Air Fry Oven Vs Air Fry Basket: Which is Superior?

I recently got sucked into buying an air fryer after seeing one too many TikTok videos. Everything cooked in the air fryer looked so delicious, beautifully fried without hot oil or a deep fryer. I have a Breville Oven that has an air fry setting. Is it worth the price to purchase a separate Cosori air fryer? Which air fries better?

Both of these kitchen appliances fry using hot air. The Breville oven has an air fry mode as well as several other different functions, whereas the Cosori is a basket style air fryer.

I tried cooking the same air fryer recipes using both my Breville Air Fryer and the Cosori so that I could compare the different results more fairly. I want to share my thoughts and also some pros and cons of each air fryer in case you are more sensible and only want one or the other.

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Pros of the Cosori Air Fryer

Easy Cleaning – The biggest benefit of the basket air fryer over the oven is the easy clean-up. The removable basket and the carrier are both non-stick and clean up like a dream. In comparison, the oven is a challenge to clean. In fact, I spent the better part of a day cleaning my Breville toaster oven air fryer.

Crispier Finish – Maybe it’s because it’s so easy to spray oil on the food while it’s in the air fryer basket vs. inside the oven. If you spray oil directly into the basket while it’s in the oven, it gets smokey. Sometimes the recipe calls for you to flip the food mid-way and spray the top with oil. This is much easier to do without making a mess in the Cosori.
Heats Up and Cooks Faster – Because the Cosori basket is more of an enclosed area, it heats up in less time than the oven and the cook time is faster. It’s only by 1-2 minutes (for my test chicken tenders), but if you’re making a bunch of batches the slightly longer cooking time can add up.
Less Expensive – The large Cosori air fryer is $120. The Breville countertop oven is over $300 (but it does a lot more than air fry).
Takes up Less Space – The Cosori countertop air fryer is a small size compared to the oven. If you have a small kitchen, a small cooking area or limited counter space you may want to choose the Cosori.

Advantages of Air Fry Ovens

Larger Basket – The biggest advantage of the air fryer oven is the larger basket. The Cosori regular air fryer basket is 9 inches square. If you have more than two people, I feel like you have to do multiple batches. The Breville basket is 13×11. Those extra few inches can be the difference between one batch and two.
Ease of Use– Maybe it’s because I haven’t been using the Cosori for as long, but if you use the manual settings, it stops when you pull the drawer out to flip or toss. You have to push pause and then play to pull it out. I don’t like all of the digital controls because I’ve noticed when I use them blindly the results are either underdone or overdone. Manual is the way to go for me.
Does Everything – For me, the main difference is the Breville has so many different features. Air fryer toaster ovens are more than just dedicated air fryers. They have an air fry function, but also a convection setting and they can serve as a traditional oven.

In conclusion, I really LOVE the Cosori for air frying as long as I don’t have to serve too many people. BUT if I had to take one countertop appliance with me because my house was on fire, it would definitely be the Breville Oven. I use it every day for toasting, roasting, baking and frying. I rarely use my regular oven anymore.

The Cosori Air fryer is more of an occasional use item for me. If I really have a craving for something fried, like chicken tenders, it makes them much better. If frying is your main objective, go for the drawyer-style air fryer.