Kalorik Digital Maxx 26 QT Air Fryer Oven Reviews: 8 Advantages

Kalorik has been making kitchen appliances since the 1930s, so even before our Kalorik 26 quart digital maxx air fryer oven reviews, I can be confident you are getting an appliance from a reputable brand.

The multifunctional air fryer oven offers a large cooking capacity that suits large families and uses advanced cooking technology that ensures it cooks faster than its competitors. But there is still way more to this amazing kitchen appliance that you should know.

As a kitchen appliance enthusiast, I am always looking to try out new gadgets, and I also do a lot of research to find out what experts and other users say about them. The Kalorik 26 Quart Digital Maxx Air Fryer Oven caught my attention as it promises to replace several kitchen appliances and take your air frying a notch higher.

But can the air fryer oven deliver everything it promises? I put this Kalorik air fryer oven to the test to find out. Keep reading to see what this fantastic air fryer offers and determine whether it is worth the hype.

Setting up the Kalorik 26 Quart Digital Maxx Air Fryer Oven

I must admit that this is quite a huge and heavy air fryer oven with lots of accessories, meaning the setup can be a little hectic, especially if you have never used a similar air fryer.

That said, you should still be able to set things up and get the air fryer oven ready to use in a few minutes. The first step is to unpack everything. There is quite a lot of stuff to unpack, meaning it will take some time.

After unpacking, you should check the manual to know what each accessory is used for and how best to store it when not being used. Once this is done, you should clean the accessories, which should be easy as most are dishwasher-safe. Also, you can clean them in the sink with hot soapy water.

You should also wipe the exterior and exterior surfaces with warm soapy water. Lastly, you run the air fryer in the steak setting for around 20 minutes to burn off the packing oils. The appliance will now be ready to use.

Pros and cons of Kalorik air fryers

Before we look at the features that make the Kalorik 26 Quart Digital Maxx Air Fryer Oven stand out, here is an overview of its pros and cons compared to competing models.

Pros

• Easy to use – An absolute air fryer newbie can use this appliance without issues. It includes at least 21 presets, which is way more than the 15 or less you get from many competing brands. Also, it has an easy-to-read and bright enough LED display and highly intuitive digital controls to make operations a breeze. Plus, the highly detailed manual covers everything you need to know to use this air fryer oven.
• Large cooking capacity – The 26-quart capacity makes this air fryer oven perfect for large families and cooking for all your guests. While there are still other larger models in the market with 32-quart or even higher capacities, they are typically way more expensive and are often not worth it.
• Faster cooking – Besides being a powerful 1700-watt air fryer, the Kalorik 26 Quart Digital Maxx Air Fryer Oven also uses Kalorik’s powerful Turbo MAXX Technology. The powerful heating element and cooking technology allow the air fryer to cook up to 37% faster than other models in its class.
• Quiet operation – Overall, this air fryer is much quieter than most other models I have used in the past, like the Emeril Lagasse Power Air Fryer 360. You can hardly hear anything when it is air frying; even the alerts and button presses do not make the loud, annoying beeps characteristic of most air fryers.
• Fantastic interior oven light – The oven light on this air fryer is just fantastic. It is bright enough to ensure you can see the food as it cooks, and there is also a button that allows you to switch it on and off easily, which is quite convenient.  

Cons

• Condensation can build up during cooking – One common complaint about this air fryer oven is the build-up of condensation as you air fry. But, from my experience using it, this does not affect the cooking, so besides being annoying, it is nothing to worry about.
• Finish scuffs easily – The stainless steel exterior scuffs quite easily. However, most air fryers with a stainless steel finish seem to have the same problem, but with proper care, you can still keep the air fryer looking pristine for a long time.

8 Key Advantages of the Kalorik 26 Quart Digital Maxx Air Fryer Oven that beat its competitors

Kalorik air fryers are known for their superior performance and overall build quality. Besides being well-built, here are 8 features that make this 26-quart Maxx air fryer oven stand out:

1. Powerful cooking technology

The Kalorik Maxx air fryer oven uses a powerful coking technology to ensure faster, more even, and efficient cooking. The technology includes a powerful 1700-watt heating element, Powerful Turbo MAXX Technology, and 360° rapid heat circulation.

