REASONS TO BUY
Inexpensive
Simple interface
Removable basket
Cooks a nice crispy donut
REASONS TO AVOID
Dial system is sticky
Inaccurate temperature
Uneven temperature intervals
Maximum cook time of 30 minutes
Dash Deluxe Electric Review
This simple, budget friendly model offers limited functions alongside a subpar performance
Credit: Dash
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Our Verdict
The Inexpensive Dash Deluxe Electric rocks a simple interface. The knobs are easy to understand but difficult to use, and the temperatures are inaccurate. The removable basket is somewhat easy to clean, but the inner basket has angled slits that are difficult to wipe down with a sponge. It cooks a perfectly crispy donut with a delicious doughy center, but struggles with most other food items. If you are looking for a reliable machine that can do more than fry donuts, we would recommend looking for a different machine.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Dash Deluxe Electric has a relatively small footprint for how large the basket is. This 12.5" by 14.8" by 14.9" air fryer has a six-quart basket. It is on the less expensive side of the spectrum but comes up short where it counts.
Performance Comparison
The Deluxe Electric is a semi-functional machine; it performed exceptionally well in our donut test.
Credit: Jessica Riconscente
Cooking Performance
The cooking performance of the Deluxe Electric is all over the place, but performed best in our donut test. The texture, evenness, and suggested cook time are all on point. The inside is soft but cooked to completion, and the outer layer is just crispy enough. We fried the donut for one extra minute to ensure a thorough job and were very pleased with the results.
The Deluxe Electric produces a nice tot texture, but chicken is rendered a little chewy, onion rings need more crisp, and sweet potato fries fall behind the rest. Other than the donuts, none of our test foods seems to be cooked through evenly. The sweet potato fries and onion rings are undercooked in the middle, and the chicken breast is tough. As for recommended cook time, the onion rings, chicken breasts, and donuts seem to be within range, but the tots and sweet potato fries require more time than suggested.
These tots are nice and crispy on the outside but they are not cooked all the way through.
Credit: Jessica Riconscente
Ease of Use
Air fryers are supposed to simplify your cooking experience, so fiddling with a difficult-to-read interface or a sticky basket can be irritating. The Deluxe Electric has two knobs, one designated for temperature and the other for time. This is straightforward, however, the knobs are difficult to grasp, especially with greasy hands. The lower you turn the temperature, the tighter the knob gets.
The timer knob is found on the front of the Deluxe Electric.
Credit: Austin Palmer
The knob has four different temperatures marked: 175°F, 250°F, 320°F, 400°F. Many recipes call for 350°F or 375°F temps, and guestimating could negatively affect the outcome of your dish. The time dial only goes up to 30 minutes, and the basket is difficult to remove with one hand, which both put a damper on user-friendliness.
Removing the basket is a two handed job.
Credit: Jessica Riconscente
Ease of Cleaning
Grease is difficult enough to clean, so an easy to wipe down basket goes a long way. The Dash Deluxe basket has large holes which allow food bits to drop down to the bottom. There are also gill-like slots on the walls that are difficult to clean with a sponge. Also, the rim around the entire basket seems to hold onto oil stubbornly, so scrubbing and soaking are necessary to rid your air fryer of unwanted grease completely.
The more slots and holes in the basket, the harder it is to clean.
Credit: Austin Palmer
Temperature Accuracy
The Deluxe Electric has a dial system with an interesting set of temperature presets. The dial reads 175°F, 250°F, 320°F, and 400°F. They don't increase in even increments, making it very difficult to set this air fryer at any temperature in between the noted temps.
The temperature dial is found on the top of the Deluxe Electric.
Credit: Austin Palmer
Value
The Deluxe Electric is a budget-friendly device. However, its performance is simply not good. It is not very intuitive, fails to produce evenly cooked foods, and there are other higher-performing options in our test suite for less money.
Conclusion
The red color and large knobs are a fun look, but the Deluxe Electric falls quickly to the back of the pack. If you are looking for a budget air fryer, there are better options in this price range.
The Deluxe Electric is nice to look at, but better options exist in our fleet.
Credit: Austin Palmer
—
Hayley Thomas
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