VonShef 28L Air Fryer Oven review: supersized design limits its appeal

T3’s VonShef 28L Air Fryer Oven review in a sentence: Decent capacity but the bulkiness of the design delivers niche appeal.

If you’re in need of a very large capacity air fryer oven, there are quite a lot of options out there, but none are quite as big as the VonShef 28L Air Fryer Oven. VonShef is a fairly low-profile brand, which sits under parent company VonHaus that specialises in budget electrical appliances. I get the thinking behind producing a huge model like this, which will work for families who need lots of capacity and the flexibility of lots of modes.

However, the VonShef 28L Air Fryer Oven is so big that it’s going to be a little bit of a handful for folks unless they live in a mansion with endless countertop areas to fill. The press release for this model features a quote from Adele Brennan, home electricals buyer at VonHaus, which outlines why this model exists, but it also underlines just how useful smaller air fryer models can be. They’re portable, whereas this beast really isn’t.

She explains: “Air fryers have become a staple of many homes across the UK, however there aren’t many models on the market that have such a big capacity. We wanted to bring in something that could offer energy efficiency, and more importantly, well cooked food – which was how we came to bring in the 18L and 28L ovens. With less and less people now using their standard ovens, we also knew we wanted to stand out with these models – which is why they both have advanced 360 degrees heat circulation, along with a rhombus back panel which helps to ensure even heat distribution.”

There are some of the best air fryer models that can handle close to the same capacity as this appliance, and some of them manage to do it in a slightly more manageable package. Nevertheless, I was keen to try the VonShef 28L Air Fryer Oven and see just how useful it could be…

VonShef 28L Air Fryer Oven review: Price and availability

The VonShef 28L Air Fryer Oven is available now from parent company website VonHaus, along with a raft of other similarly sized appliances. The VonShef 28L Air Fryer Oven costs £119.99, which is down from the £124.99 RRP. Anyone who likes the concept but doesn’t require such a large capacity appliance will also find a smaller version of what is basically the same thing. The 18 litre air fryer oven costs £79.99 down from £99.99.

VonHaus doesn’t appear to have any presence in the US, which means that this product can only be purchased in the UK at the moment.

VonShef 28L Air Fryer Oven review: Is it any good?

Before I get on to anything else, I have to say that this 42.9cm high by 45.2cm wide by 38.9cm deep appliance feels enormous. It arrived in a giant box and took quite a lot of huffing and puffing to get out. Then there’s the countertop space it needs to operate safely. Along with the bulk of the unit itself, there needs to be plenty of space around it for air circulation. I fear that might make it simply too big for some households.

At 11kg, it’s quite heavy too, which doesn’t encourage you to move it around much. Even if it needs to be put away after use, many households will also have trouble finding a storage space to suit it. Yep, it’s a real handful.

However, the VonShef 28L Air Fryer Oven is big for a reason and that’s the capacity, which clocks in at 28 litres. That’s certainly up there in terms of large volume cooking capacity. To be honest, this appliance looks and feels more like a regular oven, which is normally fitted into your kitchen amongst the units. Aside from the decent enough front fascia, which features all of the control options and has the lift down front door, the back and sides of the VonShef 28L Air Fryer Oven look like they should be hidden. It’s not amazing to look at.

Nevertheless, moving past the size and those questionable looks, the VonShef 28L Air Fryer Oven has it all going on when it comes to features and functions. There’s 1800 watts of power for starters (as opposed to 1500 watts for the 18-litre model). It boasts fourteen different pre-set functions, which include air fry, defrost, broil, reheat, ferment, dehydrate, bake, warm and toast. There’s lot of available heat too, from 40 degrees right up to 230 degrees if needed.

VonHaus reckons it also benefits from 360-degree air circulation technology and a rhombus panel design, which presumably boosts efficiency. Equally, there’s active cooling for getting the heat out of the machine once it’s finished with, which could be useful if you need to remove it from a countertop for storage. Along with the appliance itself, there are accessories that include an oven rack, air fryer basket, rotisserie fork, baking pan, crumb tray and removable handle.

VonShef 28L Air Fryer Oven review: Performance

Once I’d found a position for the VonShef 28L Air Fryer Oven, operating it was very straightforward. There are dials on both sides, one for controlling temperature and the other for setting the time. They simple revolve clockwise to increase both and, timewise, it’s possible to go right up to 60-minutes.

This being a do-it-all appliance, it was a job to know where to start with both the pre-set options and also my own timeframe ideas. I ended up trying a roast arrangement, which meant it was going to be a good way to try various time options for the one meal. After par boiling, potatoes were set in the bottom area of the cooking area and some chicken was placed in the top.

I did find that I had to keep checking things and move items around a bit to exploit the best of the heat, but that’s no different to any other mini oven or air fryer. In fact, the process is much the same as using my regular oven. In that respect, the results were much the same too, with plenty of heat on offer to make things like roast potatoes nice and crispy.

For me though, while the performance and versatility is certainly there, for something this size I’m left wondering why I wouldn’t just use my oven. I like air fryers for their portability and the VonShef 28L Air Fryer Oven just isn’t very portable.

VonShef 28L Air Fryer Oven review: Verdict

I’m left feeling a little bit confused by the VonShef 28L Air Fryer Oven. It’s just about big enough to be a commercial style oven that could find a home somewhere like a social club, where there’d be space for it. The capacity is perfect for that kind of environment too, where a lot of food can be cooked quickly, but this is a product that’s aimed at the domestic market. For that purpose, it’ll get the job done, but this is such a large appliance that most homes will find it just a bit too big for its own boots.

VonHaus stats suggest this appliance is 51% cheaper to run and cooks food 40% quicker compared to a 3kW oven over 30 minutes of cooking time. That may well be right, but the hassle factor of owning the VonShef 28L Air Fryer Oven would, personally speaking, leave me heading for my regular oven. So then, limited appeal for me, but I’m sure there is a niche market out there for this kind of thing.

VonShef 28L Air Fryer Oven review: Alternatives to consider

The Salter XL Dual Air Fryer I tested recently is a similar sort of appliance, but comes with a little more versatility thanks to it's dual doors and drawers. Our selection of the best air fryers and the best multi-cookers will give you an overview of the other rivals.

I like the Tower 9 litre Dual Basket Digital Air Fryer, or the Tower T17076 Xpress Pro Combo 10-in-1 Air Fryer, which comes complete with a rotisserie that can handle a whole chicken. Similarly, the Ninja Foodi 11-in-1 SmartLid, or the Ninja Foodi 11-in-1, is a multi-faceted machine with brilliant air and steam-fry features.