Cosori Pro LE 5-Qt Air Fryer review − almost too powerful for its own good

Powered by a 1500W fan and equipped with nine pre-set cooking modes, the Cosori Pro LE 5-Qt Air Fryer means business. You can sear steak, steam veg, and roast chicken in this deceptively capacious machine, which would make a great addition to a smaller kitchen.

The Cosori Pro LE 5-Qt Air Fryer incorporates AirWhisper technology for quiet cooking. It should never exceed 55 dB, which is about as loud as a normal conversation. When I tested the Cosori Pro LE 5-Qt Air Fryer, I found it to be a quick and quiet, if somewhat overzealous, cooker. My nuggets and fries turned out all right, and my Mediterranean vegetables came out nice and juicy, but the bacon was charred to a crisp.

I'm part of the product testing team here at H&G. Together, we've tried and tested the best air fryers on the market. While I like the look of a sleek machine, I'd never sacrifice functionality for form. That's why I took the Cosori Pro LE 5-Qt Air Fryer and put it through its paces, cooking nuggets, French fries, Mediterranean vegetables, and bacon rashers. I also recorded the unboxing and cleaning processes to give you the fullest possible picture of what it might be like to use this product.

Cosori Pro LE 5-Qt Air Fryer review

Cosori Pro LE 5-Qt Air Fryer Specifications

Unboxing the Cosori Pro LE 5-Qt Air Fryer

The Cosori Pro LE 5-Qt Air Fryer arrived in a compact cardboard box. Since the machine weighs just 12lbs, I found it easy to lift and carry the box from the porch into our dedicated test kitchen. 

When I opened the box, I found a fair amount of polystyrene packaging and single-use plastic protecting the individual parts of the air fryer. This is always disappointing to see, especially since so many of Cosori's competitors are making good use of sustainable packaging. Eco-conscious shoppers might get along better with one of the best Ninja air fryers, which are packaged in mostly recyclable materials. 

Once I'd cut away the cardboard, I was left with the air fryer itself, an instruction manual, and a recipe book: that's it. The Cosori Pro LE 5-Qt Air Fryer comes with an easy-peel sticker on top of the machine. That's where you'll find safety information, a quick start guide, and a QR code that takes you straight to the VeSync app. This, I was excited to try: I love a smart machine, and I liked the idea of controlling my air fryer from my phone. But when I downloaded the app, though, I found a glorified recipe guide, with none of the high-tech features you get with the best smart air fryer.

It's easy to adjust the time and temperature on the Cosori Pro LE 5-Qt Air Fryer: all you need to do is press the 'plus' and 'minus' buttons. You can cook in your Cosori for up to an hour, though the minimum fry time is 1 minute for a quick pre-heat or keep-warm blast. Those are just two of the Cosori's nine pre-set cooking modes. You can select anything from French fries to frozen vegetables, let your machine calculate your ideal cooking time and temperature, and get to work straightaway.

Test 1:Nuggets

When I test air fryers, I like to start with a simple dish of nuggets and French fries. It's not the most ambitious meal, nor the most nutritious, but it tells you a lot about how your machine handles protein versus carbohydrates. Plus, it might be pretty similar to something you cook up for your kids on a weeknight. 

In a dual-basket air fryer, such as the Instant Vortex Plus Dual , I'd throw my nuggets and fries in at the same time and select the sync finish function. With the Cosori Pro LE 5-Qt Air Fryer, it's just one wide open space, which makes it easier to accommodate larger ingredients but harder to cook each component of the meal. In light of the machine's limitations, I decided to cook the nuggets first at 375°F for 15 minutes.

Some of the latest air fryers, such as the Paris Rhône Air Fryer, feature glass doors for greater visibility. The front of this Cosori is just a slab of sleek plastic, so I had to open the drawer and lose a little heat to see how my nuggets were getting on. At the eight-minute mark, they were looking good, and beginning to brown on the outside. 

Once the timer had run all the way down, the Cosori Pro LE 5-Qt Air Fryer beeped to let me know my nuggets were done. That was the first loud noise the machine had made throughout the testing process: that AirWhisper technology really does work. I poured my nuggets out of the basket and onto a plate to share with Alex and Laura, two of my fellow product testers, for the all-important taste test. The nuggets were crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, though a little on the dry side. Each bite had cooked quickly, but it had lost some of its succulence. 

Test 2: French fries

Then, it was time for the fries. The Cosori Pro LE 5-Qt Air Fryer features a specific setting for French fries, which I was keen to put to the test. I'm always a little mistrustful of pre-set cooking modes. Sure, they're quick and convenient, especially for first-time fryers, but they tend to err on the side of caution and overcook food. 

I poured a few servings of fries into the basket and selected the French Fry function. The Cosori Pro LE 5-Qt Air Fryer automatically adjusted to a temperature of 380°F and set the timer for 25 minutes. Already, this was sounding an alarm. I must have air fried pounds and pounds of French fries in my time as a product tester, and I'd never once needed 25 minutes. Still, this is Cosori's recommended cook time and temperature, so I swallowed my pride and pressed 'start'.  

When the timer reached the halfway point, I opened the drawer and took a look at my fries. Already, they appeared to be almost done, golden in the middle with a nice brown crisp. Normally, I'd only leave them to cook for another minute or two, but the timer had more than 10 minutes left to go. 

