Air fryers have managed to make their way into many kitchens in recent years and that’s because of its ability to cook food – or lets say fry food – in at least possible amounts of oil. While traditional air fryers are a bit oddly designed and have limited functionalities – the Havells Air Oven Avanza sits in a different space. It brings a 15-litre chamber, oven-style door, rotisserie support, dual trays, and a 1700W heating system. Not only that, it also aims to replace 6 different appliances including oven, air fryer, dehydrator, OTG, toaster and grill. It costs Rs 12,000 and over the last several weeks, I used it as part of my regular cooking routine—not just for fries or cutlets, but for vegetables, toast, leftovers, and weekend experiments to see if it meets the claims and justifies the price.
Design
The Avanza is a sizable unit, and that becomes clear the moment it sits on the counter. Its 15-litre capacity and the front-opening oven door mean you need stable space around it. This is not an air fryer you tuck away after use; it becomes a permanent fixture – replacing my aging microwave with this and I can say I am not regretting the decision. The design includes a wide glass door, and I found myself relying on it far more often than on the displays and presets. Being able to watch food cook—especially rotisserie items—helped avoid overcooking. The touch panel on top is straightforward: temperature, timer, presets, and start/stop. The buttons sit close together but become easy to navigate after a few days.
Havells includes a full set of attachments: two mesh trays, a baking tray, a rectangular fry basket with a detachable handle, a rotisserie fork, a rotisserie rod, a holder, and a recipe book. For a multi-mode unit, the accessories matter as much as the hardware. Over the weeks, I rotated between the trays depending on the dish. The mesh tray remained my default for anything that needed airflow. The baking tray handled vegetables and reheats. The rotisserie only came out during planned meals, but when used, it changed the nature of the cooking session altogether.
The build feels functional. The safety lock on the door never interrupted usage, but it adds some peace of mind when cooking around children. The 1.2-metre cable was adequate for a modular kitchen layout, but I had to shift the unit slightly to align with my socket which is not a big deal.
Features and performance
Once you start cooking in a large-capacity air fryer like this, the routines shift. I began with the familiar: frozen fries on the mesh tray. The airflow across the tray ensured even browning without needing to shake the tray repeatedly. I eventually settled on my own timing and temperature because the preset cooked longer than necessary for my preferences. Once adjusted, the results stayed consistent across batches.
The next set of tests involved roasting vegetables. This is where the air-oven style shows its advantage. Vegetables spread out well on the baking tray, and the heat from the 1700W system moves across the chamber steadily. Broccoli, carrots, onions, and zucchini developed a uniform roast without wet spots forming. In fact, I also roasted Jackfruit in it and it came out delicious and if you know, Jackfruits require a lot of oil for cooking and the oven managed to do it in a spoon of oil which is impressive. When using two trays simultaneously, I rotated them halfway through cooking to ensure even results.
Over the weeks, the Avanza became my default option for quick weekday vegetables because the tray format made it easier to cook larger quantities at once. I ended up using less oil for nearly all preparations, and the browning stayed predictable regardless of the recipe.
The rotisserie feature adds a different style of cooking. I am a vegetarian so I mounted paneer on the skewers and used rotisserie mode to cook paneer tikka. The rod turns smoothly. The heating pattern around the rotating food is even, and you can track browning through the front window. Also, there’s the added handle to take out the rosetterie for adding more butter or oil for more roasty results. The rotisserie mode quickly became something I used on weekends because it allowed hands-off cooking while managing other dishes.
Preset modes are present for items like fries, shrimp, steak, and tandoori dishes. I tried several, but manual adjustments produced more reliable outcomes. With a 15-litre chamber, the heat behaves differently than compact fryers, and it took a few tries to find the right temperature bands. After a week, my typical cooking temperatures hovered between 160–180°C for most dishes. The presets serve as guides but not final settings.
The dehydrate function is a quiet feature that runs for up to 24 hours. I tested it on pineapple slices for 5 hours and it came out really good. The process demands time, but the outcome remains even across the tray because the low-heat cycle stays consistent. This isn’t a daily-use feature, but it adds breadth to what the device can do. Thanks to the safe nature – I usually leave it to dehydrate overnight.
Reheating leftovers in the Avanza delivered better texture than microwaving, especially for bread, cutlets, and fries. The baking tray helped retain moisture while still crisping the top layer. One thing that the trays brought to me is reheating the parathas and rotis and even pizza. This happens without making them feel soggy or soft as it happens on the gas.
Another key highlight here is that I also tried several things like frying Samosa, making cupcakes and some of the fancy recipes and most of them came out good in the first go. Some required temperature adjustments for slightly better results. All-in-all, it is like cooking on a regular gas stove – where you need to know the right flame intensity to get the cooking right. Once you get the hang of it, the results are mostly correct.
Cleaning varies by accessory. The mesh tray catches smaller particles and needs more thorough scrubbing. The baking tray is simpler to manage. The rotisserie fork and rod require soaking after greasier dishes. The chamber itself wipes clean easily because the front-facing door gives full access inside.
Preheating takes longer than compact air fryers due to the larger chamber, but once heated, the Avanza holds temperature well. When cooking multiple dishes back-to-back, the preheat time shrinks significantly because the chamber retains warmth.
Cooking quality
Across several weeks, the Avanza settled into a rhythm. Fries and snacks cooked evenly. Vegetables roasted better than in basket-style fryers due to the tray layout. Paneer tikkas are browned consistently without drying out. Tandoori preparations benefitted from the heat circulation, especially when using the upper tray.
The slow rotation ensured that the juices didn’t sit in one place. I found that adjusting the time slightly below the preset produced juicier results. For kebabs on the skewer set, the browning stayed even as long as the pieces were spaced well.
Bread and toast modes worked reliably for breakfast. While this is not a toaster replacement for quick slices, it handles multi-layer sandwiches and garlic bread well.
Because of the chamber size, cooking larger batches became the biggest advantage. On weekends, I could run two trays at once—vegetables on the lower tray and snacks on the upper tray—reducing the overall cooking time.
Verdict
The Havells Air Oven Avanza is a large-capacity air fryer designed as a mini oven replacement for homes needing versatility beyond quick snacks. Its size requires more counter space and preheat time than compact fryers, but this facilitates cooking larger batches using the included mesh trays, baking tray, and rotisserie. While presets exist, manual control offers more reliable results from the consistent 1700W heating and 15-litre chamber. The Avanza suits families with daily roasting, frequent vegetables, and family-sized portions. For users limited by smaller air fryers or ovens, the Avanza makes sense, ultimately replacing multiple appliances in the kitchen.
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