I’ll be honest. I can’t have enough of crunchy food. Be it french fries, chicken wings, or anything else. Fry it, and I’ll eat it! Lucky for my heart, I stopped. Needless to say, you can’t have that much oil and grease without messing up your health. After I got an air fryer, I was instantly hooked. This genius device gives you the same crispy texture with little to no oil. That’s why I decided to write a series of articles with each one tackling all the air fryers produced by a certain brand. In this article, I’m presenting Chefman air fryers reviews. I’ll discuss their features, performance, as well as the possible shortcomings.
Before We Begin, How Will This Article Go?
I was keen on reviewing every nook and cranny of the following fryers. This should help you make a truly informed buying decision. However, the more information, the more disorganized things might feel.
That’s why I preferred to start with a quick roadmap. First of all, the fryers are numbered in the ascending order of the capacity. This way, you can skip right away to what you need.
In each review, I’ll discuss things like the design, temperature, timer, and overall performance. If you’re in a hurry, you can skip to ‘the takeaway’ section. This is where I’ll write a single paragraph that summarizes the most important points of each fryer.
A Quick Brief About Chefman
With a slogan that says, “small appliances, big ideas,’ Chefman has been launching a lot of kitchen devices. In addition to air fryers, Chefman also produces blenders, pressure cookers, coffee grinders, toasters, and much more.
As an additional perk, buying any of the Chefman products will grant you access to their private community. In the Chefman Club, you’ll find recipes, tutorials, and various tips that should take your cooking to a whole new level.
To sign up, you’ll have to enter the unique ‘Access Code’ printed on the inside of your product’s box.
1. Chefman RJ38-P1 2.5 Liter/2.6 Quart Air Fryer
The first fryer in the Chefman collection is the RJ38-P1. With a capacity of 2.6 quarts, it’s mainly intended to serve 1 to 2 individuals.
Design: Sleek, Compact Cylinder
The RJ38-P1 comes as a sleek cylinder with smooth curves. With 12 inches for the width and height, it can be the right choice for kitchens with restricted space.
Toward the bottom, Chefman placed a furrow-like depression that encircles the whole fryer. This is supposed to make it a lot easier to carry the fryer around without smudging the shiny body.
Right above this depression, you should find a handle that attaches to the basket, in which the food cooks.
Temperature & Timer
This fryer is able to cook food in the range between 175 and 400°F. It can be set with a 30-minute timer to automatically turn off when the time finishes.
It Has a Convenient Digital Display
Most brands equip their smallest products with mechanical dials. Chefman, on the other hand, raised the bar by adding a convenient digital display to this 2.6-quart fryer.
Although this screen doesn’t respond to touch, the equipped buttons are equally convenient. First, you press the middle button to alternate between the temperature and timer. Then, you use the plus and minus buttons to increase or decrease the respective value.
After you’re happy with the settings, the fryer ‘fires’ by the lowest button on the control panel. The same button turns the fryer off in case you want to check whether your food is done.
While the fryer is working, the digital screen displays the current temperature and the remaining time.
It’s Dishwasher-Safe
More times than not, brands advise against placing their air fryers in the dishwasher to avoid permanent damage. In the best-case scenario, the non-stick coat might peel off, which would ultimately ruin the cooking experience.
Luckily, this isn’t the case here. The basket of the RJ38-P1 is top-rack dishwasher safe. The internal surface of the fryer itself can be easily wiped to get rid of any lingering oil.
It Has 6 Meal Presets
Over the top of this fryer, there are 6 illustrations of the most common meals, including fish, chicken, and steak. With each of these illustrations, Chefman put the suggested cooking temperature and time.
To be fair, this perk is seen on a lot of air fryers. But I always like to mention it since it can be pretty helpful and time-saving, especially for beginners.
The Timer Is a Bit Small
I hate mechanical timers. Their ticking is annoying, they can get stuck, and their range is usually too small. When I learned that this fryer has a digital system, I thought it doesn’t have any of the previous problems.
