Air fryers can reduce cooking times compared to an over, yet produce a healthier meal than traditional oil frying. But while most air fryers get the job done, they don’t offer modern features like app control, a recipe database, and wireless connectivity.

The new Kyvol Epichef AF600 eliminates some of those limitations. Kyvol’s latest air fryer has built-in 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, an extensive recipe database, both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa support, and it offers an iOS and Android app. But is it any good? We’re going to help you figure that out in this product review.

We've also got one Kyvol AF600 to give away to a lucky reader—you'll find the entry widget at the end of this review from now until the competition closes! Good luck, and be sure to watch the review video for some bonus entries.

The Kyvol AF600 Solves Some Common Air Fryer Issues

There are two main problems plaguing air fryers today: size and ease of cleaning. For the first, many air fryers on the market are hulking behemoths that could double as thrown weapons in the event of a break-in. While many aren’t heavy, most air fryers are bulky, which means you can forget about tucking them away in a cabinet. That also means if you’re buying one of these devices, you’ll have to commit to the fryer being on display atop your kitchen counter.

As for ease of cleanup, the most popular design of air fryer baskets consists of an outer “shell” containing a thin metal inner portion drilled out with numerous holes. If you’ve ever seen a fast-food fryer, this two-in-one design will seem familiar.

The problem here is that having these two components means you’ll have to clean two parts of the unit instead of one. It also means that when you do try and clean your fryer, some nooks and crannies won’t get completely clean. That’s pretty gross.

The Epichef AF600 by Kyvol solves both of these problems, plus it adds a few additional common-sense features that make the entire air frying experience much more user-friendly. The Kyvol measures 302 (w) x 356 (d) x 328 (h) mm (11.9 x 14.0 x 12.9 inches), which means that you can store it in a cabinet alongside other items when you’re not using it. It’s also only around 5.3 kg or roughly 11.7 lbs, which means it's light enough to move around easily.

As for cleanup, Kyvol has solved this problem by adding a removable non-stick tray inside of the fryer basket instead of the pop-out dual fryer design. This feature gives the user the ability to take out the tray and wipe it down entirely. If that’s not enough, you can toss the entire basket and tray into the dishwasher for an even deeper clean.

If you’ve ever had to remove stuck-on food residue by hand and felt that things weren’t properly sterilized, then you’ll appreciate this feature. The AF600 also has a ceramic non-stick coating on all of the internal cooking surfaces. This surface makes quickly wiping down the basket and the tray relatively effortless.

In addition to those features, the Epichef AF600 also has a window that lets you see your food while it cooks so you can ensure things don't burn. To us, this is much easier than trying to open the basket every few minutes to observe.

The Kyvol unit also has thermal protection, so if the temp of the basket gets hotter than 428F, the unit will automatically shut off, which means the unit won’t start any fires. Temp range on the AF600 is between 100F - 400F, and you can adjust the unit in 5-degree increments with the knob on the front.

Overall, the AF600 unit is pretty small, but the 6-quart basket still holds around 3.5lbs of French fries. The basket also will accommodate a small chicken and roughly four hamburger patties depending on their size.

During testing, we cooked a couple of Impossible burgers and fit a 2lb pork tenderloin in the unit. Both of these items fried up nicely, and the pork tenderloin was unbelievably juicy. If you’d like to go further than juicy meat and crispy potatoes, Kyvol also offers an app for the AF600 that includes over 100 recipes.

Technical Specifications

• Dimensions: 302 mm x 356 mm x 328 mm (11.9 x 14.0 x 12.9 inches)
• Capacity: 6.0qt / 5.7L
• Rated Power: 1350W
• Net Weight: 5.3kg/11.7lb
• Connectivity: 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, Bluetooth

Interface and Design

On the face of the unit, there are 16 touch-screen buttons. They’re backlit, easy to see, and Kyvol states you can even operate these buttons with wet hands. Of those 16 buttons, 12 presets are for things like veggies, chicken, toast, seafood, beef, and French “chips.”

