Why this genius air fryer is the one you should upgrade to this summer – it takes the guesswork out of cooking entirely
Step into the world of temperature probes, water atomizers and built-in recipes
Can an appliance make you better at cooking? That's the claim behind the Dreo ChefMaker, which seeks to elevate the concept of the air fryer into something far more advanced.
The tagline of this air fryer is 'taking the guesswork out of the cooking process', which is does through a few different features, most notably a dual-sensing probe, hundreds of built-in recipes and a water atomizer. With these things, the ability to simply follow along with a recipe on the corresponding app should, in theory, make your cooking less stressful.
We're going to take a look at exactly how the Dreo ChefMaker works and why it's the air fryer to upgrade to this summer. We'll also explain just how it compares to a standard version of the best air fryer, so you can get prepped for those juicy Amazon Prime Day deals coming on the 16th and 17th of July.
There are three different cooking modes with the ChefMaker: ClassicCook, ProbeCook and ChefMode, each created using insider information from a professional chef as well as helping with precise temperature settings and in-depth recipes. Pretty clever.
Dreo ChefMaker first look
Let's go back to basics to work out exactly what the ChefMaker can do. According to the brand, to operate, you can take a cut of meat (let's say a steak, for this example), pop it into the ChefMaker, insert the temperature probe, fill up the water tank and then simply select the corresponding program.
From there, this appliance works independently to adjust the moisture levels and temperature, with the aid of the probe, in order to leave you with a perfectly done piece of meat (or fish, if you fancy). This is all done, according to the brand Dreo, by using an algorithm that ensures that optimal levels of temperature, 'doneness', searing and browning are all met.
The first stage sees the air fryer raise the temperature inside the appliance rapidly, to kickstart the process. As we found when we tested another appliance from this brand, as detailed in our Dreo Air Fryer review, this brand is known for its surprisingly powerful products, so it's not a surprise to us that the ChefMaker can ramp up temperatures fast.
The next stage is where the spray mist from the atomizer at the top of the machine comes in. It can hold up to 200ml of water, becoming a '50 micron-mist' which it uses to infuse your fish, meat, or vegetables, to keep them from losing their moisture while ensuring an even cook.
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Throughout the process, the dual-point sensing probe is on hand to make sure that your food isn't under or overcooked, giving you the Goldilocks treatment with often hard-to-cook foods (like steak or lobster).
And if you want more than those presets, the Dreo ChefMaker can hold your hand through the seasoning and preparation processes too, with a corresponding app boasting s a range of recipes with simple but detailed instructions.
This all sounds to us to be pretty revolutionary – if the technology works. The temperature probe and atomizer mean that hands-free nature of this appliance make it markedly different from other standard air fryers on the market, particularly for those looking to cook meat. While our favourite air fryer ever (as detailed in our Ninja FlexDrawer review) has more space and flexible cooking zones, this kind of guided cooking opens up a whole new world of possibilities.
We've got hold of a sample of the Dreo ChefMaker to test to see how it shapes up, but in the meantime, don't just take our word for it that this air fryer looks the part. In one user review on Amazon, a commenter sang its praises, saying 'This is so much more than a bog standard air fryer', going on to say that it's 'like having a chef in your kitchen', with cooking results that meant steaks cooked in it were restaurant quality.
If that sounds good to you, then we reckon the Dreo ChefMaker should be high on your list this Amazon Prime Day, which allows shoppers to get access to exclusive discounts for two days only. We're hoping that the ChefMaker (which has a RRP of £359.00 on Amazon) will be subject to a hefty discount during the event so that you can get hold of this game-changing appliance sooner and for less. Here's to well-cooked meals all round!
Molly is Ideal Home’s Kitchen Appliances Editor and an all-around baking and cooking enthusiast. She joined the team in September 2022 as an Ecommerce Editor after working across Real Homes, Homes & Gardens and Livingetc. She's been reviewing products for 4 years and now specialises in weighing up kitchen essentials' pros and cons, from air fryers to bean-to-cup coffee machines.
She's always been a keen reader, so after graduating from the University of Exeter in 2020 she was thrilled to find a way to write as a full-time job. Nowadays, she spends her days at home or the Ideal Home test facility trying out new kitchen innovations to see if they’re worth a space on your worktop. Her most beloved and hard-working appliance is her Sage coffee machine though she also takes the title of Ideal Home’s in-house air fryer expert after writing about them religiously over the past few years.
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