Daily Mail journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission - learn moreWhile the air fryer brand on everyone's lips may be Ninja, I would argue that there's a better value, more useful model on the market - the Cuisinart 13.6L Tri Zone air fryer.With bundles of cooking modes, a slick touchscreen interface and three compartments - including two baskets and a handy pizza oven drawer - you can understand why this has quickly become a kitchen staple for me over the classic Ninja air fryer. I’ve also had my fair share of air fryers over the years, from tiny, one pot jobs to the biggest of the lot. And our expert team of testers have reviewed dozens of models too, including the latest Ninja Crispi Pro, the roomy XXL Tefal air fryer and the Philips 4000 dual drawer.While I do prefer one that tucks away neatly in the corner, like the Ninja Crispi, I've now fallen in love with Cuisinart's triple-threat offering, even though it is a giant of an appliance. I can safely say that, while not the cheapest you can buy, it's a worthwhile investment considering its size and performance.Cuisinart Tri Zone air fryer: At a glanceI’ve had my fair share of air fryers over the years from tiny, one pot jobs to now the biggest of the lot and Cuisinart 13.6L Tri Zone Air Fryer & Oven has become a kitchen staple Cuisinart Tri Zone air fryer★★★★★Product SpecsNumber of functions6Capacity13LDishwasher-safe basket?YesDimensions320 x 420 x 380 mm (H x W x D)What we loveMultiple drawersCook pizza, chicken, vegetables and more at the same timeFeaturesMultiple settings including roast, re-crisp and even dehydrateShake reminderNever forget to turn or shake your foodWhat could be betterToast settingDoesn't work as intendedSizeXXXL size won't be suitable for all kitchensOur verdictAnything frozen, battered or breaded, whether it be fish or halloumi sticks, comes out beautifully crispy and cooked through, making my whole dinner time prep much faster and convenient. I no longer have to hang around waiting for my oven to heat up and I can cook for myself or my friends and family without even turning on my oven.If space is your biggest priority and you like the idea of cooking pizzas in your air fryer, I think the Cuisinart Tri Zone is definitely worth considering. If you're after something smaller, check out our round up of the best air fryers and Ninja air fryers. Cuisinart Tri Zone air fryer reviewDesign and ease of use When choosing the right air fryer, ease of use is more important than you might think. Most air fryers cook the same, but a good design is the difference between an air fryer you'll use and one that ends up abandoned on the sidelines. Thankfully Cuisinart's Tri Zone hits the mark here.The digital interface is attractive, easy to use and displays six cooking options: ‘air fry’, 'roast', 're-crisp', 'grill', 'bake' and 'dehydrate'. The temperature for the air fry mode ranges from 100°C to 200°C, and allows for 5°C increments meaning you can cook to the letter. Unlike some of the other models on the market, the Cuisinart Tri Zone air fryer is quite tall and didn't comfortably fit under my kitchen cupboards.The draws can all be synced up and even come with a 'shake reminder' so you can flip your sausages, jiggle your chips and flip your chicken breastsLarger and more cumbersome than other models on offer, it has taken up a lot of valuable counter space in my small flat, something I found initially quite irritating but have since grown accustomed to - especially because I use it all the time. The drawers can all be synced up and even come with a 'shake reminder' so you can flip your sausages, jiggle your chips and flip your chicken breasts without having to set a timer yourself. The raised nature of the bottom also means that it's easy to crisp something up without it sitting in fat and oil.Both the drawers and the pizza oven tray come apart and are easy to wash - I've been sticking mine in the dishwasher.Performance Since welcoming in the Cuisinart Tri Zone air fryer into my home I've cooked everything from fish fingers and chips, to pizzas and a full English (minus the egg of course). The air fryer's separate drawers mean you can cook burgers in one section and sweet potato fries in the other with ease The 'roast' setting has been a godsend for the chicken salad packed lunches I bring to work and I've even been complimented on my juicy thighs and drumsticks, which are moist and flavoursome.I've found that oven chips have been a little hit and miss and tend to get dried out but I can't park the blame at my air fryer's door - if I buy oven chips, I shouldn't be surprised when they work best in an actual oven.For my full fat fry up, both the drawers and the bottom oven were so useful. With sausages and bacon in one drawer, hash brown and roasted tomatoes in another and my toast - because yes the Tri Zone comes with a toasting option - all I had left to do was fry my eggs on the side and I was set to go.The only drawback was while you can sync up the top drawers, you can't programme them to finish at the same time. The only option on offer is starting at the same time which meant that while my sausages rapidly cooled, my hash browns were only just ready to flip. Anything frozen and battered or breaded, whether it be fish, chicken or halloumi sticks comes out beautifully crispy and cooked through making the whole process much fasterThe toast setting isn't amazing either. With the air fryer you can only set the toast time to a maximum of ten minutes and I often find myself having to put it on for another ten minutes afterwards, flipping it in between.It might work well for sliced white bread but doesn't make a dent in my sourdough loaves. But for pizza, which is ultimately what this tray was designed for, you cannot fault it. The internal light is really useful for checking in on your foodWhile it's only big enough for one medium to small-sized pizza, it cooks it to perfection with a crispy crust and no soggy bottom. And with the automatic switch off after cooking, I don't need to worry about wandering off and accidentally turning it to a pile of ash, as I so often do. A nice little extra that's easy to overlook is the light switch. It's perfect for having a quick peek at how your dinner is coming along without having to open up the drawers. It's also easy to halt the cooking and should you want to, you can leave the lights on the entire time.Value for moneyAvailable from Cuisinart's website and other large retailers for £199.99, the Cuisinart Tri Zone not the cheapest air fryer on the market but it is one that will serve you well. What's more, at a time of increasing bill uncertainty, having a reliable air fryer instead of turning on the oven is a comforting thought. You can read more about how air fryers stack up financially in our full oven vs air fryer breakdown. Cuisinart Tri Zone air fryerHow does it compare to similar products? The Cuisinart Tri Zone air fryer is a rather large affair, similar to Ninja's XL 10.4L Foodi FlexDrawer air fryer (£269.99) and the 11L Tefal Easy Fry Dual XXL. However unlike these models, Cuisinart has opted for three drawers, which can limit space in some instances but gives you the addition of a pizza drawer.How does it rate online? Reviews of the Cuisinart Tri Zone air fryer are generally good, though it doesn't rate as highly as some others with its average 4.1/5 rating. Positive reviews tend to talk about the air fryer's excellent capacity, while negative reviews mention it is slower to cook than more expensive models. Both the drawers and the pizza oven tray come apart and are easy to wash - I've been sticking mine in the dishwasherDo air fryers save you money?Even the largest air fryers can save you money when compared to your oven, but it depends on how long you use them for. As air fryers take less time to heat and often cook faster, they're ideal for easy meals like burgers, chips and pizza, that don't need hours and hours of cooking time.You can read more about the cost of air fryers vs ovens in our in-depth feature or see more examples of the energy-efficient products that will save you money.