Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

For the price, I am impressed. Is it perfect? No (more on that below), but pretty great. I've reheated restaurant steak fries and cooked homemade chicken fingers so far, and I was pleased with both. I hate throwing away food. When we eat out, I ALWAYS have leftovers; at a typical casual place, I probably bring home, on average, about a third of my food ... including lots of fries. Unfortunately, reheated fries (indeed, reheated fried things generally) are merely edible ... never good. The first thing I cooked was left-over steak fries from a national chain. The machine achieved what a standard oven and a microwave are unable to: reheated fries that are crisp outside and hot and tasty inside ... and no mush ... at all. (The fries didn't stay great for long -- I had at best 10 good minutes to enjoy them; but I suspect that's not a shortcoming of the machine, but a fact of life of the chemistry and physics of a twice-cooked potato product. I'm not holding that against the machine ... just treating it as something I should keep in mind going forward.) After that, I dredged five chicken tenderloins in seasoned flour, immersed them in beaten egg, then pressed seasoned panko on them. Results after about 17 minutes (flipping twice): completely-cooked through; juicy; and a crunchy, browned crust. Zero complaints on the chicken. I mentioned that it's not perfect; now about that. ... While cooking, there was a slight plastic smell in the kitchen. That didn't affect the smell or taste of the actual food. I think this is a MINOR issue ... a non-issue to me, but some other people might be turned off. The basket (though larger than typical of those of units at about the same price-point) does limit how much one can cook at any time. It's ideal for feeding one person or cooking a side dish for a few people (four-ish, I'd say); but preparing an entire meal for more than a couple people would take a long time (multiple batches), particularly if preparing multiple dishes. (I don't know a lot about these kinds of appliances -- don't know whether it's possible to get a bigger basket for more money; but my guess is that what makes this process feasible is a small unit ... relative to, for example, to the size of an oven.) Finally, the timer is a bit funky. It's spring-loaded and analog, and a bit wonky to set precisely. Again, I rate that a minor issue -- particularly because (unlike a microwave, for example) an extra minute or two isn't going take the food from good to inedible (won't get too dry or chewy). What I think is best about it: I do like fried foods (fries, cheese sticks, battered veggies, battered chicken and fish), but I HATE frying at home, because the house smells fried for three days (not to mention it's dangerous to have six inches of 400-degree oil atop the range); ... and baking / microwaving frozen pre-fried food is a sad substitute for food that's actually fried ... freshly. There's no good way (with standard kitchen appliances) to have good deep-fried food at home. THIS machine addresses that problem. That's what makes it worth having -- finally, o can have quality "fried" food at home ... safely and without smelling the oil for the three subsequent days. More expensive units might be better, but this thing is pretty great ... within the limitations noted here ... and perfect for a nice side of fries! I'd give it 4.5 out of 5, if I could. Given the rating limitations and the price, I lean slightly-closer to 5 than 4.