Nuwave Bravo Air Fryer Toaster Smart Oven, 12-in-1 Countertop Convection, 30-QT XL Capacity, 50°-500°F Temperature Controls, Top and Bottom Heater Adjustments 0%-100%, Brushed Stainless Steel Look

Easily cooks “deep fry” without the oil, and more than a “deep fryer” replacement!! Easy and fast!
First: I read the negative review regarding the difficulty of removing the basket. Regarding this, I did the same thing (I read directions second) not realizing that if you just pull out the basket from the unit, it takes the heavy “drip tray”, insulated cooking section with it. You need to release the lightweight basket from the drip tray compartment by pushing the release button on the handle. Easy peasy and light. Once you’ve shaken, click it back into the compartment and put back into the Brio.
After months of seeing recipes, hearing friends rave about air fryers, I FINALLY decided to splurge! I’m kinda a kitchen “gadget nerd”, anything to help me cook better, faster, easier. (Honestly, I’m in my 50’s and have probably cooked less than 20 dishes in a regular oven in my entire life! Have been using pressure cookers, slow cookers for more than 30 years, have a low-pressure oven, etc.)
The Nuwave Brio attracted me because it has a better, more consistant temperature monitor than most, and it’s been specializing in cooking appliances for more than 30 years. I chose the 6 qt because i wanted one large enough to cook an entire small chicken (I only cook for myself and my son), healthier meals. I’ve also missed OCCASSIONALLY (not part of my daily or regular diet, but something I enjoy) eating deep fried foods such as deep fried mozzarella sticks, fries, fish, mushrooms because in the last few years, those foods don’t agree with my digestive system at all.
As soon as I got this yesterday, I had a “fried food fiesta”, and even cooked pork chops and homemade potato chips which my son gave a high score. Everything turned out great without ANY oil!! VERY easy to clean the unit. However, the unit does heat up, I highly recommend (as does the user manual) to use on your stovetop with the exhaust fan turned on.
Very easy to clean, adjust time/temp and has a preheating mode, which is useful to get the unit to the proper temp before starting to cook.
Very even cooking, crispy results when needed, even without ANY oil. Can also bake, roast, dehydrate. Large cooking area.
Large enough to cook for more than a single person, single servings, etc.
Cons:
Pretty large, 12″ cube, but very nice looking if you have the space to keep on counter, not difficult to store otherwise. Size needed to cook for more than 1 person.
The different wattage settings aren’t really clearly covered or why they’re needed, how to adjust cooking times/temps for different wattages. I’ve tried all 3. The 1800 and 1500 watt settings performed the best, however, I have a 30 year old condo, and those settings left the cord hot to the touch when I went to unplug. The 900 watt setting didn’t perform as well.
The recipe book only includes 36 recipes. Other units come with recipe books with 80+ recipes.
I would rather have a stackable rack to allow for larger batch cooking than a basket divider.
It doesn’t have a “halfway” alarm to remind you to shake/flip as most units require.

Big footprint on the countertop, but the payoff is worth it.
First off, I don’t get all the reviews that claim it’s difficult to understand or operate; it is not at all. No, it’s not a single button microwave where you just keep adding 30 seconds on high until it’s done. It also makes way, way, way better food, so it takes a bit more effort. But it really is quite easy. Plus, I don’t get all the “turn off preheat” comments. Works fine for me. It blinks when it’s preheating, and the fan is on – how is it so hard to see that it’s operating? Not hard at all. And after preheat, it counts down 10 seconds and starts cooking…again, pretty simple stuff. I was taken aback by all those comments prior to making the purchase, so I was focused on why it was such a weird thing for some people. Again, pretty straight forward for me.
Secondly, the cooking times and programs are clearly estimates, everyone’s preferences will need adjusting. All the cook times I tried needed more time, like another 30% more on average. Even when using the package instructions for the chicken fillet’s I air-fried, it still needed 4 more minutes. The bacon I baked took another 3 minutes (this worked well using their “low smoke thick bacon” program/recipe in the booklet. I saw very little smoke, close to none).
Lastly, taste – this is where it really matters, the taste is fantastic. It’s the food and nothing else. The chicken was crispy outside and juicy inside. The bacon was packed with flavor. Better than the gas oven. Will be making some fries later today….can’t wait!