Expectedly, it can’t get stuck and there’s hardly any noise. But the range is a real bummer. You can’t set the timer longer than 30 minutes. It’s disappointing since a simple meal like chicken wings needs at least 40 minutes to cook.
The thing that annoys me the most is the reason. I can understand the reason behind the limited range of mechanical timers. They can cost more, work less efficiently, etc.
But when you go digital, I think it’s pretty easy to increase the timer range without losing that much. It annoys me because I feel that they didn’t take enough time to consider the convenience of their customers.
It Might Break Down Pretty Soon
Several users were extremely disappointed when their fryers broke down in less than a year. Some of them said that it happened out of the blue! None of the parts were damaged, yet the fryers became totally unresponsive.
When they tried to contact Chefman, the feedback was quite dissonant. Some praised the remarkable cooperation shown by Chefman. Others exerted a lot of effort before receiving a replacement.
The Buttons May Not Be Durable
As I said earlier, the buttons are pretty convenient. They respond with the least pressure and the fastest response.
But if you’re unlucky, they might start getting stuck after about 5 months of continuous use. Some customers also reported that the buttons were becoming unreasonably heavy right before they went defective.
And again, Chefman’s response wasn’t consistent. Some customers successfully received a replacement while others didn’t.
Pros
- Contemporary design with a digital screen
- Small capacity suitable for personal use
- It’s easy to clean in a dishwasher
- Equipped with 6 meal presets for beginners
- Affordable
Cons
- Quite flimsy materials with poor durability
- The timer is small, given that it’s digital
- The buttons will likely sink after a couple of months
The Takeaway
The digital display of the Chefman RJ38-P1 is certainly convenient to use. However, the multiple issues found with the durability of the buttons and the overall device can be somewhat alarming.
Therefore, I’d recommend considering the other options presented in my list.
2. Chefman RJ38-V3 TurboFry 3.6 Quart Air Fryer
If the RJ38-P1 feels too small, you can get a slightly bigger capacity with this fryer. With a maximum of 3.6 quarts, it should fit 2 to 3 individuals per serving.
Design: Super Attractive Matte Finish
In terms of the esthetics, the RJ38-V3 can easily surpass most, if not all, of the other fryers. It comes as a compact cylinder, slightly plump toward the center.
Chefman chose to cover the whole fryer with an amazing matt black finish to match most of the common kitchen styles. To make it look more interesting, they added some shiny parts on the top, over the handle, and around the dials.
Speaking of the dials, they’re by far the most unique aspect in this fryer. Usually, brands place each dial away from the other. In the RJ38-V3, they’re placed on top of each other, literally! The temperature dial is the bigger one placed at the base, leaving the smaller timer on top.
Since these dials are properly spaced, you won’t accidentally rotate one of them as you’re trying to adjust the other.
Temperature & Timer
The RJ38-V3 can cook food with a temperature that ranges between 200 and 400°F. Its timer can be set for 60 minutes, which is longer than the RJ38-P1 by a whopping 30 minutes.
It Comes with a Detachable Cooking Rack
On the inside of the basket, Chefman sends a detachable cooking rack. When installed, it hangs a bit higher than the basket’s bottom. This way, excess oil can drip from the food onto the basket while cooking. This is the ultimate way to enjoy a 100% healthy snack.
It Has a Wide Temperature Dial
To be able to understand the significance of this advantage, we need to take a look at another fryer that lacks it.
In Kalorik Personal air fryer, the temperature dial is rather restricted in range. In other words, you can go from the lowest to the highest settings in a short, 90-degree turn. This way, you’ll be forced to increase the temperature with large increments of 40°F.
On the other hand, the RJ38-V3 separates between the lowest and highest settings by a whopping 180 degrees. As a result, it’s possible to achieve the perfect crispy texture by fine-tuning the temperature.
