Proscenic T21 Review
A smart air fryer that cooks really well
Verdict
Smart features may sound like a must-have, but the Proscenic T21 demonstrates that app and voice control aren’t really necessary in an air fryer. The confusing layout and overload of buttons prove a bit much, too. However, take control of your cooking and this air fryer works beautifully, coming with a large 5.5-litre basket that provides plenty of cooking room for a whole family.
Pros
- Cooks well
- Good price
- Clever basket design
Cons
- Too many buttons
- Smart features aren’t that useful
Availability
- UKRRP: £108
Key Features
- CapacityA single 5.5-litre drawer provides enough space to cook one item for your entire family
- Smart featuresThere’s an app for remote control and you can use Amazon Alexa or the Google Assistant, although using the latter can be fiddly
Introduction
Proscenic has been slowly expanding into new product categories, moving from vacuum cleaners and air purifiers to air fryers. The Proscenic T21 is the company’s first smart air fryer, controllable through its app.
The main display on this air fryer is cluttered, though, and the app isn’t particularly useful. The default temperature selections are odd, too. Nevertheless, the quality of the actual cooking is very good, and the T21 offers decent value, too.
Design and Features
- So many buttons
- Nice drawer design
- App controlled
The Proscenic T21 looks much like other air fryers with its large drawer at the bottom, but it’s the control panel at the front that really catches the attention, mainly because it’s cluttered with buttons. There are shortcuts for dedicated modes from fries, shrimp, pizza, chicken, fish, steak, cake and bacon. Select any of these options and the air fryer will automatically set the cooking temperature and time.
However, the choice of temperature can be quite odd. For example, the setting for chips is 204ºC – I’m not sure if selecting temperatures by the degree really makes that much difference.
If you prefer, you can set cooking temperatures and times manually using the buttons on the front. Ultimately, this is far easier, particularly once you’ve become accustomed to how the unit works. A simpler layout, more akin to the Ninja AF300UK, would have been welcome.
Temperature choice covers a range between 80ºC and 205ºC, so you don’t get the full Max Crisp 240ºC temperature that Ninja’s fryers offer.
Proscenic lets you control the fryer using its smartphone app. This is a skinned version of the Tuya Smart Life app. From the app, you can select the same settings you see on the front of the air fryer, plus there are dedicated recipes and a scheduling option.
Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant Skills are on offer, too, so you can use your voice to select a specific programme or start and stop the fryer. Both are fiddly in operation, so I gave up, preferring to use the physical controls on the front of the unit instead.
Grab the handle at the front of the drawer and give it a yank (it’s a little stiff) to pull out the 5.5-litre drawer. It’s a pretty big drawer, letting you cater for the entire family with ease.
Rather than a crisper plate that sits at the bottom of the drawer, the Proscenic T21 has a lift-out crisper basket. This actually makes serving easier. I found that I could tip chips and other items straight out of the crisper basket.
There’s a slightly annoying feature to the basket. If you set the T21 to cook, but then pull out the basket to add food, the air fryer turns off and wipes your settings. So, add food first, and then choose your settings.
Once you’ve finished cooking, you can clean the drawer and crisper in the dishwasher, making clear-up a doddle.
Performance
- Cooks very well
- Plenty of room
- Crispy results
I started off by cooking chips to see how well the Proscenic performed. I slightly adjusted the cooking time for the fries programme, although I did stick with the recommended 204ºC temperature. At the end of cooking, my chips were nicely done, with a very crispy edge and a soft inside. These are some of the best chips that I’ve had from an air fryer.
I did have to remember to manually give the food a shake part way through cooking, though, since the T21 doesn’t have an auto-remind feature.
Next I cooked a couple of sausages, reducing the cooking time from the oven instructions on the packet, and spraying them lightly with oil. Although they were cooked through, cooking wasn’t quite as uniform as I’d have liked: some more turning inside the fryer would have helped.
Finally, I cooked some frozen hash browns. Notorious for coming out soggy from the oven, in the Proscenic T21, the hash browns were nice and crisp, although not quite as good as when I cooked them in the Ninja AF400UK, with its high-temperature Max Crisp mode.
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Should you buy it?
If you want a large(ish) air fryer that cooks well, then the Proscenic T21 is a great choice, even including some smart features.
If smart features aren’t a priority, and you’re looking instead for an air fryer that’s more straightforward to use, look elsewhere.
Final Thoughts
When I first saw the Proscenic T21 I was a little overwhelmed by how many cooking programmes it featured on the front. There are just so many buttons. However, ignore these and get used to the right temperatures and times to use for your food, and the T21 delivers very good results.
While the app control isn’t that useful, you’re not paying more for the feature, and this is a solid mid-range air fryer. If you want something different, check out my guide to the best air fryers.
How we test
Unlike other sites, we test every air fryer we review thoroughly over an extended period of time. We use industry standard tests to compare features properly. We’ll always tell you what we find. We never, ever, accept money to review a product.
Find out more about how we test in our ethics policy.
Used as our main air fryer for the review period
We cook real food in each air fryer, making chips, frying sausages and cooking frozen hash browns. This lets us compare quality between each air fryer that we test.
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FAQs
You can control this air fryer using the app, Amazon Alexa or the Google Assistant.
It can accommodate up to 5.5 litres of food, which is enough space for a family.
Full specs
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
