Chefman 4QT Compact Air Fryer

Summary

A compact 4-quart single-basket air fryer with a top touchscreen and a 450°F Hi-Fry finishing boost, sized for small kitchens and one or two people. Check the wattage and the model label on the unit you receive, because the seller listings and Chefman’s own page disagree.

Strengths

The 450°F ceiling was the widest range among the compact fryers Business Insider tested.
Food came out as crisp as expected, though fries needed a little longer than the package said.
The 10-inch-wide body suits small kitchens and dorms.
Simple, straightforward touchscreen controls.
Nonstick basket and rack are dishwasher safe.
Four presets, a shake reminder and auto shutoff are all included.

Weaknesses

Fries and wings took longer than on higher-wattage machines.
The build feels less durable than the alternatives tested.
The 4-quart basket forces staged cooking for more than two servings.
The four presets are disputed; the panel lettering is the best evidence.
Wattage is unresolved: retailers say 1500 W, Chefman’s page says 1700 W, so check the label.
No replacement-parts catalogue was found for the basket, rack or control board.

Verified specifications

Model	RJ38-4T-BLACK, the non-window version.
Electrical	120 V. Retailer listings say 1500 W; Chefman’s current product page says 1700 W.
Format	single basket, drawer style.
Capacity	4 qt (3.78 L); the basket is claimed to fit over 1.5 lb of fries.
Temperature	90°F to 400°F for normal cooking, with Hi-Fry raising heat to 450°F for the final two minutes.
Presets	four, lettered Meat, Chicken, Fish and Fries on the official RJ38-4T manual. Defaults: Meat 18 min at 375°F, Chicken 22 min at 400°F, Fish 10 min at 375°F, Fries 18 min at 400°F.
Shake reminder	audible alarm partway through cooking; if ignored, the indicator turns off after about 60 seconds.
Basket handling	cooking pauses when the basket is removed and resumes when it is reinserted.
Auto shutoff	switches off when the basket is removed or the timer expires.
Basket and rack	nonstick PTFE coating, top-rack dishwasher safe.
Clearance	at least 6 inches of space above and behind the unit.
Fault codes	E3 is overheat protection and clears after a full cooldown; E1 and E2 are faults that need Chefman support.
Dimensions	13.8 in deep x 10 in wide x 10.2 in high.
Weight	7.5 lb on the windowed sibling’s spec table, 9.02 lb on Chefman’s current page.
Safety	cETL approved.
Warranty	1-year Chefman assurance for the original purchaser, with proof of purchase.
In the box	basket plus removable crisper rack.

Full research notes and sources

Cooking performance

Business Insider tested the 4-quart family and named it best overall in its compact-air-fryer guide, updated 2026-08-12, praising the compact footprint, the viewing window and the simple controls. That test ran on the windowed sibling, not this non-window model, and the guide’s prose never states a model number, so read the findings as family evidence.

The same outlet listed three negatives: fries and wings took longer than on higher-wattage machines, the build feels less durable than the alternatives, and the basket is small enough to force staged cooking. It rated the machine for one to two people. Its protocol ran 8 oz fries at 400°F for 8 minutes plus added time, 8 oz wings at 400°F for 16 minutes flipped halfway, and 8 oz broccoli at 375°F for 10 minutes; the group averages were 10 minutes for fries and 16 for wings. One genuine advantage does carry over to this model, because it shares the Hi-Fry function: 450°F was the widest ceiling among the compact fryers tested, where most stop at 400°F.

Which version and which presets

Chefman sells two 4-quart versions: this non-window RJ38-4T-BLACK and the windowed RJ38-4TW-BLACK, which adds a basket window and an interior light and was the unit Business Insider actually tested. Both appeared at the same list figure on Chefman’s storefront, and third-party catalogues routinely attach the windowed unit’s photography and feature bullets to the non-window listing, so confirm which one a seller is shipping.

The four presets are also uncertain. The control panel imaged for this exact model reads Fish, Fries, Chicken and Meat, and the official RJ38-4T manual gives the same four with defaults of 18 minutes at 375°F, 22 at 400°F, 10 at 375°F and 18 at 400°F. Published descriptions elsewhere list Air Fry, Bake, Roast and Reheat, or Air Fry, Bake, Cook and Dehydrate. The panel lettering and the manual are the better evidence. Chefman’s document library indexes both an RJ38-4T Series and an RJ38-4T-V2 Series guide, so at least one revision exists inside the line, and it is not established which one this model ships.

Reliability, parts and running costs

Warranty is the cleanest fact: one year, for the original purchaser, with proof of purchase. Exact-model owner evidence is thin. Short owner comments on retailer pages praise the compact size, the straightforward controls and the easy cleaning, and one Target buyer reported receiving a label variant marked RJ38-4T-BLACK-TH-SM whose QR-code link did not work. Brand-level Chefman complaints include a unit that kept running past its timer, a burnt control board after eight months, and a setpoint an owner said it never reached; none names a model, so none is evidence about this one.

The manual documents the fault states directly: E3 is overheat protection and E1 and E2 need support. It also warns against aerosol cooking spray, which can chip the nonstick PTFE coating; the expected life of that coating is not published. There are no required scheduled consumables. An optional 7-inch liner pack was $9.99 from Chefman when listed, and no public replacement part numbers exist for the basket, rack, heating element or control board.

Electricity is the only running cost. At the EIA’s July 2026 US residential average of 18.31 cents/kWh, running at full rated draw for 30 minutes a day comes to about $50 a year at 1500 W or about $57 a year at 1700 W; real use should be lower because the element cycles rather than drawing maximum power every minute.

Is it worth it?

Under $50 this is a low-risk buy: you are paying for the 4-quart format, the touchscreen, the 450°F Hi-Fry step and the dishwasher-safe basket, and the known weaknesses are acceptable. In October 2026, Best Buy listed it at $59.99 and Walmart Business at $57.99, which is still reasonable, while Chefman’s direct store was at $99.99 and a specialist discounter at $42.75 to $44.25. Above about $80 the case weakens, because the independent outlet that cooked on this family rated it below the 1600 W Instant Pot Vortex Plus 4-quart on speed and flagged the build. Above $100 nothing in the evidence supports the price.

Which model this is

This page covers the Chefman 4-Quart Compact Air Fryer, model RJ38-4T-BLACK, in matte black. Do not merge it with the windowed RJ38-4TW-BLACK, the 2-quart RJ38-2T, the Multifunctional RJ38 oven, the Crispinator 8 Qt or the 3.5 Qt TurboFry 4-in-1. The ASIN is B0CNY1F31S.