Cosori Original 5.8 Quart Air Fryer Review

It can be hard to go back to basics when you’re used to luxury. That’s a bit what it felt like when Cosori asked if we’d be interested in reviewing their original 5.8 quart air fryer after we’d been using (and loving) their premium 5.8 quart air fryer for months. But this original version has some of the same great qualities as the premium version and a lower price. It could be the right fit for someone looking for a perfectly sized, affordably priced air fryer. And speaking of price – Cosori is running a one day discount (25% off!) on Amazon, so read on for our review, details on the discount and a chance to win one for free!

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Specifications of the Cosori Original 5.8 QT Air Fryer (model CO158-AF):

• 11.8 inches x 11.8 inches x 12.6 inches (30 cm x 30 cm x 32 cm)
• 1700 watts of power
• 5.8-quart capacity
• 1-60 minutes time range
• 180-400 degrees Fahrenheit temperature range
• Included accessories:
  • Recipe book includes 30 recipes with color photos

Getting Started

I’ll be perfectly honest – I didn’t open the user manual until I sat down to write this post. Because the unit is so similar to the Cosori premium 5.8 quart air fryer we already have, it’s was easy just to dive in. More importantly, with the only inputs a knob for time and a dial for temperature, anyone could work this air fryer without prior knowledge of it.

What’s included with the original 5.8 quart air fryer

The recipe book, like the one with the premium air fryer, has beautiful color photos with each recipe. But unlike the premium version, this book has 30 recipes (100 in the premium recipe book).

Performance

Happily, everything we cooked in this air fryer turned out exactly as expected. The only performance issues were based on what we missed from other air fryers, so if this is your first one, you may not notice or care.

Alarm

One of my favorite things about Cosori’s premium air fryer is the ‘shake’ alarm when using some of the preset functions. Many of the foods we regularly cook require a shake (fries, tots, nuggets, etc.) or a flip (grilled cheese sandwiches). We’ve become accustomed to a notification indicating when to do that. With this machine, you’ll have to keep your eyes on the time to know when to do that. Or you can set the timer for only half the cooking time so when the bell goes off, you shake or flip then turn the knob to count down the rest of the cooking time.

And it’s worth noting that the timer is indeed a bell – there’s one ding and that’s it.

Timer

I was a little worried that the knob timer wouldn’t be very precise, so we ran a test. We programmed a cell phone timer to 10 minutes and turned the air fryer timer to 10 minutes to check the accuracy of the Cosori knob timer. The first two times we ran it, the air fryer ended almost 30 seconds before the cell phone timer did. But the third time I ran it, they ended at the exact same time. What was the difference? Like many timer dials, there’s just a little bit of give in the dial. When you first move the dial to align just so with the 10 then let go, the dial immediately dropped just a bit shy of it. The third time, I moved the knob just past the 10 then let go and it settled right at the 10 and started counting down.

Preheating

There are two indicator lights on the unit – one for power and one for temperature. The power light is on when the timer has been engaged, the fan is on and the unit is heating. The temperature light comes on when the unit reaches the programmed temperature. There’s no audio alert when that happens, just the light. So if you want to preheat the unit, set it to the temp you need and turn the timer to at least five minutes. That will usually be enough time to reach the needed temp.

Quality

Other than the programming mechanisms, this air fryer is identical to the premium version. The two air fryers have the same casing with identical dimensions. They have the same handle, base and basket. They have the same brushed black finish, which I am very fond of. It’s attractive and, even better, it’s great at masking finger prints (the stainless steel finish of the GoWISE air fryer, while attractive, shows everything).

A few times while air frying in the Cosori, we noticed steam/condensation leaking out the front between the bottom of the removable base and the base of the overall unit. Air frying particularly wet food like tofu will naturally put off a lot of water, but the condensation came out that way instead of it being directed out the exhaust fan in the back. The same thing happened with certain foods in the premium air fryer, too.

Ease of Use

Honestly, it doesn’t get any easier than turning the big dial to the needed cooking temperature and the small dial to the needed cooking time. That’s about as user-friendly as you can get. As I mentioned previously, anyone with no prior air fryer knowledge could easily operate this unit without instructions as long as they knew cooking time and temp for their food of choice (that’s what AirFrying.net is for!).

The temperature and time dials

To aid the user with cooking times and temps, a handy guide is printed on the top of the unit.

Common cooking times and temperatures printed on the top of the air fryer

Ease of Cleaning

I’m a fan of Cosori’s non-stick coating. It really did make clean up easy. Many of the times we used it, only a few wipes with warm soapy water were required to remove crumbs and oil before drying to get it ready for the next use. Even though you can put air fryer baskets in the dishwasher, I prefer not to. This is my effort to prolong the life of the non-stick coating. But if you prefer to clean the basket in the dishwasher, the two pieces (which you’ll need to separate to properly clean) will take up a lot of space. Of course, you can always hand-clean the base and put the basket in the dishwasher, or vice versa.

Cosori 5.8 QT air fryer basket

Meal Size

After using the premium version of Cosori’s 5.8 quart air fryer for the last six months, I’ve decided it’s the perfect size air fryer. It’s not too big, so it doesn’t take up too much valuable counter top space. And it’s not too small, so it’s able to fit the right amount of food at once. I really like the large, square basket which, at 9 inches x 9 inches x 3.75 inches, holds a lot of food: up to a six-pound chicken or up to four grilled cheese sandwiches. I’m now convinced this size and style of air fryer is perfect for an average-sized family (2-5 people).

I mentioned this in my previous Cosori review: the difference in external size of a Cosori 3.7 quart vs. a 5.8 quart is negligible when considering counter top space. So definitely go for the bigger size. You’ll never regret the extra cooking capacity.

Summary

The Cosori Original 5.8 QT Air Fryer is the perfect size air fryer for an average-size family. It has basic controls and no special features, but it’s a quality unit with a large, easy to clean cooking basket. If you’re looking for an economically priced larger capacity air fryer, this could be the one for you.

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Amazon Discount

The Cosori team ran a “deal of the day” on Amazon – 25% off! – that has ended, but this air fryer is still economically priced. Check it out.

Air Fryer Giveaway

The Cosori team was kind enough to let us give away an original 5.8 quart air fryer to our readers! Alas, the giveaway ended but keep watching for more contests!