One-minute review
Xiaomi is a name better associated with smartphones than it is with kitchen appliances, but the brand offers a range of smart home devices covering everything from smart plugs and smart lights to home security cameras. Now, the company is dipping its toe into the world of smart kitchen appliances.
The Xiaomi Mi Smart Air Fryer works in much the same way as every other air fryer on the market. It circulates hot air around foods to cook them, ensuring the same crisp finish you get from deep-frying, but using far less oil. Xiaomi claims the Mi Smart Air Fryer can reduce the amount of oil required by 85%.
It’s a versatile appliance. Not only can you air fry, but it also offers the ability to bake, roast, dehydrate and even ferment yoghurt, since the temperature can drop as low as 40ºC. The air fryer has a capacity of 3.5 litres, and there are eight presets that activate set temperature and cooking durations for different foods. It’s possible to manually adjust these settings, too.
The glossy white air fryer has a minimalist design and ditches an array of buttons in favor of a 1.8-inch dial and screen in one, which can be used to select the presets and access the settings menu.
The Mi Smart Air Fryer can connect to your home Wi-Fi network so that, using the app, you can select from a range of recipes, and activate the correct cooking duration and temperature with just a single tap. The appliance also integrates with Alexa and Google Assistant, too.
For anyone looking for a compact and stylish air fryer to enjoy indulgent treats such as fries and chicken wings without worrying about the negative effects on their health, or those who’d like an appliance that can be controlled by Alexa or Google Assistant, the Mi Smart Air Fryer is well worth considering.
Xiaomi Mi Smart Air Fryer price and availability
The Xiaomi Mi Smart Air Fryer is priced at £79.99 and can be purchased through the Mi store. It currently isn’t available in the US or Australia.
Design
- 3.5-litre capacity
- Comes with a frying basket, crisper tray and grill
- Compact design
The Xiaomi Mi Smart Air Fryer is a compact appliance measuring 33.5 x 25.2 x 30.4cm (h x w x d), and unlike most air fryers, it sports a glossy, white finish. Rather than an array of buttons on the front, the Mi Smart Air Fryer features a 1.8-inch dial on its front, which also acts as the display. Use the dial to scroll through the eight presets for set dishes such as fries, chicken wings and shrimp, which have a default temperature and cooking time. Next, push the dial to select the one you want, or to access the settings menu.
There’s a manual mode, too, which allows you to select the cooking temperature and duration that suits you. It can cook at temperatures ranging from 40ºC to 200ºC, and for up to 24 hours at a time – although the latter is at lower temperatures. At its maximum temperature, it can cook for up to one hour.
The Mi Smart Air Fryer comes with a frying basket, crisper plate, and grill rack, which can be used to create two shelves inside the frying basket for those occasions you’re cooking for several people. Handily, all these accessories are dishwasher safe. Its capacity stands at 3.5 litres, which Xiaomi says is sufficient for up to five people.
As well as air-fry, the Mi Smart Air Fryer can roast, bake, dehydrate and ferment yogurt, making it as versatile as many of the best air fryers we’ve tested.
The Xiaomi Mi Smart Air Fryer comes with Wi-Fi built in, enabling control of the air fryer remotely from a smartphone through the Xiaomi home app. The app offers plenty of inspiration over what to cook with access to more than 100 recipes, and lets you connect the appliance to Alexa or Google Assistant to use your voice to control the air fryer.
Performance
- Crisp results when cooking fries
- Air fryer can be controlled via an app
- Quiet in use
The Xiaomi Mi Smart Air Fryer produced crisp, crunchy fries, when cooking frozen steak-cut chips, as well as a homemade version of the potato snack. We followed a recipe from the app for the latter, which required 2tbsp of oil for a 500g batch of fries. While this is considerably less oil than is used for deep-frying, it’s a larger quantity than is required by air fryers such as the Instant Pot Vortex Plus, for example. So, if you’re keeping an eye on your waistline, this is something to take into consideration.
The Fries preset has a predefined cook time of 15 minutes; however, the fries weren’t as browned as we’d have expected after this time, so we added on a further 10 minutes. Following 25 minutes of cooking time, we had crisp, crunchy fries with a fluffy potato centre.
As we’ve already mentioned, the air fryer can connect to your smartphone over Wi-Fi, offering an array of recipes that can be activated from the app. This means the suggested cooking time and temperature are sent straight to the air fryer without you needing to manually tweak them.
Since the air fryer doesn’t have a dedicated preset for frozen food, we opted to use a recipe from the Xiaomi Home app instead. Unfortunately, this recipe didn’t include a reminder to turn the food half way through – a feature that’s present on the presets selected via the air fryer itself. Subsequently, while all of the fries were cooked with fluffy potato insides, not all of the fries were crisp, nor evenly browned.
We were a little disappointed with the air fryer’s performance for cooking chicken wings, too. Once again, the preset suggested a cooking duration of just 15 minutes, but the skin wasn’t crisp or brown enough for our taste, although the meat was succulent.
During cooking, the Mi Smart Air Fryer registered 57dB for noise on our decibel meter, which is equivalent to the gentle hum of a refrigerator. This makes it one of the quietest air fryers we’ve tested to date.
It’s also possible to schedule the air fryer to start cooking up to 24 hours in advance, but the food will need to be left in the frying basket.
Should I buy the Xiaomi Mi Smart Air Fryer?
Buy it if…
You want a compact air fryer
Measuring 33.5 x 25.2 x 30.4cm, the Mi Smart Air Fryer is one of the most compact air fryers we’ve tested. It’s ideal if kitchen-countertop space is tight.
You want Wi-Fi connectivity
This is one of a handful of air fryers that can be connected to your home Wi-Fi network and controlled via your smartphone, which will be a welcome addition for some.
You like quiet appliances
This is one of the quieter air fryers we’ve tested to date, registering just 57db, which is around 5db quieter than other air fryers on the market. If you prefer as little noise as possible when cooking, this is the model for you.
Don’t buy it if…
You’re cooking for a family
While Xiaomi claims the Mi Smart Air fryer can hold enough food to feed five people, with a capacity of 3.5 litres, this is one of the smallest-capacity air fryers we’ve tested. If you’re feeding a large family, look elsewhere.
You love chicken wings
While the Mi Smart Air Fryer excelled at cooking fries, we were left somewhat disappointed with its attempt to produce crisp chicken wings. They weren’t as brown as we’d hoped, the skin wasn’t sufficiently crisp, and while the meat was succulent, it didn’t fall off the bone. If you want an air fryer primarily for chicken wings, this is one to avoid.
You need a reminder to shake
The Mi Smart Air Fryer does have such a function, but only when using the presets on the appliance itself. If you use one of the recipes in the app, you won’t receive an alert to turn the food half way through cooking.
First reviewed: September 2021
