Pampered Chef Deluxe Air Fryer – Is it Worth The Price?

I recently purchased a Pampered Chef Deluxe Air Fryer and wanted to share an honest and unbiased review!  Read on to see if this is a product that could add value to your life.

 

Air fryers are all the rage and for good reason.  We can now “fry” up some crispy snacks without the negative effects of using oils.  What’s not to love?

But with prices ranging from less than $50 to well over $2,000, it’s hard to know how to choose the best one.  I recently purchased the Pampered Chef Deluxe Air Fryer and wanted to share my opinion of this product.  Is it worth the price?

For comparison’s sake, let’s first take a look at the less expensive, basket-style air fryers.

Basket Air Fryer

I have wanted an air fryer for quite some time as I had heard great things about them.  As it happens, a friend gave me one that she no longer used and I was very excited to give it a try.  Unfortunately, I found myself completely underwhelmed with the product.

It was a basket air fryer, which I assume is supposed to make it seem more like a “real” deep fryer but, in my opinion, this setup works against it.

Items must be laid in a single layer with some space between them.  Since the cooking surface of the basket itself was quite small this didn’t leave room for many items.  As it turns out, this is why my friend was no longer using it.  She would have to cook food in batches, with the first batch sitting out getting cold while she cooked the second batch.

The air fryer did come with a rack that rested on the surface of the basket to create an extra cooking surface but that created problems of its own.

The air fryer recipes I have seen require that the food be shaken, turned or rotated halfway through the cooking process.

It’s impossible to shake the basket with a freestanding rack inside without the food on the rack flying everywhere.  If you opt to turn or rotate the food instead, that involves somehow removing the rack to get at the food beneath it.  The rack sits down inside the basket and there’s not enough room available between the rack and the sides of the fryer to grasp it.  In addition, there are no sides on the rack, no way to hold that food in place while lifting it.

For me, the whole process was just more trouble than it was worth

Pampered Chef Deluxe Air Fryer – Is it Worth The Price?

The Pampered Chef Air Fryer opens from the front, similar to a toaster oven.  This is a huge improvement from the basket air fryers because it’s easier to get food in and out, as well as turn/rotate food (just slide the racks out!)

This is a great feature to me because the design is similar to a toaster oven and I love my toaster oven.  I’m a single person so it’s perfect for creating single-serving meals.  It doesn’t heat up my kitchen like an oven does and uses a fraction of the electricity.  And, by some weird coincidence, my ancient, secondhand toaster oven gasped its last breath the very moment I was considering the Pampered Chef Air Fryer.

Because this air fryer has the ability to air fry, bake, toast, and function as a rotisserie (it comes with a rotisserie basket for french fries and a skewer for whole chickens), I have used it just about every day since I got it.

The rotisserie cooks a 4lb chicken in 45 minutes, which is much more time-efficient than putting it in the oven.

The 9”x10” cooking surface on each of the 2 racks that are included provides plenty of room for family-sized meals but there’s room for a 3rd rack (which can be ordered separately) if you want even more cooking space!

Pampered Chef Small Bar Pan
Pampered Chef Small Bar Pan

This Pampered Chef Small Bar Pan fits perfectly on the rack for baking saucier or more tender options;

 

 

AIR FRYER FRUIT LEATHER TRAYS
AIR FRYER FRUIT LEATHER TRAYS

You can even use this as a food dehydrator.  I love these Pampered Chef Fruit Leather Trays because they make delicious and healthy snacks!

 

 

 

Despite the ginormous cooking capacity of this appliance, the entire unit measures a mere 14½” tall x 12 3/4″ x 14 1/4″ to enable it to fit in the smallest of spaces!

But…Back To Me

Pampered Chef Deluxe Air Fryer
Pampered Chef Deluxe Air Fryer

So, what do I do with my Pampered Chef Deluxe Air Fryer?

