100 Most Wanted Holiday Gifts: The Cosori Dual Blaze air fryer is on deep discount for Black Friday

cbsn-essentials-holiday-100-2022-air-fryer-option1-copy.jpg — CBS Essentials; Cosori via Amazon

Air fryers are a must-have kitchen gadget for the holidays. When it comes to making holiday food to feed a family, ovens take too long to heat, microwaves won't give food the right crisp and -- let's be honest -- you probably still don't know how to work your Instant Pot. You need an air fryer and we've found the best one.

Our No.1 air fryer pick (and many others) are on sale at Amazon ahead of Black Friday.

Top products in this article:

4.8-star-rated air fryer: Cosori Dual Blaze smart air fryer (6.8 quart), $125 (regularly $180)

$125 at Amazon

4.7-star-rated cheaper alternative: Cosori air fryer oven combo (5.8 quart), $85 (reduced from $100)

$85 at Amazon

The Cosori Dual Blaze air fryer is the most-wanted air fryer this season. The kitchen gadget has a 4.8-star-rating and tons of positive reviews.

Keep reading to see why it's CBS Essentials' must-have air fryer this holiday season -- and why it made the CBS Essentials list of the 100 Most Wanted Holiday Gifts.

Why we picked the Cosori Dual Blaze smart air fryer

Your old air fryer has nothing on the Cosori Dual Blaze air fryer.

The 6.8-quart Cosori air fryer features 12 different cooking functions, including various protein settings for perfectly roasted chicken, succulent steak and seafood. According to the brand, the air fryer's aluminum basket conducts heat three times faster and stores heat more effectively than other air fryers. Unlike older air fryer models that only work by pressing buttons, this one is high-tech. Use your smartphone or voice command to precisely control the temperature and settings of this top-rated kitchen gadget.

Another great feature we love? Unlike many budget air fryer models, the Cosori Dual Blaze has dual heating elements, so you don't need to shake or flip your food as it cooks. Plus, there's no pre-heat.

The Cosori Dual Blaze smart air fryer is an Amazon bestseller, where it's rated a whopping 4.8 stars out of 5. The air fryer is popular with our readers, too -- it's a CBS Essentials bestseller. That's why the Cosori Dual Blaze is our No. 1 air fryer pick for the holiday season. no matter if you're upgrading from an old model or buying one as a Christmas or Hanukkah gift.

More about the Cosori Dual Blaze smart air fryer

The Cosori Dual Blaze air fryer connects to your phone, so you can scan the barcode of your favorite frozen foods to get the ideal temperature and time settings. This smart air fryer can also be operated by voice command.

The kitchen gadget uses dual heating elements and Cosori's 360 ThermoIQ technology to make real-time temperature adjustments during cooking, so you'll get evenly cooked and crisped food, without having to shake or flip whatever's in your basket. The non-stick basket is dishwasher safe.

"I love how easy it is to cook many different types of food in my new air fryer," raved an Amazon customer who purchased the Cosori Dual Blaze 6.8 quart smart air fryer. "The foods retain their natural flavors. (It has) extremely fast cooking speeds, and the model I chose makes shaking and turning foods over a thing of the past. The foods come out tender, crispy and browned perfectly."

Cosori Dual Blaze smart air fryer (6.8 quart), $125 (reduced from $180)

$125 at Amazon

Best Cosori Dual Blaze air fryer alternatives

The Cosori Dual Blaze air fryer is our No. 1 air fryer pick for the holiday season. But, it might not be exactly what you're looking for. We've found some top-rated alternatives below.

A less expensive Cosori: Cosori air fryer oven combo (5.8 quart)

The bestselling Cosori air fryer features 13 different cooking functions that prepare your food at the best temperature and time for the most crisp and crunch. Cooking for more than one or two? According to the brand, the 5.8-quart basket can fit a five-pound chicken. The non-stick air fryer basket is removable and dishwasher safe. The top-rated air fryer comes in black, red and white.

"This thing is so easy to clean and use," enthused an Amazon customer who purchased the Cosori air fryer. "It has made cooking bacon the easiest thing ever, it's great for reheating items or using it as a mini oven. It becomes a must-have item after you've gotten used to adding it to your cooking accessories. I'll always have an air fryer from now on in my kitchen."