The Timer Might Be Poorly Calibrated
In one of the Amazon reviews, one customer was totally unsatisfied by the timer. He said it used to be off by about 10 minutes before completely breaking down.
As you might imagine, such a problem is definitely annoying. If you set the timer to 10 minutes and it ended up working for 20 minutes, food will be more likely to burn.
Worst of all, you can’t really identify this problem unless you pay enough attention. The timer will maintain normal sound, weight, and appearance, regardless of how off it went.
The Non-Stick Coat Might Be Peeled Off
This was one of the best aspects of the RJ38-P1 fryer. The coat was sturdy enough to withstand a dishwasher without falling apart. Sadly, this isn’t the case with this fryer. Although Chefman says it’s dishwasher-safe, a customer said it started to break down after 4 months only.
Once this coat is removed, the fryer will be a lot harder to clean. Food will be more likely to stick to the basket unless you use oil.
The Dials Aren’t Textured
I don’t know why, but Chefman opted for 100% smooth dials. This might appear like a minor problem, but it’ll surely get on your nerves when the dials become slippy in chilly weather.
One customer suggested a cool trick to fix this issue. You can easily wrap a non-slip tape over the dials to make them instantly grippy!
The Body Might Get a Bit Hot
Ideally, air fryers should be safely touched without the risk of getting burnt. The only exception to this role lies in the vent.
If you’re unfamiliar, any air fryer must vent some of its hot hair while cooking. Otherwise, the pressure will build up and damage the delicate parts.
Supposedly, all the hot air should escape from a vent located on the back. Therefore, the vent should be the only part prone to being hot.
In the RJ38-V3, however, things aren’t that straightforward. Some unknown design flaw makes the whole body a bit hot during a cooking cycle. Luckily, it doesn’t get extremely hot to the point that it can cause burns. But it’s still a bit uncomfortable, especially if you have curious kids.
Pros
- Amazingly designed dials
- Extra venting through the bottom
- Equipped with an additional detachable rack
- You can fine-tune the temperature through the wide timer
Cons
- Poorly calibrated timer
- The non-stick coating can peel off in a short time
- Dials might feel slippery in cold days
- Its housing might get hot
The Takeaway
If you want a fryer with a moderate capacity, I’d recommend the Chefman RJ38-V3 TurboFry over the Chefman RJ38-P1. Since the latter has some major issues in durability, any problem in the former would be tolerable.
3. Chefman RJ38-6 Rotisserie 6.3 Quart Digital Air Fryer
Despite the common belief, air fryers aren’t limited to french fries and small chicken wings. With the RJ38-6, you’ll get to cook a whole chicken on a rotisserie!
Design: Stunning Shape with a Glass Front
The RJ38-6 is designed as a cuboid with smooth, sleek curves. It’s a perfect choice for small kitchens since it only covers 11 inches for the width and 15 inches for the height.
Instead of the classic basket and handle, this model is unique for its oven-like design. You’ll get to place a large variety of foods inside its wide 6.3-quart compartment. And with the see-through glass, you can check your food without opening the door.
Right above, there’s a mesmerizing touchscreen that lights in blue. Through this touchscreen, you can choose the temperature, set the timer, and select one of the available meal presets.
On the top of the fryer, you’ll find the only physical button, the on/off switch. With a creative design twist, the sides of this switch also function as a dial. It doesn’t have a certain function, though. Instead, it adjusts whatever parameter selected on the touchscreen.
Temperature & Timer
This fryer is capable of producing temperature in the range between 90 and 400°F. Its timer can be set for up to 60 minutes.
Expectedly, when this fryer is working, you can turn on an internal light to check the food without opening the door.
It Comes with 5 Free Accessories
Lucky for you, all the accessories you’ll need to run this fryer is shipped with it for free. This includes a rotating basket, rotisserie spit, rotisserie retrieval tool, drip tray, and 2 airflow racks.
A Rotating Basket for French Fries
With conventional air fryers, you have to pull the basket every once in a while to turn the food. Otherwise, hot air won’t be able to evenly cook each piece. This gets especially annoying with french fries because you might forget to turn a bunch of them.