The powerful heating element provides the heat required to create the hot air, while Powerful Turbo Maxx technology helps to speed up cooking and ensure the air fryer cooks with less energy. 360° rapid heat circulation ensures that the hot air hits the food from all angles for fast and more even cooking.

2.  Extra large capacity for big-sized families

The 26-quart capacity of this Kalorik air fryer is fantastic as it means you can cook large batches of food at once, making it perfect for large families. There is enough room to fit even 2 whole chickens or a 14-pound turkey. Also, you can easily make a 12-inch pizza or toast up to 9 bread slices.

Besides being roomy, the air fryer also has multiple rack levels to allow you to air fry different food types at once, saving you even more, time and energy. And you do not have to worry about putting and taking out large food portions as the french door design makes the air fryer oven interior easily accessible.

3. 21 cooking presets

Presets are one of the best things you can get from an air fryer as they ensure you do not struggle to figure out the cooking time and temperature for common food types. This Kalorik air fryer has 21 smart cooking presets, making it a perfect buy, especially for beginners. 

There is a preset for all the common food types you can air fries, such as french fries, steak, chicken wings, shrimp, veggies, onion rings, and more. You only need to choose the right preset from the control panel, and the food will air fry perfectly.

4. Modern French doors

The modern french door design gives this Kalorik air fryer a sleek overall appearance and makes it easy to access the oven interior as opening the doors only requires one hand. 

The french doors are also functional as they help prevent scalding and dripping, ensuring the area around the oven remains clean. Additionally, the doors protect you from the heat hazard as you cook food.

5. Sleek and intuitive control panel

The sleek and highly intuitive control panel will make life easy for you when air frying your favorite dishes. It includes an LED screen that displays the time and temperature, presets, and air fry/rotisserie signal symbols.

There are also buttons and a selector dial. They include one for use when cooking with the rotisserie spit, an interior light button, an air fry function button, a conventional oven button, start/stop, and a selector dial for choosing your preferred preset.

6. Built-in timer and auto shut-off

The built-in timer and auto shut-off functions are the main safety features for this Kalorik air fryer. By including a built-in timer, the manufacturer ensures the food will only cook for the desired time and not a minute more.

Auto shut-off will ensure the air fryer operation stops automatically when the oven doors are open to protect users from the appliance’s intense heat.

7. Complete accessories set

Kalorik provides a complete set of accessories to support all cooking modes for this air fryer. The versatile collection of accessories will help you maximize the air fryer’s cooking potential.

Here is a list of the 9 accessories you will get in the box:

• Air frying basket
• Bacon tray
• Steak and dehydrator tray
• Air rack
• Baking tray
• Rotisserie spit and fork
• Rack handle
• Rotisserie handle
• Crumb tray

Note: Although the manufacturer recommends handwashing the accessories with hot soapy water, all except the crumb tray are dishwasher safe.

8. Recipe book

Kalorik will provide a free recipe book as a bonus for buying this air fryer. The recipe book includes chef-inspired recipes that have all been fine-tuned for the air fryer.

Also, the recipes are easy-to-follow with clear ingredient lists and step-by-step directions. Moreover, each recipe has some images of the food to give you some inspiration for what you should work to create.

Cooking Performance

I put the Kalorik 26 Quart Digital Maxx Air Fryer Oven to the test by using it for cooking in the different modes. Here are some of these real-world testing experiences.

1. Air frying

When testing the air frying function, I decided to keep things as simple as possible to get the best feel of what the air fryer could do. I had around 15 oz of frozen sweet potato fries in the fridge, which was a good enough portion for testing the air fryer.

I drizzled a little oil on the fries and seasoned them lightly before spacing them out on the air fryer basket and placing it in the air fryer. The next step is selecting the french fries preset and pressing the start button to cook the fries.

