Hey! Welcome to yet another air fryer review! I’ve tried and owned a bunch of air fryers over the years and I believe most models have at least one feature or unique detail that I like. I might just combine the best features and create a super-fryer.
In this article, I’ll talk about what I liked and what I didn’t like about the Sarki XL. Hopefully, this information will tell you if this air fryer is suitable for your needs.
The Pros & Cons of the Sarki XL Air Fryer
Let’s start by looking at the pros of the Sarki 12.4QT.
- Sarki’s Extra Large Capacity: The Sarki is a mind-blowing 12.4QT monster capable of housing a whole chicken with no trouble. Most regular air fryers are suitable for families of 2-4 but the Sarki is large enough to cook for more than 6, which is quite impressive. The accompanying frying pan can hold as much as 6.3QT.
- The Accessories: The Sarki comes with 5 accessories, these accessories make it possible for the user to cook a wide variety of foods with ease. The QuickClean accessories are removable and easy to clean – ensuring that they are kept in good condition for a long time.
- 1* Frying pan with stirring blade (6.3Qt) (9.3*9.3*3.9 inches)
- 1* Pizza pan (9.3*9.3 inches)
- 1* Grille rack (9.3*9.3 inches)
- 1* Chicken roaster rack(6.3*6.3*3.5 inches)
- 1* Cooking glove
- Programmed Features: Each one of the 12 buttons on the Sarki is assigned to a cooking program made for specific foods. Pushing one of these buttons will automatically set the optimal time and temperature for the ingredient. This makes the Sarki simple to operate.
- The Digital LED Screen: The Sarki comes with a generous touchscreen with a digital countdown timer. Once the air fryer has finished cooking, the countdown timer will trigger a buzzer and shut the appliance off. The screen is easy to maneuver. Using the touchscreen, the user can set time to 1-60 minutes and temperature to 140°F – 400°F.
- Automatic Stirring Paddle: An impressive feature quite unique to the Sarki XL is the automatic stirring paddle that ensures an even cook by stirring the basket’s contents throughout the cook. Because air fryers cook by circulating hot air, it is important that ingredients are exposed to the blasts of hot air from every angle, otherwise, they may come out undercooked.
- Easy To Clean: All parts of this air fryer are dishwasher-safe except for the unit itself. Removing the accessories and placing them in the dishwasher makes cleanup a breeze. The appliance itself can be cleaned by using a damp cloth and a little bit of soap.
- It’s Versatile: Because the Sarki XL is large and comes with a plethora of accessories, it can be used to cook all types of food. I have successfully cooked and enjoyed pizzas, french fries, steaks, chicken breasts, whole chicken, chicken wings, vegetables, burgers, lasagna, and much more. Everything cooked in the air fryer has been crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
- How Its Rated: The Sarki XL has received positive feedback both online and offline. On Amazon, the air fryer has 3.8 out of 5 stars.
- Warranty: The Sarki XL is covered by a 12-month warranty. If anything should happen to your beloved air fryer during this 12-month period, the company will replace your unit with a brand new one.
Now that we’ve highlighted some of the features I liked the most, let’s focus on the things I liked the least with the Sarki XL. Transparency is the key to a good purchase, isn’t it?
- Can Be Difficult To Store: As we know by now, the Sarki is a rather large air fryer coming in at 12.4QT. The appliance measures 11.8*13.7*15.6″ and can, therefore, be troublesome to store.
- Misleading Size: While the air fryer can hold 12.4QT, the frying pan can only hold 6.3QT which makes the extra space harder to use. While most ingredients fit inside the air fryer, the pan may be too small to hold them. I haven’t tried anything that hasn’t worked yet but I’ve had to make adjustments for extra large ingredients.
- Customer Support: It took more than a couple of days before customer support sent a response to my e-mail. When we got in contact, the service provided by the company was good.
- Coating Can Flake: This is true for most air fryers and depends on how you handle the appliance. After about 8 months, I started to notice that my frying pan had started to flake a little. With a proper cleaning routine and careful handling of the product, I would’ve hoped to see it last for at least 12 months.
What Other Features Does the Sarki XL Come With?
- Double-heat elements: It comes with equipped with double-heat elements for rapid cooking.
- Large window: The screen door has a large double-glass window which makes it possible for the user to supervise the food while it cooks. Many air fryers are enclosed and have to be opened in order for the user to check on the food. The window was a nice feature that I liked.
- Can hold more than one accessory: The Sarki is large enough to hold the frying pan and, say, the grill rack at the same time. This is very convenient when you’re cooking two different foods at the same time. I’ve used it for burgers and fries, chicken and vegetables, and much more.
- Drip tray: When cooking foods that drip, the frying pan can be placed under the grill rack to collect the sauce.
Product Specification
- Product Dimension: 13.7 x 11.8 x 15.6 inches
- Product Weight: 16.5 pounds
- User Interface: Digital
- Timer: Up to 60 minutes
- Nano Ceramic Filter: Yes
- Wattage: 1700W / 110V
- Noise-levels: The Sarki isn’t very loud, in fact, it makes less noise than many other air fryers I’ve tried over the years.
Cooking With the Sarki XL
I’ve used the air fryer regularly for a long time and I’ve tried cooking a bunch of different things. Because I’m familiar with air fryers, the learning curve has been non-existent, and even though the Sarki is surprisingly easy to operate, new users should still try to follow guidelines provided by either the instruction manual, the presets or recipes found online. At least one or two times just to get the hang of the appliance.
Everything I’ve cooked so far has turned out great, maybe not the first time, but with a little bit of tweaking, I’ve been able to cook french fries, pizzas, vegetables, snacks, cupcakes, steaks, kabobs, cookies, and more. The chicken wings I’ve made in this air fryer have been perfect, crispy on the surface and juicy on the inside.
Let’s not forget the french fries. After all, they are probably one of the most common reasons why people actually purchase an air fryer.
In the Sarki XL, I was able to crisp up beautiful french fries using both sweet potato and regular potato. I was able to cook a large batch of french fries in one session – remember to shake the basket halfway through to ensure that the fries are cooked from every angle. I prefer to not use the stirring blade for french fries as they either break or turn mushy.
The pre-programmed buttons are great and can be used for 12 different types of cooking. I recommend that you start there.
How Does It Perform?
I’m pleased with the results. By circulating hot air, the air fryer is capable of reducing the fat content in food by up to 70% and still produce a crisp similar to that of a deep fryer. The reaction that takes place inside the air fryer (The Maillard Reaction) creates a beautiful brown surface and gives the food a taste unique to the air fryer.
It’s also very easy to clean the appliance and its accessories when finished cooking.
Sarki XL F.A.Q
- Can the Sarki XL Dehydrate?
- This particular model cannot dehydrate, however, the company has produced a similar model to this one that comes with a dehydration function and 7 accessories. Check it out on Amazon.
- Can you change temperature settings from Fahrenheit?
- The model I’m using does not support such change. I can’t tell you if the company has implemented that function yet.
- Does it need oil?
- No, it doesn’t need oil. However, sometimes I add a tablespoon of oil because it helps create an even crispier surface.
- Does it heat up the kitchen?
- No, I haven’t experienced an increase in temperature in my kitchen. If you’re cooking in a very tiny apartment it might do, I can’t really say.
- Is the Sarki XL BPA-Free?
- Yes, it is.
Another really good air fryer in the same category is the Cosori 5.8QT, I’ve written a review about it where I outline why the Cosori is one of my all-time favorites. Click here to read the review.