There’s also a button for custom recipes and a button for the dehydrator function, which is excellent for jerky enthusiasts. The other four buttons are dedicated to time, temperature, power, and Wi-Fi. Additionally, there is a shiny silver control knob on the face for adjusting temperature and time values. Pressing the center of the knob starts and stops the unit.

The Epichef AF600: What’s in the Box?

Included with the Kyvol AF600, you’ll get:

• The fryer unit
• The non-stick cooking plate
• The owner’s manual

Cooking in the Epichef AF600 Air Fryer

To use the AF600, you’ll pop the cooking plate into the basket and preheat the unit for about 5 minutes. Then add your food of choice and adjust time and temperature. From there, you hit the start button and let the fryer do the rest of the work.

You don’t need to add any dishes, or parchment paper, or anything of that nature. Just put your food directly on the internal tray, and you’ll get great results. The fryer utilizes Kyvol’s 360-degree cooking, allowing hot air from the fryer to circulate inside the basket and reach every part of your food for even browning.

Each time you turn the knob to adjust temperature or time before starting operation, you’ll get an audible beep, so you'll know when a setting is changing. And when the unit is powered on and powered off, you'll also get an audible tone. This tone was loud enough to hear it in the kitchen while sitting on the couch in my living room.

The AF600 also offers an app for iOS and Android that allows you to control the unit from your smartphone. You can preheat, set times, and get notifications when cooking is complete. Additionally, the app supports both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. So, if you want to turn your air fryer on and off with voice control, you can do so.

Like most Wi-Fi-enabled devices, the AF600 will require a bit of setup, and it uses your home Wi-Fi network. You’ll hold down the Wi-Fi button until it blinks and then finish the connection within the app. You’ll also need to enable Bluetooth and Location Services—though I’m not sure why the latter is necessary.

Once set up, the app also allows you to browse an enormous recipe database, and you can even view culinary history if you want to examine the settings for the last few meals you’ve cooked.

Download: Kyvol for iOS | Android (Free)

Kyvol App and Recipes

The Kyvol app is available for both iOS and Android platforms, and it allows the user to preheat, set times and temperatures, and browse over 100 recipes in the Kyvol database. These recipes range from basic French fry variations to more complex dishes like Chicken Empanadas and Mediterranean Lamb Meatball Salad.

Users can also set every recipe in the database as the “quick recipe.” This designation corresponds to the custom “Recipes” button on the AF600. These recipes are easy to follow and include all of the step-by-step instructions necessary to get great results—all just using the air fryer.

Most recipes take less than an hour, and many can be completed in as little as ten minutes. That means you don’t have to struggle with figuring out what to cook or settle for only prepackaged fried foods. The recipe database is another layer of cooking, and it’s a delicious addition to the Kyvol AF600 unit.

As for the app, functions are easy to find, and Kyvol has laid everything out in a logical, easy-to-navigate order. Setting up Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on the AF600 is also simple, though it took us a few tries after the first unboxing. Once you connect the unit to the app, you can control it from any place with an internet connection.

That means if you want to preheat the unit on your way home from work, or if you’d like to help your kids cook an afternoon snack while you’re out in the garden, then you can do so—all from your phone. Overall, the app feels like a welcome addition to an already well-designed air-fryer rather than a gimmicky add-on.

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How Does the Food Taste?

Fantastic. Everything we cooked in the unit was satisfyingly crispy on the outside and pillowy soft on the inside. Tater tots, toast, fries, taquitos, chicken nuggets, all of it had similar consistency with no burned bottoms or undercooked spots. Previous food odors also didn’t linger once everything had cooled, save for the Impossible burgers, which we solved with a quick wipe down.