The preset was spot on as in exactly 15 minutes, the fries were ready, and I did not need to add more time. What I liked most about them was that they were super crispy. But they also cooked and browned evenly. It would be super hard for most people to tell them apart from deep-fried fries.

2. Baking

I always prefer to keep things simple when testing out any new appliance. And so, to determine how well this air fryer bakes, I went with a simple chocolate chip cookie recipe. I used store-bought chocolate chip cookie dough just to speed things.

Like cooking french fries, there is also not much to do besides cutting your dough and arranging the cookies in the baking tray. The only thing I must insist on here is that you must ensure the cookies are well spaced, as keeping them too close affects the cooking.

Next, you should choose the baking function, which sets the cooking time to 12 minutes and the cooking temperature at 350℉.

Again the cooking time is spot on, and the cookies cook well with a nice crunch and golden brown color. They were not the tastiest cookies I have ever made, but the issue is probably the quality of dough I used, not the air fryer.

3. Broiling

Since this Kalorik air fryer can reach temperatures of up to 500℉, it should not have any difficulties broiling your meat cuts, provided you choose the right preset.

I have only used it for broiling once, but the results were amazing, and I will probably not use my skillet again for broiling anytime soon.

I prefer T-bone steaks over most other meat cuts, so it was my first choice when testing the broiled cooking mode. After preparing the steak and seasoning, I placed it on the steak tray and selected the steak preset to broil it at 500℉ for 13 minutes.

Although the cooking time is longer than most steak lovers prefer, it is worth the wait. The steak ends up with nice brown color and is perfectly cooked inside. The only thing I did not like is that the oven can get quite smoky when broiling. Also, you should remember to flip the steak at the 6 or 7-minute mark for better results.

4. Rotisserie

Kalorik provides a rotisserie spit and forks with this air fryer oven, so I just had to rotisserie a whole chicken to see how it would turn out.

After marinating or seasoning your whole chicken, you only need to truss and secure it to the rotisserie spit before popping it into the air fryer and selecting the rotisserie preset. The preset will cook the chicken for 40 minutes at 425℉.

The chicken cooks well and fairly even, but from my experience, the rotisserie preset needs some improvement because I still used the air fry mode to finish the chicken. If you cook in the rotisserie mode only, you might need to add some extra time and probably not get the crispy skin you want.

Whole chicken rotisserie on this air fryer takes some trial and error before you can master the technique, but it can still do a good job.

5. Toasting

I have an old toaster oven that I have been using to toast bread for years. It does an amazing job as it is fast and always delivers the perfect doneness, so I did not see any need to toast bread in this air fryer.

But I still wanted to know what this air fryer oven could do. Toasting is also straightforward as there is a preset for this with a 400℉ toasting temperature and 5-minute default time.

The four slices of bread I toasted looked fairly crunchy but a little lighter after 5 minutes, so I added more time to make them darker. While there is nothing special about the toast function, it works well enough or at least as well as a toaster oven.

6. Reheating and warming

This Kalorik air fryer can also easily replace your microwave as it does a fantastic job warming and reheating food. The only demerit here is that it will take a little longer than a microwave since you have to preheat it before use.

I have used it several times to reheat my leftover foods, and it works well with almost anything from frozen foods to simple takeouts. 

I mostly use it to reheat leftover pizza because it does not just warm the food but leaves it with a nice crisp. This air fryer can easily transform boring leftovers into a delicious meal. 

Kalorik air fryer recipes

Kalorik provides a free cookbook when you buy this air fryer. Their cookbook includes dozens of well-illustrated air fryer recipes with easy-to-follow ingredient lists and cooking directions.

The recipes are diverse, covering all kinds of food you can cook in the air fryer, from french fries to simple treats like pies and cookies. Besides the cookbook you get, you can also get more Kalorik air fryer recipes on the company’s website.

Kalorik air fryer manual

Kalorik provides one of the most detailed air fryer manuals you can get anywhere. The manual includes dozens of pages that cover everything from setting up and using the air fryer to cleaning and troubleshooting.

