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  • #1 by urnmor on 16 Nov 2020
  • Well the devil made me do it.  Yes I bought the new Masterbuilt 7 in 1 Outdoor 20Qt Air Fryer however it is not due to arrive until Wednesday.  So now I am wondering if anyone else has one and if so how do you like it?
  • #2 by hughver on 16 Nov 2020
  • I've been looking at air fryers for quite a while. While researching the technology, I came across this description "If you're thinking about buying an air fryer, you might be wondering what the difference is between air fryers and convection ovens. The quick answer is, an air fryer is a simply a smaller convection oven with a catchy name." Since I have both a convection oven and microwave, I abandoned my search. Good luck with your new toy, let us know how it works.
  • #3 by Bentley on 16 Nov 2020
  • I always need to see stuff like this to have any idea of whats going on.  Is this it?  If so, as my friends on Smoke, Fire & Food would say...Nice bit of Kit!

    This cannot be used as an oil fryer can it?
  • #4 by Bar-B-Lew on 16 Nov 2020
  • When you get it, let me know what the lowest temp setting is for dehydrating and the temp setting range for dehydrating?
  • #5 by hughver on 16 Nov 2020
  • I came across a 6 qt. unit that had a temperature range of 90-400°, I wonder if it can be used like sous vide with air replacing water? i.e., cook a steak at constant 125° and sear afterward.  ???
  • #6 by urnmor on 16 Nov 2020
  • I always need to see stuff like this to have any idea of whats going on.  Is this it?  If so, as my friends on Smoke, Fire & Food would say...Nice bit of Kit!

    This cannot be used as an oil fryer can it?







    Yes that is it and I do not believe it can be used as an oil fryer.
  • #7 by urnmor on 16 Nov 2020
  • When you get it, let me know what the lowest temp setting is for dehydrating and the temp setting range for dehydrating?

     I will let you know
  • #8 by urnmor on 16 Nov 2020
  • I came across a 6 qt. unit that had a temperature range of 90-400°, I wonder if it can be used like sous vide with air replacing water? i.e., cook a steak at constant 125° and sear afterward.  ???

    Interesting question, however, I do not know the answer. 
  • #9 by Bentley on 16 Nov 2020
  • I guess the big difference would be that the sous vide is under vacuum, so you are not worried about exposer to air at the low temperatures. If you are vacuum sealing in the air cook also, I am not smart enough to know if 125° air cooks with the same principles as 125° water.  Does the air pressure and water pressure act differently with heat.  Very interesting premise!
  • #10 by hughver on 16 Nov 2020
  • Does the air pressure and water pressure act differently with heat.

    I think that the big difference would be thermal conductivity and density. Water's thermal conductivity is higher than air's (0.6 vs 0.025 W/(m·K), meaning that the meat would cook much faster with circulating water vs. air.
  • #11 by Bentley on 16 Nov 2020
  • Obviously that is what I meant to say!   :pig:
  • #12 by pmillen on 17 Nov 2020
  • I think that the big difference would be thermal conductivity and density. Water's thermal conductivity is higher than air's (0.6 vs 0.025 W/(m·K), meaning that the meat would cook much faster with circulating water vs. air.

    To elaborate on this...you could hold your hand in a 135°F oven for quite some time.  But you'd immediately pull it out of 135°F water!  The heat transfer from water is significantly greater.
  • #13 by urnmor on 20 Nov 2020
  • I recently purchased the Masterbuilt 20 qt 7 in 1 Air Fryer.  Here are my thoughts on the product.  First it was very well packed as shown by my photos.  The air fryer was packed in  styrofoam and the corners on the styrofoam were protected with plastic edges (very nice touch).  Except for the baskets all pieces to include the nuts and screws came in the two boxes and all of the parts were bubble wrapped.  Assembly was easy.  The directions were clear and easy to follow, however, you will need two different size Phillips and/or flathead screwdrivers.    Assembly will take about a half hour.  After assembly I allowed it to run for about 30 to 40 minutes to eliminate any odors etc from packing.  I then air fried a 5 1/2 pound chicken.  The chicken was rubbed inside and out with homemade Baharat rub and extra virgin olive oil.  It  was cooked for approximately 1 1/2 hours.  The first 30 to an hour was at 400, (the air fryer preset), then raised to 425.  (See photos).  I did not used a thermometer during the cook as I mostly relied on time.  So when I pulled it my instant read thermometer read well over 165 in areas.  However that said we all agreed to include our guess said the skin was crispy and the chicken was very juicy.  Overall I would say this was a successful first cook.

    Now for the pros and cons. 

    Pros:   Directions a are clear and makes it easy to put together
       Well constructed and sturdy
       Air fries very well
       Basket worked well
       Clean up was easy

    Cons:
       Poor cooking directions (basically non existent
       No recipes included
       Control system is not state of the art. 
       It does not come with a built in thermometer or timer

    Overall observations.  I do believe it is worth the money and is great if you want a large air fryer that is electric and want to use outdoor.  But I did walk away thinking Masterbuilt rush building this product in order to get it to the market before Thanksgiving.  The controller is old school, very old school.  Especially in this day and age where so many manufactures have gone digital and offer so many functions that you can set and monitor (length of cook, total cook time, elapsed time, temperature monitoring etc).  There is none of this available on the Masterbuilt 20 qt  Air Fryer.  There is no way you can fine tune the heat or set a timer  You either use the presets for each function or turn the knob to the set increments and then guess as to how long it will take to cook.  IMO this is a major drawback unless you like cooking by the seat of your pants.   


  • #14 by urnmor on 20 Nov 2020
  • When you get it, let me know what the lowest temp setting is for dehydrating and the temp setting range for dehydrating?

     I will let you know

    The preset is 140 degrees.   I do not know if this is a good temp as I do very little dehydrating
  • #15 by 02ebz06 on 21 Nov 2020
  • Thanks for the nice write up!!!   :clap:
    Based on the Cons you listed, I will wait for the V2 model to see if they improve it.
    I suck at guess work, that is why I have a pellet grill and thermometers.

    Your first cook in it looks great.   :clap:
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