Air fryers are versatile and useful kitchen appliances with a variety of options and features. You can easily make a variety of flavourful meals, fried foods, snacks, and even desserts for friends and family with the press of a few buttons. Today, I’m taking a look at the Insignia 9.5L digital air fryer.
Inside the box
Upon opening the box of the Insignia 9.5L Digital Air Fryer, you will find the air fryer with drip pan, two cooking racks, a rotisserie spit, a rotisserie spit removal tool, and the user guide.
Features and specifications of the Insignia 9.5L air fryer
- Quart capacity
- Circular heat technology
- Adjustable thermostat up to 400° F
- Digital touch-screen control panel with display
- Integrated adjustable timer
- Clear viewing window with inside light
- Dishwasher safe cooking racks and drip tray
- Built-in rotisserie
- Built-in overheating protection system
Getting started with the Insignia 9.5L digital air fryer
Once I removed the Insignia 9.5L digital air fryer from the box, I first read through the user guide. I always read the user guide first thing when I get a new appliance as there’s always important information to note and a few good tips to make using a new appliance easier. There are some stickers and labels as well as a cardboard insert inside the air fryer that need to be removed. I then hand washed the drip pan, cooking racks, and the rotisserie spit and removal tool with a sponge and warm soapy water. I also wiped down both the inside and outside of the unit with a damp cloth, taking care not to get the power cord wet.
After plugging in the air fryer and powering it on, you will notice the digital touchscreen display options light up. The cooking modes offered are toast, pizza, French fries, steaks/chops, chicken, cake, rotisserie, preheat, and dehydrate. Inside the user guide, you will find the pre-set food temperatures and times chart, which means that once you select your cooking mode, the air fryer will heat to the corresponding set temperature. Both the temperature and cooking time can be quickly and easily adjusted on the display panel to meet your cooking requirements. When the air fryer is cooking, you will see a fan icon on the top left side of the display panel lit up. It will stay lit until cooking is complete. You will also notice the display screen rotates between the cooking time and cooking temperature while in use.
Cooking with the Insignia 9.5L air fryer oven
After placing your food inside the air fryer, press the power button and choose your cooking mode. Then, make any adjustments to the temperature and cooking time and press the power button again to start cooking. Alternatively, you can leave it set and it will automatically start cooking after five seconds. Once the cooking time is finished, you will hear a bell or chime to inform you cooking is done. After you remove your cooked food from the air fryer and close the door again, you will continue to hear the fan for about 20 seconds, this is just to cool down the unit. There’s also a preheat button for recipes that call for it or for meats or proteins that would benefit from a hot sear.
Since I was also testing out a smaller air fryer, I decided I had to try out the rotisserie first. My husband and I made a small roast chicken stuffed with lemon and fresh herbs. We followed the recommendation to rub the chicken with a small amount of oil and our seasoning of choice. We have never used a rotisserie before, so we started out with 45 minutes for our 4-lb. chicken. It wasn’t quite cooked through, so we continued cooking for another 15 minutes. Our family of four all agreed that it was the tastiest and juiciest chicken we have ever had. In fact, I didn’t even get a photo of it before it was devoured so the next day, we tried out a beef roast with equally amazing results.
Tips on using the Insignia 9.5L air fryerÂ
A few things that are important to know about the Insignia 9.5L air fryer is that it needs to be placed on a flat heat resistant surface with at least 10cm of free space on the back, sides and above the unit while in use. There are air inlet and outlets that can’t be blocked for safety purposes. Also, be sure to wash the cooking pans, drip tray, and rotisserie after each use making sure not to use anything abrasive as that can cause damage to the non-stick coating. Should you prefer, the cooking pan, drip tray, and rotisserie spit are dishwasher safe. I also love the built-in overheating protection system for safety purposes. This means that should the air fryer ever overheat, it will automatically turn off if the inner temperature control system fails. This feature is nice to have especially if you have children that may be using it. That being said, it is also not intended for use by children under 8 years old.
Final thoughts on the Insignia 9.5L digital air fryer
Some of the pre-cooked frozen snacks we cooked on the included cooking trays were mini pizzas and spring rolls. Both items were cooked great with a crispy crust, and I love that the air fryer is easy enough for the whole family to use. I don’t have to worry about my sons leaving the oven on when they make their late night snacks.
By far our favourite feature of the Insignia 9.5L digital air fryer is the rotisserie option. We’ve often thought about purchasing a rotisserie for chickens and roasts, but this air fryer would be a perfect alternative as it has so many other features and cooking options.
Size wise it’s a perfect little cube that easily fits on my counter tops and underneath my upper cupboards. It’s not huge or overbearing in size and you could easily leave it out on your countertop for regular use. If at any time you find your air fryer is not functioning right, there is a useful troubleshooting chart in the user guide to help you sort out any issues.
You can find this Insignia 9.5L digital air fryer at Best Buy online.
