COSORI Pro II Air Fryer Review: 4 Months of Keto Cooking

I never expected to become an air fryer evangelist. For two years, I dismissed them as overhyped convection ovens with a trendy name. Then my wife bought me the COSORI Pro II 5.8QT for my birthday, and within a week, I’d cooked more keto meals than I had in the previous month. Four months later, this thing hasn’t left my countertop, and my oven is collecting dust.

Here’s the honest truth after hundreds of keto meals: the COSORI Pro II isn’t perfect, but it’s the best $100 I’ve spent on kitchen equipment in years. Let me walk you through what it does exceptionally well, where it falls short, and the specific keto techniques that make it worth the counter space.

First impressions and setup

Out of the box, the COSORI Pro II feels like a premium appliance. The matte black finish, the digital touchscreen, the heft of the square basket — it all screams “I cost more than $100” even though it doesn’t. The basket has a nonstick coating that’s held up beautifully after four months of daily use, and the square design genuinely provides more usable space than round baskets I’ve used at friends’ houses.

Setup took about five minutes. Wash the basket, run it empty at 400°F for 10 minutes to burn off manufacturing residues (it smelled a little weird on that first cycle, which is normal), and you’re ready to cook. The included recipe booklet has 30 recipes, none of which are keto-specific, so I immediately started experimenting on my own.

The keto foods I tested most

Chicken wings — the ultimate test

If there’s one food that proves an air fryer’s worth for keto, it’s chicken wings. I’ve made wings probably 60 times in four months, and the COSORI has become my go-to method over deep frying, oven baking, and grilling.

My process: pat 12 wings completely dry with paper towels, toss with 1 tablespoon of baking powder (this is the secret to extra-crispy skin — it raises the pH and promotes browning), salt, and pepper. Arrange in a single layer in the square basket. Cook at 380°F for 22 minutes, shaking when the reminder beep sounds at the halfway point. Finish at 400°F for 3-4 minutes for final crispiness.

The results are consistently better than any restaurant wings I’ve had. The skin shatters when you bite it, the meat is juicy, and there’s no greasy residue. The shake reminder is genuinely useful here — I used to forget to shake on my old air fryer, which meant unevenly cooked wings with burnt spots.

Bacon without the smoke alarm

Bacon is where most air fryers fail catastrophically on keto. The rendered fat drips onto the heating element, creates acrid smoke, and sends you scrambling for windows. I learned this the hard way on my second day with the COSORI.

With the water trick, I cook 6 strips of thick-cut bacon at 350°F for 8-10 minutes. The strips come out perfectly crispy with no smoke, no splatter, and no greasy stovetop to clean. The rendered fat pools in the water below, and I pour it into a jar for cooking vegetables later. Zero waste, zero mess.

Salmon with crispy skin

Salmon was a revelation. I’d struggled for years to get crispy skin on salmon in a pan — it always stuck, tore, or cooked unevenly. In the COSORI, it’s foolproof.

Pat the skin bone-dry, brush with a little avocado oil, season with salt and pepper. Place skin-side down in the basket. Cook at 400°F for 10-12 minutes depending on thickness. The skin gets shatteringly crispy while the flesh stays moist and flaky. I cook 2-3 fillets at once with no overlap, which is enough for dinner plus leftovers for lunch.

The high temperature capability (up to 400°F) is what makes this work. Cheaper air fryers that max out at 380°F don’t achieve the same skin crispiness. That 20-degree difference is the line between crispy and soggy salmon skin.

Pork belly bites

Pork belly is keto heaven, and the COSORI handles it beautifully. Cut into 1-inch cubes, season with salt and five-spice powder, cook at 375°F for 18-20 minutes, shaking twice. The exterior gets caramelized and crispy while the interior stays tender and fatty. These have become my favorite keto snack — I make a batch every Sunday for the week.

The presets — useful or gimmicky?

