Dreo ChefMaker Combi Fryer Cook like a pro with just the press of a button Smart Air Fryer

I wasn't sure this appliance would live up to its claims or its name, but the ChefMaker proved me wrong with almost every dish I cooked with it. I tried a pork tenderloin first using chef mode and it was amazing, all tender and juicy with a succulent crust. It's no joke that this machine cooks like a chef, turning the heat up and down and even spraying water all by itself to keep the meat perfect. - Expensive but worth it It might be a bit more expensive than a regular air fryer but it does so much more, the presets are based on chef recipes and there are about 40+ ingredients to choose from. The probe cook mode was perfect for tweaking doneness and trying some exotic cuts of meat without messing it up, and the traditional broil, air fry, reheat, bake, roast, toast, defrost, and dehydrate modes just make this appliance one of the most versatile I've had. The app from Dreo also adds a bunch more recipes to try, they are simple, less time-consuming, and come with step-by-step videos so it's impossible to get it wrong. - Easy to clean The fact that this machine simplifies it all to just one appliance really reduces the clutter in our kitchen. Besides most parts are dishwasher-safe (except for the base and probe). It just takes us about 10 min to get everything nice and clean. - Great Built Quality and Design The overall build of the product is on another level, it doesn't look or feel plastic and cheap like other fryers do and its design is full of surprises like the transparent glass window and light that lets you take a look at your food while it's cooking, the glass and the machine itself doesn't get heat up while cooking which is nice. Overall this machine is absolutely perfect for anyone looking for great quality food without all the hassles that often come with it. It definitely has a learning curve if you are used to the more straightforward air fryers, but it doesn't take a lot of effort to start making chef-quality meals, plus, the Chef Mode really makes it hard to get cooking wrong. Read more

This combination cooker reminds me of my first bread maker back in 1990. All of a sudden, you could put the ingredients in, push a button, and go away. It has done that for me for meals. It Broils, Bakes, Defrosts, Air Fry's (and Convection cooks), Dehydrates, and cooks with steam/humidity (“steam cooks” using a water tank (my words)). There is a “sous vida” capability, which is pretty neat with meat. It has a temperature probe which allows it to control the types of cooking with recipes you choose from those inside and those provided in an Apple or Google App. It has an impressive control system which is nicely integrated with the display screen. This allows you to effectively turn the whole cooking operation over to the Chefmaker, from when you put in the ingredients, to when you “plate” them. It also has 4 modes which you use to cook Chef Mode which allows you to use all the capabilities built in, based on Chef recipes for various foods, Classic (air fryer) Mode pretty much like my old air fryer, Probe Mode (sort of air fryer mode with a probe, that turns off the air fryer when the dish gets to the desired temperature. There is also the App, which has recipes like those of Chef mode, but can use whatever other way of cooking the chefs and engineers decided to have the device follow. This is all pretty cool to us, and we have had nothing but successes. The downsides? The device is new and desperately needs documentation and Cookbooks. For instance, you can easily choose a meat dish from your favorite recipes and search through the Chef Mode and APP recipes to find something similar, which you can use to cook your dish. There are a good number of cooking with Chefmaker videos out there, with everything from cornbread, which work great in your Chefmaker, but you Have to go looking, and generally, you better write down the instructions, because they usually are not in the YouTube video. You can take Air Fryer Recipes, and adapt them, but you better be careful to watch them, because air fryers vary widely, and the Chef Maker has a pretty powerful heating element. It would sure be nice to have a paper or on-line “Map” of the options and recipes in the device’s inherent modes. I expect these problems to go away pretty quickly, because Dreo has engineered the device to be able to change both its software and the recipes. The current Chefmaker’s size, and therefor portion sizes seems to make it most useful for meals for 2 or 3 people, or you get into “batch cooking”. For instance I love cooking bacon in it, but can only get 5 pieces in. Well, I’m going to eat two of them (but I sure loved sitting down with my wife and coffee when the bacon was cooking. Got breakfast done in half the time. P.S. My first Filet was Exactly Medium Rare in Chef/Sous Vida Mode. I cooked it with the probe in my (larger) filet. Wife prefers Medium, and next time, I’ll set the steaks to Medium, stick the probe in hers so the smaller steak is medium and the larger is less rare. Just not going to be able to get the Thanksgiving turkey in there next week (you can get a little rib roast in though. Read more

Gosh, I love this thing. It's a great quality machine with a decent capacity. It is a little large on my counter but I like having it out and accessible. It cleans up really easily and doesn't have a weird plastic smell when used. I like that I can adjust the temp and cook time and there are a ton of different functions to cook whatever you need. It even has an app with recipes that you can send directly to the fryer. I have used it for all sorts of frozen foods, hot dogs, baked potatoes, toast, grilled cheese sandwiches, and reheating leftovers. Read more

Very impressed so far. We'll see if it holds up over the long term, and I'm hoping it does because I'm liking the features. Wondered if I would actually use the "CombiChef" (or whatever it's called) feature, and found out it works really well. I don't have to guess about the temperature or the time for cooking and then test with a handheld digital thermometer. And the food comes out surprisingly good even when I don't spend a great deal of time and effort doing seasoning and other prep. I cook for myself and cook for my dog. Even the pork chops I cook for the dog come out juicy and tender and very tasty. I abandoned my Ninja Foodie pot cooker for this and I'm pleased about that. The Dreo is much easier to clean and maintain. It's so quiet that I have to look to see if it is actually cooking and I see the digital screen telling me what stage it is in, which is very helpful. Only cook small quantities so I can't report on cooking larger batches, but even with smaller amounts of food it seems to not overcook anything. Seems the Dreo is a winner. Hoping it has the chops to last a long time. Read more