VonHaus VonShef 28L Air Fryer Oven Review: Big On Value and Capacity

Value When Reviewed

Not accessible within the US

Whether or not you’re an air frying convert in the hunt for more room and performance, or eager to trim your vitality payments, VonHaus’s VonShef 28L Air Fryer Oven may very well be an excellent addition to your kitchen. It combines the capability of a small countertop oven with a number of programmes and equipment, that means which you can prepare dinner a variety of dishes, a lot sooner, with out turning in your foremost oven. This makes it supreme for quick mid-week meals, resembling pizza, rotisserie-cooked meat and poultry, and chips from scratch.

But it’s not only for quick cooking: its ferment, dehydrate and bake capabilities mean you can whip up the whole lot from do-it-yourself yoghurt and jerky to dried fruit, meringue and bread. Plus, for those who don’t have fairly sufficient area for it, there’s an 18L model too.

To match the VonShef to different really useful fashions, see our round-up of the very best air fryer ovens we’ve examined.

You may as well see our round-up of the very best air fryers we’ve examined general. When you already know you’d like a Ninja equipment, take a look at our devoted Ninja round-up. We’ve additionally obtained particular suggestions for dual-drawer air fryers.

Design and Construct

• Complete set of equipment
• The open door will overhang a typical kitchen counter
• Not probably the most intuitive management panel

So as to supply 28 litres of capability, the VonShef 28L Air Fryer Oven is essentially fairly massive. It measures a surface-absorbing 45.2 x 42.9 x 38.7cm, weighs a hefty 11kg and appears very like a compact standard oven with a drop-down glass door.

Thankfully, its equipment – a rotisserie, two handles, crumb tray, rack, tray (which doubles as a drip tray) and air frying basket – could be saved inside when not in use, so that you gained’t must discover a place for them. Nevertheless, when it’s in use on an average-sized worktop with the door down, it’ll overhang barely.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

Two dials for time and temperature flank a management panel that’s a riot of icons and textual content, making it lower than intuitive to set. There are 14 presets: some are icons chosen by the menu button, whereas others are labelled with a phrase. Two – air fry and defrost – are managed by their very own button, whereas buttons for turning on the inner gentle and rotisserie add to the confusion.

Briefly, you’ll want the directions handy for some time. Which isn’t to say there aren’t some good options right here. Inside, you’ll discover six heating components (4 above, two beneath) mixed with a rhombus-patterned panel on the again. This has been designed to assist distribute warmth evenly for sooner, extra constant outcomes.

Efficiency and Options

• Can match a 12-inch pizza and as much as 1kg of chips
• Loads of choices for cooking settings
• 40-230°C temperature vary

The VonShef 28L Air Fryer Oven’s busy management panel isn’t a lot helped by its directions. Throughout testing, we discovered errors and omissions that made utilizing it harder. For instance, default instances and temperatures are listed for every operate, however a few of it isn’t correct, such because the default air fry time listed as 20 minutes, when it’s truly 30, and the default setting for chips being switched with the one for toasting.

There’s no information as to the amount that the defaults are primarily based on, and a scarcity of readability surrounding forms of meals. Which means that you’ll want some expertise or be sure to’re round to verify on the progress of meals to keep away from over- or undercooking.

What we did like was the convenience with which the settings could be toggled to go well with. The fan could be turned off, for instance, which is sweet if it’s not required otherwise you’re cooking meals that’s vulnerable to blowing round, and the timer doesn’t begin counting down till the preheat has completed, so you know the way lengthy one thing has been cooking on the proper temperature.

Time and temperature could be altered as soon as the oven has began, and the vary is helpful – most presets will prolong to an hour, whereas dehydrate will run for twenty-four hours, and the temperature ranges from 40-230°C. The capability can also be spectacular, becoming in a 12-inch pizza and as much as 1kg of chips.

As there’s an air frying operate in addition to a preset for chips, we determined to check the previous utilizing frozen hash browns. There isn’t a lot steerage for cooking meals from the freezer, so we opted for 20 minutes at 180°C, the default temperature, utilizing the air fry basket. After the time had elapsed, we discovered that the hash browns have been crisp however extra so on the tops than the bottoms, which have been distinctly softer. 

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

Subsequent, we used the basket for making recent chips utilizing soaked, washed and dried potato items tossed in a small quantity of oil. The default for this preset was 160°C – a lot decrease than standard when air frying – and 18 minutes – a lot shorter than most additionally. We felt this setting can be extra appropriate for frozen chips fairly than recent, or skinny fries, so we raised the time to 25 minutes and 180°C.

Whereas there was no suggestion of turning the chips, we did so midway by way of cooking. Sadly, this nonetheless wasn’t sufficient for a constant batch. The chips emerged largely pale and lots of wanted extra cooking time to crisp up correctly.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

We additionally cooked a rooster utilizing the corresponding preset (35 minutes at 230°C) and the rotisserie fork. The fork is designed to carry an entire rooster as much as 2.5kg, nonetheless, we might counsel there’s some ability concerned with a fowl this heavy. As soon as a tray was in place to catch the fats as suggested, we struggled to get a 1.5kg fowl balanced on the fork with out it dragging.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

Throughout cooking, the oven emitted a good quantity of steam and a few smoke as fats and juices hit the weather on the prime of the oven, requiring our kitchen extractor to be on all through. Along with this, juices overflowed from the tray and penetrated the be a part of within the door, leaving puddles on the worktop. Regardless of these points, the rooster was completely cooked, with browned pores and skin, not too crispy, and succulent flesh.

Rachel Ogden / Foundry

Clear-up afterwards was the largest problem: all of the equipment required hand-washing as they’re not dishwasher protected. Regardless of lots of scrubbing, we have been unable to take away burnt-on grease from the tray and crumb tray, and really feel that non-stick coated equipment can be extra appropriate. The cavity additionally wants cleansing after each use as soon as it’s cooled: extra effort than most air fryers, the place the drawers could be simply cleaned by hand or popped in a dishwasher.

Value and Availability

The VonShef air fryer oven has an RRP of £149.99, which is excellent worth, particularly for an equipment with this capability. You should purchase it from VonHaus at this worth, but it surely’s accessible from Amazon and B&Q for simply £129.99. You should purchase the 18L mannequin from Amazon for £89.99.

You’ll be able to evaluate it with rivals in our greatest air fryer oven round-up.

Do you have to purchase the VonHaus VonShef 28L Air Fryer Oven?

As an equipment, VonShef’s 28L Air Fryer Oven may use just a few tweaks. A few of its presets aren’t fairly proper and you could end up adjusting instances and temperatures after you’ve cooked with it just a few instances. Plus, cleansing it and its equipment is an actual chore.

However for those who can overlook the oven’s quirks, for the worth, it affords loads: loads of area inside, vitality environment friendly cooking and a price ticket meaning it’s comparatively inexpensive for many. For these eager to make financial savings on oven utilization, entertainers or massive households who want further capability, this versatile countertop equipment could also be a wise purchase.