The Sur La Table 13 Qt Multi-Function Air Fryer is a 1700-watt countertop oven with a left hinge door, eight cooking functions, and a rotisserie spit that fits a whole chicken. It is not a basket air fryer. It is a full oven that air fries. The left hinge door is the feature that separates it from a hundred other air fryers on the shelf. We stripped the spec sheet, mapped all eight functions, and inventoried every accessory in the box to see which kitchens this 13-quart oven actually belongs in.
Overview: A Countertop Oven That Air Fries
The Sur La Table 13 Qt Air Fryer is a 1700-watt countertop convection oven with a left hinge door, an angled digital touchscreen, and enough interior volume to rotate a whole chicken on a spit. It is not a pull-out basket air fryer. It is a box oven that happens to air fry exceptionally well. The left hinge door is the design signature. It swings open to the left, giving you full, unobstructed access to the cooking chamber with your right hand free to load and unload. This is a practical ergonomic choice that matters every single time you use it. For other kitchen appliance comparisons in the meal-prep space, see our Ninja Foodi Smart XL review.
The Garage Door vs. The Trunk Lid Analogy
A basket air fryer is a trunk lid. You reach down into a dark hole, pull out a hot basket, and hope nothing spills. The Sur La Table left hinge door is a garage door. It swings wide open. The whole chamber is lit and visible. You reach in with one hand. You pull out a whole chicken with the other. One design makes cooking easy. The other makes cooking a chore. Pick the door that opens toward you, not the one you fight.
Hardware Specs: 1700 Watts, 13 Quarts, Angled Touchscreen
The Sur La Table SLT-1807 chassis runs on 1700 watts of power with 360-degree air circulation, a 13-quart interior, and an angled digital control panel mounted above the door. The 13-quart capacity is the headline. It fits a 5-pound whole chicken on the rotisserie spit. It fits a 12-inch pizza. It fits two full baking racks of wings. This is family-meal capacity, not single-serving capacity.
- Power: 1700 watts. This is the heating muscle. It preheats fast and recovers temperature quickly after the door opens.
- Capacity: 13 quarts (approximately 12.3 liters). Two wire baking racks. One air fryer basket. Enough room for six burger patties, a full tray of vegetables, or a spatchcocked chicken on the rack.
- Temperature Range: Adjustable across the eight cooking functions. Air fry mode runs hot, typically in the 350°F to 450°F range. Dehydrate mode runs low, around 120°F to 175°F. The digital control panel lets you set temperature and time per function.
- Door Design: Left hinge. The door swings to the left, not down. A drop-down door creates a ledge that blocks your reach. A left-swing door opens the entire face of the oven. Your dominant hand stays free.
- Control Panel: Angled digital touchscreen with preset buttons for each cooking function. The angle is shallow enough to read from above counter height. No bending or crouching to see the display.
- Exterior: Black finish with stainless steel accents. The housing gets hot during operation. Leave clearance on all sides per the manual.
- Interior Light: Interior chamber light lets you monitor food without opening the door and dropping temperature.
The 8 Cooking Functions: Every Mode, Every Setting
Air Fry, Rotisserie, Bake, Broil, Roast, Reheat, Dehydrate, and Toast are the eight cooking modes printed on the control panel of the Sur La Table SLT-1807. Each function adjusts the heating element configuration, fan speed, and temperature range. This is not a single-trick appliance. It replaces a toaster oven, a dehydrator, a rotisserie oven, and a deep fryer on the counter.
- Air Fry: High heat plus high fan speed. The 360-degree air circulation crisps food with a fraction of the oil used in deep frying. Wings, fries, breaded chicken, and frozen snacks go here. The 13-quart chamber means you can air fry in a single batch what a basket fryer needs two or three rounds to finish.
- Rotisserie: A motorized spit rotates a whole chicken, pork loin, or kebab stack under even heat. The rotisserie function self-bastes. The fat renders as the meat spins, keeping the exterior crisp and the interior moist. Fits up to a 5-pound chicken.
- Bake: Convection bake with adjustable temperature. Cookies, muffins, cakes, and casseroles. The 13-quart interior fits a 12-inch pizza or a standard baking dish.
- Broil: Top element on high. Melts cheese, crisps toppings, and finishes a steak with a seared crust. Fast and direct heat.
- Roast: Moderate heat with convection. Whole vegetables, sheet-pan meals, and larger cuts of meat that need an even cook without the high heat of air fry mode.
- Reheat: Low fan speed. Brings leftovers back to temperature without drying them out. Microwave reheating sogs. Convection reheating crisps.
- Dehydrate: Low temperature, extended runtime. Turns sliced fruit into chips, beef into jerky, and herbs into dried seasonings. Runs for hours at temperatures as low as 120°F.
