CHEFMAN ExacTemp™ 12-Quart Air Fryer Review: The All-in-One Kitchen Powerhouse You Didn’t Know You Needed”
1. First impressions and build quality
When you first unbox the CHEFMAN ExacTemp™ 12-Quart 5-in-1 Air Fryer, what strikes you is the heft and presence of the unit. It doesn't feel like a toy appliance — it’s substantial, designed to occupy serious countertop real estate. The outer shell is mostly brushed and matte black plastic with a tempered glass front door, giving it a modern, upscale look. The control panel is capacitive touch with a digital display, and the interior is spacious: advertised as “family-sized,” aiming to accommodate full meals rather than side dish portions.
The materials feel solid overall. The door hinges are reasonably sturdy; you don’t get the sense they’ll wear out instantly. The racks, drip tray, spit and forks for rotisserie all feel serviceable, though not premium heavy duty. The components that contact food are nonstick and claim to be dishwasher safe, which helps reduce the burden of cleanup. In short: as a first impression, it looks like a well-conceived, robust multifunction unit rather than a gadget that will fall apart after a few months.
2. Features and versatility
This appliance sells itself on versatility. Here’s what it offers on paper, and how it plays out in practice:
-
5 (or more) cooking modes: Air fry, roast, bake, reheat, dehydrate, and rotisserie. Some listings even expand to “6-in-1” by counting a separate “Hi-Fry” or “crisp” mode. The rotisserie function is one of the standouts — you can roast a whole chicken or kebabs using the included spit and forks.
-
Wide temperature range: From as low as ~95 °F (for gentle dehydration or warming) up to ~450 °F for high heat crisping and roasting.
-
Integrated smart cooking thermometer: This is one of its signature features. A probe can monitor internal food temperature, offering more reliability than blind timing. The unit then can auto shutoff or alert you when your target temperature is reached, improving precision, especially for meats.
-
Preset programs: It comes with dozens of preloaded presets (some versions state 28, others 12, depending on model and firmware) for popular foods like fries, chicken, vegetables, etc. This simplifies use for novices — you just press “chicken,” and it sets time and temperature for you.
-
Interior light + viewing window: It’s helpful to see how food is doing without opening the door (which would otherwise break heat and slow cooking).
-
Extras: Flip reminders, mute alarms, multiple racks, drip trays, rotisserie retrieval tool. The aim: make it a “set it and forget it” appliance more than a finicky oven.
In practice, the versatility is real. You can roast, bake cookies, crisp fries, dehydrate fruit, reheat leftovers, or run a fully roasted chicken on the spit. The smart thermometer helps keep meats from overcooking — a big plus if you’re not constantly watching.
However, there are limits. It excels when you use it as a mid-to-large oven replacement, but its performance does not quite rival specialized appliances (for example, a dedicated basket air fryer may crisp faster; a full conventional oven may take over on sheer volume). Also, while the presets are helpful, you often have to fine-tweak time or rack placement for optimal results. The cooking times in presets sometimes need adjustment based on food thickness or how full the chamber is.
3. Cooking performance: hit or miss?
Let’s break down the performance by cooking style:
a) Air frying / crisping
The ExacTemp does a decent job crisping food, especially if you use the “Hi-Fry” boost (if your version supports it). For frozen fries, chicken wings, or breaded items, you can achieve a acceptable crisp. It’s not always as aggressive in browning as a compact basket fryer's direct airflow, but it’s good enough for many users. One user noted that wings didn’t come out as crispy as hoped without extra prep (drying, spacing, flipping).
Because the heat source is more diffuse (convection style), you might not always get the same “crunch per minute” as a traditional air fryer. For best results, give the food space, rotate racks if necessary, and use the integrated thermometer to stop right when internal doneness is reached.
b) Roasting / baking / rotisserie
This is where ExacTemp shines. Roasted whole chicken on the spit comes out well: even cooking, browned skin, juicy interior (thanks to the thermometer). Baking cakes, casseroles, or roasted vegetables is straightforward: the oven-like chamber handles those tasks quite capably. Bread, cookies, or gratins turn out very similarly to what you'd expect from a countertop convection oven.
c) Dehydrating / low heat
At the low end of temperature, the unit can maintain gentle heat suitable for dehydrating fruits, herbs, or crisping chips. The ability to stay low (95–120 °F) is a plus many air fryers lack. Just note that in this mode the appliance runs longer, so the safety margins and sealing of the door become more critical.
d) Reheating
Reheating frozen pizza, leftovers, or crisping up stale food is one of the easiest wins. Because of its size and airflow, it often outperforms a microwave in maintaining texture, especially with a quick burst at higher heat at the end.