I have made homemade Chinese dumplings, fried vegetable spring rolls and Chinese-style pancakes using the air fryer.  I have toasted sandwiches, including western breakfast burrito, veggie bagels and made spinach and feta pizza for one.

I have made whole meals using this baby such as homemade chicken tenders with french fries.   I can bake potatoes, roast ears of corn or bake pork chops.

My favorite air fryer recipe are these bacon wrapped cheese dogs that I made with my granddaughters:

What can’t I do with this air fryer?  I can’t answer that question because I haven’t had anything fail me yet!

Bottom Line -Is the Pampered Chef Deluxe Air Fryer Worth The Money?

By now you’re asking yourself how much this prized piece of machinery costs, right?  And is the Pampered Chef Deluxe Air Fryer worth the money?

I will tell you that, from my experience, it IS worth the money.  While I’ve gone over the specifics in regard to cooking, I can also say that there is a 1-year warranty, with a no-holds-barred, for-any-reason return or replacement policy.  You can send it back for any reason whatsoever!  Yes, even if it just doesn’t match your kitchen.

Add to that the 4.7/5 star rating out of 976 reviews and I think we can say that this is a bargain at the price of $289!

Want an even better price?  Talk to me about getting 50% or more off the price by hosting a party.  Click here to reach me and let’s talk!

Have you used the Pampered Chef Deluxe Air Fryer?  What did you think of it?  Leave a comment below and share your experience!

 

All my best,

Cynthia
cynthia@cynthiaeats.com

This post contains affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. Read the full privacy policy here.

Flourless Oatmeal Bars

These gluten-free flourless oatmeal bars are made with chickpeas instead of flour! Chickpeas are low in fat, high in fiber and rich in antioxidants.

Flourless Oatmeal Bars
(Published by Pampered Chef)

 

1 can (15-16 oz or 398 mL) chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2   eggs

½ cup (125 mL) reduced-fat creamy peanut butter

1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract

⅔ cup (150 mL) white chocolate morsels, divided

½ cup (125 mL) quick-cooking oats

⅓ cup (75 mL) dried cranberries

⅓ cup (75 mL) packed brown sugar

½ tsp (2 mL) baking soda

¼ tsp (1 mL) salt

 

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Lightly spray the wells of a Brownie Pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Place chickpeas and eggs in the Manual Food Processor and process until they’re well blended.

Carefully remove the blade from the processor bowl, and transfer the chickpea mixture to the Classic Batter Bowl. Add the peanut butter and vanilla, then mix well with a Small Mix ‘N Scraper®. Add ⅓ cup (75 mL) of the morsels, oats, cranberries, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. Mix until combined.

Using a Small Scoop, divide the mixture evenly into the wells of the pan. Gently spread the mixture with the back of the Scoop. Bake for 16–18 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the centers comes out clean.

Place the remaining ⅓-cup (75-mL) morsels in a 1-cup (250-mL) Prep Bowl and microwave on HIGH for 1 minute, stirring every 15 seconds or until melted. Transfer the morsels to a small resealable plastic bag (see cook’s tips).

Move the pan from the oven to the Stackable Cooling Rack, and let cool for 5 minutes. Trim a small corner off the bag, and drizzle chocolate evenly over the tops of the bars. Serve with Mini Nylon Serving Spatula.

12  servings

Calories 190, Total Fat 8 g, Saturated Fat 3 g, Cholesterol 35 mg, Sodium 270 mg, Carbohydrate 25 g, Fiber 2 g, Sugar 16 g, Protein 6 g

Cook’s Tips:
To fill the plastic bag with melted chocolate, place a small resealable plastic bag over the rim of the Mini Measure-All® Cup with one corner pointing into the cup. Pour melted chocolate into the bag. Remove bag and twist top.

Hack:  To see more videos from Lily-Rose and her friends, check out our YouTube channel!  Don’t forget to like, subscribe and press that notification button so you won’t miss any new videos!

