Update: Smart Health digital air fryer is no longer available
This Versonel Smart Health oil-free hot air fryer (model VSLAF14LCD) has a cooking basket design just like the more well-known Philips hot air fryer. One main difference between these 2 hot air cookers is that the Smart Health digital air fryer comes with 8 shortcut menu buttons for a faster and easier cooking selection.
The latest upgraded model released around Spring 2015 has an improved cooking basket design. This solves the problem of the older model’s cooking basket being difficult to push back into the fryer after shaking the food.
So, will this be the best air fryer for you?
Try to look out for features that benefit you as you read through my Smart Health air fryer review.
How does the Smart Health digital air fryer work?
This Versonel hot air frying machine works just like the rest of the hot air fryers in the market. It uses the Advanced Smart Air Technology whereby heated air moves rapidly inside the fryer striking the food at all angles. The food gets cooked by the hot air instead of hot oil as in the deep fryer.
This home kitchen air fryer consists of a heating element to heat up the air and a mini blower to move the heated air around.
That is why the food in an air fryer is always placed on a container or cooking basket with a mesh bottom or a bottom with uniformed holes. This is to ensure that the heated air can reach the bottom part of the food ingredients. This ensures even cooking and browning. The food not only tastes delicious but also looks appetizing.
The small cooking compartment means food gets to be cooked fast. This is most convenient to people who have tight schedules and limited time to spend on cooking. When you’re in a rush, cooking times do matter a lot.
Smart Health Digital Air Fryer – Adjustable digital LCD Display
This Smart Health Air Fryer VSLAF14LCD comes with a maximum 30 minutes timer and a Ready Alert beep (beeps 5 times). The timer jumps 1 minute when press.
It will auto shut down when cooking process is completed. This is a very useful feature as it prevents burning of food or overheating of the appliance.
The temperature control button ranges from 180 – 390 degrees Fahrenheit. Being able to control the temperature allows for a more precision cooking.
The temperature and time are clearly displayed on the easy to read LCD screen.
There is a start/pause and cancel button to make things easier and fuss-free.
This electric hot air fryer machine has a set of 8 quick start buttons that really makes it less of a guesswork and hassle especially if you are using the hot air machine for the first time.
With WARM-UP, CHIPS, CHICKEN, STEAK, SHRIMP, MEAT, CAKE, and FISH starter buttons to choose from, all you have to do is press the correct button according to your specific food ingredient. With more experience, you can then fine tune the temperature and time to your personal taste.
Warm up takes 5 minutes at 176 degrees F. Your chips will be ready in 20 minutes at 392 degrees F. You can bake a small cake (11 0unces) at the preset temperature of 392 degrees F for 30 minutes.
How about beef steak for dinner after air frying for just 15 minutes at 356 degrees F or perhaps chicken drumstick at 356 degrees for 25 minutes.
Fancy roasted ribs as main course dinner? Then press the meat starter button, which is set at a temperature of 356 degrees and a time of 20 minutes. You can’t go wrong with the air fryer.
Pretty easy, right? Just season the food, put it in the cooking basket, press the correct button and let the air fryer completes your cooking with no hassle on your part.
Yes, cooking is so fuss-free with this digital air fryer.
Smart Health Digital Air Fryer Cooking Capacity
The Smart Health hot air cooker has a 2.5 quarts cooking capacity. So, what is the maximum amount of food you can cook at any one time?
Let’s talk about French fries since that is what most people first try cooking in their air fryer. With this Versonel air fryer, you can prepare a maximum of about 1 pound of fresh potato to get the best crispy French fries. This should be able to divide into 4 portions.
For frozen fries, you can put in a maximum of about 25 ounces and cook at a temperature of 390 degrees F for about 10 – 20 minutes depending on the thickness.
No addition of oil is necessary for frozen fries but you’ll need to add about half to a tablespoon of oil for home made fries for that crispy and golden brown effect. Remember to give the fries a shake halfway through cooking. This is to get the fries to cook more evenly as well as preventing them from sticking together.
You can put in about a maximum of 17 ounces of beef steak, chicken drumsticks or pork chops at any one time. Smaller cuts will take a shorter time to cook compared to larger cuts. You’ll have your pork chop ready in about 10 – 14 minutes.
If you can get a baking tray or oven dish to fit into the baking basket, then you can bake cakes, quiche, delicate food items such as raw fish fillet or even those with sauces or soupy type of dishes.
