If you’re on the hunt for an airfryer without the nasties of traditional non-stick coatings this should be your go-to. For many of us, the chemicals in traditional non stick coatings are concerning, especially if your household includes cooking for relatives, young babies and children. If you want a toxin free airfryers, then GreenPan is it. But how does it cook?
Green Pan’s unique Thermolon coating
It’s famed for its Thermolon™ ceramic non-stick coating. The tech is now in its eighth generation which has improved the coating’s performance, making it more robust and efficient.
What are the Benefits of Thermolon™
- Unlike traditional non-stick coatings that can release toxic fumes when overheated, Thermolon™ is designed to be safe at high temperatures. No PFAS, no nasties.
- Durability: it’s been developed for durability and scratch resistance. I have had one of their large stock pots for over a year now and it’s performed really well, though my frypan lost some of its non-stick properties after a few months’ use.
- Easy to Clean: From sticky dumplings to meat juices I find the food slides off easily, which reduces the need for excessive scrubbing or soaking.
- Eco-Friendly: The manufacturing process of Thermolon™ requires 60% less heating energy compared to traditional non-stick coatings, resulting in fewer CO2 emissions1. This aligns with GreenPan’s commitment to sustainability. Perhaps one of my favourite things!
The Unboxing & Utensils
There really isn’t anything to unbox. Lift out, pull off all the stickers, quick wash and plug in. Easy peasy.
Design & Features
First of all it’s a sleek looking dude. It doesn’t take up more room than an espresso machine. Which means I am liking it already.
One of the more unusual design features is that the pull out tray has a removable internal basket which can be detached by pressing a button on the handle for easy access and cleaning. My first few attempts were a little clumsy, but I got the hang of it.
Whilst it’s a little easier to pour food from the internal basket, making it lighter. It doesn’t overcome the major challenge which all ‘drawer style’ air fryers face – trying to lift out your food without burning your wrists on the sides. This is when a shelving airfryer can be helpful. My advice is to invest in good tongs and oven mitts which go up your arms.
Cooking features
Presets – It has four presets for air frying, air-fry, grill, roast, bake. It also has 13 one-touch presets: fries, chicken, chicken legs, vegetables, bacon, fish, steak, shrimps, dessert, bake, frozen food but you have to toggle through the selection button to get to them (just is a tad annoying)
Timers – I do like that it has a timer for up to 60 minutes + preheat along with delay functions.
Auto-Off: Is a handy automatic shut-off function which happens when I remove the tray with the frying basket. This saves me time going back to the airfyer and is a nice safety feature.
I like the feature ‘keep warm’ which is helpful for those flatmates who don’t arrive on time for dinner! Or where I am cooking an additional side (such as pasta) on the hob or in a traditional oven.
Let’s Cook – Performance
There are no any dehydration or steam options, but it has a good heat range from 80 – 200°C, some others have a boost which takes it 230°C, which is helpful for things like pizza.
When it comes to performance it heats up quickly and within a few minutes its ready to go.
It markets the basket as XL but I would say the basket size at 7.2l is more on the medium scale. For example, it was too tight to roast a Lilydale chicken which was 1.2kg. An airfryer needs space for the air to move, so look for a sub 1kg chook for the best results.
What it lacks in width it has in height. This is important for anyone doing baking. I tried it out from muffins to a small sourdough loaf. Some airfryers whilst on volume have the stats but the shallow tray means they are useless for baking, this one is well sized. Tick!
Greens 
Meat 
Wedges
Meats – I cook two chicken marylands on the ‘chicken leg’ preset. I turn half way through the cook, a quick spray of oil and some herbs and voila! perfection.
Fish – I season a skin side up barramundi on the fish setting. It is evenly cooked, though it does seem a little hotter at the edges, and this is also where my fillet is thinner too.
Snacks – Potato Wedges are not something I eat much normally and my temptation to crowd the basket proved my downfall, as it is deep rather than wide, so not all the wedges are crispy. A quick toss and more cooking time does remedy this.
Banana Bread – This was a triumph! No preheating needed and it rose beautifully all golden and glossy.
Veggies – I tried this with asparagus, green beans and also roast carrots/parsnip. As it doesn’t have a steam option. So i did a preheat, then added my green veggies with a splash of some water. This instantly acts like a steam-fry. Perfection.
The Clean Up
The tray pulls out, and the internal fry basket is easy to remove. A quick wash down and it’s ready to go again. Yes, you could put it in the dishwasher, but honestly why bother? Within 30 seconds its clean and ready to use again.
The DA Verdict
What we are addicted to – It’s simple design, with easy to use presets and slimline curves which don’t take up much counter space. The basket is deep and its relatively quiet running too.
What we would need to be more addicted to? – It’s frustrating to ‘tap’ multiple times on the select button to scroll through the options to find your preset. Whilst compact, the interior space might be a bit tight for larger items like a whole chicken.
Greenpan XL Bistro Airfyer available at major retailers $199 and here
