Unless you’ve been living in a cupboard, you’ll know that air frying is the cooking function du jour. It’s no surprise that it’s popping up on ovens and combi microwaves as an additional feature, giving you the option of preserving precious worktop space.

That’s certainly the aim of Drew & Cole’s Microwave Air Fryer Oven Combo, for not only does it oven cook, grill, microwave and air fry, its handy presets can combine a few of those methods for faster, crispier results. Plus, there are plenty of presets, such as defrost and reheat, which are ideal for busy lifestyles.

Design & Build

• Button and dial operation
• Large size: 28 x 49 x 38cm
• Comes with cooking accessories

While it might have multiple functions, from the outside, the Microwave Air Fryer Oven Combo looks like any other microwave. Finished in glossy black, it’s rather large (H28 x W49 x D38cm), taking up so much of an average worktop that there isn’t a lot of space in front to put down dishes. And while it can butt up against a wall at the rear, you’ll need to factor in 20cm either side and 30cm above. Once positioned, it’s best to leave it there as it’s also heavy at 16.1kg.

Inside, there’s a glass turntable, which is dishwasher safe. It’s supplied with three accessories, although it’s not clear if any of those are dishwasher safe: a perforated non-stick aluminium oven tray, plus a short and a tall wire rack for raising food towards the grill element at the roof of the 25L cavity.

There’s a second element at the rear for convection cooking, and the microwave section at the right. The controls are fairly simple considering the number of presets available: seven named buttons combined with a dial that can be used to select both weight of food and modes.  

Performance & Features

• Low air fryer power (1000W) means slow cooking
• 25L capacity
• Range of presets

Air frying might be this Microwave Air Fryer Oven Combo’s most eye-catching feature but it’s not what it excels at. The reason for this, as became clear during testing, is that the air frying power is lower than standalone air fryers, at just 1000W.

Compared to the potential power consumption of a mid-sized 5-6L air fryer, which is usually at least 1500-1700W, and the equivalent 1000W of a compact (around 2-3L) air fryer, heating a 25L cavity appears to slow the process down.

We tested it using raw chipped potato, washed and dried then tossed in a small amount of oil, using the corresponding air frying programme for fries/wedges. The perforated oven tray lent itself well to this function, although the instructions made no suggestion of using it for this purpose.

It wasn’t clear if this programme was intended for pre-cooked chips, and there was no guide to what temperature the food was being cooked at, or what a suitable amount might be, although there was a preset time of 22 minutes. There was no option to add extra minutes while cooking.

After the time had elapsed, the potato was soft and pale, so we ran the programme again after turning the pieces over. This produced better results – crispier pieces around the edge of the pile and browner pieces in the middle. However, a total running time of 44 minutes for one batch is far longer than a standalone air fryer (20-30 minutes). If you do a lot of air fryer cooking, this appliance will cost you time.

There is a good range of nine air fry presets though, which includes steak, burgers, vegetables and fish/prawns. However, unlike standalone air fryers, there’s no suggested air frying temperature for each one – or in its manual air fry mode (adjustable in 5-minute increments) – meaning it’s harder to convert your favourite oven recipes, and there’s more test-and-adjust cooking involved.

The other functions have more power: it features a 900W microwave and a 2100W convection oven and grill. We tested the grill by cooking hash browns from frozen on the tall rack. There was no choice of high or low grill, and cooking took longer than anticipated, 35 minutes using the non-microwave combi setting.

This was more time than it would normally take under our usual grill, and the hash browns lacked crunch. However, the grill did better with toasted items, and we liked that minutes could be added as it grilled.

We had the most success with cooking chicken on an auto preset, of which there are 10, including reheat, potato, cake, soup and pizza. These can be varied by weight, but they’re quite tightly defined: chicken offers four weights of 500g, 750g, 1kg and 1.2kg, with little information in the instructions about how long each programme is or what type of cooking it involves.

For example, the chicken programme used microwaving and convection heat, while the reheat alone was solely microwaving. Considering that metal accessories can only be used on non-microwave programmes, this kind of information is salient. The chicken legs emerged with golden and bubbled skin, and the meat cooked through to the joint.

Price & Availability

This microwave air fryer combo is available in the UK from Amazon, where it’s currently priced at £179.99 – £20 lower than its RRP. Still, this puts it at around the same price point as many Ninja air fryers – which are widely considered to be among the best available. For our top picks from this brand, have a look at our round-up of the best Ninja air fryers and cookers.

But if counter space is at a premium and you’d like a combination air fryer and microwave, this Drew & Cole appliance could be worth it – it’s not over-priced for its excellent feature set. If you think an air fryer oven combo would serve you better, you can check out our top air fryer oven recommendations.

Should you buy Drew & Cole’s Microwave Air Fryer Oven Combo?

If it’s mostly air frying you’re after, Drew & Cole’s Microwave Air Fryer Oven Combo probably isn’t the right fit: it costs more than mid-sized standalone air fryers, and takes longer to get the job done.

It works better as a combined microwave oven, the microwaving trimming cooking time while fanned hot air crisps up food. You may have a few disappointing outcomes until you become familiar with its processes but if you’re willing to stick with it, this 3-in-1 could be a handy helper at dinner.

Not the right air fryer for you? Have a look at our top picks in the best air fryers we’ve tested.