Hack: Read my review of the KitchenAid Artisan Series 5 Quart Tilt-Head Stand Mixer here.

 

Baked Vanilla Donuts

Pampered Chef’s Baked Vanilla Donuts Recipe is delicious and this video will show you how easy it is to make donuts at home!

Baked Vanilla Donuts
(Courtesy:  Pampered Chef)

 

Donuts:

1 cup (250 mL) all-purpose flour

½ cup (125 mL) granulated sugar

½ tsp (2 mL) baking soda

¼ tsp 1 mL) salt

½ cup (125 mL) sour cream

¼ cup (50 mL) canola oil

1   egg

Glaze:

2 cups (500 mL) powdered sugar

2½ tbsp (37 mL) buttermilk or milk

½ tsp (2 mL) vanilla

 

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Brush the Donut Pan with oil.

For the donuts, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk in the remaining ingredients for donuts just until combined.

Place the Large Round Tip on the large Decorating Bag. Fill the bag with dough and pipe around each well until it’s about ¾ full. Bake for 8–10 minutes, or until the donuts spring back when lightly pressed. Remove from the oven to a Stackable Cooling Rack. Let the donuts cool in the pan for 5 minutes before releasing. Cool completely.

For the glaze, whisk together all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Place a sheet of parchment paper under the cooling rack. Spread the glaze evenly over the tops of the donuts using the Small Spreader. Let the donuts stand until the glaze sets.

Yield:  12 donuts, 220 calories per donut

Hack:  To see more videos from Lily-Rose and her friends, check out our YouTube channel!  Don’t forget to like, subscribe and press that notification button so you won’t miss any new videos!

Hack:  For a gluten-free dessert choice, check out Lily-Rose’s video “Pampered Chef Flourless Oatmeal bars!”

 

Milk and Cereal Bars

Lily and Sarah are at it again in this episode of Lily-Rose: Kindergarten Cook! This time, they’re making Milk and Cereal Bars, a Pampered Chef recipe.

Milk and Cereal Bars
(Published by Pampered Chef)

 

2¼ cups Cheerios™

2 tbsp creamy peanut butter

¼ cup honey or agave nectar

½ cup freeze-dried strawberries

½ cup yogurt chips or white chocolate morsels

 

Combine the cereal and strawberries in a large mixing bowl.

Microwave the nut butter and honey in a small microwave-safe bowl on HIGH for about 1 minute, or until bubbling. Pour over the cereal mixture and mix well to combine.

Use the Large Scoop to transfer the mixture into wells of the Snack Bar Maker and press down with the Mini Nylon Serving Spatula. Chill the tray in the freezer for about 10 minutes, or in the refrigerator until the bars are set.

Heat the yogurt chips in a microwave-safe bowl until they’ve melted and drizzle over the bars.

Let the bars set in the refrigerator or on the counter.

 

Yield: 12 servings of bars

Nutrients per serving: U.S. nutrients per serving: Calories 110, Total Fat 3.5 g, Saturated Fat 2 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 50 mg, Carbohydrate 19 g, Fiber 2 g, Sugars 12 g, Protein 2 g

Hack:  To see more videos from Lily-Rose and her friends, check out our YouTube channel!  Don’t forget to like, subscribe and press that notification button so you won’t miss any new videos! 

10 Best Oven Baking Stones

Ever wondered about using cooking stones? Here are a few tips and some use/care recommendations as well as my list of the 10 best oven baking stones!

10 Best Oven Baking Stones
10 Best Oven Baking Stones

This post contains affiliate links that, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission. Read the full privacy policy here.

Baking stones.  Either you love ‘em…or you’ve never used ‘em.  I was in the second group until I attended a Pampered Chef party.  I ended up with a couple of cooking stones because I was curious and wanted to try cooking on them. I think the fact that I’m writing this would make you think I’m now hooked…and you would be right!

In this post, I’d like to go over the basics of oven stones and what I consider to be the 10 best oven baking stones on the market!  Buckle up and let’s get this ride started!