- Toast: High heat, short duration. Toasts bread, bagels, and English muffins on the wire rack. Replaces a standalone toaster on the counter.
Included Accessories: Every Tool in the Box
Nine accessories ship in the box with the Sur La Table SLT-1807: a drip pan, two wire baking racks, an air fryer basket, a rotisserie spit and fork set, kebab skewers, and a retrieval tool for pulling the hot rotisserie spit safely. You do not need to buy anything extra to use all eight functions on day one. The rotisserie set is the star. The spit slides into a motorized socket on the right wall of the chamber. Forks lock the chicken or roast in place. The retrieval tool hooks under the spit so you can lift it out without burning your hands.
- Drip Pan: Sits at the bottom of the chamber. Catches grease, crumbs, and drips. Removable and dishwasher safe.
- Two Wire Baking Racks: Slide into the side rails at multiple shelf positions. Use one rack for a single tray of food. Use both for double-decker cooking.
- Air Fryer Basket: Mesh basket that nests on a wire rack. Allows full 360-degree airflow around food for maximum crisp. Ideal for wings, fries, and breaded items.
- Rotisserie Spit and Forks: The motorized spit. Forks lock onto the rod with thumbscrews. Fits whole chicken, pork loin, and stacked kebabs.
- Kebab Skewers: Metal skewers that mount onto the rotisserie assembly. Rotates kebabs under even heat.
- Retrieval Tool: The safety accessory. Hooks under the hot rotisserie spit so your hands stay clear of the heating elements.
Sur La Table 13 Qt Air Fryer Pros and Cons
The trade-off is a 13-quart left hinge oven with eight functions and nine included accessories against a large countertop footprint and an exterior that gets hot during operation.
Pros
- Left hinge door: Opens to the side, not down. Full chamber access. Right hand stays free.
- 13-quart capacity: Fits a whole chicken, a 12-inch pizza, and two racks of food simultaneously.
- 1700 watts: Heats fast. Recovers temperature quickly after the door opens.
- 8 functions: Replaces a toaster oven, dehydrator, rotisserie oven, and deep fryer.
- 9 accessories included: Rotisserie spit, kebab skewers, retrieval tool, air fry basket, drip pan, and two racks all in the box.
- 360-degree air circulation: Even browning without flipping. No cold spots in the chamber.
- Angled digital touchscreen: Easy to read from above. Preset buttons for every function.
- Interior light: Monitor cooking without opening the door and losing heat.
Cons
- Large countertop footprint: A 13-quart oven takes space. Measure your counter before buying.
- Exterior gets hot: The housing heats up during operation. Keep clearance on all sides per the manual.
- Cleaning the door hinge: The left hinge area can collect debris over time. It needs occasional wiping.
- Not a basket air fryer: If you want a compact drawer-style unit, this is not it. This is a full countertop oven.
- Learning curve on presets: Each function has its own temperature and time defaults. You will need a few cooks to dial in your preferences.
Who the Sur La Table Air Fryer Is For
Match the appliance to your kitchen. Counter space, batch size, and cooking style point different buyers toward different air fryer designs.
Good Fit
- Families cooking for 3 to 6 people per meal
- Anyone who wants to air fry whole chickens on a rotisserie
- Meal-preppers cooking in bulk (double racks, 13 quarts)
- Kitchens replacing a toaster oven, dehydrator, and air fryer with one appliance
- People who want a left hinge door for easier loading and unloading
- Anyone who batch-cooks wings, fries, or vegetables in a single round
Not the Best Fit
- Single-person households cooking one portion at a time
- Tiny kitchens with minimal counter space
- Anyone who prefers a pull-out basket design over a door design
- People who only air fry and will never use the other seven functions
- Buyers who want a lightweight appliance to move in and out of storage daily
How the Sur La Table Compares to Other Air Fryers
Each air fryer design has a different balance of capacity, door style, function count, and counter footprint. No single oven wins every kitchen.
