Chefman TurboFry 3.7-Qt Air Fryer Review (2026)

Why you should trust this review

I bought this air fryer myself, off the shelf, the way any first time buyer would. Chefman did not provide it, did not know I was testing it, and had no say in what I write. I think that matters most at the budget end of the market, because cheap air fryers are exactly where reviews tend to be the most optimistic and the real compromises get glossed over. I would rather tell you precisely where this unit gives ground so you can decide if those trade offs are ones you can live with.

I cook for a small household and I have used enough air fryers to know the difference between a unit that crisps food and one that just blows hot air over it until it steams. That is the lens I am judging the TurboFry through. It sits at this price where most people make their first air fryer purchase, low enough to feel like a safe experiment, and the real question is whether it cooks well enough to keep using or ends up in a closet.

How we evaluated

I used the TurboFry as my daily air fryer for two months, cooking the things people actually make: chicken wings, frozen fries, vegetables, reheated leftovers. I paid particular attention to two known weak spots for budget units, coating durability and temperature accuracy. For the coating, I deliberately used metal tongs during the first few weeks, then switched to silicone tools, so I could watch how fast wear showed up under careless versus careful use. For temperature, I put a probe thermometer in the air stream and checked the dial settings against reality so I would know how far off the markings ran.

Cook performance: the 1700 watt element earns its keep

The standout feature here is power. At 1700 watts this unit is stronger than many competitors in its price range, and you feel it. From cold it reaches 350 degrees in under three minutes, faster than some pricier units with comparable basket size, and far faster than the underpowered 1000 to 1200 watt budget machines I have used. That power is the whole ballgame for an air fryer, because real crisping needs fast, hot, moving air rather than the lukewarm convection that turns cheap units into glorified steamers.

Chicken wings came out with properly crispy skin and cooked through to a safe internal temperature. A few edge pieces ran slightly more done than the center, which is the airflow distribution showing its budget roots, but every piece was cooked and crisped acceptably. Frozen fries came out uniformly golden through the center, just a touch less crisp at the corners than I get from premium units. For everyday cooking the results are genuinely good, not good for the price, just good.

The basket: square geometry is a real win

The 3.7 quart basket is a square design, and that is more meaningful than it sounds. Most budget air fryers use round baskets that waste the corners, leaving you less flat surface for single layer cooking. The square basket gives you usable area where it counts, and single layer cooking is exactly what produces even crisping. For one or two people the capacity is genuinely functional. I could cook a protein and a side in back to back batches without long waits, because the strong element recovers heat quickly between runs.

Where capacity runs out is at three or more people. The batch to full meal ratio gets inefficient and you start juggling rounds. If that is your household, a 5 quart unit will serve you better. For a couple cooking simply, the basket is the right size and the square shape is a daily quality of life upgrade over the round budget competition. Cleanup was easy too, the basket hand washes clean in a couple of minutes.

The honest trade offs: coating and dial drift

This is where you pay for the low price, and I want to be specific. The non stick coating is thinner and less durable than what you get on premium units. During the weeks I used metal tongs, visible surface scratches appeared on the basket interior. No peeling, nothing flaking into food, but the surface clearly showed wear earlier than a premium basket would. Once I switched to silicone and wooden tools, the existing scratches stopped getting worse and no new ones appeared. So this is partly a user behavior issue, but it is fair to name plainly: be rough with utensils and this basket will show it fast. Treat it gently and hand wash it, and the coating should hold up well.

The other trade off is the temperature dial, which drifts roughly 20 degrees from its markings. The dial might read 380 and deliver 395 on the first run, then settle differently once the element has cycled. It is not a dealbreaker, it is a calibration job. Set your target a little lower than the recipe calls for until you learn your specific unit, and you will get consistent results. For precision baking that drift would frustrate you, but for the crisp and roast cooking an air fryer is actually for, it is easy to work around. Noise sits in normal territory for the class and never bothered me.

Who should buy the Chefman TurboFry?

Buy it if you are on a tight budget and want to experience what air frying can really do without overspending. It is also a solid permanent appliance for one or two person households who cook simply and do not need app connectivity or digital presets. Buy it if you are willing to use silicone utensils and calibrate the dial, because if you meet the unit halfway it rewards you with cooking results that punch well above its price.

Skip it if you cook for three or more people regularly, because the capacity will have you running too many batches. Skip it if you want preset programs, app control, or the most durable coating on the market, and skip it if you need precise, repeatable temperatures for delicate baking. For everything an air fryer is genuinely good at, those are reasonable things to give up at this price.

The verdict

The Chefman TurboFry 3.7 quart is the best kind of budget appliance, the kind that does not feel like a budget appliance where it counts. Its powerful element and smart square basket deliver crisping results that compete with units costing far more, and the simple analog dial has zero learning curve. The compromises are real and I have named them, a coating that needs gentle treatment and a dial that needs calibrating, but none of them touch the actual cooking. If you can live with those specifics, this delivers most of a premium unit’s performance for a fraction of the cost, and that is exactly what a great first air fryer should do.