — they were lightly browned and crispy. They did take a little longer to cook than the packet instructions recommended; however, after around 15 minutes in the air fryer, they were perfectly cooked.

I also made homemade chips — chopped potatoes, olive oil, salt — and cooked them for 18 minutes at 180°C. After 18 minutes, the chips were perfectly cooked. Fluffy on the inside, crispy on the outside and slightly browned.

Bacon
We usually test the ability of an air fryer by cooking bacon. I managed to fit three rashers in each basket, so I could cook 6 at one time over the two baskets.

I cooked this bacon according to the packet instructions, and it was definitely cooked when the timer alerted. I also appreciated the shake reminder to alert me to flip the rashers.

Once they were cooked, I wanted them just a little more crispy, so I turned the setting to Max Crisp for a few minutes, and the result was perfect.

Other foods
I used this air fryer in place of my other model, which is four tiers. So, I also used it to cook fish fingers on several occasions, which I found cooked fast thanks to the high wattage of the air fryer.

I also cooked frozen chicken nuggets, which again cooked in good time, according to the packet instructions.

I also used it to cook sausages as well as Mediterranean vegetables. The sausages took longer to cook than their packet instructions, perhaps because I cooked 8 in one basket and they were quite chunky. Alas, the result was impressive, and both effort and cleanup were minimal. I then cooked the vegetables in the tray next to the sausages, which took around 20 minutes. The basket was quite full. I did shake them several times while cooking, and overall, they turned out evenly cooked.

Tray
I used the bottom tray and the toasting function to toast a bagel which had ham and cheese inside. The timer was set on 8 minutes, and it was perfectly cooked — melted cheese and a lightly crunchy bagel.

I used this pan for my toast, the entire time I was testing it, so I've cooked several pieces of bread in it, and every time, they've come out well-toasted. You do need to flip bread, and there isn't a shake food reminder for the bottom tray, just an FYI.

I also used this tray to cook a mini pizza, and it cooked in the time it would take in the oven, of course, without needing to wait for preheating. You could definitely fit a regular-sized pizza in here, but obviously, you can only use it to cook one pizza at a time.

Cleaning

All parts — except the main unit — of this air fryer are dishwasher-safe. Even the drawers can go in your dishwasher! I washed all parts by hand several times, and I had no issues! The same goes for dishwashing — the parts even fit in my slimline dishwasher, and I definitely wouldn't hesitate to put them in my dishwasher again.

You can wipe the exterior down with a cloth, if needed. There's also information about cleaning the interior in the manual — use a damp cloth and a mild soap solution.

How does it compare to similar models and its predecessors?

There are 6 different air fryer models to choose from at Cuisinart, with this one being the most expensive, at £199.99.

Starting with the most affordable option, the Cuisinart Compact Max Air Fryer is £99.99. It's PFAS-free, and it offers one drawer of cooking space that's 7.6L in total — that's enough for 8 portions. It has 7 programmes, while its accessories are dishwasher-safe.

Next up, the PFAS-free Cuisinart AirTwin XXL Dual-Zone Air Fryer at £149.99, which is black. With 2 baskets to feed up to 12 people, it offers 10.4L of cooking space. You can match cook these baskets, and there are 7 programmes. It's also dishwasher-safe, its baskets and trays, and it heats to 210°C, with a 60-minute auto-pause timer if you need it. This also comes in a steel and black combination, for £159.99.

The Cuisinart Basket Air Fryer is £150, and for this price tag, its capacity is admittedly small. It's only 5.7L and has just one basket, while it has just 5 cooking functions. Its basket features a handy viewing window. It's not clear whether this is PFAS-free, but its accessories are dishwasher-safe.

Should you buy the Cuisinart Tri Zone 13.6L Air Fryer & Oven?

If you're after an easy-to-use air fryer for a family, then this is a great choice. Especially if you've got the worktop space. Thanks to its 13.6L of cooking space, it could easily replace your oven, and it offers so much versatility thanks to its tray, which can double as a toaster.

Its feature range is impressive, and the shake food reminder is handy. As are the viewing windows and interior lights. There are 6 programmes for the two cooking baskets and 3 for the tray. All accessories are dishwasher-safe for convenience. I found that this air fryer cooked foods both evenly and fast, thanks to its high wattage, and it could fit an impressive amount of food in each basket — I cooked 8 sausages in one basket, at one time, and then 3 rashers of bacon in one basket, too.

If you've got the money and the countertop space, it's great. Just bear in mind that it does make a slight humming noise while in its cooling-down period, so you'll want to switch it off at the socket when not in use (which is recommended anyway). And, when you remove one of the baskets from the main unit, all others will automatically pause cooking, which can be a little frustrating.