THIS AFFORDABLE AIR FRYER PERFORMS WELL AND OFFERS SMART FEATURES
The trend in connected home appliances has extended to everyone’s favorite countertop appliance with the Proscenic T22 Air Fryer . This air fryer ranked second overall on our list of best air fryers, making it an exceptionally well-performing air fryer, even before considering the connected app. Adding the smart functionality makes it that much more of a modern kitchen companion. You can select from a dozen popular food items right on the touch screen atop the appliance, and even more through the app. This model also rings in at a very reasonable price for all of its features, making it our Best Value air fryer. If you’re cooking for a family, our winning air fryer, the Ninja Speedi offers slightly larger capacity.
What is the Proscenic T22 Air Fryer?
The Proscenic T22 Air Fryer is a basket-style air fryer.
with a 5.3-quart capacity. What makes this air fryer unique is the digital touch-pad that covers its top surface, yet only appears when the air fryer is on.
The touch-pad reveals a dozen 1-touch buttons for popular food items, as well as manual time and temperature controls. The Proscenic T22 also connects to an app, which can be used to control the machine and find recipes.
How we tested the Proscenic T22 Air Fryer
We ran a battery of tests with foods people typically expect from an air fryer, such as french fries, chicken nuggets, bacon, and fried chicken.
We also checked to see if the manual thoroughly explains how to use the product, provides guidelines for cooking specific foods, and includes recipes—which it does.
We also considered how easy it is to use the controls, both on the machine and from the connected app, how easy it is to slide the basket in and out, and what it’s like to clean up.
What we like
It’s easy to use and works as expected
For a mid-sized, lightweight air fryer, the Proscenic T22 does a good job of crisping food. Our air-fried chicken was crispy, frozen fries had snap, and bacon crisped up quickly.
The Proscenic T22 also reheated pizza with ease, although its square shape means it can’t fit more than one large slice at time.
It runs very quietly
Many air fryers can sound like loud hair dryers or turbo fans when running, but the Proscenic T22 is hardly noticeable when it’s on. That doesn’t mean you won’t know when the food is ready. The 5-beep alert is loud enough to hear across a busy kitchen.
The connected app enables full remote cooking controls
We all use our phones to look up recipes, so being able to use it to set and control cooking appliances just makes sense. The Proscenic T22 connects to the Proscenic app, which allows you to control the air fryer remotely.
You can turn the machine on, preheat, select from presets or set time and temperature manually, switch to keep-warm mode, and find specific recipes to cook. You can also create your own recipes and save them in the app.
The Proscenic T22 can also connect to Alexa. While it’s a nice idea to use voice control, it proves to be less useful than the app. For safety reasons, you can’t start the air fryer using Alexa. You can stop the cooking using voice commands, however the machine also stops automatically at the end of the cooking cycle.
It’s compact enough to keep out but light enough to put away
In many homes, air fryers get frequent enough use to necessitate a spot on the counter. The Proscenic T22 doesn’t take up a lot of space, which makes it easier to keep out. And since this air fryer excels at reheating food, keeping it handy makes it more useful than a microwave.
If you’d prefer to stash it away, the machine is quite lightweight and easy to maneuver. The basket locks into place and won’t slide out unexpectedly. The sleek shape even makes it possible to store this appliance in a deep drawer.
The entire basket is nonstick and dishwasher safe
Clean-up is a breeze with the Proscenic T22 because the entire basket and crisper plate can be placed in the dishwasher. The crisper plate removes easily from the bottom of the air fryer, and both are coated with a non-stick coating that is BPA and PFOA free.
What we don’t like
Presets and recipes aren’t always accurate
One-touch preset buttons are convenient, but they’re better used as a starting point than taken as gospel. If you’re an air fryer newbie, the accompanying recipe book is quite helpful, but you may want to vet the presets and recipes in the app before hitting start.
While the bacon setting was accurate, the chicken and pizza presets seemed off for what we wanted to cook. Once you get the hang of adjusting time and temperature for your favorite foods, it’s easy to adjust the settings, but you may need to do some research first if you’re unfamiliar with what you’re cooking.
It’s too easy to use the wrong app
Using the app to control the air fryer is a fun and convenient feature, but it took us a long time to figure out why all of our initial attempts to connect to the air fryer and view recipes failed. Turns out it was the wrong app.
The app with the dark blue Proscenic logo inside a white circle is the right one to use, so be sure to avoid any others in the app store.
Should you buy the Proscenic T22 Air Fryer?
Yes, if you want a mid-sized air fryer you can control from your phone
The Proscenic T22 isn’t as roomy as our winning air fryer, the Ninja Speedi, but it works well for what it holds. Being able to select recipes from the app and remotely start the air fryer makes it a useful appliance for busy families.
The small footprint makes it easy to keep out and use on a daily basis for reheating food that comes out far better in an air fryer than a microwave.