Is the Russell Hobbs Satisfry Snappi a genuis innovation, or just a gimmick? We put it to the test

The Russell Hobbs Satisfry Snappi is a unique innovation that has the potential to be an incredibly flexible air fryer. It’s one of the new breed of air fryers that can convert from one big cooking zone, to two, joining the ranks of some of the best Ninja air fryers on the market. But unlike other flexible air fryers I’ve seen, the basket physically splits into two and each side can be removed individually.

Whether you’re new to air fryers or you’re ready to upgrade from a small beginner model, one of the biggest decisions you’ll need to make is whether you need two separate cooking zones or if one larger one is going to be more useful. So a model like this one from Russell Hobbs could offer the best of both worlds if you want the best air fryers that can really do it all. 

I was intrigued to get my hands on the Satisfry Snappi, to see exactly how it works and whether it’s worth the pretty hefty price tag. Spoiler alert, it didn’t win me over.

Russell Hobbs Satisfry Snappi specifications

• RRP: £199.99 
• Dimensions: H:38.5 x W:31 x D:36cm 
• Presets: Fries, fish, egg, chicken, bake, steak, dehydrate and vegetable 
• Dishwasher safe? Yes
• Maximum temperature: 200C

My first impressions of the Tefal Easy Fry Dual Air Fryer

Looks wise, while it’s chunky and curvy, this air fryer has a backlit touch control panel making it relatively streamlined. Though the black plastic exterior is a bit shiny for my liking.

The controls are fairly straightforward. The left basket is number 1 and the right is number 2. So to set each side you press the corresponding number and then use the up and down arrows to adjust the time and temperature.

I found it a bit confusing when adjusting the settings for basket 2, because the time is displayed alongside to the temperature buttons, which took me a minute to get my head around. Furthermore, if you go to the trouble of selecting your settings and then remove the baskets to add your food, the display will switch off and all the settings are lost. So you have to add the food and close the basket before adjusting settings - an annoying quirk.

While the menu offers eight different food presets. The very basic manual offers no information on these. And I would have found some more guidance on the exact amount or type of food that’s suggested for each preset.

Each basket has a standard air fryer-style crisper plate in the base. When used as one big cooking zone, a U-shaped plastic connector piece joins them together. Or, to use them separately, the connector is removed and a metal perforated divider slides onto the side of each basket.

There are a couple of issues with the above setup. The U-shaped connector is clunky to install and takes some practice. And because the dividers are perforated, air will flow between them, meaning the two baskets are not strictly speaking separate cooking zones.

What’s more, there’s only one large heating element, as opposed to two individual ones as you get in most dual-zone air fryers. With this in mind, it stands to reason that the two sides have to be used at the same temperature. Which means it doesn’t offer the flexibility that I would expect from a dual-zone model.

How does the Russell Hobbs Satisfry Snappi perform?

Single zone cooking

With the connector in position, the two baskets act as one and I used this large single zone to cook several different foods. First, I made chips. I followed the suggestion in the manual to rinse the freshly cut chips and then dried them and coated in oil and seasonings.

The manual says preheating is optional, so I didn’t bother preheating for this or any of the foods I cooked in this air fryer. It made sense to use the chips preset, which automatically sets the time to 22 minutes and the temperature to 200C. These settings were spot on for my two portions (around 500g) chips.

During the cook I gave the chips a couple of shakes, which was made easier by the two chunky handles on the front of the roomy cooking basket. And the finished chips were excellent. Golden brown and crisp, yet fluffy on the inside.

Bacon cooked well in this air fryer, it took nine minutes at 190C. The fat rendered perfectly and there was plenty of space for five slices of back bacon side-by-side.

The large basket offered plenty of space to air fry broccoli. I chopped up two medium heads of broccoli into florets and spritzed with oil before adding to the basket. This time I selected the vegetable preset which cooked the broccoli at 190C.

I kept an eye on it during cooking and like the chips, I gave it a couple of shakes to ensure the broccoli cooked evenly. In the end the preset time of 10 minutes was a little long and I stopped it after eight minutes. At this point the broccoli stalks were tender and the tops had a lightly roasted char.

During cooking, steam vented out of the vent at the back of the air fryer. But also out of the join between the two baskets at the front, making me question the efficacy of the connector.

