Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[urnmor]

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?

[hughver]

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.

[Bentley]

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?

[Bar-B-Lew]

When you get it, let me know what the lowest temp setting is for dehydrating and the temp setting range for dehydrating?

[hughver]

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. 

[urnmor]

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.

[urnmor]

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

[urnmor]

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. 

[Bentley]

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!

[hughver]

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.

[Bentley]

Obviously that is what I meant to say!   

[pmillen]

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.

[urnmor]

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.   

[urnmor]

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

[02ebz06]

Thanks for the nice write up!!!   
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.