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My air fryer and slow cooker are two of my most prized kitchen tools. I recently downsized to a machine that does both. It’s the most complete multipurpose small cooking appliance I own, and I can’t stop talking about it.
At first glance, the Magnifique looks a lot like Ninja’s Crispi air fryer — another favorite of ours — with a 4.5-quart glass bowl cooking chamber and similar clamp-on air fryer hood. What sets this model apart is the optional cooking base below, which turns the appliance into a slow cooker, rice cooker and braising pot, among other functions.
Magnifique Glass Air Fryer and Slow Cooker
Pros & Cons
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Combination air fryer and slow cooker in one -
Breaks down easily for storage -
Glass bowl is nontoxic, oven-safe and easy to clean -
4.5 quart capacity is enough for a family of 4 or 5 -
Good value at $250 -
Uses less energy than an oven
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Can’t air fryer and slow cook at the same time -
More expensive than most standalone air fryers
The glass bowl offers several advantages over nonstick or ceramic air fryer baskets, and the entire unit breaks apart when not in use, meaning you can store it in a cupboard, pantry or large drawer.
Here’s everything you need to know about the single best small kitchen appliance I’ve tested all year.
The Magnifique’s Combo Glass Air Fryer + Multi-Cooker launched earlier this year. If you’ve never heard of Magnifique, neither had I just a year ago, but the brand has quietly unleashed a small but impressive line of premium countertop kitchen appliances. The lineup includes a claypot multicooker, rice cooker, glass air fryer, and a handheld ice cream maker.
I’ve tested a few, and none impressed me more than the air fryer-slow cooker combo.
A 2-in-1 space saver
I simply couldn’t go without a slow cooker and air fryer. I use both weekly, and no other cooking tools save me as much time, energy and cleanup when I plan meals. Having one machine that does both means one less bulky appliance to accommodate.
I love how it breaks down
Even though I use my air fryer and slow cooker often, I still don’t need them on my countertop all the time. Avoiding kitchen clutter is one reason, but aesthetics matter, too. Even the best-looking air fryers don’t have quite the visual flair of a stand mixer or espresso machine. The Magnifique admittedly looks better than the pod-style air fryers we’re used to, but I still prefer to store it away.
After use, the glass casserole bowl and matching lid go in the dishwasher and are stored with the rest of my pots, while the cooker and air fryer units tuck neatly away in a drawer. Fully assembled, it measures 12 by 13.5 by 13 inches.
Slow cooker function
Slow cookers aren’t complicated machines, and Magnifique’s is as good as any I’ve used. It has simple function controls with low and high heat and four- or six-hour cook times. Cheap cuts of beef turn fork-tender after an afternoon of low-and-slow cooking.
The bottom cooker has eight cooking modes in all: slow cook, steam, braise, rice, proof, pasta, oatmeal and warm. I use the slow cooker function most often and rely on braise mode for a quicker cook, like meatballs.
The bottom cooker maxes out at 214°F.
Air fryer function
The air fryer is equally impressive. Even with the larger cooking chamber, the top-down cooker sizzles chicken thighs, wings, French fries and hash browns in minutes. The air fryer has four settings: warm, bake, air fry and max air fry. The latter two turn on the convection fan, a signature air-frying feature, while the warm and bake settings offer gentler cooking.
The air fryer hood turns off when you remove it from the bowl, so the risk of burns or fire is low. You can’t set precise temperatures for air frying, but the machine maxes out at 450°F, which is standard for air fryers.
The glass cooking bowl doubles as a serving dish
Another benefit of the glass-bowl design is that it doubles as a storage and serving vessel. You can bring a pot of slow-cooked stew or braised meatballs straight to the table, without finding and dirtying a new dish. Same goes for a batch of air-fried chicken wings or salmon fillets.
It’s a reliable rice cooker but takes longer than most
I’ve used the rice cooker too, but because it’s so large, I usually pull out my Tiger stand-alone rice cooker, which makes a few cups of rice faster and with better results. Also, I use the Magnifique so often for the main course that I rarely have it available for a rice side dish.
Magnifique vs. the competition: Someone finally beat Ninja to the punch
Other multicookers offer slow-cook and air-fry functions. Most notably, Ninja’s now-discontinued Foodi also features a pressure cooker. Instant Pot similarly makes a pressure cooker, slow cooker and air fryer.
These machines performed well in our testing, but they’re bulky, they don’t break down for easy storage and their cooking chambers aren’t as multipurpose as Magnifique’s. You also can’t see the food while it’s cooking — another bonus of the glass-bowl design — so you have to stop cooking and release the heat to check progress.
The Magnifique multicooker certainly borrows design elements from Ninja’s Crispi.
Pamela Vachon/CNET
The $180 Ninja Crispi is the closest comp in the glass-bowl air fryer category. To be clear, I love the Crispi, and it’s still my favorite standalone air fryer. The Magnifique stands out for its ability to transform into a slow cooker, rice cooker and braising pot.
Another notable difference is that the Magnifique’s bowl is completely glass. Ninja’s has food-safe plastic handles and feet, meaning it can’t be used in an oven. Both are dishwasher-safe.
Included accessories
- Removable 4.5-quart glass pot
- Glass lid (dishwasher- and microwave-safe)
- Air Crisper hood
- Multicooker base
- Crisper disk
- Steam rack/tray
One notable drawback
The biggest drawback of having your air fryer and slow cooker in one gadget is that you can’t use both at the same time. That is, unless you were to corral a second glass bowl, since the air fryer hood doesn’t require the slow cooker base to function.
Magnifique doesn’t currently sell the bowl separately, but the clamp-on air fryer works with other similarly sized vessels, including the one that comes with the Ninja Crispi system.
The 6 Best Air Fryers, Out of Dozens Tested
Still, the $250 multipurpose kitchen appliance offers solid value and less clutter than buying a separate glass-bowl air fryer ($180) and a slow cooker ($80 to $120) of this size and quality.
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