Cosori air fryer oven combo (5.8 quart), $85 (reduced from $100)

$100 at Amazon

Best budget air fryer: Instant Pot Crisp multi-cooker and air fryer (8 quart)

Instant Pot 8-quart crisp multi-cooker and air fryer — Instant Pot via Walmart

This nine-in-one Instant Pot device can air fry, pressure cook, steam, slow cook, sauté, bake, broil, roast and keep food warm as well as make rice and oatmeal. The pressure-cooking lid and cooking pot insert are both dishwasher safe.

We found the best deal on this Instant Pot air fryer model at Walmart.

Instant Pot Crisp multi-cooker and air fryer (8 quart), $79 (reduced from $99)

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More air fryers to consider

Shop top-rated air fryers from Philips, Chefman, Ninja and more popular brands right now. Some of these must-have air fryers are currently on sale.

Philips Essential Airfryer Compact (4.3 quart)

Here's a good air fryer for people with smaller kitchens.

An updated and compact version of the original gadget introduced in 2010, this Philips Essential Airfryer grills, roasts, bakes, reheats and air fries -- it's ready to take on a multitude of air fryer recipes. It features a digital touchscreen with seven presets for simplified cooking. Measures 4.1 liters (more than 4.3 quarts).

Philips Essential Airfryer Compact (4.3 quart), $130 (reduced from $150)

$130 at Amazon

Chefman digital air fryer (10.6 quart)

The Chefman digital air fryer does more than just get chicken fingers nice and crispy. This 10-liter appliance (10.6 quart) can be used as a rotisserie spit, oven and a dehydrator.

It comes with cooking accessories that include removable racks, a rotisserie basket, rotisserie spit, drip tray and retrieval tool.

Chefman digital air fryer (10.6 quart), $95 (regularly $119)

$95 at Walmart

Ninja Foodi 12-in-1 deluxe XL air fryer (8 quart)

One of Ninja Foodi's highest-rated models on Amazon, this 4.8-star-rated, family-friendly 12-in-1, extra-large air fryer offers an 8-quart pot that holds up to a 7-pound chicken or eight breasts.

It can pressure cook and slow cook, air fry and crisp, steam, slow cook, bake, sous vide, keep warm, sear, sauté, roast, broil, dehydrate and make yogurt.

Ninja Foodi 12-in-1 deluxe XL fryer (8 quart), $200 (reduced from $250)

$200 at Amazon

Instant Pot Omni Plus air fryer toaster oven

The sleek-looking Instant Omni Plus boasts 10-in-1 functionality, but the headline is: It works as an air fryer and as a toaster oven. It boasts enough space for a large chicken, or 12-inch pizza.

Amazon reviewers rate it 4.6 stars; they give it high marks for its easy-to-operate digital interface and stainless-steel exterior.

Instant Pot Omni Plus air fryer toaster oven, $180 (regularly $240)

$180 at Amazon

100 Most Wanted Holiday Gifts: The best gifts to give this Christmas

It may seem early to start shopping for Christmas and Hanukkah gifts, but trust us, it's not. Last year's holiday season was riddled with supply-chain issues, and CBS News is anticipating more of the same in 2022. Plus, there's inflation -- unfortunately, prices may rise even more before December comes.

So it's time to shop for holiday gifts now. Pick out a great hiding spot and check out CBS Essentials' 100 Most Wanted Holiday Gifts of 2022. We've based our top 100 gift picks on our own bestsellers, owner reviews and our own extensive research into the most-buzzed-about gifts of 2022, such as this I am Groot Lego set, a guinea pig toy that gives birth and this pooping purple turtle.

Stay tuned to the CBS Essentials 100 Most Wanted Holiday Gifts Series for our picks of the hottest gifts to give in 2022. Our list includes some of Apple's newest products, the top toys of 2022, game-changing kitchen appliances (such as this air fryer) and so much more.

Lily Rose

Lily Rose is a senior writer for CBS Essentials and the site's expert in home appliances such as washers, dryers, refrigerators and ranges. When she's not writing about how you can upgrade your laundry room, she's writing about home and kitchen essentials that will transform your space. Her favorite appliance is her air fryer. She firmly believes that it can make the crispiest sweet potato fries.