4. Usability, control, and user experience
-
Interface & controls: The capacitive touch panel is modern and sleek. It’s generally responsive, though in some lighting or with greasy fingers it can misread. The learning curve is mild: it’s intuitive, especially with the presets. Adjusting time and temperature manually is straightforward.
-
Smart probe & alerts: The internal thermometer is a real strength. Particularly for meats, instead of estimating by external cooking time, you can let the machine know “stop when internal temp = 165 °F.” That gives more confidence in final results.
-
Door/window: The ability to see inside helps enormously. Opening the door mid-cook is always a risk (heat loss), so being able to monitor progress visually is helpful.
-
Cleaning & maintenance: The drip tray, racks, and spit components claiming to be dishwasher safe is a big convenience. The nonstick surfaces are helpful, though over time you’ll want to avoid metal utensils to preserve the coating. The chute for stray drips is decent but not perfect — occasional manual wipe downs help. One common complaint in oven-style air fryers (of which this is one) is cleaning the front glass door; grease and spatters can accumulate, and careful wiping is required.
-
Size & space: This is a sizable unit. It takes up considerable counter space. Ensure you have room and ventilation around it — airflow is critical for cooling and longevity.
-
Noise & heat output: It’s not whisper quiet, but it is within acceptable noise levels for kitchen appliances. It does produce heat, especially during longer high-heat sessions, so plan your kitchen layout accordingly. Some users note front glass doors may get warm — avoid putting heat-sensitive items right in front.
5. Reliability, durability, and real-life feedback
From what users report, most find it durable and consistent. Some of the observed positives:
-
Many praise the ease of use, the effectiveness of multiple modes, and how it simplified cooking tasks that would otherwise require multiple appliances.
-
“I love mine… great for most frozen foods, especially pizzas.” — user feedback echoing that frozen-to-crisp performance is a strong suit.
-
One user admitted that the crisping (especially for wings) required extra effort (pre-drying, spacing).
-
A few caution that no appliance can truly do everything perfectly. Some features are compromises.
-
Compared to a basket fryer, the oven style is more versatile but sometimes less aggressive in direct crisping or fast airflow.
In sum, the general consensus is favorable: folks feel they got a high-utility multi-use unit; critics tend to pick on edge cases or expectations that the ExacTemp perform identically to a device built solely for one function.
One point of risk: with more moving parts (rotisserie spit, door hinges, racks), there's more to eventually wear or degrade. Also, the smart thermometer probe can be a point of failure if neglected or damaged.
6. Strengths & weaknesses (summary)
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
|---|---|
| True versatility — handles roasting, baking, air frying, dehydrating, rotisserie | Not quite as sharp or fast in crisping as a dedicated basket air fryer |
| Smart cooking thermometer adds cooking confidence | Larger footprint — takes up quite some space |
| Interior light + viewing window make monitoring easier | Cleaning glass door and nooks may require effort |
| Preset programs help simplify use for novices | Some presets may require real-world tweaks |
| Dishwasher-safe parts reduce cleanup burden | The nonstick coating could degrade over time if not cared for |
| Solid build, substantial feel | More moving parts = more potential failure points |
| Good for cooking full meals rather than just small sides | Airflow in some areas may be less uniform, especially with full racks |
7. Value proposition & who it suits
This unit is not for someone who wants a minimal, ultra-compact fryer for occasional use. Rather, it’s for someone who wants to consolidate multiple kitchen appliances into one versatile tool. If you cook a variety of foods — roast, bake, fry, dehydrate — and want one machine to do it all (with the luxury of the internal thermometer), ExacTemp offers strong value.
If your primary use is frying a few frozen snacks weekly, a simpler, cheaper basket fryer might be more suitable. But if your kitchen routine demands flexibility and you enjoy experimenting, this unit is well worth the investment.
Given its size, features, and performance, I’d say it positions itself in the mid-to-upper tier of multifunction air ovens. If you take good care of it, it should deliver value for years. Just temper expectations: it won’t equal a high-end oven in every way, but for its price and convenience, its trade-offs are acceptable to many.
8. Final verdict
The CHEFMAN ExacTemp™ 12-Quart 5-in-1 Air Fryer is a compelling option for anyone looking to combine multiple cooking modalities into a single appliance. Its integrated thermometer, spacious cooking chamber, and multi-mode capabilities help it stand out in a crowded field. In real kitchens, it often performs better than you’d expect for a single unit, especially in baking, roasting, and general meal prep.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you purchase through them, at no additional cost to you.