Photo: Secura
What We Like
- Great value for money
- Decent 4.2-quart capacity
- Comes with handy accessories
- A timer with automatic shutoff
- Dishwasher safe basket and pan
What We Don’t Like
- No cooking presets
- Controls are not very intuitive
Bottom Line
A reasonable pricing, spacious cooking basket, and some value-packed accessories make this air fryer very versatile for making healthy family meals.
Introduction
Not many pocket-friendly air fryers offer a cooking capacity that comes close to the 4.2 quarts that Secura TXG-DS15 gives you. It is enough space to make full-family meals in a fast and healthy way.
Beyond capacity, the air fryer comes with some value-packed accessories including a toaster rack and skewers, which enhance your grilling experience. And when done cooking, cleaning the unit is trouble-free.
Secura TXG-DS15 Review
Photo: Secura
Cooking Performance: Great Capacity and Efficiency
The air fryer’s 4.2-quart (4-liter) capacity is one of its major performance highlights, given its size and pricing. It is significantly larger than what most air fryers in this category offer.
With such space comes enhanced cooking flexibility and confidence in the unit’s ability to prepare healthy snacks and even main family dishes, especially because the entire process is guaranteed to be fast and, and to yield healthy outcomes.
To ensure food is prepared fast and with the least oil consumption, the air fryer relies on a combination of hot air, a high-speed air circulation system, and the top grill to engulf your food with heat and for quick and even cooking.
You control the appliance using two manual dials, one for temperature adjustment and the other to control time settings. While the manual controls are certainly straightforward to use, they are not the most intuitive or robust, especially if you have interacted with the digital controls in other models.
Even though this model does not offer cooking presets to simplify the cooking process further, there are clear illustrations around the temperature controls to indicate the most common foods cooked, their recommended temperatures and time ranges, for guidance purposes.
Design: Minimalist and Space-Saving
The TXG-DS15’s design does not scream sophistication and that’s a good thing because you spend less time trying to figure out how the controls work and more time engaged in the actual cooking.
It adopts a minimalist design with only 2 control knobs and 2 LED indicators at the top. This design minimizes the appliance’s signature making it a compact and space-saving unit that will not invade your precious counter space.
The hardened plastic construction makes the air fryer significantly strong and helps keep its weight at the minimum so that it is not overly bulky as some models are, even when their capacities are lower than that of the TXG-DS15.
Temperature Control: Simple and Effective
Controlling the TXG-DS15’s cooking temperature is a process that has been significantly simplified so that there’s a low margin for error and no time wastage when cooking.
One single dial on the air fryer’s front allows you to choose cooking temperatures in the wide range of 180℉ to 390℉, and within it, you can prepare very many of your favorite foods including fries, steak, baked chicken, cakes, other meats, and even vegetables.
Complementing the temperature control is a single dial for time adjustment. The best cooking outcomes require the most optimal temperature and time combination. And the inclusion of a time controller makes this possible.
Note, however, that there are no number interval markings between individual time setting (e.g. between 10 and 20). So, if you want to select 22 minutes, the process may not always be as fast as you’d want it to be.
Sometimes, when you’re probably tired and don’t want to spend too much time on the cooking process, there’s a 60-minute adjustable time that you can set, and its automatic shutoff feature turns off the fryer when done, freeing you from this responsibility.
Ease of Cleaning: Fast and Simple
Although cleaning food-handling appliances has always been a dreaded process, you’ll be pleased to know that it is relatively painless in the TXG-DS15 because some components are dishwasher safe and the unit doesn’t smudge easily.
There are 2 simple cleaning options in the air fryer’s basket and pan. You can clean both either with warm soapy water and a non-abrasive sponge, or toss them in the top rack of your dishwasher, and it should get the job done.
The non-abrasive sponge is for preventing scratching of the components’ nonstick surface. But sometimes food may get stuck to both components (pan or basket). If this happens, simply add some hot soapy water in the pan, put the basket into the pan, and let them soak for a few minutes.
Remember that the heating element may come into contact with food residue. To clean it, use a gentle brush. Also, cleaning your air fryer after every use ensures you get the best out of it for every meal cooked.
Accessories: Multiple and Value-Packed
Unlike most air fryers which offer only the standard features such as baskets and pans that support the common meals you’ll likely be cooking, the TXG-DS15 steps its accessory offer a notch higher.
The air fryer comes as a package that contains some great accessories, including multiple skewers and a BBQ rack, alongside a nonstick basket and drip baking pan. The rack is especially great for toasting some of your favorite meats to give them a char-grilled barbecue flavor.
You will find the skewers especially handy when grilling small meat pieces or broiling vegetables. They support the easy turning of the foods for even cooking. Also, you can serve some foods such as appetizers, in a classy way, on these skewers.
Then there’s the recipe book that has proven valuable when you want to get some food recipes right. Also, it will help to get started on meals fast by having the ingredients ready and cooking without much stress.
Our Shortlist: Air Fryer Accessories
Price: A Bargain for the Value Offered
For the value that the TXG-DS15 offers, its price tag of a little over $50 is a great bargain for anyone looking to score a solid air fryer. Not only is this unit more spacious than even some pricier models, but it also comes with accessories you typically won’t get in most air fryer models.
With the decent 4.2-quart capacity, you can grill, bake, fry, and do so much more with a significant amount of food per cooking batch. You can switch to the BBQ rack when you want to prepare your favorite meats.
Secura does, however, offer some other models that rival the TXG-DS15. One of its competitors is the GLA-717, which is slightly more powerful and offers a larger 5.5-quart capacity. This model offers a bonus food divider for separating some of your foods as it cooks. This air fryer is, however, notably pricier than the TXG-DS15.
And then there’s the Secura TXG-DS12A, which is priced almost the same as the TXG-DS15 but offers a lower 3.4-quart capacity. With the other specs being pretty much the same, it’s clear there is more value to gain from choosing the TXG-DS15.
Verdict
A pocket-friendly but value-packed air fryer offering superior cooking versatility that’s supported by a large capacity, and handy accessories.
The Secura TXG-DS15 proves to be a robuts air fryer with its 4.2-quart capacity for family meal preparations. The skewers and toaster rack are always ready to transform the cooking process, especially when grilling.
Specs
- Product Name: Secura TXG-DS15
- Product Brand: Secura
- Product Dimensions: 15 x 13 x 14 inches
- Power: 120 volts, 1500 watts
- Basket Dimensions: 8.14 x 7.71 x 3.62 inches
- Basket Capacity: 4.2 quarts (4.0 liters)
- Heat Capacity: 180℉ – 390℉
- Material(s): Plastic, Nonstick
- Warranty: 2 years
- Product Weight: 10.3 pounds
Key Features
- A high-performance 1500-watt hot air circulation system
- The large 4.2-quart capacity supports cooking main family dishes
- The efficient “Hot Air Cooking” method uses less oil for healthy meals
- Wide 180℉ – 390℉ temperature range for enhanced cooking control and versatility
- A 60-minute timer with automatic shutoff for added cooking flexibility
- A toaster rack and skewer accessories offer added grilling versatility