Dash Deluxe Electric Review

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

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.