I resisted the urge to intervene for another five or six minutes, at which point I shut off the air fryer and served my fries eight minutes early. I'm glad I got them when I did: they were about to enter the territory of inedibility. I could almost strike each fry against the side of my plate and hear a hollow ring. 

These fries were crisp and crunchy, still with a little bit of fluff on the inside, but very dry. If you're using the Cosori Pro LE 5-Qt Air Fryer, I'd recommend setting your timer for a few minutes less than you think you need. You can always throw your food back in the fryer to crisp up, but you can't soften it up again. 

Test 3: Frozen Mediterranean Vegetables

Following the disappointment of the nuggets and fries, I wasn't feeling too optimistic about the Cosori Pro LE 5-Qt Air Fryer's chances in the veg test. I like to throw in a bag of frozen Mediterranean vegetables into the mix to see how an air fryer copes with tougher textures. 

I poured a mixture of tomato, zucchini, eggplant and pepper pieces into the air fryer basket. There's a hole in the middle of the crisper plate, which meant a couple of chunks slipped through the gap and had to be sacrificed. Since I had an entire bag of frozen produce to get through, this didn't bother me, but it might pose more of a problem when you're working with limited ingredients.

I selected the 'veggies' mode, which runs at 340°F for 10 minutes. The machine beeped once around the halfway mark, telling me to give my ingredients a good shake for even cooking. Five minutes later, my Mediterranean vegetables were roasted to perfection: nice and charred on the outside, yet soft and juicy on the inside. I always like to find a function that an air fryer does really well: in the case of the Cosori Pro LE 5-Qt Air Fryer, it's definitely the 'veggies'. 

Test 4: Bacon

I like to round out an air fryer test with a few rashers of bacon to see how well the fat renders and how quickly and evenly the meat cooks. Since I was the only meat-eater in the test kitchen that day, I stuck to two strips of bacon, and figured I'd use them to scoop up the rest of the Mediterranean vegetables.

I set the Cosori Pro LE 5-Qt Air Fryer to cook at 355°F for eight minutes. This might sound a little hot, and it's higher than the recipe guide recommends, but I like my bacon pretty crispy, and I've seen great success at this time and temperature across other air fryers. I figured I'd check in around the six-minute mark – by which point, it was already too late. 

Even though I'd stopped the timer two minutes ahead of schedule, the bacon was already charred to a crisp. I couldn't even crack or crunch it − it just crumbled. The Cosori Pro LE 5-Qt Air Fryer had overcooked the strips to such an extent that there was no golden rind, juicy meat, or any of the best bits about bacon. 

I hold myself partially responsible for The Bacon Incident. I'd already observed that this air fryer overcooks, and I should never have turned up the heat. With that said, it's clear to me that Cosori has made a few miscalculations in cooking time and temperature in their development of the Pro LE 5-Qt Air Fryer. I should be able to switch off and let the air fryer cook for me, rather than feeling the need to micromanage my machine.

Cleaning the Cosori Pro LE Air Fryer

The Cosori Pro LE Air Fryer basket and crisper plates are technically dishwasher-safe, which makes for quick and convenient cleaning. With that said, I always like to wash my air fryer baskets by hand, especially when there's non-stick coating involved. That way, I can make sure to clean all the nooks and crannies and have a real scrub at dried food. As for the body of the machine, all it should need is a quick wipe with a damp cloth to look as good as new. Pay close attention to the tempered glass display, which shows any finger smudges and smears.

How does the Cosori Pro LE Air Fryer rate online?

Right now, the Cosori Pro LE Air Fryer is the number-one best-selling air-fryer on Amazon. It boasts tens of thousands of five-star reviews, praising its value for money and depth of flavor. The most common issue concerns the non-stick coating. In a handful of cases, the non-stick coating has peeled off the Cosori Pro LE Air Fryer, following a few cooking sessions and gentle cleans. You might also come across a bad smell: a few customers have noted a strong scent of burning plastic emanating from the air fryer during use.

How does the Cosori Pro LE Air Fryer compare to other air fryers?

The Cosori Pro LE Air Fryer has its strengths. As air fryers go, this is one of the quickest and quietest on the market. The Cosori Pro LE Air Fryer is capable of tackling tougher textures and made a much better meal from French fries and frozen Mediterranean vegetables than, say, the HYSapientia 15L Air Fryer Oven.

Just 14 inches tall and 12 inches wide, the Cosori Pro LE Air Fryer would make a great addition to a smaller kitchen, but it couldn't make multiple servings of meals or roast a whole chicken. That's where the Ninja DualZone FlexBasket Air Fryer really shines. You can cook larger proteins in the 7-qt. megazone or insert the basket divider to cook different foods at different temperatures.

If you're shopping for a smart air fryer, you'll have better luck with another Cosori classic: the Cosori Dual Blaze Air Fryer. This machine comes with its own app so that you can set your food to fry from your phone and get notifications that tell you when to turn, shake, or remove your food. 

Should you buy the Cosori Pro LE Air Fryer?

The Cosori Pro LE 5-Qt Air Fryer retails for around $100, less during federal holidays and sales periods. That feels like the right amount to charge for this air fryer. It looks good, works hard, and features some really efficient pre-set cooking functions. This keen machine is most effective with tougher produce and frozen textures, which allow the powerful fan to get to work. The Cosori Pro LE 5-Qt Air Fryer struggles with softer produce and more delicate processes. You might need to keep opening the drawer and checking your ingredients to make sure your food isn't burned to a crisp.