Cosori Pro LE Review
Our Verdict
Compare to Similar Products
This Product Cosori Pro LE | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Awards | An Excellent Mid-Volume Model | Best Air Fryer on a Budget | |||
Price | $100 List $99.99 at Amazon | $130 List $79.99 at Amazon | $130 List $123.47 at Amazon | $70 List $69.99 at Amazon | $70 List $59.35 at Amazon |
Overall Score | |||||
Star Rating | |||||
Bottom Line | This air fryer could use a little help with its user-friendliness, but it produces a crispy onion ring | Its versatility allows it to cook a wide variety of foods well and it's quite easy to use | This air fryer produces crispy tots and comes with a window for viewing convenience | Good cooking performance for a reasonable price | A small air fryer with average cooking performance and basic options |
Rating Categories | Cosori Pro LE | Ninja Air Fryer | Instant Vortex Plus... | Ultrean Air Fryer | Dash Tasti-Crisp |
Cooking Performance (35%) | |||||
User Friendliness (25%) | |||||
Ease of Cleaning (20%) | |||||
Temperature Accuracy (20%) | |||||
Specs | Cosori Pro LE | Ninja Air Fryer | Instant Vortex Plus... | Ultrean Air Fryer | Dash Tasti-Crisp |
Measured Dimensions | 11"L x 12"W x 14.5"D | 13.6"L x 11"W x 13.3"D | 11.3"L x 13"W x 14.3"D | 13.2"L x 11.3"W x 12.4"D | 8.6"L x 11"W x 10.7"D |
Capacity | 5 qt | 4 qt | 6 qt | 4.2 qt | 2.6 qt |
Accessories | None | None | None | None | None |
Power Consumption | 1500 watt | 1550 watt | 1700 watt | 1500 watt | 1000 watt |
Max Outside Temperature | 134 | 160 | 200 | 154 | 164 |
Measured Cooking Area | 73.3 sq in | 53.5 sq in | 85 sq in | 59.2 sq in | 49 sq in |
Time to Preheat to 400F | 4:43 | 4:25 | 2:49 | 2:37 | 3:13 |
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Cosori Pro LE is 11 inches in length, 12 inches tall, and 14.5 inches deep, making it one of the smaller air fryers in our suite. The basket is five quarts, so it works best with smaller portions.
Performance Comparison
Cooking Performance
The Pro LE excels in cooking chicken and tater tots. Unfortunately, we can't say the same for sweet potato fries or donuts.
It's important for onion rings and tots to have a crispy outer layer matched with a soft but fully cooked inside. The Pro LE cooks a batch of onion rings mostly evenly, with the exception of one or two undercooked pieces. The outsides offer a very satisfying crunch, and the insides are fully cooked in 9.5 minutes. The tots are equally as satisfying. The chicken is moist and juicy but not quite as golden brown as some of the other options in our suite.
Unfortunately, the sweet potato fries and donuts yield a subpar result. The donuts have a nice crispy outer layer but remain uncooked inside, while the sweet potato fries are crispy on the ends but poorly cooked in the middle.
User Friendliness
The display is ever so slightly angled for viewing, but the angle is very shallow. The appliance is shorter, so most people will still be able to see the interface.
The shake alarm can be disabled, so you don't have to turn it off halfway through cooking food items like chicken breast that do not need to be shaken. The interface is intuitive, with responsive touch buttons. The cooking options are on top, and the time and temperature are displayed in large, easy-to-read numbers.
The preheat is not incorporated into the cycle, which makes the process a little more hands-on. The entire display goes into sleep mode when the basket is removed, which can be a little annoying if you are simply checking on the contents of the basket. Overall, the Pro LE provides an average user experience.
Ease of Cleaning
The Pro LE is easy to wipe down, and the matte panels hide greasy fingerprints easier than a glossy finish would. Cleaning is pretty straightforward. The grooves of the tray are shallow enough to swipe your sponge over easily. The basket is also smooth, although the walls hold onto grease, so it's important to give it a good scrubbing.
Temperature Accuracy
The Pro LE struggles to keep the temperature accurate at lower temps. It is consistently over by 12 to 20 degrees at 300, 350, and 375 degrees. Once the air fryer reaches 400 degrees, it is dead on. Unfortunately, many air fryer recipes require a temp of 375, so this can affect the time your recipes need and the evenness of the final results.
Should You Buy the Cosori Pro LE?
The Cosori Pro LE cooks certain items well while others fall short. It is on the lower end of the price spectrum, but there are many higher-performing options in our test suite in a similar price range.
What Other Air Fryers Should You Consider?
If you are a fan of multi-use appliances, the Breville Smart Oven Air doubles as a toaster oven, which is perfect for pizza and fries. The Instant Vortex Plus is an all-around favorite of ours. It offers stellar cooking performance for a surprisingly affordable price. If cost is your main concern, the Ultrean Air Fryer will help shed a few bucks off; however, your food won't turn out as well as it does with the Instant Vortex Plus, though it will still render good, crispy tater tots and fries.