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The Emeril Lagasse 4 Quart Air Fryer is a bit outdated. At least with the current trend of newer air fryers.
Here’s what I mean:
Its design lacks appeal compared to an Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer or a Ninja Dual-Basket Air Fryer. Needless to say, I mean that in both design and functionality.
Don’t get me wrong; it’s an “okay” air fryer, but it’s simply not deserving compared to others in the same price range.
Apart from the Instant and Ninja Air Fryers mentioned above, I also recommend these…
If you’re still determined about the Emeril Lagasse 4 Qt Air Fryer, let’s proceed with its good and bad aspects.
PROS
- Affordable
- 8 cooking programs
- Touchscreen control panel
- Easy to use basket air fryer
- Removable basket
- 4-quart capacity
- Easy to clean
- Dishwasher safe
CONS
- Unattractive design
- Round basket fits less food
- Non-stick coating chips off easily
- Only 90-Day Money-Back Guarantee
- Sole display for temp and time
What can you cook in Emeril Lagasse 4 Quart Air Fryer?
With 8 automatic programs, you can cook just about any fried food in the Emeril Lagasse 4 Quart Air Fryer. Better yet? You’re not limited to frying; you can also bake decadent desserts!
One of the things you’ll love about an air fryer is the ability to reheat.
Think about it…
When reheating fried chicken with a microwave, it’s awful, right? The crispy skin becomes soggy and gross.
With Emeril Lagasse Air Fryer 4 Qt?
That’s not a problem. In other words, you can still enjoy fried leftovers in their best condition. All that without turning on the full-sized oven and heating up the whole house!
More importantly, it heats up a lot faster than a regular oven.
As if that’s not enough:
Let’s not forget that an air fryer can help you eat healthier foods since it uses less oil. (It still dramatically depends on the recipe.)
The Emeril Lagasse 4 Quart Air Fryer has 8 cooking presets for a more effortless experience — fries, roast, bake, fish, shrimp, chicken, steak, and reheat. Even better, it has a touchscreen control for more familiarity in this day and age. Furthermore, it’s also available as a 6-quart air fryer to allow more servings in one cooking.
Is Emeril Lagasse 4 Qt Air Fryer easy to use?
Basket-drawer air fryers are the easiest to use compared to toaster ovens, grills, and pressure cookers. In short, yes, the Emeril Lagasse 4 Quart Air Fryer is easy to use.
How about the controls?
Well, it’s not the best but good enough.
Let’s start with the bad ones.
It only has one display for both temperature and duration. While this isn’t a big deal, it’ll be cumbersome if you want to double-check if you used the correct temperature. Instead of seeing it from afar, you have to stop what you’re doing to get close to the machine.
The other disadvantage is the way to select the automatic program. Unlike appliances with actual “one-touch” buttons, the Emeril Lagasse 4 Quart Air Fryer complicates things.
For instance, you need to press the “M” button 7 times to use the fish setting. That’s certainly not “one-touch.” It’s touchscreen anyway, so they could have made the program icons pressable. Right?
Luckily, the automatic programs are still an excellent feature.
You can skip the guesswork altogether, which is a significant winning factor if you don’t like cooking. In a nutshell, you no longer need to worry about overcooking or undercooking!
Pro tip: Considering that not all recipes nor ingredients are the same, checking your food from time to time is still recommended
Here’s more:
It has a removable basket, not just a tray.
Think about it, basket air fryers with a tray require caution when transferring food so that the tray won’t fall and spill everything. Fortunately, that’s not a problem with the Emeril Lagasse 4 Qt Air Fryer.
(Don’t get me wrong, trays in baskets are advantageous IF they lock in place, like the Ninja Foodi DZ201.)
Is Emeril Lagasse Air Fryer 4 Qt easy to clean?
As for the cleaning, well, things aren’t that simple.
You see, while the accessories are dishwasher safe, I don’t recommend it. Several reports that the non-stick coating chips easily. This is also the main reason I don’t recommend the product.
Therefore, to clean the machine, you should do it manually. Luckily, since it’s a non-stick, cleaning can still be easy-peasy as any food particle will likely slide right off.
Just remember to not use abrasive cleaners!
For the central unit, by the way, wipe it with a damp cloth.
*Product Images and Videos Courtesy of Emeril Everyday
Technical Specifications
| Type | Air Fryer |
| Brand/Series | Emeril Everyday AirFryer GLA Series |
| Model # | GLA-502 GLA-308 |
| Price | $$ |
| Rating | 3.8 out of 5 |
| Wattage | 1400 Watts |
| Functions | 8 presets: fries, roast, bake, fish, shrimp, chicken, steak, reheat |
| Air Fryer Type | Basket-Drawer |
| Basket Shape | Round |
| Basket Material | Nonstick coated |
| Capacity | 4 and 6 quarts |
| Dishwasher safe | Only the fry basket |
| PFOA, BPA Free | ??? |
| Colors | Stainless Steel |
| Dimensions | 15 x 11.3 x 13.3 inches (38.1 x 28.7 x 33.8 cm) |
| Cord Length | short |
| Application | Personal Use |
| Warranty | 90-Day Money-Back Guarantee |
Is Emeril Lagasse 4 Quart Air Fryer worth it?
The Emeril Lagasse 4 Quart Air Fryer has several disadvantages that I can’t look past, particularly the poor quality nonstick coating. Even if it’s budget-friendly, if you have to replace it quickly, you’d spend more than saving money.
Therefore, I highly recommend higher quality air fryers such as Cosori Air Fryer Max XL. Better yet? It’s still in the affordable range, yet it offers various modern features. So, it’s a no-brainer that you should go for Cosori (or any of the top brands mentioned in the introduction).