| Appliance | Type | Capacity | Door Style | Where It Wins | Where It Loses |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sur La Table 13 Qt | Countertop Oven | 13 qt | Left Hinge | Left hinge access, 8 functions, rotisserie, 9 accessories, 1700W | Large footprint, exterior gets hot |
| Ninja Foodi XL | Multi-Cooker + Air Fryer | 8 qt | Top Lid (Flip) | Pressure cooking, steam, smaller footprint | Smaller capacity, no rotisserie, top lid limits access. See Ninja Foodi review |
| Cosori 9-in-1 Oven | Countertop Oven | 12 qt | Drop-Down | 9 functions, slightly cheaper | Drop-down door blocks access, 1 less quart, no left hinge advantage |
| Instant Vortex Plus | Basket Air Fryer | 6 qt | Pull-Out Basket | Compact, fast, simple interface | No rotisserie, no dehydrate, no toast, single-batch cooking only |
| Breville Smart Oven Air | Countertop Oven | ~21 qt | Drop-Down | Largest capacity, premium build, super convection | $400+, drop-down door, massive footprint |
The Sur La Table wins on the left hinge door. Every competitor in this chart uses a drop-down door or a pull-out basket. The left hinge design is the practical differentiator. It is the reason you can load a 5-pound chicken onto the rotisserie spit without reaching over a hot drop-down door. The Ninja Foodi has pressure cooking. The Breville has premium branding and more capacity. The Sur La Table has the door that opens the right way for a right-handed cook. For another appliance comparison in the meal-prep category, see our NutriBullet 600W blender review.
Sur La Table Air Fryer FAQ
- Can the Sur La Table 13 Qt really fit a whole chicken?
- Yes. The rotisserie spit and fork set fits a chicken up to approximately 5 pounds. The chicken mounts onto the spit, the forks lock it in place, and the motor rotates it under the heating elements. The 13-quart interior has the depth and width to clear a whole bird rotating at full speed.
- Is the left hinge door better than a drop-down door?
- It is a different design choice with a clear ergonomic trade-off. A left hinge door swings to the side. It does not block your reach or create a hot ledge between you and the food. A drop-down door folds into a horizontal shelf. It can hold a tray temporarily but blocks your access from the front. For a right-handed cook, the left hinge is the more natural loading motion.
- How many accessories come in the box?
- Nine. Drip pan, two wire baking racks, air fryer basket, rotisserie spit and fork set, kebab skewers, and a retrieval tool for the rotisserie spit. You do not need to buy anything extra to use all eight cooking functions.
- Does the exterior get hot?
- Yes. The housing heats up during operation. This is consistent with every 1700-watt countertop oven. Leave clearance on all sides per the owner’s manual. Do not place anything on top of the unit during or immediately after cooking.
- How does the dehydrate function work?
- The dehydrate mode runs the convection fan at low temperatures, typically around 120°F to 175°F, for extended periods. It is designed to remove moisture from sliced fruit, vegetables, herbs, and meat for jerky. The two wire racks provide dehydrating surface area. The 13-quart capacity means you can dehydrate a full batch in one session.
- What is the difference between air fry, bake, and roast on this oven?
- Air Fry uses the highest fan speed and temperature for maximum crisp. Bake uses moderate convection heat for even cooking without the aggressive browning. Roast uses moderate heat with convection designed for larger cuts of meat and vegetables that need time to cook through. The heating element configuration and fan speed are different for each function, selected automatically when you press the preset.
- How do you clean the Sur La Table air fryer?
- The drip pan, wire racks, air fryer basket, and rotisserie components are removable and dishwasher safe. The interior chamber walls should be wiped down with a damp cloth after the unit cools. Clean the left hinge area periodically to prevent debris buildup. Always unplug the unit before cleaning.
Final Verdict
The Sur La Table 13 Qt Multi-Function Air Fryer with the left hinge door is the best-designed countertop oven for a right-handed family cook who wants eight cooking functions, a rotisserie that fits a whole chicken, and a door that opens the right way. The 1700-watt heating element and 360-degree air circulation deliver even browning. The nine included accessories mean you use every function out of the box. The left hinge door is not a gimmick. It is the single hardware feature that separates this air fryer from a shelf full of drop-down door competitors.
This oven is not for a single person cooking single portions. It is not for a tiny apartment kitchen with four square feet of counter space. It is for a family kitchen. It is for the meal-prepper who cooks 5 pounds of chicken and two trays of vegetables for the week ahead. It is for the cook who wants to air fry, roast, dehydrate, and rotisserie in one box without buying and storing five separate appliances.
The left hinge door is the decision. Everything else on the spec sheet is competitive. The door is what makes this oven different every time you open it. If you are right-handed and cook for more than two people, the door alone is worth the purchase. If you are left-handed, the same hinge may feel backward. Match the door to your dominant hand. That is the entire verdict.
Verdict: Best Left Hinge Air Fryer for Families
13 quarts. 8 functions. 1700 watts. Left hinge door. Rotisserie that fits a whole chicken. Nine accessories included. If your counter has the space and you cook for more than two, this is the air fryer oven to beat.
Related Kitchen and Meal-Prep Guides
- Ninja Foodi Smart XL Review
- NutriBullet 600W Blender Review
- Hydro Flask 20oz Food Jar Review
- Meoky 128oz Water Jug Review
- How to Lose Belly Fat Guide
- Carb Cycling for Men
- Best Diet for Weight Loss
- Old School Bulking Diets
