There are countless air fryers on the market vying for your attention, and honestly, many of them are perfectly fine. Convection heating (which is what air frying is) requires a fan and a heating element, and the cheapest brand will give you just that. That said, there are enough thoughtful touches that make an appliance worth considering. Personally, I’ve been wondering if there’s an air fryer out there that doesn’t sound like a fire truck—that’s something I’d spend a lot of money on. Well, I got my hands on the Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven , and if you’re anything like me, this user-friendly air fryer might just be the peaceful appliance you’ve been looking for.

While both the basket and oven style air fryers use the same convection heating, the design and access angle are different. Even though I’ve been Team Basket for years, this Cuisinart makes me question myself.

I can definitely see the appeal of the air fryer toaster oven. The door is hinged and faces the front of the appliance. The interior is spacious and has two drawer runners, so you could theoretically cook two different dishes at once. It has the charm of a full-sized conventional oven with the benefits of a countertop convection appliance. Plus, it looks and sounds a lot like an old-fashioned toaster oven, and that familiarity is undeniably comforting.

The first thing I noticed about this Cuisinart, even before I turned it on, is that there is no digital control panel, no touchscreen buttons – instead, there are rotary knobs. While I normally expect "modern" to mean lights and digital beeps, the whole air fryer looks sleek and modern without all that. Many air fryers, and let's be honest, even microwaves, can overdo it with presets and touchscreens, which can either be confusing or prevent the average user from figuring out all the functions. Four buttons – time, temperature, fan, and toast (it is a toaster, after all) – are extremely intuitive. You won't have to waste any time trying to figure them out.