TOWER Airwave Pro 2-in-1 Air Fryer and Microwave Review

DISCLOSURE – THIS ITEM WAS GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW. ALL THOUGHTS AND OPINIONS ARE THE REVIEWER’S OWN.

Reviewed by Michelle

Are you a foodie who loves to cook? Do you have a foodie you need to buy a Christmas gift for? Or do you know someone who would never buy themselves a combination appliance like this? If you do and if they are the sort, like me, who would not mind being gifted kitchen appliances then this microwave air fryer combi is exactly what you need to buy. I have never been tempted to buy anything other than a basic microwave because I only ever use my microwave to reheat food. The lack of browning or crisping of the food being cooked has always put me off. This appliance is the answer to that! Tower call this the “ultimate cooking convenience” as it features “authentic air fryer crispness at microwave speeds”. Indeed I have found microwaved jacket potato’s get that delightful crispy skin that usually missing unless oven cooked.

It comes with the standard microwave turntable ring and plate and an air fryer tray and basket providing all that is needed to immediately start cooking. There is a capacity of 26L which is bigger than most standard dinner plates and easily accommodates larger portions. The air fryer tray basket comfortably holds a standard size pizza, very useful for those emergency frozen pizza quick meals, made even easier by the auto cook pre-set for pizza. No more air fryer burnt pizza in my house now.

As it is a combination cooker replacing two appliances it is potentially space saving, however it is larger than some microwaves and you do have to allow ventilation space around the appliance, especially important as the sides and top do get hot during air fryer mode. It cannot be used inside a cupboard or as a built in appliance.

This combi oven can be used in microwave mode, air fryer mode, as a combi cooker, a convection oven or for multi stage cooking. The microwave function is powered by manga wave technology ensuring even heat distribution and well cooked meals. The air fryer functions features Tower air fryer exclusive Vortx technology which rapidly circulates hot air around the food creating a great crispy texture. It also has the ability to be used to defrost or to keep warm. Defrosting can be done by weight or by time. Combination cooking allows both microwave and air fryer cooking to be undertaken at the same time. When using as a convection oven or as an air fryer it can be programmed with or without preheating and multi stage cooking allows you to choose one mode automatically followed by another mode. I tried this multi stage with defrost and then cooking some chicken pieces and it worked well.

Air fryer mode has ten pre-set options to choose from, including the common options of chicken nuggets and frozen fries. The appliance also offers ten auto cook pre-set options including auto reheat, pizza, pasta, meat and veggies, taking away the guesswork on timings I am used to having to do. The keep warm mode is a great feature for keeping one part of a meal warm while waiting for another part to finish cooking in another appliance.

Choosing a pre-set option or setting the appliance to cook with one of the modes is relatively easy, press the appropriate mode button, turn the dial to set the temperature and/or timer then press the dial to start. Setting the clock and kitchen timer was nice and easy too, eco mode turns the led screen display off when not in use and there is a very useful child lock function which disables the control panel. Using any of the cooking options available is relatively straight forward. I am sure over time I will learn which pre-set is for which food but for now I need to keep the manual handy so I can look up which pre-set I want to use depending on what I’m cooking and which method of cooking. I would have liked for these to be visible on the appliance somehow so I don’t have to keep looking in the manual.

I have enjoyed, and will continue to enjoy, using this appliance. All the foods I’ve tried cooking in it have been cooked nicely and with less burning than I got in my other air fryer. I’ve used it for things I normally would have had to use the big oven for which is fantastic for energy saving too. For anyone in need of inspiration the appliance page on the tower website has a recipe section and the box has a QR code which leads to a recipe book with recipes to get started. Anyone who loves convenient kitchen appliances and cooking would be delighted with this Airwave Pro Oven 2 in 1 air fryer to assist in their culinary creations.

Rating: 4.5/5
RRP: £249.99
Purchase from www.towerhousewares.co.uk.