NuWave Brio 6-Quart Air Fryer - should I buy one?

NuWave Brio 6-Quart Air Fryer - should I buy one?
(Image credit: Amazon)

 

The NuWave Brio 6-Quart Air Fryer is a popular choice, but is it worth your money?When it comes to finding the best air fryers there’s lots of choice on the market, and with that in mind, we’re taking a closer look at the NuWave Brio Air Fryer to find out the good, bad, and everything in between. 

NuWave creates a whole range of kitchen appliances from coffee makers to blenders but here, we’ll be focusing on the NuWave Brio 6-Quart Air Fryer from the brand. We’ll get into the capacity in a little more detail shortly, but if you know what size machine you need, the NuWave Brio Air Fryer is also available in a 3-quart, 10-quart, and 14-quart model too. 

The bottom line: The NuWave Brio 6-quart Air Fryer has a total of six preset functions and comes with a range of accessories so that you can use it to try out lots of recipes. This air fryer isn’t smart-controlled so you won’t be able to set it to work from your phone. As the name suggests, this NuWave Brio has a capacity of 6-quarts - that’s enough to cook two pounds of fries inside. 

Pros: The NuWave Brio Air Fryer has quite a few well-thought-out features such as the removable basket divider. This can be used if you want to prepare two different things at once. All the parts on this air fryer that can be removed, such as the basket and accessories, are also suitable for placing in the dishwasher. The temperature can be adjusted in five-degree increments on this air fryer too, meaning you can choose precise temperatures for what you’re cooking. 

Cons:
The NuWave Brio’s 6-quart capacity might be too small for some families. This size can fit a 3.5-pound chicken but if that’s not going to be big enough for you, NuWave makes a 10-quart and 14-quart version too. This air fryer also isn’t suitable for controlling via your phone. With just six preset options, the NuWave Brio Air Fryer might also be limiting for some users. 

NuWave Brio Air Fryer: everything you need to know 

The NuWave Brio is available in five different sizes but each one allows you to cook a range of different dishes without any oil or fat. It has in-built technology to prevent temperature fluctuation inside the air fryer, and this results in evenly cooked food. 

Presets: The NuWave Brio Air Fryer has a total of six presets. These include options for cooking homemade fries, frozen fries, nuggets, steak, poultry, and fish. Each preset has the optimal temperature for that type of food and it’ll give you an idea for timings too. Before you even start cooking, you can set the NuWave Brio to preheat or you can also make use of the reheat function if you’re heating up leftovers. 

This air fryer also has the ability to cook food in a variety of ways. These include functions to bake, roast, grill, broil, toast, and of course, air fry. You won’t need to add oil in order for this machine to work, but it is possible to add some if you want to maximize flavor in your food. 

The NuWave Brio doesn’t offer as extensive features as you’ll find in the Ninja Foodi Max Multi-Cooker, as this machine has seven different functions in one. It also doesn’t have the ability to dehydrate food, which will be disappointing if you like to make your own dried fruit or herbs. 

It’s a shame the NuWave Brio is lacking a keep-warm function. This would have made a nice addition as it gives you more flexibility when you’re not quite ready to serve up a meal. 

NuWave Brio 6-Quart Air Fryer - should I buy one?

(Image credit: Amazon)

Design: With a 6-quart capacity, this air fryer isn’t small and you’ll be able to cook two pounds of fries, however, if that’s still too small for you, the brand offers two larger versions. A 6-quart machine will be suitable for making side dishes for a small family, but it won’t provide enough space to make entire meals for a crowd. The NuWave does have a handy basket divider, which will be useful if you’re heating up two different things at once. 

NuWave aims to set itself apart from the rest of the air fryers on the market with its precise temperature control technology. The brand claims that the Brio Air Fryer is capable of monitoring the temperature inside the machine 120 times per second to make sure it’s not fluctuating and resulting in uneven cooking results. 

While we’re on the topic, the NuWave Brio’s temperature can be adjusted between 100 and 400F / 35 and 205C in five-degree increments, however, if you use the preset buttons, you won’t need to worry about this. If you’re in need of more cooking inspiration for your NuWave Brio though, the NuWave cooking app has lots of recipes designed to use with this machine. 

Safety features include an auto shut-off function when you take the air frying basket out of the machine. The fryer then won’t restart until the basket is pushed back into place. The NuWave Brio’s accessories are nice handy extras that come with this machine. You can expect an air frying basket with holes in the sides to allow hot air to circulate around your food. This model also comes with a divider, baking pan, grill pan, and a breakfast kit. What’s even better is that all of the removable parts are suitable for the dishwasher so you don’t need to spend hours scrubbing them clean. 

Reviews: The NuWave Brio is available from a range of retailers but here, we’re focusing on Amazon reviews. This model scores 4.5 out of five stars on Amazon - with 77% of reviews being five stars. Positive reviews praise the NuWave Brio for “super easy clean-up” and the shake reminder alarm. Others add comments noting the quick cooking times, and how there’s “lots of room”. As you’d expect, not every review is gleaming. Criticisms come in the form of comments about how large the entire product is to store and quite a few reviews mention issues with the display screen not working properly.

Conclusion: The NuWave Brio 6-Quart Air Fryer is a good choice if you want to try out new recipes or cook up your favorite fried foods without all the oil. Its capacity is large enough for families of four, but if you’re cooking for a crowd, you’ll be better off considering a larger model. 

The removable parts on this air fryer are dishwasher safe and a range of accessories are included so that you can broaden your recipe horizons. If you want to dehydrate fruits or herbs, the NuWave Brio doesn’t have a dehydrating function, which is a shame. It’s also worth noting that it doesn’t have a keep-warm function. What it does do well is cook a range of different foods with ease, and the preset buttons along with adjustable temperature, make it very easy to use.

Sophie Bird

Sophie writes about all things appliance-related and is currently the Home Editor at TechRadar's sister site, Top Ten Reviews. When she's not testing coffee machines and appliances, Sophie is thinking of eating delicious food, and asking people what they're having for dinner.