The thinkkitchen Luminate is a 4.3-quart single-basket air fryer available throughout the Canadian market. We tested this model in collaboration with Radio-Canada, Canada's francophone public broadcaster, and you can see their French-language recommendation article and video investigation on air fryers. This air fryer has a light and viewing window in its basket, so you can watch your food as it cooks. It also has a digital control panel, an option to keep your food warm, and a mute function.
Our Verdict
The thinkkitchen Luminate is an acceptable air fryer. It produces unevenly air-fried food, with a large portion coming out mushy and undercooked. This air fryer preheats very quickly but cooks more slowly than many other air fryers. With a fixed fan speed and just two cooking methods ('Air Fry' and 'Keep Warm'), it's not particularly versatile.
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Preheats very quickly.
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Cooks somewhat slowly.
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Lacks versatility.
The thinkkitchen Luminate isn't intended for large batch cooking. Its 4.3-quart capacity is only enough to cook for two people, and it cooks somewhat slowly, so it's not ideal for serving a crowd. It makes mediocre-quality fried food and is not very versatile, so it's not ideal for other applications, like baking.
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Preheats very quickly.
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Cooks somewhat slowly.
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Lacks versatility.
The thinkkitchen Luminate delivers passable air frying performance. Its basket has adequate surface area to cook with, so you can spread food out in a single layer for the best results. However, its single, slow fan speed results in inconsistent cooking. For example, cooking onion rings, veggies, or chicken wings results in just half of each portion being crispy and well-cooked. This air fryer preheats remarkably fast, but its cooking speed is just passable. It recovers its heat quickly after you add food to the basket, too, but its temperature fluctuates a lot during cooking, which makes it unsuitable for precise tasks like baking.
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Preheats very quickly.
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Cooks somewhat slowly.
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Slow maximum fan speed.
The thinkkitchen Luminate preheats very quickly and is faster than most other air fryers. However, it cooks somewhat slowly overall.
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Preheats very quickly.
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Cooks somewhat slowly.
The thinkkitchen Luminate has an alright cooking capacity. Its 4.3-quart basket is enough to cook for two people, and it has an alright amount of surface area, so you can spread food out in a single layer for best results.
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Food can be arranged in a single layer.
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Requires many batches when cooking for multiple people.
The thinkkitchen Luminate is very compact. It won't take up much space on your kitchen counter, and it's easy to store in a cupboard or on a shelf when you're not using it.
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Compact design.
- 6.4 Air Frying
- 6.7 Large Batch Cooking
Performance Usages
- 6.3 Frying Performance
- 6.9 Cooking Speed
- 6.8 Cooking Capacity
- 7.8 Size
Changelog
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
This air fryer comes in 'Black.' See the label for our unit.
If you come across another variant, please let us know in the comments, and we'll update this review.
Compared To Other Air Fryers
The thinkkitchen Luminate is a fairly small 4.3-quart air fryer, placing it between its smaller stablemate, the thinkkitchen Retro Air Fryer, and family-sized models like the BELLA 6qt Pro 90165 in terms of capacity. Like the Cuisinart AIR-200 and the RICARDO Air Fryer, this model features a viewing window so you can keep an eye on your meal as it cooks. Unfortunately, compared to similarly sized models, like the Ninja AF101 and the T-fal Easy Fry XL, it makes worse-quality fried food, leaving half of each batch under- or overcooked. With a single fan speed, two cooking presets, and a lack of temperature stability throughout cooking cycles, it's less versatile than higher-end (yet still budget-friendly) options like the COSORI TurboBlaze, so it's not ideal for baking or dehydrating. Overall, this air fryer is not a good option. Even if size is your top priority, there are smaller models that perform better overall, like the MasterChef AF9003A.
If you'd like more options to consider, see our picks for the best air fryers, the best small air fryers, and the best budget and cheap air fryers.
The Ninja AF101 is a better air fryer than the thinkkitchen Luminate. While they're nearly the same size, with just about the same capacity and cooking surface area, the Ninja offers better air-frying performance, speed, and versatility. It leaves a larger portion of your food crispy and well-browned, and while it doesn't preheat as quickly, it cooks much faster. It also has a wider temperature range and a variable fan speed, making it a better choice for things like baking and dehydrating.
The thinkkitchen Luminate and the thinkkitchen Retro Air Fryer are both small, fairly simple models from the Canadian kitchenware brand. Each model has its own strengths. While the Retro Air Fryer has a smaller capacity, its basket has almost as much surface area as the Luminate, so you can spread food out for the best possible results. Its air-frying performance is also better; the Retro Air Fryer leaves a larger portion of each batch crispy and golden brown. The Luminate, on the other hand, is more versatile. It has a wider temperature range, offers presets for various foods, and adds a 'Keep Warm' option. It also preheats faster, but once a cooking cycle starts, its temperature fluctuates a lot more than the Retro Air Fryer, making it tougher to follow recipes.
The RICARDO Air Fryer is better than the thinkkitchen Luminate. Both models feature a digital display and a way to see into the chamber while your food cooks, but the RICARDO delivers better air-frying performance and greater versatility. It produces more evenly cooked food and cooks it faster. The RICARDO has a wider temperature range and a variable fan speed, unlike the thinkkitchen. It also has a few more preset cooking methods, like 'Dehydrate' and 'Reheat.' Plus, its temperature remains more stable throughout the cooking process, so it's a better choice for baking and other finicky recipes.
The Cuisinart AIR-200 is a better air fryer than the thinkkitchen Luminate. Both options feature a viewing window that allows you to see into the basket and monitor your food as it cooks, but the Cuisinart's basket has a larger capacity and surface area. Combined with a higher maximum fan speed, this allows it to cook a larger portion of your food to a crispy golden brown. It's also more versatile, with a range of cooking presets, like 'Roast,' 'Broil,' and 'Bake.' It cooks faster, too, and maintains a more stable temperature throughout cooking cycles, making it easier to follow recipes.
Test Results
Its basket is large enough to cook for two people, and it has an adequate amount of surface area, so you can arrange your food in a single layer.
This air fryer's versatility isn't bad. It has a fairly wide temperature range, though its minimum temperature is higher than many other options. The fan is fixed at one somewhat slow speed, which can negatively impact its frying performance.
There are two preset cooking methods, each with a default temperature and time setting, though you can adjust these within set ranges:
- Air Fry: 175 °F–400 °F (default: 400 °F), 15 minutes
- Keep Warm: 150 °F–200 °F (default: 170 °F), 60 minutes
You also find preset options for various foods, such as fries, chicken, and seafood, and a 'DIY' option which allows you to access the entire temperature range (150 °F–400 °F).
This model makes mediocre-quality air-fried food. By the time your food is finished cooking, just half is crispy, while the rest remains mostly undercooked, with a small portion burnt.
This air fryer recovers its temperature very quickly after opening the drawer to add food. However, once a cooking cycle begins, the temperature fluctuates a lot, much more than most other air fryers. This makes it unsuitable for more temperamental tasks, like baking, and makes it difficult to follow precise recipes.