Salter Fuzion Dual Air Fryer EK5728 review: Divide and conquer dinner

If you’re looking for an air fryer that works just as well for whole meals as it does for small portions and large portions, the Salter Fuzion Dual Air Fryer EK5728 could be a perfect fit.

That’s because it features one large single drawer which, unlike dual models that have two separate drawers, splits only when you need two. This means that you can fill a large drawer with fries, cook two foods at the same time using different temperatures and durations or cook a small portion of food in one section without having to heat a large drawer. All of which makes it versatile for everything from family meals to quick snacks. While the Salter Fuzion Dual Air Fryer might not be the easiest to programme and requires cleaning by hand, for the price, it produced good, consistent results.

Salter Fuzion Dual Air Fryer EK5728 review: What do you get for the money? 

Most single-drawer air fryers tend to offer anywhere between 2-6l of cooking space, yet Salter’s Fuzion Dual Air Fryer features a single wide drawer that, with the divider removed, offers a generous 8l. This is large enough for up to 1kg of chips, a small chicken or eight burgers for example. Inside the drawer, you’ll find two separate non-stick cooking trays, and indents in the centre of the drawer, so the divider can slot neatly into place. Plus, there’s a viewing window, though even when it’s lit inside, it’s not that easy to see cooking progress.

Like most dual drawer air fryers, the Fuzion Dual Air Fryer takes up a decent amount of space on the worktop. It’s 36.4cm wide and 37.8cm deep, meaning that when the drawer is pulled out completely, it will take up most of the depth of an average kitchen surface. Fortunately, it’s not too tall (31.9cm), so can tuck below wall units when not in use, and isn’t especially heavy for its size (10kg). When not in use, its display doesn’t show any buttons except for the on-off, so it’s free from visual clutter. There are seven preset programmes, including steak, shellfish, chips and bake, plus a manual mode. A booklet includes a table of cooking advice for different foods and there are some recipe ideas to try.

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Salter Fuzion Dual Air Fryer EK5728 review: What’s good about it?

The biggest appeal of the Salter Fuzion Dual Air Fryer is its versatility. By working as a large air fryer, small air fryer and double-drawered air fryer, it adapts to those with busy lifestyles, who may need to whip up after-school snacks one minute, then dinner for a family the next.

Its match and sync functions add to this, with sync allowing you to start one drawer cooking and have the other finish at the same time, and match cooking two foods using the same time and temperature, without them becoming jumbled in the drawer. Match also comes in handy when you’re using the whole capacity of the drawer without the divider in place, as you can ensure compartment 1 and 2 have the same settings. 

In testing, the Fuzion Dual Air Fryer performed well overall. For example, I was able to use the sync function to cook chicken quarters on the chicken programme (200°C for 25 minutes) at the same time as hash browns from frozen (200°C for 15 minutes) and have both compartments finish at the same time. I was just about able to squeeze in five pieces of chicken, four would have been a more comfortable fit, and six hash browns (the compartment will fit seven). 

The hash browns emerged crisp, if not a little overdone on one side despite being shaken, while the chicken legs were cooked through with golden bubbled skin and their juices ran clear. I liked that there was no need to preheat and that times and temperatures could be adjusted even after cooking had started.

I also used the Chips programme to make some fresh chips (washed and dried potato tossed in a small amount of oil), using the entire drawer with the divider removed. The preset was 20 minutes at 200°C but as some of the potato pieces were larger than others, I added three minutes to the time. Despite tossing the contents of the drawer several times, the results were mixed: while all of the chips were cooked, some were browner and crisper than others, so it may be a case of adjusting times and temperatures to achieve greater consistency.

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Salter Fuzion Dual Air Fryer EK5728 review: What could be better?

There are a few areas where Salter’s Fuzion Dual Air Fryer could be more intelligent. For example, I felt that it was a flaw that the air fryer doesn’t recognise when the divider had been removed and doesn’t match the compartments 1 and 2 automatically – you’ll have to set 1, then choose “match cook” for drawer 2. Similarly, if you want to alter times or temperatures once compartments using match cook have started, you’ll have to alter each one individually rather than the match feature changing both for you.

In general, the settings aren’t that intuitive and I found I needed to have the instructions to hand every time I set it. The option to flick between time and temperature is located below the display for compartment 1, which can be confusing when you’re setting compartment 2, and the button for scrolling through the programmes (which are shown at the top of the display) is set to the far left at the bottom, rather than next to them. 

The menu of icons aren’t always obvious: while chips and shellfish are clear, the pork and steak icons are similar and next to each other. I also thought it was disappointing that there isn’t a preset for frozen food or reheating – which are both functions that air fryers are commonly used for.

In addition, if you’re switching from a smaller air fryer to this one, a large drawer is more difficult to tip when removing food. The instructions actually advise against tipping it so that excess fat doesn’t pour out at the same time, but as I found, it’s also because the grill trays aren’t a snug fit in the drawer and will tumble out with the food. 

A final drawback is that the parts require hand-washing rather than being able to be popped in a dishwasher. I found out why after accidentally doing so – the viewing window filled with water and needed time to drain afterwards.

Salter Fuzion Dual Air Fryer EK5728 review: Should you buy it?

If you’ve discovered a love of air frying via a smaller model and want more capacity, or if you’re simply looking for a solution to speedy midweek meals, the Fuzion Dual Air Fryer is a great choice. It might not have the bells and whistles of similarly sized dual drawer air fryers, but for what it offers in terms of flexibility and variable cooking area, for the price, it’s good value. 

In an ideal world, it would be dishwasher safe – as many air fryers are – and be easier to set. However, if you don’t mind keeping the instructions and a washing-up sponge to hand, it could easily become your go-to for meat, veggies, homemade chips and more.