Bella Pro Series - 4.2-qt. Analog Air Fryer - Black Matte

Overview—Not long ago I wasn’t an air fryer user. Now I can’t stop trying to fry various items in them to see what works and what doesn’t. The Bella works extremely well in that regard. The non stock pan makes cleanup a breeze as well. During these pre-black Friday deals, I’ve noticed the Bella pro series drop a significant amount making it one of the cheapest air fryers I’d recommend. Instructions with this unit are a little over the top due to the lack of any other buttons/knobs on the unit. In this case there is only a timer and a temperature knob, nothing else. It makes for a very simple unit to operate. But besides care/maintenance, usage, and warranty details the Bella includes several simple to follow recipes including a fairly simple pastry dish (I haven’t tried making it). Compared to other similar products, the Bella outshines them in this area. Pros— Ease of use Easy clean up Lots of space Premium like stainless (only time will tell here) Cons— Exterior could consist of a better construction as it feels like a hard pvc plastic My particular unit doesn’t line up correctly between basket and exterior (images attached) Over all appearance seems a little cheap Conclusion—the Bella pro series is a great choice for anyone that is new to air fryers or anyone that doesn’t mind a cheaper appearance from their countertop appliance. Possibly a perfect choice for the travel trailers or RV owners. The minor issue (separation/gap) in my unit isn’t enough to sway me from not recommending it as it fits and locks securely in place. It’s quite possibly an issue during assembly with this unit.

A reminder that an "Air Fryer" is just some variation of a convection oven - it's a heating element with a fan - you can't fry with air so most of these devices rely on efficiently heating items that have been coated with a little bit of oil. Since most US ovens aren't air-circulating ovens, these devices can work wonders. All similar devices have something of a food containment drawer with enough surrounding space to allow for the circulation of hot air. The greatest effort that is recommended is that you periodically remove the drawer and shake the contents to promote overall evenness of heat throughout the cooking process. Small air fryer appliances like this one are not really best at cooking things from scratch - this isn't a little oven. But for reheating frozen foods (french fries, onion rings, pre-cooked chicken wings, chicken strips, ...), these devices are unparalleled. The 4.2 qt. capacity is meaningless (since you won't be filling this with water?). In action, it would be perfect for a dorm room (in non-pandemic times) or for reheating foods in a small apartment (it doesn't take up much space). Great for a couple who might depend on reheating foods frequently - great for anybody with a couple kids who depend on reheated frozen foods. My attached picture: frozen onion rings.

One of my favorite purchases during Quarantine! This is great for changing up the weekly dinner routine. What I like most about this is that it is fool-proof! You don't have to be a good cook to make creative, delicious and healthy meals - with ease! Functionality: High quality product and has two separate dials which tune in the perfect temperature degrees as well as time. This allows it to be adaptable to many different cooking/baking/frying styles and foods. Design: As an Architectural Designer, I have been looking for a matte black finish. This is a high quality finish that is hard to find, and glad I found this versus other competitors who only have a glossy option. It definitely classes it up. Size: This 4.2 quart size is perfect as it fits under my upper cabinets, yet has a large capacity basket for cooking full batches of zucchini fries, eggplant parmesan. It cooks up two maple-glazed salmon filets in just 5 minutes! Energy Conservation: One of the hidden benefits is that it is much more energy efficient than heating up a stove or oven. The sustainability aspect is a huge plus! Overall - this is a great quality product that will last, has a curated aesthetic and simply makes life easier! Cannot wait to rustle up some butternut squash and brussel sprouts tonight!

This new class of Air Fryers is entirely new to me. i’ve been a long time fan of fried greasy foods, despite the health consequences. Now Air Fryers provide nearly all the beneft in a much more healthy solution. It heats up very quicly and does a fantstic job reheating foods all the way through, while crisping the outside using efficient air circulation. PROS + easy to use (simple design, 2 buttons, temp and time ) + can fit a lot of food in the 4.2-qt basket at once + pre-heats really quickly + relatively quiet operation + it made our 4 day old soggy french fries really hot and crispy in less than 5 mins CONS -difficult to decrease time on the timer -if you overshoot it, you must wait for the time to expire -counter space footpriint is larger than 2-quart digital Bella model -gets hot on outside so have to be careful not to touch it or have it too close to anything -not as precise as digital model (but basket 2x as large) CONCLUSION I’ve seen these Air Fryers for several years now, but had neglected them as viable alternatives to a convection oven and traditional deep fryer. This Bella analog 4.2-qt Air Fryer makes it footproof, and lets this heart patient enjoy fried foods with the negative health consequences. Recommend

I like that I can make healthier meals, like French Fries without the deep fryer and the extra oil that goes with it. The controls are easy to understand. Time and Temperature, that’s it. Two (2) LED indicators that the unit is ON and the element is heating. A little fan noise as it works. Nothing terrible. The basket is supper easy to clean. Another nice feature, the unit shuts off when the basket is removed. Crispy fries, and other foods without the extra oily fats.

