Emeril Pressure Air Fryer: The Space-Saving, Appliance-Replacing Cooker
Unless you’re running one of those cooking shows, you probably don’t want to clutter your kitchen counter or cabinets with multiple cooking appliances, right? Because kitchen aesthetic appeal is real, but also that a combo cooker is convenient, space-saving, and cheaper.
The Emeril pressure air fryer is a fine example of a kitchen appliance that offers several cooking methods in one. It effectively eliminates the need for other gadgets in your home. Our review looks at several models that you can consider.
How the Pressure Air Fryer Works
Before we sample the units on our Emeril pressure air fryer reviews, let see how these versatile appliances work.
The combination unit relies on the cooking method chosen to prepare the food. If you want to cook using the pressure cooker, you’ll need to add some water or broth to your ingredients to facilitate the cooking. As the liquid boils, it turns into steam that remains trapped in the tightly sealed pot. The built-up steam pressure transfers heat energy to the food, cooking it.
With the air fryer function, the unit uses an internal heating element to heat the air and circulate it within the fryer, creating a convection effect. This technology cooks the food, making it crispy on the outside but tender on the inside. You can add a little oil to achieve the fried flavor.
With the air fryer, you can fry, roast, grill, or bake food. The pressure cooker air fryer combo unit also incorporates other cooking functions such as steaming, slow cooking, rice cooking, and sautéing, among others. These cooking functions may increase or decrease depending on the model you choose.
Can you use the pressure cooker function and the air fryer at the same time?
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could do that? Unfortunately, you can only use one function at a time. Most users cook their food on the pressure cooker first, then switch to air frying for a crispy finish.
So, what can you cook?
From meats to vegetables and desserts, there’s no limit to what you can cook with a pressure cooker air fryer combo. But, you’ll want to choose the appropriate cooking function for the job.
Air frying works by crisping the outside while keeping the inside juicy and tender, so foods like chicken wings, steak, pork chops, fries, corn, and asparagus will do better here.
Legumes, grains, tough cuts of meat, chicken, stews, mashed potatoes, squash, broccoli, carrots, and soups are more suited to pressure cooking.
Most models come with a handy cookbook, and you can find even more delightful Emeril Lagasse pressure cooker air fryer recipes on their website. The pressure air fryers have a Keep Warm function, and the units automatically switch to keep warm mode except for the yogurt and sous vide cooking.
Overall, a pressure cooker air fryer combo is a great way to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Pressure cooking preserves vitamins and minerals in the food while the air fryer allows you to indulge in your favorite fried foods without the extra calories.
Emeril Pressure Air Fryer Reviews
To gain insight in what the Emeril pressure air fryers can do, here’s our review of some of their top models:
1. Emeril Lagasse Pressure Air Fryer Plus
Our Top Choice for Pressure Air Fryers
The Emeril Lagasse pressure air fryer plus 6 quart is an older model compared to the other model that doesn’t have the word “plus”. But don’t let that fool you. It’s a fantastic 10-in-1 appliance that you can use as an air fryer, pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice cooker, sous vide cooker, steamer, sauté skillet, baking oven, roaster, and yogurt maker.
It wipes out the need for all those other small appliances, doesn’t it? Better yet, it comes with 12 preset programs that allow you to prepare delicious meals at the touch of a button. You can adjust the time to suit the recipe or preference.
The LCD panel is very intuitive and will alert you if the lid isn’t properly closed or is not fit for the pre-programmed setting you’ve chosen. For example, the unit will not start if you are using the pressure lid for the sauté, slow cooker, sous vide or yogurt presets.
These presets work with the provided glass lid to maintain a consistent temperature and prevent the ingredients from splattering. The unit ships with three lids; a pressure cooker lid, an air fryer lid, and a glass lid. You also get a ladle, measuring cup, and a condensation collector.
The 6qt inner pot has enough room to fit enough food for a medium to large family. Just like the housing, this inner pot is made of stainless steel. These get hot while in use, but thankfully the lid handle stays cool to touch. Just don’t open the pressure cooker lid when the unit is still hot.
