I Cooked a 12-Pound Turkey in Two Hours in the Kalorik MAXX Advance 26-Quart Digital Air Fryer Oven

• Value: 17/20
• Functionality: 18/20
• Ease of Use: 18/20
• Aesthetics: 18/20
• Consistency: 19/20

TOTAL: 90/100

Truth be told, I’m not much of a turkey lover (it’s a bigger, dryer chicken no matter how you cook it). But I am the type of homecook who will try anything to get a healthy-ish meal on the table faster. And so, when I came across the Kalorik Air Fryer and its promise to cook a 12-pound turkey in two hours, I was intrigued. If it can do that, what else is this clever appliance capable of? Well, quite a lot as it turns out. Keep reading for my review of this air fryer that just might replace your traditional oven. (Spoiler: It can cook a giant turkey in just a couple of hours… but whether or not you want to do that is another matter.)

The turkey experiment was what attracted me to the air fryer to begin with, but of course this is not how most people—myself included—use air fryers. And so, I put this device to the test with roasted vegetables, sheet pan dinners, frozen kids’ meals and even toast. Everything that came out of the air fryer was taste-tested by myself and my family (one skeptical husband, two picky kids). I was particularly interested in my partner’s opinion since he wasn’t exactly thrilled at another appliance taking up precious counter space (he’s a minimalist). If he could get on board with the air fryer then that was saying something.   

I initially attempted to start using the Kalorik Air Fryer without reading the instructions manual (I know, I know) but quickly realized that it’s not exactly intuitive. That’s not to say that you’ll need a degree in mechanics to figure it out, but a 10-minute skim through the manual is necessary to understand the various functions and settings. Some buttons are pretty self-explanatory (the thermometer symbol to regulate temperature, for example) while others I had to look up (the traffic light-like symbol definitely threw me off—it’s for the probe, FYI). There are also quite a few accessories that come with the air fryer—a rack handle, a temperature probe and case, an air frying basket, an air rack, a baking tray and a crumb tray. All of these parts (as well as the inside of the air fryer) need to be wiped down with a damp cloth before using—don’t be tempted to skip this step since my cloth came back pretty dusty. The instructions also recommend operating the appliance for 20 minutes on steak function to eliminate any packing oil that may remain after production. We did this and there was some smoke and a bit of a smell that came out from the device, which is apparently totally normal.

I couldn’t find a 12-pound bird at the store so bought one that was closer to 13 pounds instead and worried the entire drive home that it wouldn’t actually fit into the air fryer. Amazingly, the bird did fit (only just—the top of the turkey was precariously close to the grill) and we were even able to place a few carrots and onions on the baking sheet for gravy. We set the air fryer for two hours, checking on it every 30 minutes or so to baste the bird. Because the turkey was so large, I was worried the top would get burnt to a crisp, so I covered it with foil which I’m not sure was entirely effective or recommended (the air circulating made the aluminum flail about) but there you have it. After two hours, I removed the bird and was surprised to see that it had reached an internal temperature of over 165°F (I actually wanted to take the turkey out earlier but my husband was afraid we’d all get food poisoning…). But how did it taste? Amazingly, the skin of the bird was perfectly crispy and not burnt (maybe my foil trick worked?). The meat was…fine. To be honest, it tasted just like every other Thanksgiving turkey I’ve ever had, which is to say that it was somewhat bland and a little on the dry side. And before anyone asks, yes, I did pat plenty of butter underneath the skin. Would you get better results in a traditional oven? Meh, possibly but not necessarily. Besides, per the experts at Bon Appétit, cooking a 12-pound bird in a traditional oven at 350°F typically takes about three hours. But thanks to the air fryer’s slow speed fan, air circulates while trapping moisture for a speedier cook time. I’ll let you decide if it’s worth the trade-off to save an hour of cooking time for a slightly drier bird.

There are 21 (!) different cooking presets on the the Kalorik MAXX Advance 26 Quart Digital Air Fryer Oven: air fry, bake, fries, toast, pizza, ribs, toast, grill steak, broil, proof, bacon, rotisserie, dehydrate, vegetables, warm, defrost, wings, slow cook, convection bake and shrimp. The time can be adjusted from 1 to 480 minutes and the temperature from 80°F to 500°F. If that feels like a lot of functions…it is. In fact, there were too many for me to test (when am I ever going to make wings? Or dehydrate fruit?). So in the interest of full disclosure, I can’t speak to each and every function but here are the ones I did try:

• Air fry: I made the aforementioned turkey as well as some perfectly crisp on-the-outside, soft in-the-middle Brussels sprouts and frozen veggie bites for my kids (the latter gave me dinner on the table in eight minutes—success!).
• Toast: This was my least favorite function. You have to preheat the oven for 10 minutes before toasting and the default toasting time is set to six minutes which is too long (I took mine out around the four-minute mark). Although having the option to make up to nine slices of toast is great for a bigger group.
• Vegetables: I tested out carrots and potatoes using the Vegetables setting and both were cooked through in about 20 minutes at 425°F, which is slightly quicker than in my traditional oven. What I really like about the Kalorik air fryer compared to my regular oven is that I can set it on a timer, so I can put some veggies in and go pick up the kids from school without worrying that their dinner will be burnt (just shave off some of the cooking time if you’re going to do this since the food will continue to cook even after the appliance turns off).

All the accessories with the exception of the crumb tray are dishwasher safe. And while the Kalorik air fryer is big (almost 16 inches wide), it’s not a total eyesore—the stainless steel feels sleek and the single-handed automatic open glass French doors are a nice touch.

• Product Name: 26 Quart Digital MAXX Air Fryer Oven
• Product Brand: Kalorik
• Price: $229
• Weight: 17.2 lbs.
• Product Dimensions: 14.72 x 15.7 x 14.13 in.
• Capacity: 26 quarts
• Wattage: 1700
• Warranty: 1 year
• What's Included: air fryer oven, rack handle, rotisserie spit, temperature probe and case, air frying basket, air rack, baking tray and crumb tray, instruction manual, recipe book

Because of its large capacity and multiple functions, the Kalorik Air Fryer feels like a traditional oven that can cook everything you’re used to a little bit quicker, plus just so happens to be able to air fry. In the end, my minimalist husband was very impressed with it (I had to tell him to stop sending pictures of our turkey to the family group chat) but couldn’t get on board with how big it was. If you have a large kitchen and the space or if you don’t like your traditional oven very much, the Kalorik MAXX Advance 26 Quart Digital Air Fryer Oven could be a great option. As for us, the air fryer is currently back in its box… but we’re already talking about bringing it back out for the holiday roast.