If this sounds familiar, I guess you’ll love the rotating basket. As the name implies, this tool comes as a cylinder with mesh sides and two rotisserie spits at both ends. From start to finish, you won’t have to manually interfere, not by a long shot.
A Rotisserie Retrieval Tool for Faster Results
You don’t have to struggle with lifting the hot rotisserie, and you certainly won’t wait for it to cool. The U-shaped rotisserie retrieval tool allows you to enjoy your food the minute it finishes cooking. Surely, it can be used for both the classic rotisserie spit and the rotating basket.
Best of all, it has a fairly simple construction that doesn’t require any additional tools. It’s composed of 2 metal rods notched at the end to ‘lock’ the rotisserie in place.
A Drip Tray for Easier Cleaning
Even if you didn’t add a single drop of oil, most of the foods will drip some of their internal greases onto the fryer’s bottom. With a classic fryer, this won’t be a problem since the washable basket is already enclosed on itself. But in this fryer, there’s no layer to catch this extra oil.
That’s where the external drip tray comes in handy. By placing it underneath your food, you’ll be saving yourself hours of cleaning chores.
It Can Work as a Dehydrator
Dehydrating fruits and herbs is a great way to stock them for later use. People also crave dehydrated food to enjoy their intensified taste.
Practically, any device that emits heat can be used as a dehydrator. However, delicate fruit won’t withstand high temperatures. But don’t go shopping for a dehydrator just yet. The RJ38-6 can perfectly do this job. Since it can go all the way down to 90°F, it won’t ruin any of your food.
You Might Smell ‘Burnt Plastic’ at First
Strangely, some customers said that their fryer produced an annoying plastic smell during the first couple uses. However, none of them found anything different in the food. It smelled and tasted rather fine.
On the bright side, this smell completely faded away after a few more uses, according to the complaining customers. The fryer kept working fine, eliminating the possibility of any damaged parts.
It’s a Bit Expensive
We can’t really expect a device offering that much value to be affordable, can we? The RJ38-6 costs you nearly double the cost of a classic fryer with a similar capacity.
If you actually need the offered features, then go along and buy it with the slightest bit of hesitation. You’ll certainly pay a lot more if you opt for multiple devices to do each job separately.
However, if you won’t use that large capacity, it’s better to go with a smaller and more affordable fryer.
Pros
- Equipped with an oven-style door
- You can see your food cooking in real-time
- Superior value with 5 free accessories
- There’s a dehydration program
Cons
- It might smell like burned plastic at first
- It’s a bit expensive
The Takeaway
The multifunctionality offered by the Chefman RJ38-6 makes it worth every penny. Luckily, the issue of the plastic smell fades away after using the device multiple times.
4. Chefman RJ38-V2 6.8 Quart Air Fryer
The RJ38-V2 doesn’t differ that much from the first two products. To save your time, I’ll only state the most important differences.
With 6.8 quarts, the RJ38-V2 can fit a family of 3 to 4 individuals. I like that it offers this space while maintaining the classic basket design. This way, it can be a good alternative to the RJ38-6 if you don’t prefer the oven style.
On the downside, this fryer has an awful temperature dial. Without any printed values, you’ll be left to guess the direction and pray for your food to not get burnt!
Pros
- Sturdy construction
- Wide capacity
- Fairly-priced
- 60-minute timer
Cons
- The temperature dial doesn’t have any values
The Final Word
Out of all Chefman air fryers, Chefman RJ38-6 is my favorite. I like how it mixes the multi-functionality of an oven with the convenience of an air fryer.
If you’re searching for a smaller capacity, Chefman RJ38-V3 TurboFry should be your best bet. Its innovative design makes it a valuable and efficient device.
Remember, not all air fryers are dishwasher-safe. Check the recommendation of each fryer to avoid permanent damage.
See you soon with another brand!