The unit’s housing can be wiped down with a moist cloth or paper towel while the inner pot, ladle, and measuring cup can go into the dishwasher for cleaning. Hey, you can also hand wash these items in hot soapy water and use a soft sponge to remove the dirt.Check Price On Amazon
Pros
- Large size
- Works fast
- Easy to use display
Cons
- Accessing the customer care team may a challenge
2. Emeril Everyday 8qt Pressure Air Fryer
Best for Large Families
Admittedly, it’s not every day that you’ll feel like cooking scrumptious dishes for your large family. There are days when you wish you could magically have dinner ready without spending too much time in the kitchen. If that’s you, say hello to the 8qt Emeril pressure air fryer.
This splendid appliance supports various cooking methods including pressure cooking, slow cooking, rice cooking, air fryer, sautéing, simmering, braising, steaming, roasting, baking, canning, yogurt making, and sous vide. Even without considering the appliances it replaces, just think about the number of utensils you won’t have to wash.
Better yet, it’s loaded with 44 preset programs, allowing you to experiment with a wide variety of foods without second guessing the time or temperature needed to cook it. The manufacturer throws in a recipe book, specially crafted by Chef Emeril.
The control panel is well labeled and easy to use. It has buttons for the 12 cooking methods, temperature, timer, delay timer, and keep warm/cancel. There is a program dial for choosing your settings while the color-changing display intuitively alerts you if something is wrong and shows you the settings chosen.
The unit comes with multiple accessories including a pressure cooking lid, an air frying lid, glass lid, steam/air fryer mesh basket, air fryer stacking rack/multi-purpose roasting rack, ladle, and measuring cup.
The unit’s housing and inner pot are made of stainless steel with special care taken to ensure they are safe to use for cooking. The housing only needs a quick wipe down to retain its shiny self while the inner pot can go into the dishwasher along with the ladle and measuring cup. You can also soak them in warm soapy water and scrub them clean with a soft sponge.Check Price On Amazon
Pros
- Plenty of room for a large family
- 44 preset programs
- Easy to use LCD panel
- Lots of accessories
Cons
- The letters on the display are rather small
3. Emeril Everyday 360 Deluxe Air Fryer Oven
Fits Whole Poultry
If you want to rotisserie that chicken but don’t feel like using your traditional oven, this deluxe air fryer oven is the perfect alternative. It’s spacious enough to hold 10lb poultry, so the only thing you’ll be thinking about is how deliciously crispy and juicy the results will be.
Okay, so it’s not a pressure air fryer, but it won our hearts with its multiple functionalities. You can use it to air fry, roast, bake, slow cook, toast, and dehydrate your foods. It also has 12 preset cooking functions to facilitate easy and guesswork-free cooking with the touch of a button and a dial.
The unit uses five heating elements along with 360-degrees airflow to ensure the food cooks quickly and crisps evenly. As with other air fryers, you won’t need any oil, but you can add a tablespoon or two to give your food the deep fried flavor.
There are several dials and buttons on the face of the unit, including an air fry button, and light button (for illuminating the oven’s interior), and control knobs for overriding presets and controlling various functions. A digital panel displays the settings chosen.
The air fryer’s exterior can be wiped down with a damp cloth and you can use warm soapy water for the door. Similarly, use a non-abrasive sponge with hot soapy water to clean the inside of the unit. All accessories should be hand washed in warm soapy water to remove caked-on foods.
This Deluxe Air fryer has a generous accessory set that includes a 3-piece crisper tray set, 2-piece pizza rack set, rotisserie stand, rotisserie spit, a baking pan, and drip tray. You also get a cookbook whose recipes are written by Chef Emeril, cool right? Check Price On Amazon
Pros
- Spacious oven
- Multiple cooking functions
- Multiple accessories included
- Includes a recipe book
Cons
- Too many knobs and buttons
4. Emeril Lagasse Pressure Air Fryer
Includes a Canning Function
Next in line is the Emeril Lagasse 6qt air fryer, which is like the Emeril pressure air fryer plus, only that this model also includes canning. It is ideal for those who purchase fruits, vegetables, and even meats in bulk as they can use this function to preserve their foods.
