Haier Multi Air Fryer Series 5 Review: Mid-range appliance is packed full of smart features

The Haier Multi Air Fryer is a new generation of air fryer appliance that has arrived on the market and could genuinely change how you cook in your kitchen.

Alongside the usual air frying capability, it also has eight other functions that reduce the need to switch on the oven – that is, unless you have a family of five or more, the extra space will be necessary.

But for those of us in small to medium households, leading appliance manufacturer Haier has built the 7L I-Master Series 5 with the option to bake, roast, grill, defrost, reheat, slow cook, make yoghurts and dehydrate fruits, endless options for making mealtime more interesting.

Another exciting innovation can be found in the large viewing window above the drawer. This provides a top-down look at any cooking food, a decision Haier made to avoid interrupting the cooking process to check progress. The brushed metal, black matte finish and curved edges also make this one of the more stylish air fryers on the market.

At £169, the price point makes this nine-in-one multi-air fryer more affordable, and considering the capabilities, when compared to pricier brands like Ninja and Philips it certainly makes a mark on what is fast becoming a saturated industry. A Modern Kitchen's editor, Natalie Corner, put the small appliance to the test.

This air fryer will replace your oven

I’m no stranger to an air fryer, I've had my trusty Salter Dual Pro Cook Air Fryer for almost three years now. So, when I say that an appliance like this will replace your oven, I’m not kidding. The way the Haier Multi Air Fryer elevates my life in the kitchen is in the extra smart features. Let's face it sometimes it can be irritating to turn on the oven when you only want to grill the top of a dish or bake a simple breakfast cake. It truly cuts down my need for the larger kitchen appliance.

Extra features: Grill, bake, oven, defrost, reheat and dehydrate

The Haier Multi Air Fryer has a large dial on top, and once you power up the appliance you can scroll through the nine options (ten if you include the manual setting) to select your ideal cooking style. Once you’ve picked how you’d like to cook your dish, there is a secondary menu that offers presets for vegetables, fish, meat, chicken and cakes/pastries.

This is probably where my first small gripe occurs because when you select your preset option, you cannot alter the timer, and you can only turn the temperature down once you’ve started and paused it. I understand the concept of a preset, but the ability to adjust by small increments would be useful here.

The grill feature is probably my second favourite after the air fryer mode because it’s not every day that I want to crisp up my food (as much as I do love to), a dish like grilled chicken goujons works well on this setting and cooks in less than 15 minutes without having to turn them over thanks to the handy grill rack accessory that keeps the meat from sticking to the metal tray.

When I’ve already air-fried my food, the reheat option is great to keep that crisp. I often batch cook sweetcorn fritters and food like that tend to go soggy when I put them in the fridge and then take them out and reheat them in the microwave. Instead, a quick five minutes on the reheat setting at 160 degrees and they are back to crispy and delicious.

It's all in the accessories

When I think about what would have made things easier with the Salter Dual Pro Cook Air Fryer, it’s that sometimes I needed to elevate the food from the bottom of the metal tray, so it didn’t stick. The leftover grease that built up over time, despite regular cleaning, meant that the heating implements and the airflow didn’t work as well as they once did for even cooking.

With the Haier Multi Air Fryer, you are treated to a few simple accessories that make cooking in the appliance a little bit easier. There is a metal grill rack with leg stands that fold out which, not only means your food is cooked on top and bottom at the same time but gives you two levels, therefore, increasing the capacity.

I would add though, that you can’t overload the food when cooking in this way as the oven still needs to circulate the heat. I found this out when I tried the roast setting to cook butternut squash, it took just as much time if not longer than it would in the oven because I loaded two layers of sliced squash. The next time, I air-fried the vegetable and did two separate loads more evenly spaced out, and it was done within 25 minutes.

There’s a deep cake tin that works perfectly for baking cakes, and the deep dish tray I made a large Yorkshire pudding in with a lovely crisp outer layer.

Any downsides?

Switching from a dual air fryer to a single drawer has taken some getting used to. I enjoyed being able to cook two different dishes, and being able to sync the cooking time felt like a timesaving hack in the kitchen.

