Tefal EasyFry 3in1 FW201827 Air Fryer review

To find out if this Tefal air fryer is worth its premium price tag, we tested it with a variety of foods. To see if it could create similar crispy effects to that of a deep-fat fryer, we used it to cook a batch of frozen chips.

We also used it to make Naked Chicken Tenders and used its special “Steam” function to rustle up some cauliflower for dinner. We also tried its pre-set “Bake” mode to make some Air Fryer Banana Bread.

To find out how easy the design is to live with in the kitchen, we measured how quietly it performed using the Decibel Meter app. We also rated its control panel, design and how easy it is to keep clean. 

At 7.9kg (17lbs 7oz), the Tefal EasyFry 3in1 FW201827 is slightly heavier than your standard air fryer – the Ninja Air Fryer MAX AF160UK, which we’ve also reviewed, is a lighter 5.2kg (11lbs 6oz), for example.

That said, taking the Tefal EasyFry 3in1 FW201827 out of the box and placing it on the worktop was relatively straightforward. With no smart app pairing needed, once we’d plugged it in, it was ready to use. 

In the box you’ll find a useful instruction manual with clear guidance on what timings to choose for certain foods when you’re air frying, steaming or grilling. It suggests 25 minutes at 100°C  (212°F) for 1kg (2lbs 3oz) of vegetables and up to 18 minutes at 200°C (392°F)  for an 800g (1lb 12oz) batch of frozen chips, for example.

If you misplace the instructions, you can use the QR code on the box to pull it up on your smartphone or tablet. In the online instruction booklet there are recipe ideas for dishes such as breaded cauliflower with curry, grilled aubergine with pesto, chicken spring rolls and more. 

At 39.9 x 32.4 x 40.7cm (approx. 16 x 13 x 16in), the Tefal EasyFry 3in1 FW201827 is one of the larger air fryers we’ve tested here at Exceptional. As we found out, you’ll need ample worktop space to house it neatly.

It comes with a compartment on top of the design where you add water for the steam functionality and this extra height meant it didn’t quite fit under our kitchen storage units.

While the 6.2 litre (11 pint) capacity basket is great for cooking for up to eight people, you’ll need to take into account the extra room needed when you’re pulling out the basket drawer and resting it on the worktop in front of the air fryer. 

As well as your standard air fryer grill that sits at the base of the drawer to drain away fat, you’ll find a die-cast aluminium “Sizzling Grill Plate” in the box. This is designed to be used alongside the “Grill” functionality to achieve a barbecue-style sear and taste and create authentic grill marks.

To make use of the steam function, you’ll need to add water to the compartment on the top of the air fryer and press the steam touch button. This is pre-set to 100°C (212°F) at 25 minutes, but can easily be tailored to suit your food. There’s also a small pull-out drip tray below the main basket that collects any excess water. You’ll need to remember to empty this regularly.

It features a touchscreen control panel on the front of its sleek, black body, which we found easy to read. It is quite a busy display, but it didn’t take us long to get used to all the different functions and work out how to change the time and temperature settings.

It goes up to 200°C (392°F), which isn’t as hot as some air fryers we’ve tried, but is plenty for giving food a crispy finish. With its simple start and stop and pause functions, we didn’t need to refer to the instruction manual too much either. 

To find out just how speedy and successful the Tefal air fryer is, we used the air fryer setting to make chicken and chips, plus banana bread for dessert. While using it we appreciated just how roomy the basket is. You can fit a decent amount of food inside without having to overlap and cram it all in.

First up, we made chicken tenders after marinating our chicken in a little oil, paprika and garlic. We added five chicken tenders to the basket and selected the chicken icon. This suggested 200°C (392°F) for 60 minutes, which was way over what our recipe stated.

After 10 minutes we stopped the cycle and turned the chicken over to ensure it was being evenly cooked. We gave it another five minutes and the chicken looked ready and perfect to eat. We certainly wouldn’t have wanted to cook it for the 60 minutes suggested, but after looking at the manual, we realised the pre-set is for cooking a whole roast chicken.