Like other pressure air fryers here, it’s a gadget that allows you to replace most small appliances in your home as you can use it for pressure cooking, air frying, slow cooking, steaming, sous vide cooking, sautéing yogurt making, and canning.
It has 44 pre-set programs for the different cooking modes, which makes preparing delicious, well-cooked meals a breeze. And with its 6-qt inner pot, you can feed four to six people at one go.
There’s an embedded touch screen that allows you to select the cooking mode you desire, set the delay timer, adjust the time and temperature or cancel the settings altogether. The digital display houses all the presets that alerts you when something is wrong, when the time is up.
Typical of Emeril Lagasse air fryers, this unit, and the inner pot is made of stainless steel and undergo rigorous testing to ensure they are safe enough to prepare meals in. Cleaning is fairly straightforward as the exterior only needs wiping down with a damp cloth while the inner pot can be washed in warm soapy water to remove any stuck-on foods.Check Price On Amazon
Pros
- Great for a medium-sized family
- 44-preset programs
- Easy to use controls
Cons
- Accessories must be purchased separately
5. Emeril 5.3qt Digital Smart Air Fryer
Compact Size
What’s an air fryer review without an actual air fryer? We thought we would sneak in this amazing air fryer for anyone who needs one. We love the compact size that allows it to fit in smaller kitchens or in your RV for on-the-go air frying.
This air fryer comes with a 5.3qt air fryer, fry basket, a cake pan, and 31 recipe cards. Plus, there are presets for fries, chicken wings, chicken breasts, yummy pork chops, steak, fish, and quick 5. Not only do you have plenty of room to fit food for three to five people, you also won’t have to fuss over the correct time or temperature for your food.
That said, both time and temperature can be adjusted to suit individual preference or a specific recipe. Unlike many brands that offer a 30-mins timer, this air fryer runs all the way to 60 minutes. You won’t have to restart the air fryer for foods that need over 30 minutes cooking time.
The unit we’ve reviewed is black, but this model is available in six different colors to suit your kitchen decor. This black unit has a glossy exterior that looks very chic on most kitchen counters.
A damp cloth or paper towel is enough to clean the unit’s housing and have it looking all lustrous again. The fry basket and cake pan clean easily once they are soaked in warm soapy water. Just don’t use abrasive materials to clean them.Check Price On Amazon
Pros
- Small footprint
- Great for everyday use
- Separate can pan provided
- Looks sleek
Cons
- Customer service team could be more helpful
Emeril Air Fryer FAQs
- Who is Emeril Lagasse?
Emeril Lagasse is an American celebrity chef, tv personality, and author who endorses the Emeril Lagasse pressure air fryer that boasts one design for multiple cooking functions.
- Is there a default time?
No, there is no default time. Each cooking mode has its default time that will appear on the display when you select the program you want to use.
- Can you open the pressure cooker’s lid while the food is cooking?
It’s extremely dangerous to open the lid while the pressure cooker is in use, because of the built-up pressure within the pot. The hot steam and liquids can cause serious burns or scalds. With the air fryer, however, you can open the lid and check on your food.
- Can you leave the pressure air fryer on while you’re not home?
Emeril Lagasse pressure air fryers have a delayed start function that allows you to set the appliances to cook. However, we don’t recommend leaving the unit on while you’re not at home. Similarly, uncooked foods should stay in the pot for longer than two hours to discourage the growth of bacteria.
- Can you cook frozen foods without defrosting
Yes, you can cook frozen foods without defrosting them first. The manufacturer recommends adding at least 10 more minutes to ensure the food cooks properly.
Conclusion
We’ve come to the end of our Emeril pressure air fryer review and hope that you’ve found a model that appeals to you. Our favorite unit is the Emeril Lagasse Pressure Air Fryer Plus. It can replace up to 10 appliances in your kitchen and has 12 preset programs for precise cooking. Plus, it has enough room to serve a small to medium-sized family.
What do you think of pressure cooker/air fryer combo units? Let us know in the comments.