Dreame's new air fryer uses superheated steam that solves air frying's biggest problem

For all their many wonders, air fryers aren’t renowned for making juicy food. Blast ingredients with enough hot dry air to get a crispy outside and the inside often ends up paying the price.

Dreame's new AeroFusion AF60, launched at the Dreame NEXT event in San Francisco, is hoping to solve this by adding a steam generator to the mix.

It might sound counterintuitive to add steam, which is notoriously wet, into an environment that relies on dry air but Dreame has designed a technology called CrispVapor that produces so-called “superheated” steam.

Superheated steam is steam heated well beyond water's boiling point until all residual moisture has been driven off. This creates a dry, high-temperature gas that transfers heat without leaving your food soggy. It’s a process seen in professional combi ovens for years but the AF60 brings a scaled-down version of it to countertops.

Dreame calls this its “steam-then-roast” approach and to achieve it, the AF60’s 800W generator heats water up to 140°C and “wraps the food in a moisture barrier” of superheated steam. A 2,500 RPM fan then circulates hot air around the food using a Coanda-effect air duct.

The Coanda effect is the same principle that gives aircraft wings lift by causing airflow to follow a curved surface around them. Inside the AF60, this means hot air follows the contours of the cooking chamber in 360-degrees, rather than blasting from a single direction and leaving cool spots.

This heat circulation is powered by a dual-source system: an infrared-coated stainless steel element at the top for rapid, radiant heat, and a PTC ceramic heater at the base that gets rid of cold spots from the bottom up. PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) materials are self-regulating meaning their electrical resistance increases as they heat up, which prevents overheating at a material level rather than relying solely on a thermostat.

Size-wise, the AF60 has a 7qt capacity, which is large enough for a whole chicken, with a 37oz detachable water tank for the steam system and control-wise, a touch panel is where the modes and temperature settings are, with 20 recipe presets built into the machine.

The AF60 is due to launch in the US in June before being released more widely but prices aren’t yet known.