Cosori Premium II Plus Air Fryer review

I’ve tested out a lot of appliances, and the new Cosori Premium II Plus Air Fryer quickly solidified itself as one of my all-time favorites. It’s the perfect size, includes all the settings I want, none of the ones I don’t, and cooks my favorite foods just the way I like them — seriously, what more can you ask for?

Cosori is one of the most popular air fryer brands out there, forever occupying the bestsellers list on Amazon, and this new model proves they know what works and what doesn’t with these countertop appliances. The Premium II Plus has a spacious 6.5-quart basket that can fit food for the whole family, eliminating the need to cook in batches, and I’m obsessed with its window and inner light, which make it easy to monitor your meal — without interrupting the cooking cycle. 

These are just a few of the features making this one of the best air fryers around, and over several weeks of testing, I struggled to find anything that I didn’t like about the gadget. Here’s the low-down on everything I cooked in the Cosori Premium II Plus Air Fryer, and how it won me over in the kitchen. 

Cosori Premium II Plus Air Fryer review

As a product tester, there’s nothing more satisfying than finding a product that ticks all the right boxes, and the Cosori Premium II Plus Air Fryer did just that. It’s the ideal size to cook three, or even four, servings of food at a time, and the window on the front of the basket? Genius! It lets you quickly check the doneness of your food without having to constantly stop the cooking cycle, and after just a few weeks of use, it’s officially a feature I never want to live without.

While the design of this air fryer is great, the cooking performance is just as impressive. It delivers great results while cooking a variety of frozen foods, salmon filets, chicken breasts, and even when reheating multiple kinds of leftovers. It did take me a while to figure out all the controls, but I love the versatility the appliance offers — unlike most air fryers, this one lets you change its preset functions to meet your cooking preferences. Again, genius! Overall, it’s a thoughtfully designed appliance sure to please anyone who can’t live without an air fryer in their kitchen.

Camryn Rabideau

I’m Camryn Rabideau, a freelance writer and product tester for Real Homes, and to date, I’ve tested more than a dozen air fryers, as well as hundreds of other kitchen gadgets, from juicers to toasters and everything in between. While I was once a skeptic of air fryers, I’m now firmly in the fan club — I use mine almost every day, and it’s the only way I’ll cook French fries and chicken wings.  

Cosori Premium II Plus Air Fryer specifications

• Model Number: CAF-P652-KUS
• Dimensions (in.): H12.7 x W11.8 x D14.6
• Weight: 12.6 pounds
• Capacity: 6.5 quarts
• Temperature range: 170-400℉
• Timer: 0-60 minutes
• Basket dimensions (in.): H3.5 x W9.8 x D9.8 
• Rated power: 1,700 watts
• Warranty: 2 years

Unboxing and setting up the Cosori Premium II Plus air fryer

It took around five minutes to get the Cosori Premium II Plus Air Fryer unboxed and set up. The package had a convenient carrying handle, and the appliance was surrounded by Styrofoam to prevent it from shifting around inside the box. After taking it out, all I had to do was remove the plastic bag and a few pieces of tape from the basket. There was also a piece of cardboard inside the basket that needed to be removed. 

When I plugged the air fryer in, its touchscreen control panel lit up. It clearly displays the cooking time and temperature in the middle, and there are a variety of one-touch cooking settings around it. Some buttons let you turn on a short preheat cycle or a mid-cycle “shake" setting.

It’s worth noting this air fryer doesn’t have a dehydration setting, nor does the temperature go low enough for most dehydrating recipes — the lowest temperature you can set it to is 170 degrees Fahrenheit. This isn’t ideal if you want to make apple chips in your air fryer, but personally, I never once used that setting on my old small air fryer, so I wasn’t bothered by its absence here. 

Cooking in the Cosori Premium II Plus Air Fryer Review

Cooking chicken bites

I put the most mileage on my air fryer cooking frozen foods like French fries — they cook faster and more evenly than they do in the oven. So naturally, the first thing I cooked in this small kitchen appliance was my latest obsession: frozen chicken bites.

I’ll admit I didn’t read the user manual before trialing any air fryer recipes, and I couldn’t figure out how to add preheating to my regular cooking cycle. In case you’re wondering, you need to first set the cooking time, temperature and then press preheat. The icon will turn blue to let you know it's on. 

I ended up running a preheat cycle separately, then set the air fryer to 350 degrees for 12 minutes with a mid-cycle shake reminder. I only cooked a single serving of the small breaded chicken pieces, but the basket could have easily fit three or four times more food, thanks to its square shape.

After six minutes, the air fryer beeped a few times, letting me know to shake the basket. The unit automatically pauses when you pull the basket out, and it starts back up on its own when the basket is back in place. When the cycle was finished, the unit beeped again before automatically shutting itself off. The chicken was perfectly crisp on the outside and piping hot inside, and it made for a quick and convenient lunch. 

Several mornings for breakfast, I cooked mini frozen hash browns in the air fryer, which didn’t come with specific air frying instructions. It took a little trial and error to find the right settings but ultimately, they come out browned and crispy when cooked at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes, flipping mid-way. I love that I can pop them in to cook while I make scrambled eggs, and it’s quickly become one of my go-to breakfasts.

 Cooking salmon 

Before my next test with the air fryer, I took a minute to read through the manual, and I learned several things about the controls I wouldn’t have realised on my own. 

For instance, the unit has 12 one-touch cooking buttons, which are indicated by little icons like a chicken leg or French fries, and while they come preset with cooking times and temperatures, you can change the saved settings. The French fry button, for example, cooks for 18 minutes at 380 degrees Fahrenheit, but I changed it to 12 minutes at 400 degrees. The ability to customize their settings makes the buttons infinitely more useful in my view.

