I've Tested Air Fryers for a Decade, But Never Felt Confident Cooking Roast Chicken in One – Until I Tried the Typhur Sync Air Fryer

The Typhur Sync Air Fryer is a solid workhorse that adds a layer of smart cooking technology with its built-in wireless thermometer. Sure, this boxy, shiny black countertop oven offers eight modes in addition to air frying, but its real superpower is simply and easily cooking things like meat, chicken and fish to the perfect temperature and result.

I’ve been testing the best non-toxic air fryers for years now. Though multi-function air fryer toaster ovens are usually more my speed (mainly due to the lack of space in my Brooklyn apartment), I was extremely tempted to keep the Typhur Sync Air Fryer in a prime spot on my counter.

I spent a week putting the Typhur Sync Air Fryer through its paces, and was impressed with how intuitive its controls were, how evenly the air frying feature worked, and most importantly, how its built-in temperature control allowed me to reliably cook things like a whole chicken.

Design & First Impressions

The Typhur Sync Air Fryer is fairly straightforward. It comes with a ceramic-coated PFAS-free air fryer basket, a silicone grill plate, and a wireless probe with a 5-point sensor. Once you unpack the sensor, you just place it into its magnetic case and plonk it onto the charging cradle on the top of the air fryer. You’ll need 30 minutes to completely charge it for the first time.

Though I wouldn’t call the unit small, it’s not oversized and easily fits under my countertop, though the generous 8-qt drawer holds a good amount of food. The Air Fryer Mode controls are touchscreen and light up when you press the power button. Just select a function, adjust the temperature using the arrows, and press start. Typhur suggests using the preheat button before cooking, which takes 4 minutes at 360 degrees with a medium fan. The Probe Mode controls also light up, but they are significantly more complex, and I needed to consult the user manual to get a better understanding of how they work. It didn’t take long to get the gist, however, and I was able to manipulate them as soon as I took the probe out of its cover (more on this later).

Lastly, I downloaded the Typhur Sync Air Fryer companion app. No, you absolutely do not need it, but I did find that it helped me easily search for correct cook times. Also, it allowed me to wirelessly connect my device by pressing the power button for 3 seconds, so I could adjust settings and monitor the temperature from my phone. You can also send push notifications to your phone to let you know when your food is done, and it syncs with the probe when it's in use.

Specifications

Cooking Performance

Test 1: French fries

Testing air fryers is the perfect excuse to eat French fries. Yet, not all air-fried fries are worth the calories. Thankfully, the Typhur Sync Air Fryer is an excellent vessel for what is, hands down, my favorite type of potato. I used the preheat button first, since the manual specifically recommends this for frozen foods.

I used crinkle-cut fries for this test and, after four minutes of preheating, poured a single layer over the grill plate. The default temperature for Air Fry is 360 degrees, so I kept that and checked the app, which suggested a 25-minute timer. The one thing I have learned is that shaking your fries at least twice is the best way to ensure an even cook. So I did. And after about 20 minutes, I opened the drawer to find my lightly browned, gorgeously crispy fries. Per usual, I popped a few in my mouth, then poured the rest into a bowl to feed my teenage sons. This was most definitely a crowd pleaser.

Because the drawer is so deep, I decided to buck my usual one-layer rule and fill it halfway with the crinkle-cut beauties. This time, I ratcheted up the timer to 35 minutes and shook the fries an extra two times during cooking. This proffered the same great-looking, great-tasting fries, which means I can more comfortably cook for my family of four.

Test 2: Chicken Fingers

As always, I air-fried both breaded and unbreaded chicken, and this time, I went rogue and cooked them side-by-side, at the same time. First, I cut my chicken breast into fingers, then sprinkled jerk seasoning on half of them and sprayed them with my trusty avocado oil. The second batch I soaked in buttermilk, rolled in seasoned panko crumbs, and again, generously sprayed with oil.

Though it was tight, I was able to fit the entire 1.5 pounds of chicken fingers in one layer on the grill plate. When I checked the app, it suggested air frying at 355 degrees, and I set the timer at 30 minutes. About 15 minutes in, I pulled open the drawer to find both sides of fingers getting nicely browned on top, so I flipped them all over and put them back in.

