The Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven Takes Snacking to the Next Level, and It’s on Major Sale Before the Super Bowl

• Value: 19/20
• Functionality: 20/20
• Ease of Use: 19/20
• Quality: 20/20
• Aesthetics: 16/20
• Total: 94/100

Air fryers are nothing new. In fact, you might say they’ve dethroned the Instant Pot as the kitchen appliance “it girl”…unless you’re me, a food editor who’s resisted its pull and settled for soggy tater tots because *shakes fist* I don’t need a glorified convection oven! Yep, I’ve never used an air fryer and I thought I never would…until I discovered the Cuisinart Large Air Fryer Toaster Oven ($330; $250), which happens to be on super sale right now.

Here's the deal (literally): The kitchen appliance retails for $330, but from now through Feb. 15, you can secure it for just $250. Guys, this comes just in time for the Super Bowl, which takes place on Sunday, Feb. 10, and Valentine's Day, which is a few days later on Feb. 14. So if you're looking for a kitchen gadget to assist you in the kitchen on game day (because making crispy apps on the stove ain't easy) or are still searching for the perfect V-Day gift for your favorite home chef, now might be the best time to scoop this baby up.

With that being said, I have a relatively small kitchen and counterspace is at a premium. If I’m using a specialty appliance (like a food processor, blender, stand mixer or slow cooker), it’s stored somewhere else in my apartment 99 percent of the time. So one of those clunky air fryers that looks like a small spaceship was never crossing the threshold of my home. The Cuisinart air fryer toaster oven, however, is a hybrid appliance that functions as, yes, an air fryer, but also features 12 other functions to make it worth its footprint—awfully enticing, even for an anti-single-use-appliance gal like myself. Here’s what I thought when I tested it.

First, the nitty-gritty specs: The Cuisinart Large Air Fryer Toaster Oven is a countertop oven, so it’s a bit larger than your standard pop-up toaster or even a typical air fryer. (OK, a lot larger—I was a little shocked when I unboxed the 18-by-16-by-15-inch machine.) I managed to fit it onto my counter just fine, but unlike what I did, I’d recommend measuring your space first.

There’s also price to consider. At $330 originally (now $250), the Cuisinart Large Air Fryer Toaster Oven isn’t as expensive as a Balmuda, but it’s not as cheap as some of the other air fryers or other toasters on the market.

As the name states, this bad boy can air fry and toast, but it can also bake, broil, roast, dehydrate, slow cook and reheat. You can cook an entire pizza, toast nine slices of bread and fit a 9-by-13-inch baking dish inside. The oven comes with a broiling pan, wire rack and air fryer basket, and it has a backlit digital display and an internal oven light, which makes my favorite pastime, neurotically checking on my food, a breeze. After squeezing it onto my countertop, I realized I could now bake an emergency batch of chocolate chip cookies without heating up my whole kitchen or make baked potatoes while my full-size oven is occupied. For me, it’s like having two ovens in my NYC rental apartment, which is a dream come true.

I don’t know how long it takes to preheat my regular oven, but it’s similar to watching a pot of water come to a boil. The Cuisinart takes a quick five minutes to preheat. And when the food goes in, it cooks fast. (It could be related to the decreased distance between the heating mechanisms and the food, but I roasted broccoli in half the time and even lowered the temperature to prevent burning. I’d keep an eye on your food until you get used to the way the appliance cooks.)

As an air fryer newbie, this was the feature I was most excited to try. Perhaps too ambitiously, I jumped right in with a recipe for air fryer coconut shrimp. I sprayed the air fryer basket with cooking spray, I lightly brushed the breaded shrimp with oil…and reader, I would be lying if I told you I wasn’t *slightly* disappointed with the results. The shrimp stuck to the basket and were somehow both burnt and not brown enough in different places. But I’ll be the first to admit that 1) I’m a perfectionist, 2) I have no experience air frying and 3) I used a recipe from a blog I’ve never seen in my life. So there was a lot of room for error. (And FWIW, my husband said the shrimp was good.)

The second time I kept things simple and air-fried a batch of store-bought tater tots, with great success. Not only were these tots crispy on all sides without flipping, but they took about half the time to cook. There’s definitely some trial and error involved in air frying, but I’m willing to bet that’s always the case. (I’m scheming about homemade sweet potato fries next.)