The Kalorik air fryer manual also includes a cooking guide that explains how to cook in the different modes. With the manual and recipe book, you should have an easy time understanding this air fryer.

You can also download a PDF version of the Kalorik air fryer manual if you prefer a soft copy.

Kalorik Maxx Air Fryer Oven vs. Ninja DT201 Foodi Air Fryer

The Ninja DT201 Foodi is another popular air fryer oven and a close competitor of the Kalorik Maxx Air Fryer Oven. Both are multifunctional air fryers with different cooking functions and a large capacity. However, the Ninja air fryer seems a little more powerful as it is an 1800-watts model, while the Kalorik air fryer is rated 1700 watts.

Although both come in a stainless steel finish, the Ninja Foodi has a flip door that is not as sleek as the french doors on the Kalorik Maxx. Other differences are the accessories you get with each model, and here, Kalorik offers more variety.

But while Kalorik outperforms Ninja in quality, versatility, and overall cooking performance, the price tag for both is within the same range. 

Is the Kalorik 26-quart air fryer oven worth it?

Overall the Kalorik 26-quart air fryer is an excellent appliance that will work well for any home cook as it cooks well enough, is versatile, and also energy efficient. However, it seems more worth it for those shopping for a reliable air fryer oven with a large cooking capacity.

If you do not have a lot of space in the kitchen and only need to air fry food for a few people occasionally, this air fryer might not be worth it. Unless you also plan to entertain guests you can cook for often, most of its cooking capacity and potential will be underutilized.

Best substitute to the Kalorik 26 Quart Air Fryer Oven: Emeril Lagasse French Door 26 Quart Air Fryer

In case the Kalorik Maxx does not work for you, the Emeril Lagasse French Door 26-quart Air Fryer is the perfect alternative for you, we have a detailed review here. 

The Emeril Lagasse air fryer offers up to 24 custom presets, which is more than you get from the Kalorik model, and also has a more intuitive control panel with an LED display. However, it has 10 cooking functions, just like the Kalorik air fryer, and comes with almost identical accessories.

The air fryer can get super hot by supporting a maximum temperature of 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, it uses 360° airflow technology for more even cooking and has an auto shut-off function.

Overall the Emeril Lagasse seems to have a more solid construction as everything from the doors to the overall build looks top-notch. But the seemingly higher quality construction also comes at a price as the air fryer is pricier than the Kalorik Maxx.

FAQs

Are Kalorik air fryers good for home cooks?

Kalorik has been making kitchen appliances for almost a century now, and the company is highly reputable worldwide, so you can be sure they know what home cooks want. Their air fryers are designed with the average home cook in mind as they are super easy to use and multifunctional to ensure they can replace several other appliances in the kitchen. And they have several models with different capacities to suit everybody. Also, the price is quite budget friendly to ensure the air fryers are within reach of most people.

Who makes Kalorik air fryers?

Kalorik air fryers are manufactured by Kalorik, a Belgian company established in 1930. The company has a vast catalog of kitchen appliances besides air fryers, including cookers, steamers, toasters, and blenders. And their products are now available across the world.

Where are Kalorik air fryers made?

Although Kalorik has its headquarters in Miami, Florida, and conducts most of its business in the USA, its air fryers and most other products they sell are made in China.

Are Kalorik air fryers easy to use?

Overall, Kalorik air fryers are easy to use as the manufacturer tries to simplify things so that even an absolute newbie can handle the appliance. Moreover, they come with highly detailed user manuals. And there are plenty of videos by the manufacturer and other users online that can be very useful for anyone facing difficulties.

Conclusion

If you have a large family to cook for, want a multifunctional and versatile appliance, and are looking for a way to make healthier meals, the Kalorik 26 Quart Digital Maxx Air Fryer Oven is perfect for you.

Go ahead and give it a try today, and you can be sure of making consistently delicious and healthy meals. And if you already own this awesome kitchen appliance, share your cooking experiences with others still thinking of giving it a try in the comments section below.