BE it on social media or in our friend’s kitchen, air fryers are taking homes by storm, so when we got the opportunity to review the Russell Hobbs SatisFry Air & Grill Multi Cooker, we jumped at the chance.
From sausage sandwiches and cheese toasties, to veggie tagine and tuna pasta bake, we were super-impressed with how easy it was to whip up wholesome and tasty dishes.
Saving us time, energy and pennies off our utility bills, we couldn’t be more pleased with everything the SatisFry had to offer.
- Russell Hobbs SatisFry multi-cooker – buy here
Pros
- Seven cooking features
- Clear instructions
- Super easy to use
- Provides recommended cooking times on each setting for different foods
- Sleek aesthetic
- Easy to wash
Cons
- Quite big if you have a small kitchen
- Doesn’t come with a recipe book
Russell Hobbs air fryer and slow cooker review: Quick Summary
- Russell Hobbs SatisFry multi-cooker – buy here
With the cost of living crisis dominating the news, we’ve had our eye on ways to cut down energy costs and the air fryer has been turning up everywhere we look.
Air fryers not only take less time to cook and crisp up our favourite meals, they also use less energy than standard ovens, making them more economical. Russell Hobbs’s SatisFry doubles up on efficiency as its slow cooking function is even more cost-effective than air frying.
Slow cooking can tenderise cheaper cuts of meat and uses about a quarter of the power of the small ring on an average hob.
With all this in mind, we were more than happy to give the SatisFry a go and we’re super happy with what it has to offer. With seven cooking settings – Air Fry Light, Grill Light, Roast Light, Sear Light, Bake Light, Keep Warm Light, Slow Cook High Light and Slow Cook Low Light, it covers pretty much everything. We think that this is what really sets it apart from competitors, as there is something for everyone.
We’ve mainly used the air fry, grill, bake and slow cook functions, all of which are really easy to set up thanks to the handy instruction manual. Tasty breakfasts, lunches, and dinners have been concocted in the 5.5-litre cooking pot (with the grill plate used as needed), but we’re keen to try whipping up some sweet treats. The large pot means you can pop baking tins in it, so some festive bakes may be on their way!
Although we have a small kitchen, the SatisFry sits sleekly on the countertop without looking too chunky and when it’s doing its thing, noise is kept to a minimum, just a small whirring sound of the fan every now and again.
Russell Hobbs air fryer and slow cooker: Unboxing and First Impressions
When the SatisFry turned up to our door, it was in a bigger (and slightly heavier) box than we expected. We don’t have the most spacious kitchen, so we were a bit concerned about where our new appliance would sit. However, as we opened the box and pulled out the cardboard structures fixing the air fryer in place, the sleek and more lightweight body revealed itself.
There was minimal packaging; just the box itself and the two cardboard pieces that ensured the air fryer wouldn’t be damaged. There was some plastic sheeting covering the outer body and inside (we assume to protect artificial scratching), making it a hassle-free unboxing.
With a matte black finish and rose gold accents, it’s a good-looking piece of kit. It slotted perfectly on our kitchen worktop and, despite sitting amongst cream-toned appliances, it didn’t look out of place.
Features and Design
- Russell Hobbs SatisFry multi-cooker – buy here
One of the most impressive things about Russell Hobbs’s SatisFry is the seven cooking settings. Air Fry Light, Grill Light, Roast Light, Sear Light, Bake Light, Keep Warm Light, Slow Cook High Light and Slow Cook Low Light are the options available. As with most things, too much choice is often overwhelming, however, this is one of the occasions where that isn’t the case.
With an instruction manual that is incredibly user-friendly, each feature has a short explanation of how to use and set, along with a table of popular foods that may be cooked on that setting with the recommended cooking time; talk about making our lives easy!
We were slightly disappointed that it didn’t come with a recipe book, but the tables on each setting page did make things easier when we started off.
We’ve always been the type to cook for the five thousand (who doesn’t love a leftover?) so with a 5.5 litre cooking pot, there was more than enough room to whip up concoctions to sustain a household of two for the week.
The large pot means that not only can you fit in a whole chicken (between 1.3-2.0KG), you can also place baking tins in it; did someone say banana bread?
The SatisFry comes with a grilling plate that is easy to place in and take out, making it super-versatile and effortless in adapting to your cooking needs. Whether you place a steak directly on the plate to get the charred effect, or lay a sheet of tin foil down to prevent bacon juices from running into the pot, it really serves as an all-rounder.
Cleaning is a breeze, as both the plate and pot are removable. You simply lift them out, so whether you’re washing away toastie residue, or scrubbing off some melted cheese, it’s no hassle at all. For those that have the luxury of owning a dishwasher, you’ll be pleased to know that both elements are dishwasher safe.
Performance
We must admit, we had high hopes for the SatisFry. We’d heard everywhere that an air fryer would change our lives, and despite having some bad experiences with stew dinners as a child, we couldn’t help but also feel in need of a slow cooker.
Although we’d hoped for a recipe book, we had a quick read through the instruction manual and, based on the insight provided on cooking times and settings, we got to making our first culinary masterpiece: the Sausage Sandwich. It was everything we’d hoped it would be. Simple, easy and – as the name suggests – satisf(r)ying. The cooking suggestion was bang-on as we put our sausages on the plate and grilled at 230C for nine minutes. What we unveiled as the timer sounded was utter perfection. Crispy brown skin, succulent centre. We were hooked.
We’ve read that air fryers cook things much faster than standard methods, which all-in-all we agree with. The great thing about the SatisFry is that the whole process becomes much quicker as you can pop all the ingredients in there, set the timer and you’re good to go. Our tuna bake felt much quicker and far easier than normal, as we put everything in there at once – uncooked pasta, tins of tomatoes, cream cheese, tuna, parmesan, and some boiling water – left on Slow Cook Low for 30 minutes, then added some grated cheddar on top. Set to Bake Light for another five minutes, and voila! We had ourselves the best (in our humble opinion) tuna pasta bake we’d ever made.
We’ve tried a variety of recipes, admittedly some have been more successful than others. Meat cooks really well and we like that you can leave it to do its thing, rather than constantly stirring it around a pan and checking if it’s actually cooked. Pasta has also been surprisingly successful – we checked on these dishes more often to ensure that it didn’t turn out too soft. The only dishes that didn’t hit the mark were down to the recipe (and the chef) – let’s be honest, an air fryer and slow cooker can only do so much.
All in all, we love that you can trust the SatisFry to do its thing and return after the timer sounds to your food perfectly air fried or slow cooked or baked or roasted or grilled or seared… we told you there are loads of functions!
Russell Hobbs air fryer and slow cooker: The verdict
- Russell Hobbs SatisFry multi-cooker – buy here
Whether you’re a kitchen novice or culinary enthusiast, we believe that the SatisFry will change how you approach cooking. We love to experiment but it can often be time-consuming and leave us with a mountain of washing up. With all of the different cooking functions, we feel able to test different dishes as we can just pop it all into one pot.
We love that feeding a family of five is just as simple as making a quick lunch for one. The volume that the pot can take really makes a huge difference and it’s just so user friendly. It’s definitely a winner in our household.
How much does the SatisFry cost?
At the time of writing, we've seen the Russell Hobbs SatisFry at around the £100 mark at Robert Dyas.
Because of the popularity of air fryers currently, stock levels are varying around the web.
This might be one to snap up when you see it available!
Where to buy the SatisFry
- Robert Dyas
- Russell Hobbs
- Amazon
- Very
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