One of the tech products that really caught my eye earlier this year at CES unbelievably was an air fryer. Not just any air fryer, but one encased in stainless steel. I had to learn more about it, especially hearing its free of various chemicals such as PFAS, PTFE, and BPA. It leads me to eventually checking it out and see if it lives up to the hype or just another fryer.
Style
The various air fryers I have covered over the years have all had a unique design for them and the Cosori Iconic is no different. Its exterior is in a sleek stainless steel that shines from every angle. Only thing on the front is the Cosori name in that same steel material embossed against a black background. On the back is the ventilation system while on top is a black tempered glass LED display.
Iconic features a 6.5qt basket that has a button for unlocking so you can pull out the air fryer. It’s about the usual size parameters of most air fryers out there not being too deep or wide. Inside the basket is a nonstick ceramic coating as well as the Crisper Plate. Also, when you pull out the basket you can see the interior of Iconic is also stainless steel.
In total the Cosori Iconic weights 14.1lbs. It doesn’t take a crazy amount of counter space and fits right under my cabinet spaces.
Unboxing and Cooking with Cosori Iconic Stainless Steel Air Fryer is on Tiktok / Instagram
Setup
As with any new cooking equipment make sure you clean the basket and tray beforehand. After that I fired up the VeSync app, created an account, and got Iconic connected to my Wi-Fi. Like other smart air fryers, you can go two ways of cooking your food. You can utilize the glass touchscreen interface which has various modes such as Air Fry, Roast, Bake, Dry, Proof, and Reheat. There are the usual Temperature and Time Buttons and an interesting button called “Shake.” It only works with Air Fry mode, but it will chime to remind you to shake the basket halfway through. Helped than trying to remember and forgetting.
Loading up the app provides additional abilities with the Iconic. You can do all the functionality I mentioned and just “send” it over to the air fryer and press start. If you want some assistance or suggestions, you can go into the “Cooking Chart” tab. This will give you major categories and then break them down into assorted options. For instance, picking Pork will mention bacon, pork belly, etc. Seafood will have salmon, shrimp, etc. Pick a food to cook and then it will ask for things pertaining to it. Such as the size, how many ounces, and there will be chef tips sometimes like “add oil” or “season with pepper.” You can even leave your own notes.
There is a “Scan-To-Cook” which scans barcodes giving you a description of the product, weight, and nutrition facts. I found it interesting but usually inaccurate on measurements. There is a cooking option tab too but never has any recommendations, so I rarely used this feature. There is also a recipes section which would give you some interesting takes on food and what you need to achieve that goal such as ingredients.
I also while the VeSync app works the same on iOS and Android, the IOS version was better with notifications even showing cook time left.
Cooking
After breaking away from using my other air fryers I spent time solely cooking with the Iconic and came impressed with it every time. First, I went for Smashed Potatoes which came out crispy every time as I had to do multiple batches. Next up was broccoli, which in air fryers always tend to burn up no matter how much you watch it. But in the Iconic I didn’t come across that. This is due to Cosori having five fan speeds and adjusting accordingly when selecting from its cooking chart presets. I was nervous as I grew accustomed to cooking my steak with a temp gauge and its auto water spray from the Dreo ChefMaker and it practically spoiled me. But Iconic cooked a NY strip steak to perfection with me presenting the ounces, type of steak, and what temp I wanted it. I was surprised and it was perfect. After that I cooked a variety of food and was never disappointed.
I found cleaning the Iconic was one of the most pleasant experiences using an air fryer. Everything comes right off the crisper plate and out of the basket. This is thanks in part to that PFAS-Free Ceramic coating. Nothing was stuck or did the basket degrade and get gritty.
Verdict
Corsori Iconic may have taken the throne for my favorite air fryer I have used. Its ease of use, easy to clean up, and how efficiently and fast it cooks food. Its eye-catching stainless-steel structure mixed with its ceramic crisper plate makes for a two-hit combo of cooking greatness. Also, the fact is free of chemicals which has become a massive concern over the years with the popularity of air fryers. It is one of the more expensive air fryers out there, but its sheer quality is well worth it.