What Is An Oven Baking Stone?

Stone Baking Pan

An oven stone is a portable cooking surface that is used for cooking and is one of the oldest cooking techniques known to man.  Its history can be traced back to the Early Paleolithic Age between 45,000 to 9,000 BC.  And, although we often think of baking stones as a pizza implement, they were first used to cook flatbreads and are still used for that purpose in many parts of the world.

The types I’ll be talking about here are made of clay but they can also be made of ceramic, cordierite, cast iron or stone.  While most of us use them in our kitchen oven, they’re also suitable for use on the grill or over an open fire.

Baking stones are not good conductors of heat.  This is actually a plus as your food is less likely to burn than when you’re using a glass or metal pan.  They also absorb moisture from the bottom of the food, resulting in a crispier bottom.

But…Back To Me

Flat Cooking Stone

As I said before, I got some baking stones at a Pampered Chef party.  I was a little skeptical because it just seemed like food would stick.  The consultant assured me it wouldn’t so I went ahead and purchased a stone bar pan.

The first thing I did was to cook some teriyaki steak tips.  That’s a great test, right?   I mean, if anything is going to stick, teriyaki marinade would, right?  Nope.  The steak was delicious and the stone cleaned up with just a few wipes of my dishtowel.

After such a great experience with the new stone, I tried making a pizza on a stone I had been given a while back but had yet to use.  A friend had cooked a naan on it and I was so impressed that she gave me the stone.  I lightly oiled the stone, spread the dough over it and confidently put it in the oven to bake.

It stuck like glue.

Luckily, I was using this pizza dough recipe, which makes 2 thin-crust pizzas so I decided to try again.

After a bit of research, I spread some cornmeal over a piece of parchment paper and molded my pizza while my stone heated up in the oven.  The stone did smoke, perhaps because I had oiled it previously, but it didn’t set off the smoke detectors so it was fine!

I took the hot stone out of the oven and spread cornmeal over it.  I lifted the dough, still on the parchment paper, and carefully turned it over onto the stone, peeling away the paper when I was done.

Taking the stone out of the oven would seem to be a no-no from what I had read, but I really didn’t see any other way to do it.  The recommended method of “sliding it onto the stone” is, in my humble opinion, not possible with raw pizza dough.

Anyhow, in it went for a 5-minute pre-bake.

Prebaked Pizza Stone

It came out a bit wonky looking, as you can see, but it didn’t stick so I considered that a win.  I covered it with toppings and back in it went for the final bake!  The finished result was a perfectly crunchy, New York-style crust. 

Homemade Pizza on Pizza Stone

HowTo Use and Clean A Baking Stone

Flat Pizza Stone

As you use your stones, they will darken and develop a smooth, nonstick surface.  This is referred to as seasoning.

Using  an oven baking stone is fairly straightforward:

  • Always place the stone in a cold oven and allow it to preheat before using.
  • Never place frozen or very cold food on a hot stone.
  • Never place a hot stone on a cold surface.  If possible, remove food from the stone to serve and allow the stone to cool in the oven after turning it off. If the hot stone is removed from the oven, place gently on a room-temperature surface.
  • Don’t oil your stone.
  • Don’t drop your stone!
  • Store stone in a cool dry place.
  • Storing your stone in the oven is not recommended.  The repeated heating and cooling of a stone that is not holding food tends to damage the seasoning.

Cleaning my stones depends entirely on what I cook on them.  If I bake something that doesn’t leave residues, such as naan or rolls, I just brush off any crumbs and put it away.

If I’m cooking something a bit messier, I allow the stone to cool and clean it off with water and a dishcloth, using a plastic scraper or kitchen brush when necessary.  I don’t recommend using soap on unglazed cooking stones, although Pampered Chef stoneware is made with StoneFusion Formula so they can be washed with soap or placed in the dishwasher.

