Photograph: Matthew Korfhage
Dreo
Chefmaker Combi Fryer
This Dreo ChefMaker is on sale for a very good price on Prime Day, more than $100 off at $238. There are probably good reasons for this: The new model of the Chefmaker is due to come out this fall, with some new AI capabilities surrounding recipes and such. Right before a new model comes out is almost always a good time to catch good deals.
If you’re not worried about waiting for AI-assisted cooks on the Chefmaker 2, the first edition already wowed me. This steam-assisted combi air fryer is a whole different take on air fryers than what you’re probably used to. Pour a little water into the tray, and an atomizer will mist moisture into the air to prevent meats especially from drying out while cooking.
There’s a temperature probe paired with the device, which means thick cuts of meat aren’t out of the question—and you can monitor both ambient and meat temp on a phone app. Basically, this thing is a reverse-sear machine. Slowly bring meat up to temp, then blast it with a high-heat 470-degree Fahrenheit sear with the air fryer fan blasting for even better browing. You’ll still get better sear with a griddle or a cast iron pan, of course—and Dreo’s thermostat does tend to overshoot its target before correcting if you’re not using the meat probe. I tend to use the probe cook, and toggle settings to optimize. But lord, this thing is a beautiful effort-saver for long meat cooks.