With my newfound know-how, I decided to cook two small salmon filets in the air fryer. I used the seafood setting, which defaults to 10 minutes at 370 degrees Fahrenheit without a mid-cycle shake reminder. They ended up just a hair overdone — likely because they were quite small — but I was impressed that they released easily from the nonstick cooking surface, even though I forgot to spray them with cooking oil. 

Reheating stuffed peppers

While I love stuffed peppers, I don’t like reheating them in the microwave — they get too mushy. Instead, I prefer to pop them in the air fryer the next day, which crisps up the top and bottom. This air fryer doesn’t have a designated reheat setting, so I opted for the bake setting instead. After preheating the unit, I cooked the peppers at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for around eight minutes and monitored their doneness through the basket window, making sure the tops didn’t get too brown. 

By the time they were done cooking, the whole kitchen was filled with a mouth-watering smell. The cheese on top of the peppers was beautifully crisped, and the filling was warmed throughout, as well. It was definitely more appetizing than nuking them in the microwave, and my partner even wandered in to ask what I was cooking, since it smelled so good.

Later in the week, I also used this strategy to warm up some leftover pizza, and the results were equally impressive. The crust and pepperoni were toasty warm and crisp, while the cheese was melty and gooey. It practically tasted the same as it did freshly delivered!

Cooking chicken breasts

I wanted to meal prep some chicken salads at the beginning of the week, so I used the Cosori to cook two chicken breasts using the air fryer’s one-touch chicken function. This sets it to cook at 390 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes, and includes a mid-cycle shake (or in this case, flip) reminder. 

After the 20 minutes was up, the chicken was at the right internal temperature, and lightly browned on the outside. They were cooked all the way through and retained a lot of moisture, making the protein perfect for tossing on top of a salad for a quick meal on busy days. 

Cleaning and maintaining the Cosori Premium II Plus air fryer

Both the crisper plate and the basket itself have a nonstick, easy-to-clean finish. I’m not one for hand-washing dishes, but even I had no problem quickly wiping down the basket with some dish soap (I like this unscented detergent by Whole Foods on Amazon) and water. Even the toughest residue came out with a few passes with my Scrub Daddy sponge. You do have to be sure to clean the basket’s window, otherwise residue can make it hard to see inside. This is easily done with a damp microfiber cloth (such as MR.SIGA's bestselling ones on Amazon).

If you’re more of a hands-off cleaner, both the crisper plate and basket can go in the dishwasher, too. I put the crisper plate through a wash cycle after cooking chicken on it, and it came out sparkling clean. In summary — cleaning the air fryer is easy, requiring very few cleaning supplies.

How often you should clean this air fryer will depend on how frequently you use it, and what you cook in it. If you want to work smarter, not harder, invest in some air fryer liners.  Silicon liners from Amazon are reusable, but you can also use disposable parchment paper liners if you prefer. 

If you notice the outside of your air fryer gets a little gross, wipe it down with some Lysol disinfecting wipes from Amazon, or use some paper towel (such as Bounty Essentials) with a good antibacterial cleaner (like Method's lime and sea salt spray).

Good to know

The Cosori Premium II Plus air fryer comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, a two-year limited warranty, and free shipping if bought directly.

Is the Cosori Premium II Plus air fryer right for you?

If you’re an air fryer enthusiast looking for your next appliance, the Cosori Premium II Plus Air Fryer is a great pick. It’s slightly more expensive than several of the other models we’ve tested, but its spacious basket and customizable settings make this air fryer worth it if you use your air fryer regularly. 

Because of the higher price and the learning curve for operation, this probably isn’t the best air fryer for beginners — it’s better to start with a more basic (and cheaper) option to see if it’s something you’ll use regularly in your home. If you are inexperienced, we've covered what you can cook in an air fryer.

If this air fryer isn't the right product for you, I have some alternative recommendations, including another COSORI air fryer.

Where to buy the Cosori Premium II Plus air fryer

The Cosori Premium II Plus Air Fryer is available through the brand’s website for $139.99. It’s also for sale on Amazon, where it has the same model number but is called the Cosori Clear Blaze Air Fryer.

How we test air fryers

Virtually every appliance brand sells air fryers these days and many offer multiple models, meaning there’s no shortage of products to choose from. To find out which ones are truly the best, here’s what we look for when we test air fryers at Real Homes:  

• Power: Air fryers are known for creating a brown, crispy exterior on food without using oil (or at least a lot less), and they do this by circulating hot air around the cooking basket, just like a convection oven. When testing air fryers, I cook a variety of foods, including both fresh and frozen ingredients to see how well it browns. I also evaluate whether the one-touch cooking functions are accurate and consider the overall wattage of the appliance. 
• Ease of use: The best air fryers are easy and intuitive to operate — you should be able to figure out how they work without having to consult the manual every time. In this department, I look at things like whether the basket slides smoothly, if the buttons are clearly labeled, if the beep is loud enough to be heard from another room, and if the special features are useful. 
• Safety: As with any countertop appliance, air fryers should have good safety features to keep you and your home safe. I look at how much clearance the appliance needs, whether it has overheat protection, and if it automatically pauses when the basket is removed. I also note whether the exterior of the basket or handle gets too hot during operation.
• Clean-up and storage: It can make a mess when you cook greasy foods like bacon in an air fryer, so we look for models that are quick and easy to clean. We like to see if messy foods like melted cheese or bacon grease are easy to clean out of the basket, and we also love when components can be put in the dishwasher!