Reheating cooked food takes about 10 minutes at 150 degrees F.
Parts and Accessories – Cooking Options
The main body of the fryer is plastic material. It comes with a removable non-stick cooking basket and drip pan which are dishwasher safe.
There are no special optional accessories that comes with this home kitchen hot air fryer. You can use any brand baking dish or pan that fits into the basket. However, do take note that you cannot put these optional accessories directly on top of the drip pan as you need air circulation at the bottom of your baking dish.
With the baking dish, you have a wider option of cooking ideas. Any recipes with a bit of liquid is now possible. Your favorite curry can now be done in the fryer.
There’s really no limit to the food you can cook in the air fryer. Grill, bake, fry or roast; Let your imagination runs wild on this one to get the most out of it. Experiment to get the best results because a lot depends on the size, thickness and cuts of the raw food.
Wet breaded food ingredients do not turn out well in the air fryer. This is due to the moving air pushing the wet flour batter around. To get around this problem, try frying in shallow oil in a pan first, then only continue cooking in the air fryer.
To get a more crunchy crust, spray a little oil on the surface of the food you’re air frying.
Smart Health Hot Air Fryer Safety Features
Safety features are important so you can cook with peace of mind without having to worry about burnt food or starting a fire.
The Ready Alert beep gets your attention and the auto shut down of the appliance when timer reaches
zero prevents over heating, burnt food or even starting a fire.
The cooking basket sits on a drip pan whereby excess oil drips out of the food onto the pan below. You have to press the pan release button before you can separate the basket from the pan.
The pan cannot just drop out when you pull the basket from the fryer unless the release button is pressed.
This is important as the pan contains hot excess oil and you wouldn’t want the hot oil to drop on you.
The machine has an energy_star certification, meaning that it is an energy-efficient product. You can read about energy star certification here.
According to the manufacturer : The appliance complies with all standards regarding Electro-Magnetic fields (EMF). Under proper handling there is no harm for the human body based on available scientific evidence.
Smart Health Air Fryer Dimensions And Weight
Dimensions : 10″L x 10″W x 12″H
Air Fryer weight : 10 pounds
Voltage : 120V
Wattage : 1500W
Warranty
Generic Specifications : 90 days labor
1 year parts
Some precautions to take note of:
- Always place this free standing countertop air fryer on a horizontal and stable surface that is also heat resistance. Never place near combustible material such as curtains.
- Make sure to have about 4″ clearance all around the appliance especially around the hot air outlet openings.
- Only clean up after appliance has cooled down, which is in about 30 minutes time.
- The drip pan cannot be filled with oil or any other liquid. Steaming food with water is out.
- Food ingredients that contain a lot of fat such as sausages are not really recommended for cooking in the hot air cooker. Too much fat dripped out might result in white smoke and an extremely hot pan.
- Never press the release button while shaking the food inside the basket. The drip pan with the excess oil will drop out and the hot oil may cause injuries.
- Do not exceed the maximum level in the frying basket when putting in food.
Conclusion
The Smart Health Digital programmable air fryer is a great appliance for cooking quick, easy meals with minimized fat content. Even though no recipe book is included, you can easily search for lots of air fryer recipes online.
The customers’ reviews on the Smart Health air fryer on Amazon are positive with one 3 star, one 4 star and the rest 5 stars. It does seem like a good hot air fryer with hardly any complaints. However, it is still new and I’ll update a few months later if there are any major complaints.
If you stay in a small apartment, then the air fryer is highly recommended as you can fry, bake, grill and roast using the fryer. It is very versatile in the foods it can cook.
If you eat a lot of fried food, then this low fat fryer is certainly good for you. You’ll be amazed at the amount of excess oil dripped out from your piece of cooked chicken breast or pork chop. Just imagined, all these fatty oil would have ended up inside your body if not for the healthy air fryer.
Busy moms would love this food fryer too. They can now spend less time in the kitchen and still serve wholesome delicious meals for their families.
The elderly would also benefit from it as the air fryer is easy to use and easy to clean. It minimizes the risk of getting splattered by hot oil as hardly any oil is added to the food.
If you’re into a healthy lifestyle, you can start with less fat in your meals. The home hot air fryer is a wonderful companion in your quest for low fat healthy meals.