Are air fryer microwaves the next big thing for small kitchens? We tried one to find out

Most households consider a microwave to be a non-negotiable kitchen appliance. And as more of us wise up to the fantastic, speedy cooking abilities of the best air fryers, they’re becoming just as invaluable. So competition for space on our kitchen worktops is fiercer than ever.

The Drew & Cole 3-in-1 Microwave Air Fryer Oven Combo promises to relieve the pressure. This innovative new appliance combines the two, so you can ditch your standalone air fryer and get all the functionality from a one of the best microwaves instead. 

I’m all for clearing the clutter and freeing up space, and I’ve come across my fair share of excellent multi-functional appliances. So I had high hopes that incorporating an air fryer into a microwave could be a winning new combo. Spoiler alert, it didn’t live up to my expectations.

Drew & Cole 3-in-1 Microwave Air Fryer Oven Combo product specs

• Capacity: 25 litre 
• Modes: microwave, air fry, grill, convection oven, defrost, plus combination cooking
• Presets: 9 air fry presets, 10 microwave presets, auto weight defrost
• Microwave power: 900W
• Microwave power levels: 5
• Size: (H)30 x (W) 49 x (D)45cm 
• RRP: £199.99

Unboxing, setting up and first impressions

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from a combined microwave and air fryer. But since combi microwaves are usually chunkier than standard microwaves, I wasn’t surprised when a pretty hefty box turned up on my doorstep. Once out of the box this one is no bigger than most average size combi microwaves.

On first impressions, it’s just like any other microwave, except there’s an extra ‘air fry’ button. I like the all-black exterior and that the control panel isn’t too cluttered. In addition to the typical glass turntable, there’s a low rack, a high rack and a round perforated oven tray. Everything can be stored in the microwave when not in use, which means there’s no extra clutter to worry about.

The instruction manual is basic and lacks detail in some areas, for example there are no guideline cooking times or recipes. However, a QR code points you to an app which I downloaded in the hope of finding useful recipes or cooking guidelines. 

At the time of writing though, the app didn’t actually contain any recipes specific to this appliance, so it wasn’t much use and I deleted it soon after downloading. What is of some use though, is the nine air fry presets for common foods. Plus there’s a menu of ten auto cook options for microwaving too.

The control panel is pretty intuitive. I had to refer to the manual for some of the settings, but after a few goes I no longer needed it. Plus the auto cook programmes and the combi cooking settings are listed just inside the door for quick reference.

Unusually, you can’t adjust the temperature when air frying and you can only adjust the time in five minute increments. So immediately I’m thinking it doesn’t have the flexibility of a standalone air fryer.

The combination microwave options allow you to use the convection oven, microwave, and grill together in four different combinations. But when using the combi settings, there’s no option to adjust the cooking temperatures or microwave power levels, which some people will find frustrating.

The convection oven and grill can be used on their own, and in this case you can adjust the convection oven temperature between 150-240C, though the grill temperature is fixed. All-in-all it offers most of the settings I’d expect to see on a combi microwave. 

What is it like to use?

Air fry

The best way to gauge if an air fryer is any good, is to make chips. One of the nine air fryer auto cook modes is for chips, so that’s what I used. But with no guidelines or recipe suggestions provided, I prepared the chips how I usually do. 

I soaked 500g raw chips for 30 minutes in cold water and then dried them, spritzed with some oil and laid them out on the perforated oven tray. I then placed the tray onto the short oven rack to allow the hot air to circulate. But at this point I’d have appreciated some guidance in the manual about the best configuration of accessories when air frying.

There’s no preheat function, nor does the manual state whether this is a necessary step. The chips mode cooks for 22 minutes, but the display doesn’t tell you the cooking temperature, nor does it give you the option to adjust it. And this is a drawback in my opinion.

At the end of the 22 minutes, the chips were nowhere near cooked. So I started it again and cooked them for a further 22 minute cycle, moving and shaking them around a few times to make sure they browned evenly.

You’ll see from the picture that they look well browned and have the appearance of pretty good chips. But in reality, despite the 44 minute cook time, they were soggy and the texture was disappointing. Certainly not a patch on chips I’ve made in any other air fryer.

For the next test I used the vegetable preset mode to air fry a tray of red onions and red peppers. The auto vegetable mode is set for 16 minutes. But once again, I had to put it on twice. And even after 32 minutes, the vegetables hadn’t developed the lightly caramelised, charred texture I would usually expect from an air fryer. So it was another long cook with a disappointing end result.