Fries out of this unit were mind-blowing at the default setting. We used a 1.75lb bag, and they came out better than fries from the local drive-thru. While I don’t know if I would put 3.5 lbs of fries in the unit all at once, the basket did look as though it would fit that amount without any issue. Like many other units, halfway through cooking, the AF600 reminded me it was time to shake the basket via an audible tone.

The Impossible burgers were also decent and cooked in 12 minutes from frozen, with only a single flip at the six-minute mark. Were they as good as putting the burgers on the grill? That’s debatable, but they were much easier to cook in the AF600.

We also tested the performance of the AF600 when plugged into a portable power supply. While running, the Kyvol pulls about 1350 watts, so it does use a significant amount of power. Though, for short bouts in your RV or at a tailgate, the AF600 is a wonderful alternative to something like a toaster oven.

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Repairability and Warranty

The Kyvol Epichef AF600 air fryer has no user-serviceable components. It’s not designed to be taken apart, and if the unit breaks, you should contact Kyvol for repair. As for warranty information, the AF600 comes with an 18-month warranty against manufacturer defects, which users can upgrade to 24-months upon registration. Twenty-four months is pretty standard for a fryer like this, and we’re confident that the AF600 will last much longer with proper care.

What We Love About the Kyvol AF600 Air Fryer

The generous basket, easy cleanup, and small size of the unit are all top-notch features. The small footprint seems much easier to manage than a lot of the larger units out there. It’s also easy to stow for those who like to keep their counters free of clutter.

On the other hand, if you wanted to keep it on the counter, it is a very handsome unit. It doesn’t look or feel cheap, and the outer surfaces don’t pick up many fingerprints.

The removable basket and insert elements are superior to the traditional pop-out basket of other air fryers. The removable tray also means you won’t damage your kitchen sponge during cleanup. And if hand-washing isn’t your thing, then the dishwasher-safe components make cleaning the unit even more manageable.

The large window is also a boon. Seeing your food as it cooks can prevent burned items, and it can allow you to determine when your items reach a mouth-watering, golden-brown.

Common sense usually fuels good design, and all of these features indicate that Kyvol considered the end-user when creating this product. Other air fryer manufacturers should probably take note.

Finally, the app and smart assistant integration are fantastic, though there is limited functionality. I think of this as a bonus feature rather than a standout. It’s neat but not necessary for most cases. There are also only a limited amount of commands you can use at this time. However, that may change with future updates.

You can’t, for example, say, “Alexa preheat the air fryer.” You can say things like “Alexa, turn on the air fryer” or “Alexa, turn off the air fryer,” which, despite being basic, I think could be helpful in certain situations.

What Could Be Improved?

There isn’t much I don’t like about this air fryer, but there are two things that I think might warrant some thought if you’re considering this unit. First, the 6-quart basket isn’t the largest out there. That won’t be an issue for some, but larger families might need something with a bit bigger basket. This unit is seems designed with between two to four-person meals in mind.

Additionally, when hand-washing the basket, some water became trapped behind the unit’s window and stayed there until we preheated the fryer. While water behind the window isn’t a significant issue, there is the question of other liquids and bacteria occupying that space. With no easy way to clean the internal surface of the window, this might be a bit concerning to some.

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Our Verdict: Should You Buy the Kyvol AF600?

Other than the two tiny issues we discussed, overall, The AF600 by Kyvol air fryer is a home run. For anyone looking to get that crispy fried taste that everyone loves, without all of the extra grease, then the Kyvol unit will do the trick nicely.

It’s easy to clean, it works well, and the food coming out of it tastes delicious. And having extras like app control makes the unit all the more useful. For campers and those without access to a full-sized oven, this unit would be a wonderful addition. It’s also ideal for the smaller kitchens found in RVs and dorm rooms.

From our perspective, the Kyvol Epichef AF600 air fryer is a winner with a great feature set and a fantastic execution. It’s an excellent choice for most people, and we feel that if you choose this air fryer, you’ll be just as impressed as we are.