This air fryer really makes it easy to cook on the fly. I have used air fryers before, but this once takes the cake in terms of easiness. Cooking several meals for a family of 4 with busy schedules is a breeze as the fryer's dual knob design really helps keep meals quick and accurate when cooking. One knob is temp and the other is the timer. Its literally THAT easy. Pop out the grate when done and wash up and you're set for next time. I would highly recommend this as its the easiest air fryer to set up, use, clean, rinse and repeat!

This air fryer from the Bella Pro Series is an affordable and reliable kitchen appliance. The basket is large enough for a couple of servings, without overloading it. It has a crisping tray that fits in the basket that helps keep the food off the bottom, ensuring even cooking. Air fryers are a great way to fix foods without adding grease or oil, and this is no exception. There is a wide variety of foods that can be fixed, plus it’s easier— and faster— than baking the same items in an oven. This attractive matte black fryer doesn’t take up a lot of space on the counter. It is considered 'manual' because it has two knobs, one for temperature, and the other for time, no screen or programming options. You can estimate the length of time it will take based on the oven time, if that’s included on the packaging, but be aware that it will be at least a third less time. The timer goes up to 60 minutes, but I haven’t fixed anything that takes more than 20. The chart in the manual is the best place to start, as it includes a selection of common foods, temperatures, and approximate times for cooking. Foods that are already fully cooked take less time than raw foods, the same as with other methods of cooking them, but they usually take less time in the air fryer. Halfway through the expected time, open and shake the contents to keep them cooking evenly; this also lets you see if the food might be done sooner than the selected time. I like that there is a timer, so if someone walks away and doesn’t come back right away, the fryer shuts off and the food should not be overcooked. That makes this easier for older kids to use with a lot less room for error. I also found that I had to reduce the temperature from what I would have set the oven on, but I did the same with a previous air fryer too, so that wasn’t unexpected here. The temperature in the included chart gave more accurate temperatures than the original packaging. If you open the basket, the cooking stops, and restarts when it is pushed back in, although the timer continues. You can turn the timer to zero when you’re finished if there is time remaining. I like that this is so easy to use, and doesn’t heat up the whole kitchen like using the oven would. The inner basket is not a separate piece; the whole basket with handle (which does not get hot) can be washed along with the crisping tray. The rest of the fryer can be wiped down when it’s cooled off; it can’t be washed, but should not need it. Everyone in the family can use this (no small children here) and found this fryer simple to operate with good results as far as the crispiness of the foods. I even reheated a grilled cheese sandwich to see if that would work, and it was so much better than microwaving, which would have left it soggy. I didn’t heat it long enough for the cheese to melt out, but it crisped the outside up and heated it through. It works great for fries and chicken straight from the freezer, but there are many options that don’t involve reheating already frozen foods, including handmade fries or chips (regular or sweet potato) and hamburgers. I look forward to trying more foods with this Bella air fryer.

I’ve wanted to try out an air fryer for a while, now I don’t know why I waited so long to get one. First off the device is very basic. You have a timer and a temperature setting. You simply pull out the air fryer body and set your food on the air fryer basket and slide the unit back into place. Set the time and temp and then just wait for the magic. Ok, some recipes a bit more complicated. Maybe they require the food be wrapped in aluminum foil or flipped during cooking. But it really is that easy. Lets see, in just the few days we have had this contraption we have experimented and experienced some tasty treats. We reheated some cheese burgers, delicious! We made some keto friendly cheesy garlic bread, delightful! Just made a homemade version of the awesome blossom deep-fried onion, delectable! But the best so far were the chicken tenders, so good they were practically divine! The breading was dry to the touch, but crispy. And even though it was a dry fry to the touch, the chicken was still moist. Soooooo good. All in all I am very happy with my new fryer. It looks nice and seems built fairly well. It’s super easy to clean too. It has just 2 removable parts to clean. I would say if you aren’t sure what size to get, get the bigger one. We are a household of 2 and this one is perfect, but I could see a bigger fryer being preferred for larger households. I would most definitely recommend this to a friend.