As you can see, both types of chicken came out beautifully cooked, though I will say that I have never been able to craft restaurant-style fried chicken in an air fryer (unless I was re-crisping pre-fried, frozen food). But the panko was certainly not soggy, and the meat inside remained juicy. Plus, the larger-sized basket allowed me offer a varied dinner for adults and kids.

Test 3: Whole Chicken

As mentioned above, it’s Typhur’s built-in wireless temperature probe that makes the Sync Air Fryer so special. As soon as you remove it from its case, Probe Mode is automatically triggered, and you can set the wellness temperature directly on the air fryer controls (you can choose from rare, medium-rare, medium, medium-well, and well done). This is a fantastic option for meat, bone-in chicken breasts, and fish, and depending on what you choose, the probe will update your target temperature and alert you when it’s ready.

However, I decided to try what the company calls Smart Chicken Mode to roast an entire chicken. I kept it simple, massaging my bird with salt and pepper, then stuffing chopped herbs under the skin of the breast. I didn’t bother spraying it with oil, but just gently placed it in the air fryer basket breast down, and slid the probe into the deepest area I could find. I had to fiddle with the angle a few times to get the drawer to close, but it finally worked.

From there, I toggled to the Smart Chicken Mode preset and walked away. Typhur claims this mode works in three stages: a low and slow roast, a browning boost and finally, a rest. About 20 minutes in, I was alerted by my app to flip the chicken. Obviously, this is not the easiest task with a steaming hot whole chicken, but I grabbed my rubber oven gloves, slid out the probe, rather clumsily gave the bird a turn to breast side up, and reinserted the thermometer. Once I slid the drawer back in, it was just another 10 minutes or so before it was done.

The top of my chicken was a little blistered, but the rest was a gorgeous gold brown. And once I carved it up, my family was more than satisfied with how well it was cooked all the way through. I’m looking forward to making this easy recipe a weekly meal and even being able to put away leftovers for lunch.

Test 4: Roasted Vegetables

I tested this air fryer just before Thanksgiving, so I thought it prescient to try some sweet potatoes in the Typhur Sync Air Fryer. I recently tried Misfits Market, the organic, sustainable subscription service for fresh produce and offbeat grocery products, so I was dying to use the flamboyant purple yams sitting on my countertop.

I cut them into quarter-sized slices, dressed them in salt, and sprayed them with just a few spritzes of olive oil. Then I laid them in a single layer on the grill plate and set the air fryer option to 390 degrees. One good shake and 15 minutes yielded some very pretty, and extremely tasty potato discs, which were crunchy on the outside and properly fluffy on the inside. Even my husband, who consistently eschews any type of non-white potato, was popping them in his mouth.

Cleaning & Storage

Hallelujah! All of the Typhur Sync Air Fryer accessories are dishwasher safe. And that even includes the temperature probe. And let me tell you, after cooking a whole chicken in there, the drawer and grill plate needed a thorough cleaning, so all the better that I didn’t have to handwash the grease off them (though you certainly can if you don’t want to wait to run the dishwasher).

My Verdict: Should You Buy It?

The temperature probe is a unique feature, and I have never felt confident preparing an entire chicken in an air fryer before this – not even in my larger, multifunction air fryer toaster oven. My only complaint? I had to make toast using the Bake function and flip it halfway through. My hope is to get my hands on the upgraded Typhur Sync 12-in-1 Multi-Function Oven from Amazon, which includes the probe and a toaster function, though it does cost a good deal more.

At the current price of just $160, I would wholeheartedly suggest looking into the Typhur Sync Air Fryer, which gives you all the perks of precise air frying along with an excellent array of high-end features, and plenty of capacity for feeding a family.

How We Test Air Fryers

Trained cook and Kitchen Appliance Editor at Homes & Gardens, Lydia Hayman, leads our team of expert testers to find the best air fryers for real home cooks.

We're looking for exceptionally crispy cooking performance, speed, ease of use, capacity, versatility, reliability, and good value for money (we give extra points to the best non-toxic air fryers, too).

The tests are standardized across our team and each product to ensure each review is fair and unbiased. You can read more details about how we test air fryers, so you can trust our results.