Up until recently, I hadn’t joined the air fryer revolution. I made my meals the old-fashioned way in a regular oven. But then I went over to my daughter’s place to pet sit her dog and she introduced me to her air fryer. Hers is a Ninja and after figuring out how to use it, I loved it.
It could roast chicken or salmon in less than half the time as an oven and my meals were delicious. Another couple I knew had the same Ninja and I used it when cat-sitting at their house.
Still, I hadn’t taken the leap and bought an air fryer for myself. One reason is that my roommate and I don’t have much counter space. But then, I was sent a Dreo Chefmaker to try out and review. Getting free stuff is one of the cool advantages of being a blogger.
The Chefmaker can be used with a smartphone app and what I love about it is that it has a small water tank at the top to keep meat moist and a temperature probe that connects to the app to make sure your food cooks to perfection.
Watch my video demo using the Dreo Chefmaker
In the video demo above I made 3 pork chops and they came out fantastic.
A plethora of marinade ideas
The Dreo Chefmaker also came with an instruction manual that lists a variety of marinades.
I used one that consisted of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and Italian seasoning.
Your food cooks up in a Teflon-coated basket that is easy to clean and can even be put in the dishwasher. You can use even the stickiest marinade and clean it afterward in a jiffy.
Cleaning the Ninja was a little more difficult even though it’s an excellent air fryer with multiple modes.
Chef mode, Classic Mode, or Probe Mode?
The Dreo Chefmaker has 3 cooking modes. I was perfectly happy using Chef Mode which essentially does all the thinking for you. Simply choose Chef Mode on the control panel, insert the probe into the meat and it will calculate the exact cooking time and temperature. You will be asked to choose the type of meat or vegetables you want to cook and it will take it from there.
Classic Mode allows you to choose the settings giving you full control. This is good if you want to toast a slice of bread or cook vegetables to a particular firmness. It also gives you greater control over doneness if you want your meat to be rare, for instance.
Probe mode assures that your meat will be cooked to the exact temperature that is safe for consumption which you may want to use for cooking pork or poultry. However, my pork chops came out perfectly done using Chef Mode.
What mode you choose is entirely up to you and your comfort level as a chef.
Steam injection and browning make all the difference
The water tank holds about two cups of water and injects just the right amount of steam into the meat to keep it moist and juicy. That’s not something you will find in a typical air fryer.
Another thing it does is put your meat into browning mode a couple of minutes before it’s done so that it not only tastes good but looks amazing as well.
The Dreo Chefmaker is cube shaped
Rather than being flat and wide, like the Ninja, the Dreo Chefmaker is tall and cube-like. It’s excellent for small spaces and is perfect for cooking for a few people rather than a large horde. It holds 6 quarts.
An air fryer may take less time to cook meat but the Chefmaker takes less time than baking with an oven and your meat will be much more tender and moist.
Roast a whole chicken with no mess or fuss
One thing I discovered after using the Dreo Combi Fryer for some time is that I can roast an entire chicken with it. No more buying a pre-roasted bird at the grocery store. It’s so simple. I rub olive oil into the bird, sprinkle on some chicken seasoning, pop it into the fryer, insert the probe into the thickest part of the breast, add water to the tank, and then let ChefMode (whole chicken setting) do its magic.
It recommends that you slash the back of the chicken first. However, I have roasted it without doing that and it comes out fine. It’s up to you. When it’s done it is perfectly browned and cooked to perfection.
Watch my video roasting a whole chicken.
Are you still holding out?
I know that the older we get, the less likely we are to accept change but I have to tell you that I have not had anywhere near as good results with a conventional oven. I believe the Dreo Chefmaker is a worthy investment at approximately $359, which will make your life easier and more tasty.
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