However, you can’t ignore the 7L capacity of the Haier Multi Air Fryer and all the extra smart functions, no longer having the dual cooking option didn’t affect my dishes if I planned them out correctly.

The metal basket that is fixed inside the drawer detaches at the click of a button making cleaning the inside so much easier, plus the non-stick metal so far has reduced the build-up of grime. But cleaning the top of the air fryer is a bit of a mission.

The shiny surface holds onto all the smudges from my greasy fingers when I’m using the menu which takes some work to shift. Additionally, when I turn the appliance back on, it retains the previous setting and cancelling that to go back to the menu takes some persuading to reset. There is a small cross next to the LED light button that allows you to cancel, but it doesn’t always register on the menu which is another small gripe.

Price and competition

Aside from the small quirks the small appliance has, the Haier Multi Air Fryer sets a new standard for cooking in a variety of ways – and most importantly with ease.

As I mentioned, the Haier air fryer replaced my Salter dual air fryer (which has since been upgraded to the Salter Dual Sector Air Fryer which A Modern Kitchen reviewed) and when comparing the two they are very similar in the features. The Salter appliance comes out on top for the ease of adjusting temperature and timer settings, whereas Haier’s appliance is one large drawer with the ability to adjust the cooking levels and has more optional accessories.

When you consider the Haier Multi Air Fryer can also slow cook, dehydrate, grill and roast the small appliance is competing in a wider league of all-in-one appliances with endless possibilities. With a price point of £169 that is an affordable option for small households looking to cut back on using the oven and save money on bills.

Verdict: Is the Haier Multi Air Fryer worth it?

I’ve been an air fryer convert for almost three years, but if you were new to the game, I’d highly recommend investing in a mid-range model like the Haier Multi Fryer or the Salter Dual Sector. The multiple cooking features give you more range to create delicious meals and stretches that initial investment. Plus, buying a small appliance that reduces how often you’ll turn on your oven is extremely energy efficient over the long term.

The 7L capacity is more than substantial for a solo-person household and enough for a family of four to cook an evening meal. The option to reheat food, slow cook and grill, makes the appliance more versatile than a one-feature air fryer.

Small additions like the reminder to shake the basket mid-way through elevates the appliance from a budget air fryer, plus the viewing window means you can keep an eye on anything that is looking too crispy.

The Haier air fryer also has a small footprint it’s only the height of the machine that you might have to contend with when considering where you place it in your kitchen. But remember, it only needs a plug so there’s no reason why an air fryer must be permanently on display, if you have cupboard space it could be moved around.

Verdict score: 5/5

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FAQs: What Are The Different Types Of Air Fryers?

In some households, air fryers have become the family's preferred way to cook pretty much everything, as they're quicker than ovens, especially when you include cleaning your oven in the process. They can also come with preset modes, reminders, and auto-shut-off capabilities, taking the stress out of cooking for the whole family.

Despite being similar in how they cook food, there are a few different models of air fryers on the market. These include:

Standalone

Standalone air fryers have one drawer for cooking food. You can buy separators and stands to help separate food to cook two things at once.

Dual

Dual air fryers have two drawers which means you can cook two foods with completely different settings at the same time. You can roast a chicken in one basket while air-frying potatoes in another. They're great if you want to cook a whole meal at once.

Ovens

An air fryer oven is the closest you can get to a normal convection oven. They use excessively hot air to quickly circulate heat around food which is why you get faster cooking times compared to a regular oven or range. They are great for busy households or for those who choose not to have an oven. They are compact and can sit on top of your worktop.

Who tested it?

Natalie Corner loves testing out small appliances such as air fryers and coffee machines. She's pretty adept at creating potato-based recipes, with her air fryer proving the perfect appliance to get crispy spuds. If she's not whipping up a treat in her air fryer, she's making breakfast cakes or downing salted caramel-flavoured protein shakes.

How the product was tested

Over three months the Haier Multi Air Fryer was tested on a variety of recipes, including meat, vegetables, cakes and even Yorkshire puddings. The accessories were used to test out different outcomes along with the different temperature and preset menu options. The product was only hand washed as the tester doesn't have a dishwasher.