The last thing I cooked in single zone mode was peri peri chicken kebabs. I took chicken chunks coated in peri peri sauce and threaded them onto metal skewers, making four in total.  There’s a chicken preset which cooks at 190C. Thankfully you can adjust the preset cook times, so I reduced it from 40 minutes to 12 minutes. The cooked chicken was tender and succulent.

Dual zone cooking

Unlike the relatively predictable results I achieved when it was set up as a single zone air fryer, I had a few hiccups using it as two separate zones. The first was when I tried to air fry cherry tomatoes alongside a couple of fishcakes. 

Knowing that they would cook better on a solid base, I put the tomatoes directly on the base of the basket instead of on the perforated tray. But unusually, this air fryer basket has holes in the side walls, so it was somewhat shortsighted to think I could air fry such a wet food without the danger of tomato juice flooding out of the sides.

Luckily I only attempted to air fry 500g cherry tomatoes, so I narrowly avoided having to clean up tomato juice from the inside of the air fryer base unit. But it’s a bit frustrating to have to avoid foods like this.

Nevertheless, I set the air fryer to cook the tomatoes for 20 minutes and the fishcakes for 15 minutes with a sync finish. Both sides were set to cook at 190C because  it’s not possible to set them at different temperatures. 

I put everything in at once forgetting there’s only one heating element, so even though the fishcake timer was paused, the heating element was on and the fishcakes would start cooking. And in actual fact, when it was time for the fishcake side to start cooking, the screen alerted me to add the food, so next time I’d put them in at this point

Despite things not going according to plan, after 20 minutes, the tomatoes had nicely roasted and the fishcakes were cooked, with a perfectly crunchy breadcrumb coating.

Undeterred, I attempted some sea salt and rosemary roast potatoes alongside roast veg with halloumi. With the timer set to 25 minutes for the potatoes and 10 minutes for the veg and halloumi, this time I remembered not to add the food to the second side until prompted.

Both sides took longer to cook than expected, I added an extra 15 minutes, making for quite a lengthy cook relative to other air fryers. The potatoes cooked, but took much longer to crisp up than I expected and I think I know why.

Despite the two baskets being separated, the dividers are highly perforated. So I think the steam created by the vegetables was travelling through the holes between the two sides, hence why the potatoes took longer to crisp up.

In the end, the vegetable and halloumi mixture was tasty and nicely cooked. And the potatoes were somewhat crisped. But my general feeling was a bit exasperated. Things that I’d ordinarily cook without problem in most other air fryers, were fraught with challenges in this one.

How does the Russell Hobbs Satisfry Snappi compare?

If you really want the flexibility to switch between a large single zone and two separate zones, I’d recommend looking at the Instant Vortex Plus Versazone. It has the same RRP and virtually the same capacity. But the single divider is a more user-friendly way of splitting the cooking zone into two. What’s more, since each side can function independently and can be set to cook at different temperatures and cooking modes, it’s a more versatile option.

Alternatively, the Lakeland Dual Basket Air Fryer has a similar capacity split across two separate cooking zones. With this model you’ll have to forego the option to join them together into one large cooking zone. However, since its RRP is half that of the Russell Hobbs, this might be a sacrifice worth making.

Should you buy the Russell Hobbs Satisfry Snappi?

While I applaud the brand for attempting something different. Unfortunately I think they didn’t quite hit the mark. The method of dividing the basket into two is clunky. And without separate heating elements for each side, it’s kind of pointless because you can’t use each side independently.

Putting its limitations to one side, it will cook food to a pretty decent standard. Though it works best when set up as a single zone air fryer, which again, kind of defeats the point of buying it for its flexibility.

Just keep in mind that this isn’t a dual zone air fryer in the truest sense of the word. And to be completely honest, your money is probably better spent on a different model.

About this review, and the reviewer

After completing a Home Economics degree, Helen went on to work for the Good Housekeeping Institute and has been reviewing home appliances ever since. She lives in a small village in Buckinghamshire in the UK. She is now freelance and draws on her wealth of experience to review a huge variety of home appliances.

Helen used the Russell Hobbs Satisfry Snappi Dual Basket Air Fryer in her own home for a week. She cooked a variety of foods for herself and her husband, to see whether this air fryer was a genius innovation, or just a gimmick.