Proscenic T31: Smarter and larger than the average air fryer
Proscenic T31 Smart Air Fryer. Picture: Proscenic.
I have to be honest and say that I’m not an expert in cooking, baking or making amazing meals. However, I feel in a way, this better qualifies me to write a review that better represents the people who could potentially benefit from the features, convenience and compactness of the Proscenic T31 air fryer.
Due to the ease of a smaller oven and the fact that air fryers consume less electricity, I have used our main oven far less. Of course, a large oven has advantages when cooking or baking large quantities of food, but for smaller items, it now feels like a big waste of energy and money.
At times I have found air fryers to be restrictive because they are frequently just a little bit too small to cook basic foods like pizza or a large chicken. The T31 has a significant edge over smaller air fryers in this area because of its spacious internal oven and two perforated trays that use hot-fanned air for cooking food more rapidly, evenly and effectively. A third tray sits on the bottom to collect drips from the perforated trays above.
The T31 looks more like a square microwave oven than a typical air fryer with a see-through drop-down door. There are three rails on either side to hold the trays and slots that are designed to secure the included cage, skewers and rotisserie forks.
Around the back is what looks like a large handle that ensures the hot air vents at the back don’t get blocked if pushed against a wall. It’s always good practice to leave plenty of distance at the back.
Above the door is a basic dial that with a press will toggle between time and temperature adjustments. Beside the dial are touch-sensitive icons – keep warm, preheating and 12 other cooking presets. Some of the icons are obvious while other require a quick read of the manual to understand exactly what food it is. I love that you can press a button for say cooking chips, but then easily add extra time or turn up the temperature afterwards.
While the majority of air fryers are compact, the T31 takes up a fair amount of room on a worktop, making it unsuitable for people with small workspaces.
I’m the first to admit I have limited cooking skills, but I’m not interested in just cooking frozen processed foods either – something I know a lot of people use air fryers for. So, with a little help, I cooked a full 1.2 kg chicken using the skewers. You can use the included cookbook for recipes or the Proscenic app, which also contains the same recipes and instructions.
The 1.2 Kg chicken was as big as I could while using the rotisserie function. However, you could also use one of the trays to cook a much larger chicken.
I found I had to be careful to ensure the chicken legs were tied down so that they didn’t rub against the top or bottom of the oven. I set the timer to 45 minutes with a heat of 190c. One of my favourite features is the dedicated button that turns the light on in the oven so you can clearly see how the food is cooking. At 45 minutes I had a quick check of the chicken and could see it needed an extra 15 minutes to get it just right.
The skewer has three parts: two forks and a shaft. You have to ensure you push the shaft into the centre of the chicken so that it is balanced just right and not lopsided. You also need to tie the legs so that they don’t hang away from the body. I found the process of skewing tricky with a slippy raw chicken, but a little practice should make it easier. I also found getting the chicken into the slots for the skewer ends tricky but the included handle does make the process a little easier.
One of my favourite things to cook in an air fryer is home-cut chips. They’re so easy to prepare and cook and because you only need to use a little oil, they’re much healthier than deep frying them in oil. In a basket-style air fryer, it’s easy to shake the chips halfway through cooking but since the T31 uses trays I found this much tricker. I also tried cooking them in the basket using the innovative turning option, which is efficient but has a limited capacity. You can have it rotate continuously or when you press the button.
I also cooked a frozen pizza – something you can’t do in most basket-style air fryers. The T31 only takes a few minutes to preheat and about the same time as a traditional oven to cook. The real advantages are the convenience of the smaller oven and the reduction in electricity use.
The T31 uses the Proscenic app which connects to the air fryer via WiFi and allows for full remote control. You can select a recipe in the app which provides the contents and preparation instructions and then you can schedule or start the air fryer. The schedule is anything from 0 to 3 hours and 59 minutes. Although I can't say I found this feature very helpful, the alerts that the food is done or that the chips should be shaken midway through cooking are handy. What’s more helpful is the ability to keep food warm or preheat the oven while you’re on your way home.
Since the recipe menu is on your phone, you won't lose it like you might a book, which is perfect for folks like me. The instructions are clear and concise and ensure you set the correct temperature and time although you may have to add extra time on occasions.
Additionally, you can set up both Alexa and Google assistants to control the T31 via voice – the basic ones that I found handy were the start/stop and preheat but you can also say the commands for specific preset programmes.
Overall, the Proscenic T31 is ideal for cooking a broader range of foods thanks to its larger capacity and accessories including the rotisserie options. The touch presets and easy-to-use dial on the front make it intuitive to use. The only downsides are the extra space required on your worktop and while the trays are ideal for most foods, it isn’t as good as the basket for others like chips. If you like spit-roasting meat or skewered vegetables then the T31 is ideal and of course, you can also use it for baking. The trays and accessories are easy to clean and are dishwasher safe. If you’re not interested in a larger air fryer like the T31, the smaller basket-style T21 is well worth a look instead.
Proscenic T31 Air Fryer – €204 from Amazon.co.uk
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
