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Tower Xpress Pro T17039 Vortx 5-in-1 Digital Air Fryer Oven review 2022
This affordable air fryer oven will roast a whole chicken on its spit. It’s got plenty of space inside and you can see your food cooking. But food may not cook evenly on each tray.
- Easy to use with large capacity
- Food can get stuck to the mesh trays
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- £95.99 at Currys
Details
| Price | £95.99 |
|---|---|
| Capacity (litres) | 11 |
| Functions | 5 |
| Functions include | Air fry, Grill, Roast, Bake, Dehydrate, Rotisserie |
| Cooking zones | 1 |
| Cooking tiers | 3 |
| Timer | Digital |
| Dishwasher-safe parts | |
| Transparency | |
| Rotating basket | |
| Convenience | ★★★★★ |
| Capacity and size | ★★★★★ |
| Stated functions | ★★★★★ |
| Overall Finder score | ★★★★★ |
What can you cook in a Tower Xpress Pro T17039 Vortx 5-in-1 Digital Air Fryer Oven?
More than just chips. It’s got an extensive 73-page recipe guide, covering ham hock calzones to lemon drizzle cake. It’s one of the clearest and informative we’ve seen, on a par with Ninja’s guides. It features all sorts of meals from chicken, meat, fish, vegan, pizza, desserts and cakes, to healthy snacks made via its dehydration function. With 11 litres of capacity, the Tower’s 3 racks can take chips, chicken and veg for a complete meal.
This Tower can roast a 1.2kg chicken with the rotisserie function, no problem. But avoid buying a huge chicken as it can brush against the top and bottom of the device. It’ll hold a 7-inch cake tin.
Unlike basket air fryers, this beast can handle curries and stews. It’s got a Thai fish curry to try in its recipe guide. Of course, Ninja Foodis like the OP350UK or OP450UK are heavyweights in the saucy meals category, but they’re designed to be multi-cookers and are a bit more pricey.
This model won’t slow cook meat or pressure cook rice, though; it’s best to go for a multi-cooking Ninja or Instant air fryer for these functions.
How big is the Tower Xpress Pro T17039 Vortx 5-in-1 Digital Air Fryer Oven?
This Tower isn’t too tall at 35cm, and at 34cm deep it’ll fit well on a standard counter. It’s wider than its brother, the Tower 10-in-1, but shorter.
What’s surprising about this 5-in-1 model is that it weighs a lot in comparison to the 10-in-1. It’s 10kg compared to 5.8kg, despite having the same capacity and fewer functions. This is one of the heaviest air fryers we’ve reviewed, with the Ninja Foodi multicookers taking top spots.
Is the Tower Xpress Pro T17039 Vortx 5-in-1 Digital Air Fryer Oven convenient to use?
Tray air fryers like this Tower circulate hot air throughout their cooking compartment, with the aim of cooking all food evenly inside. If you’re cooking a lot of food on 3 trays, however, you’ll need to switch them around during cooking for even coverage. When we cooked chips on all three tiers, the ones at the bottom were undercooked compared to the ones at the top. With the rotisserie chicken, however, no turning is needed.
The mesh trays do get sticky and while they’re dishwasher safe, the company recommends cleaning these trays by hand as over time they can spoil.
Aside from these niggles, the T17039 model is convenient. The 8 presets are simple to navigate, as are the increments for time and temperature. The bake and roast functions aren’t visible but that shouldn’t be an issue if you know the temperature you need.
The viewing window and controllable light make this air fryer stand out. The door can be removed for easy cleaning, too. Preheating the machine isn’t necessary, either.
Comparable air fryer ovens worth considering are the Innoteck Kitchen Pro or Tower’s own 10-in-1 T17076.
Tower Xpress Pro T17039 Vortx 5-in-1 Digital Air Fryer Oven customer reviews
Most reviews for this Tower come from Amazon customers, and are predominantly positive. Many love the rotisserie and the machine’s ability to cook more than one food at a time. Some prefer the rack style concept to basket models, on the premise they’re easier to clean.
Not everything is rosy, though. Some felt disappointed that their dishes were unevenly cooked or said they had to constantly experiment with different cooking times and temperatures.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Good capacity
- Multiple cooking options
- Transparent removable door
- Rotisserie included
- Relatively cheap
Cons
- Mesh racks can be tricky to clean
- Have to switch racks for the most even cooking
Our verdict: Is Tower Xpress Pro T17039 Vortx 5-in-1 Digital Air Fryer Oven any good?
This Tower earned a “Finder Recommended” accolade because it’s our top pick for those on a budget. We love this air fryer oven for a few reasons. It’s good for a family of 4 and can be your Sunday roast hack. It’ll take a lot of food which you can see browning inside through the transparent window. The tray system has its flaws – cooking it a little uneven – but this isn’t a problem if you don’t have lots of food on each tray.
If you’re prepared to spend a bit more, the T17076 10-in-1 is a step up: you get a host of accessories including the kebab wheel and pizza/chargrill tray. But, if you don’t need all these extras, this budget baby will do just fine.
Frequently asked questions
Finder air fryers scores
★★★★★ — Excellent
★★★★★ — Good
★★★★★ — Average
★★★★★ — Subpar
★★★★★ — Poor
We rate air fryers based on the aspects that matter to you. We explain what goes into our scores in our guide to ratings.
What does "Finder Recommended" mean?
When we flag a product as "Finder Recommended", that means it's a top pick in a specific category, such as "Best for value". All these products also scored well in general when we evaluated them against similar products.
Review by
Reemul Balla
reemul.balla@finder.comReemul is a writer at Finder, specialising in product reviews and news. He's a qualified journalist having worked at local papers in the UK covering breaking news, food and restaurant reviews. He has an MA in Film from UCL and a BA in History and French from Durham University.
Expert review
The Tower 5-in-1 is a budget air fryer that’ll do more than regular basket models. The standard air fry, bake and roast combo is no surprise, but the dehydrate and rotisserie functions are a welcome bonus.
The rotisserie spit can take a 1.2kg chicken and whip it into a meal in an hour, while the 3 tiers are great for cooking different foods at the same time. Switching the racks around during cooking will ensure you get even coverage.
This model has a viewing window, and its size won’t dominate your kitchen.
An issue with the mesh trays is that food can cling to them, but the parts are dishwasher-safe, and the door can be removed for an easy wipe-down.
But if you’ve got a few more quid spare, the newer Tower T17076 10-in-1 could be the way to go,; with its extra accessories it can take on more functions.