The COSORI Pro II has 11 one-touch presets: Steak, Chicken, Seafood, Shrimp, Bacon, Frozen Foods, French Fries, Baking, Roasting, Vegetables, and Preheat. After four months, I use maybe three of them regularly.

The Steak preset (400°F) is my go-to for salmon. The Chicken preset (375°F) works well for wings, though I bump it to 380°F manually. The Bacon preset (350°F) is accurate but I always add the water trick first.

The rest? I’ve tried them all, but I always end up adjusting manually. The presets are nice for beginners who don’t want to think, but once you’ve cooked a food a dozen times, you’ll have your own preferred temperatures dialed in. They’re training wheels — useful at first, eventually unnecessary.

What I love after 4 months

The square basket is a excellent pick. Round baskets waste corner space. The COSORI’s square design fits more food in the same footprint, and rectangular items (like salmon fillets or bacon strips) lay flat instead of curving up the sides.

Cleanup is genuinely easy. The nonstick basket wipes clean with a sponge and warm soapy water in about 30 seconds. I’ve never needed to soak it. After four months of daily use, the coating shows zero signs of wear.

The shake reminder changed my cooking. I used to set phone timers to remind myself to shake food. The COSORI’s built-in beep at the halfway point is simple but brilliant. It’s prevented countless batches of unevenly cooked wings and vegetables.

Temperature consistency is excellent. I tested with an oven thermometer and the COSORI holds within 5 degrees of the set temperature across the entire cooking cycle. My old air fryer swung 20-30 degrees, which meant unpredictable results.

What drives me crazy

The footprint is substantial. This isn’t a compact appliance. It takes up about the same counter space as a stand mixer. If you have a small kitchen, measure your counter before buying.

The digital controls are finicky with greasy fingers. The touchscreen doesn’t respond well when your hands are oily from handling food. I keep a dish towel nearby to wipe my fingers before adjusting settings mid-cook.

The beep is loud and there’s no way to lower the volume. At 6 AM, when the shake reminder goes off for my bacon, it sounds like a smoke detector. My wife has opinions about this.

No window to check food without opening. You have to pull the basket out to check progress, which drops the internal temperature. A viewing window would eliminate this issue.

My verdict after 4 months

The COSORI Pro II 5.8QT is the best air fryer I’ve used for keto cooking, and I’ve cooked on five different models at various friends’ and family members’ houses. The square basket, temperature consistency, and shake reminder are features that actually matter for daily keto meal prep. The presets are nice for beginners but you’ll outgrow them quickly.

At $100-120, it hits the sweet spot between budget models that smoke with high-fat foods and premium models that cost $200+ for features you don’t need. For anyone eating keto who wants to simplify their cooking routine, this is a no-brainer purchase.

Rating: 4.7/5 stars

I’d buy it again in a heartbeat. The only reason it’s not 5 stars is the loud beep and lack of a viewing window — minor issues that don’t affect cooking performance but would make the experience perfect.

Frequently asked questions

Can you cook a whole chicken in the COSORI Pro II? Yes, up to about 4 pounds. I’ve done it twice — rub with butter and seasonings, cook at 360°F for 50-60 minutes, breast-side down for the first 30 minutes then flip. Comes out golden and juicy.

Is the basket dishwasher safe? Technically yes, but I hand wash mine. The nonstick coating is so effective that 30 seconds with a sponge is faster than waiting for a dishwasher cycle.

How much power does it draw? 1700 watts. It’ll trip a circuit if you run it on the same outlet as a microwave or toaster. I dedicated a circuit for it.

Does it work for dehydrating keto snacks? Yes, the temperature goes down to 170°F. I’ve dehydrated beef jerky and kale chips successfully. It takes 4-6 hours at 170°F for jerky.

Can you use aluminum foil in the basket? Yes, but don’t block the airflow holes. I line the bottom (below the crisper plate) for messy foods like pork belly, which makes cleanup even easier.