If an unglazed stone needs a deeper clean, I make a baking soda paste (½ cup baking soda to 3 tbsp water) and spread it over the surface of the stone.  I allow it to sit for 15 minutes then scrape off the paste and rinse with warm water.

Always allow your stone to dry completely before using or storing it.

10 Best Oven Baking Stones

The Pampered Chef stones that I’ve recommended below are made with StoneFusion Formula. I love them because they’re nonporous so foods and liquids won’t soak in.  Once cool, they’re also dishwasher safe, although cleaning them this way will take longer for a seasoned surface to develop.  I, personally, clean them in the same way that I clean my unglazed stones.

Large Pizza Stone

Large Round Stone

Take your pizza night to a whole new level! These pizza stones are pre-heat and oven-safe up to 550°F (287°C) so your pizza crust will be perfectly crispy every time. It has been designed with a raised lip on the back edge to make transferring that pizza on and off easier than ever (and keep it from falling off). Integrated handles make the stone easy to grasp and move about.

Pampered Chef Medium Stone

Pampered Chef Medium Pizza Stone

Whether you’re making your favorite homemade pizza or a frozen one, take pizza night to a whole new level!

Pampered Chef Personal Pizza Stone

Pampered Chef Personal Pizza Stone

When you cook your favorite homemade mini pizza on this stone, it’ll taste like it just came out of a professional pizza oven!

Pampered Chef Rectangle Pan

Pampered Chef Rectangle Pan

Get ready for the best cookies—soft in the center, crispy but never burned on the bottom! This stone also turns out the best pizza and flatbreads, appetizers, biscuits and scones, roasted vegetables, garlic bread, brunch braids, and so much more.

Pampered Chef Stone Loaf Pan

Pampered Chef Stone Loaf Pan

Bakers and breadmakers love how yeast bread, pound cakes, banana bread, and quick breads turn out beautifully golden brown and evenly cooked, every time. This versatile pan can also be used to make stuffing, tender and juicy meatloaf, and more.

Pampered Chef Deep Dish Pie Plate

Pampered Chef Deep Dish Pie Plate

The scalloped edge and neutral graystone glaze of the Deep Dish Pie Plate beautifully accent pies and casseroles. 9″ diameter, 6-cup capasity.  No preheating needed!

Pampered Chef Large Bar Pan

Pampered Chef Large Bar Pan

This unglazed stoneware is made with a new StoneFusion material making it the strongest and most durable stoneware yet. You can pre-heat, broil, and even put it in the dishwasher. Each piece features a ribbon pattern, so you can easily distinguish it from your original unglazed stones.

Pampered Chef Medium Bar Pan

Pampered Chef Medium Bar Pan

This pan is just the right size for packaged brownie mixes and ooey-gooey bar cookie mixes, biscuits, sheet pan dinners, chicken, frozen foods, crispy pizza, or reheating leftovers that are just as good or better than day one. Because the unglazed cooking surface draws moisture away, everything cooks consistently and turns out light and crispy. The integrated handles make it easy to move in and out of the oven.

Pampered Chef Small Bar Pan

Pampered Chef Small Bar Pan

This pan fits in most countertop ovens including the Deluxe Air Fryer and will be your go-to when heating or reheating small amounts of food. It’s a great size for appetizers, roasted veggies, grilled cheese, and reheat slices of pizza.

Pampered Chef Stonewear Starter Set

Pampered Chef Stoneware Starter Set

Our Stoneware Starter Set will be a great addition to your kitchen! You can make perfect pizzas every time with the Pizza Stone, create easy sheet-pan dinners on the Stone Bar Pan, and bake delicious banana bread in the Stone Loaf Pan.

Time To Get Your Bake On!

Stone Cooked Pizza

If you haven’t tried oven baking stones, I hope you’ll take the plunge and choose one of these stones to begin your new adventure!

If you already use baking stones, please share your experience in the comment section below.

All my best,

Cynthia
cynthia@cynthiaeats.com

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