BIG BOSS oil less fryer review

The BIG BOSS Oil-less fryer claims it can fry your food using a combination of halogen, convection and infrared technologies, using very little oil (virtually none). The promise is that French fries, chicken wings, onion rings… can all become a part of your regular diet without all the fats and calories that are usually associated to them.

There are definitely other options when it comes to oil-less fryers, such as the Philips AirFryer or the T-fal Actifry (check our step by step buying guide here). The truth is none of them actually “fries” food, not even the BIG BOSS, insted they cook it using a combination of infrared heating sources and rapid air circulation which achieves the same crunchy outside and soft inside texture that we like so much from fried food. The truth is the results are surprisingly good!

So, what makes the BIG BOSS better or worse than any of the other options? Let’s take a closer look at all the pros and cons.

The Good

This is definitely something all oil-less fryer share, but one of the best thing about the BIG BOSS oil-less fryer is the fact that traditionally unhealthy dishes con now become part of your regular diet. Cooking with the BIG BOSS is a lot healthier than traditional deep oil frying.

Another great advantage from the BIF BOSS, especially when compared to some of its competitors, is it’s cooking capacity. With the extender ring that comes included you can cook a turkey of up to 16lbs (7,25kg). That’s a big bird! Especially when you consider that the Philips or T-fal alternatives have capacities of 2-3lbs… If you have kids or are cooking for a large crowd this will definitely have a huge weight in you choosing the BIG BOSS instead of any other oil less fryer.

The BIG BOSS comes with an auto cleaning mode which will help you make your appliance look brand new even after doing some heavy cooking. Simply add some water and soap to the cooking bowl and set it to cleaning more for a few minutes! Plus all the separate pieces from the BIG BOSS, expect for the cooking lid, are safe to go into the dishwasher together with the rest of your dishes.

Last but not least The BIG BOSS is the most affordable oil less fryer that made it into our best air fryer buying guide. It’s always nice to save a few dollars, and especially if you are on a budget then the BIG BOSS should definitely be one of you strongest options.

The Bad

Unfortunately, not everything is nice and shiny with the BIG BOSS, it also comes with a few downsides. For some these might be just little inconveniences which can hardly overshadow all the good things we’ve already seen, for others these might be a deal breaker they find it hard to overcome… Let’s take a look at each of the downsides so that you can decide for yourself.

This is common to most oil less fryers, not just the BIG BOSS, but the truth is it is a pretty large appliance and requires quite a lot of counter space, especially if you want to be able to operate it comfortably. Like I said this is true for most oil less fryers, but the BIG BOSS in particular because the lid isn’t attached to the rest of the appliance, which means you’ll need additional counter space to place the lid while you put your food in or take it out, as opposed to the T-fal Actifry which lid is incorporated and will simply stay open while you operate the appliance like the trunk of your car would.

This might not be the case if you are cooking a turkey or a whole chicken, but any time you cook something smaller, such as fries, onion rings or chicken wings, you’ll need to stir your food several times during the cooking process to make sure that every corner of every french frie is in touch with the circulating hot air at some point, otherwise some parts of your food might not get that crispy outside that you are looking for. With the BIG BOSS stirring your food becomes a bit of a challenge considering that you need to take the lid of, place it on the counter for a little bit, stir your food and then grab it again and put it back in place.

Although the BIG BOSS has a unique glass design which lets you see your food while it’s being cooked, the glass body comes with a serious disadvantage, you can get burned! Glass can get really hot and the BIG BOSS doesn’t have a clear grabbing handles to guaranty that you can operate it without getting burned. You’ll have to treat your BIG BOSS like you’ll treat any other glass bowl that you had just removed from the oven, that is with protective gloves and being very careful.

What’s included

Unlike the AirFryer the BIG BOSS comes with everything you need out of the box, no additional accessories necessary for any kind of recipe.

Here is a detailed list of everything you’ll find in the BIG BOSS box.

• Base
• 16-quart glass cooking unit
• 1300-watt heating unit with timer
• 2 wire racks
• Mesh rack
• Tongs
• Extender ring
• Oil sprayer bottle
• User manual
• Recipe book

Conclusion

At the end of the day the BIG BOSS seems to be the only one able to compete with the powerful Airfry and Actifry.

It’s unique glass design will make it look great on your kitchen, especially if you plan on keeping it on your counter top permanently, as opposed to putting it away after every use. It also helps to make it look less “massive” which can be a plus in small kitchens.

It’s huge lead versus its competitors in cooking capacity is also something that we believe makes the BIG BOSS the third main player in this field, as families or even couples who like large portions might find neither the AirFryer or Actifry meet their cooking needs and the BIG BOSS is the only option that makes sense for them.

For all these reasons we believe the BIG BOSS is a great appliance overall, reasonably prized and very versatile.