Guide
Does your air fryer really replace a deep fryer?
by Judith Erdin
Philips Steam Airfryer 5000 Dual Basket: Powerful steam!
21.3.2025
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Simon Balissat
Philips wants to shake up the market with a combination of convection oven and steamer. The Steam Airfryer 5000 Dual Basket does a lot of things right. Nevertheless, the question remains: why?
What do you do when the air fryer as a kitchen trend of the 2010s has slowly worn out? Combine it with the kitchen trend of the noughties and give the air fryer a steamer!
This is exactly what Philips has done and packed two drawers with a capacity of three litres and six litres into the new Airfryer. The larger of the two chambers can be operated with hot air, steam or a combination of both. The small drawer only contains hot air.
Before I get to the test, my usual disclaimer: The name air fryer is misleading, as these appliances are small convection ovens and not deep fryers. Frying means cooking floating in hot fat and not cooking in hot air.
So be it. Judith and I did the test.
Almost as big as a built-in oven
The Steam Airfryer is huge. I put it under my steam extractor bonnet on the hob, where it takes up all the space. This makes the appliance almost as big as my built-in oven. If you want to give the Airfryer a permanent place in the kitchen, you need to bear this in mind. It also needs enough free space at the top of the appliance because that's where the water tank is located. I can remove it easily and fill it up under the tap.
Many programmes, few functions
Once I have filled the tank, I can start baking or steaming. The left-hand drawer holds three litres and can only bake, while the right-hand drawer can be used for baking and steaming, baking only or steaming only. The appliance uses presets to make me believe that it can automatically bake or steam dishes such as chips, chicken or vegetables to perfection. However, this only works if the quantity suggested in the instructions is in the basket. The programmes do not react dynamically to any cooking levels, but are stored presets for temperature and cooking time that I can call up. I therefore quickly left the programmes to one side.
Two-shift operation
For test purposes, I cooked potatoes in the steamer and chicken thighs in the smaller oven drawer on the left. It is well known that Philips can build good airfryers. The chicken thighs are juicy and crispy. With steam and heat, the potatoes are a little too cooked and lightly browned for my taste. With a little practice and more experience, this could certainly be done even better. Unfortunately, the small drawer offers a little too little space. I can't fit more than two chicken thighs, so the appliance can't feed a large family at the same time.
I tested the steam function with steamed bread rolls. This also worked really well, but I ran out of space here too. Six rolls are the absolute maximum.
Magically attracts fingerprints
Air fryers promise to bake without fat. Philips didn't realise that I still have greasy and dirty fingers when cooking. I leave a lot of fingerprints on the delicate surfaces and controls. At least the touch input works quite reliably. In addition to the mostly useless programmes, I can set the temperature and duration of the two convection ovens and switch on the steam. A synchronisation function ensures that the food is baked at the same time, even if the contents of a drawer take longer. Finally, I can switch on a reminder so that I don't forget to turn the oven fries halfway through the cooking time.
Perfect for a quick warm-up
I actually used the appliance the most to heat up food. I don't have a microwave, so the regenerating function on my oven is a blessing. The Steam Airfryer 5000 Dual Basket is also great for this, it even has its own function button. Speaking of the function button: the larger drawer has a cleaning programme, which is a bit of a joke if you have a dishwasher. The drawer and insert can be cleaned more thoroughly in the dishwasher ...
In general, I don't recommend air fryers, as most homes have a convection oven or a combi steamer and I simply don't see the added value of an air fryer. This appliance is no exception, it takes up an enormous amount of space and offers no recognisable added value, even with the steam function. Of course, there are also situations in which the appliance can be useful: In a holiday flat or studio without an oven. Or for flats without a combi steamer and with a lot of space, which will probably also be rare.
In a nutshell
Sensible further development of a small convection oven
What the Steam Airfryer 5000 Dual Basket is touted as a major innovation, my combi steamer has been able to do for a long time. A convection oven with steam has proven its worth and this appliance is no different. If you don't want to do without an airfryer, you get an easy-to-use, solid appliance with two drawers that opens up new possibilities. It's a shame that the programmed functions are only for pre-set quantities and don't adapt dynamically. So I'm in a tricky situation: the appliance is good and for the most part does what it's supposed to do. But in my opinion, nobody needs it. The four-star rating only applies if I answer the fundamental question in the affirmative: Do I really need an Airfryer?
Pro
- Steam is a consistent further development for air fryers
- Easy to operate
- Two drawers offer plenty of space
- Cleaning function
Contra
- Individual programmes for exact quantities only
- Device is huge
- It has nothing to do with deep-frying, it is a small convection oven with a steam function
Simon Balissat
Teamleader Editorial
Simon.Balissat@digitecgalaxus.chWhen I flew the family nest over 15 years ago, I suddenly had to cook for myself. But it wasn’t long until this necessity became a virtue. Today, rattling those pots and pans is a fundamental part of my life. I’m a true foodie and devour everything from junk food to star-awarded cuisine. Literally. I eat way too fast.
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