Usually when I crisp up jacket potatoes in the air fryer, I give them a 5-10 minute blast in my microwave first. But on this occasion I decided to use the microwave, convection oven and grill in combination to start the potatoes off, before using the air fry mode for the final crisp up.

My four small potatoes cooked for 20 minutes on the combi mode before they were sufficiently soft in the centres. But the skins didn’t really crisp up during this time so I may as well have just microwaved them instead.

I ended up air frying them for a further 20 minutes. At the end the skins had browned, but sadly they weren’t crisp and crunchy like they usually are when air fried in a standalone air fryer.

By this point I’d begun to lose faith in this air fryer mode. But gave it one last chance to impress me. I  put in a frozen breaded bean burger, which should be straightforward enough. I tried the manual mode and set the timer for 20 minutes. But it wasn’t hot enough on the inside until it’d been air frying for 25 minutes. 

The breadcrumb coating on the cooked bean burger wasn’t soggy, but it was nowhere near as crisp and crunchy as it would be in most other air fryers in half the time.

Convection oven, Grill and Combi modes

When making a pasta bake, I tried using the convection oven mode. I selected 200C, but couldn’t adjust the cooking time. So instead, I set a timer on my phone for 20 minutes. However, for some reason that I still haven’t figured out, it stopped cooking and switched off every 5 minutes or so, and I had to keep switching it back on.

In the end, after 25 minutes, the cheese on top still hadn’t browned. So I decided to take a different approach. I switched it to convection oven and grill combi and cooked it using this mode for a further 15 minutes. But it still didn’t brown much at all. 

At this point a pasta bake that should have taken 20 minutes, had been cooking on the various settings for a total of 40 minutes and I was too hungry to keep going in the hope that the cheese would eventually brown, so I gave up and dished up the anaemic looking bake.

Cheese on toast is a good quick lunch option and the perfect test of the grill only mode. There are no temperatures to choose from, so having lightly toasted my bread in the toaster, I placed on some slices of cheese and popped them on the higher of the two racks. 

The cheese was nicely melted in just 5 minutes, not too bad considering there was no preheat.

Microwave

The microwave worked as I’d expect. I used it for lots of mundane daily tasks, like warming up cups of tea that had gone cold, heating custard, tinned soup, making porridge, and reheating leftovers. And everything heated as I hoped, with no major hiccups or cold spots. But a special mention has to go to the delicious gooey chocolate microwave mug cakes that microwaved to perfection in just one minute each.

I used the auto defrost function to defrost a pack of four frozen chicken breasts. I input the weight of the pack and the microwave calculated the defrost time at 10 minutes, 30 seconds. It beeps when you need to turn the food. 

And at the end of the time, the majority of the meat was defrosted. Most importantly, none of it had started to cook, which is what would indicate a poor defrost function to me.

How does it compare to other microwaves and air fryers?

The Panasonic NN-CT56JB, available for £249.00 at Currys, is currently our choice of microwave for functionality after testing an array of models. So if you can give up on the idea of having an air fryer function included, this is a great alternative from one of the leading microwave manufacturers. The control panel can be a bit daunting at first glance, but it’s a great performer.

Alternatively, a good multifunctional air fryer like the Ninja Foodi FlexDrawer can give you the benefits of a convection oven and grill, but this time you’ll have to forego the ability to microwave. However, it’s one of the top-rated air fryers you can buy with a large capacity and a flexible cooking zone, making it a great choice for families.

What is it like to clean?

Cleaning the inside of a microwave is a chore most of us are familiar with. And this microwave is no different to any other. The best thing to do is to regularly wipe the inside to stop food residues and grease building up.

The glass turntable is dishwasher safe, but frustratingly I couldn't find any details in the manual on how to clean the two racks and the oven tray. None of these accessories are tricky to wash up in the sink, but I’d like the manual to provide information on whether they’re suitable for the dishwasher, especially for those weeknight evenings when I’m in a rush.

Should you buy the Drew & Cole 3-in-1 Microwave Air Fryer Oven Combo?

I’ll be blunt: if you’re buying it because you’re excited to combine your microwave and air fryer into one appliance, think again. The air fry function is not good and doesn’t perform like a standalone air fryer.

The combi cooking modes aren’t the best I’ve tried, but the microwave is perfectly fine. So really if you want it mainly for the microwave, and occasional use of the combi functions, it’ll be fine. But stick to a separate air fryer or you’ll be disappointed.