Next up, we tried cooking our frozen chips – with the air fryer suggesting 200°C (392°F) for 35 minutes on its preset mode. We took the chips out after 10 minutes as they looked more than ready. The drawer is easy to pull out and shake mid-cycle, which made this process easy and the results even.

What we particularly like about this design is that it’s easy to change the temperature and time setting mid-cycle. This makes the air fryer much more flexible than some designs that tie you into a certain cooking mode unless you stop and restart entirely. 

We also tried making air fryer banana bread using the “Bake” setting, which suggests 16 minutes at 180°C (356°F). While the bread needed another 10 minutes after checking at 16 minutes, we were pleased with how impressively it rose and how good it tasted. 

There’s no need to preheat your air fryer when using it either, which is fuss-free and time saving. At 1,700 watts, we noticed just how quick and powerful it could be.

While the sides get a little hot to touch, the handle remains conveniently cool. However, we did notice a large puff of steam come out of the drawer when opening it at the end of a cooking cycle, so we suggest standing back and taking care as you open it. 

There are seven presets on the Tefal 3in1 air fryer that work with whichever cooking mode you’re using, be it air fry, grill or steam. Keen to find out just how well this design could steam veggies, we added water to the steam compartment at the top and placed a large handful of cauliflower florets in the basket.

We pressed the steam setting with vegetable mode, which suggested 25 minutes at 100°C (212°F). We tested them after 15 minutes and they were nicely cooked with a little bite. How long you leave your vegetables to steam depends how crunchy you like them, but as an addition to the air fryer setting, we think this steam function really adds value.  

The air fryer beeps when the cooking cycle has ended, but we found this rather a soft beep compared to some more attention-seeking air fryers we’ve tried, such as the Ninja Air Fryer MAX AF160UK. We would also have liked a nudge via a beep mid-cycle to remind us to shake the ingredients during cooking. 

The air fryer is relatively quiet, so it’s easy to live with in the kitchen. We measured 57.5 decibels while making chips using the air fryer setting, which makes it one of the more muted air fryers we’ve tried. When it’s in steam mode, it’s even quieter. 

As the air fryer has a sleek black body, it looks eye-catching on the worktop, but this does mean that water marks will show up if not properly cleaned.

To keep the air fryer looking box fresh and shiny you may want to buff it dry with a microfibre cloth, which seemed to work well for us after we’d wiped it down with a wet cloth. We found the interior easy to clean as it’s quite large and the grills could simply be washed with warm soapy water. 

At the full price of £199, the Tefal 3in1 Air Fryer, Grill and Steamer is a premium design.

But with its die-cast aluminium grill plate, steam function, seven preset modes and variable temperature control from 80°C to 200°C (176°F to 392°F), we think it does have many high-end features that are worth the extra spend. 

As 6.2L air fryers go, we love the way this design effortlessly converts from air fryer to steamer and grill.

If it’s a large capacity you’re after but you want to spend a little less, you may also want to take a look at the 6.2L Philips Essential XL Connected HD9280/91, £149, which we have also reviewed.

However, while the Philips has the upper hand with smart controls, it doesn’t come with a grill or steam function. 

While this Instant Pot air fryer (£159.99, John Lewis) is actually two 4.2l baskets, it still gives you lots of space and flexibility to cook larger meals, which is great if you’re cooking for a family.

It uses a “Sync Finish” technology, which means you can cook in both baskets at the same time, using different programs and settings for each one, but finish at the same time.

The Tefal EasyFry 3in1 FW201827 Air Fryer, Grill and Steamer is great at producing even results on a variety of meats, fish and vegetables.

If you’re after an air fryer that comes with the added health benefits of being able to steam and grill food, we think this premium design won’t disappoint.

As well as flexible time and temperature controls, it comes with handy shortcuts for seven popular air-fried food types, including a dessert mode that we used to create delicious and evenly baked banana bread.

The only concern we have is that you’ll need quite a bit of room on your worktop to house it, so measure up before you click to buy.