Product Review · Kitchen Appliances
Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. If you buy through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It does not change our assessment — there is a section below dedicated to a serious after-sales concern. This review draws on manufacturer documentation, retailer listings, price history data and aggregated owner feedback.
This is not the air fryer you are picturing
When most people say “air fryer” they mean a drawer — a sealed basket you pull out, shake, and push back in. Compact, blind, and brilliant at making frozen snacks crisp.
The SOLARA 12L is a different machine wearing the same name. It is a countertop convection oven with a glass door, wire racks, a rotisserie rod and a fan. Closer to a small OTG that air fries very well than to a Philips or Ninja basket fryer.
That distinction decides everything about whether you will be happy with it. You gain capacity, visibility and versatility — a whole chicken, a real pizza, baking, and the ability to watch food brown without pulling anything out. You give up counter space and a few percent of crisping, because air has more volume to move through in a 12-litre chamber than in a tight drawer.
For a lot of Indian kitchens, that is the right trade. If you were already considering an OTG, this is arguably a better buy than one.
What actually fits inside 12 litres
Capacity in litres is an abstraction. Here is what it means in practice, and it is the single strongest argument for this machine.
Compare that against the 4 to 6 litre basket fryers most people buy. A 4.2-litre drawer will feed two to three people, and doing four means cooking in two rounds while someone eats and someone waits. Twelve litres removes that entirely.
The rotisserie is the part owners talk about most. One describes the rotating rod as making grilled chicken and tikka come out well — and it is the one function no basket air fryer at any price can replicate, because the food has to turn on a spit.
The 12 presets, and what they are actually for
- 01 French fries
- 02 Chicken
- 03 Steak / meat
- 04 Fish
- 05 Shrimp
- 06 Pizza
- 07 Cake
- 08 Bread / toast
- 09 Vegetables
- 10 Kebab / skewers
- 11 Dehydrate
- 12 Rotisserie
Be realistic about presets. Most owners of any air fryer settle on two or three time-and-temperature combinations within a fortnight and never open the menu again. Preset counts are a marketing metric.
What genuinely matters here is that manual time and temperature control sits alongside them. A preset you cannot override is a cage; a preset you can adjust is a useful starting point. SOLARA gets this right.
Two presets are worth using properly, though. Dehydrate runs low heat for long periods and turns this into a legitimate food dehydrator — dried mango, banana chips, homemade kasuri methi, herb drying. And rotisserie drives the motorised rod, which is the machine’s signature function.
Features and build
- 360° hot air circulation
- LED touch screen control panel
- Adjustable temperature control
- Adjustable time control
- Dedicated preheat function
- Delay start timer
- Interior light to check progress
- Glass door for full visibility
- Automatic shut-off on completion
- Pauses cooking when the door opens
- Overheat protection
- Anti-scalding design
Two of those deserve emphasis because they are safety features people overlook until they matter. The oven pauses when you open the door — the fan and element stop rather than blasting hot air at your face while you check on food. And overheat protection cuts power if internal temperature climbs beyond safe limits, which is the single most common failure mode in cheap countertop ovens.
At 1800W it preheats quickly for its size. Owner feedback on cooking performance is strongly positive — across roughly 129 comments specifically about cooking, sentiment runs around 123 positive to 6 negative, with even cooking and roasted vegetables singled out repeatedly. One owner notes they find this design more useful than “tub” style air fryers and rates the build quality highly.
On accessory counts: the Amazon listing advertises 9 accessories while SOLARA’s own website lists 6 core items — crisper wire basket, enamelled tray, rotisserie basket, wire grill rack, tongs and rotisserie rod. The difference is presumably made up by extras like the recipe e-book, mitts and rotisserie fetch tool, and bundles vary between sellers.
Check the specific listing’s contents before ordering, and count the box when it arrives. At least one owner reported mitts missing from delivery.
| Type | Countertop air fryer oven (OTG style) |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 12 litres |
| Power | 1800W |
| Controls | LED touch screen, 12 presets + manual |
| Functions | Air fry, grill, roast, bake, reheat, dehydrate, rotisserie |
| Core accessories | Crisper basket, enamelled tray, rotisserie basket, wire rack, rotisserie rod, tongs |
| Safety | Auto shut-off, door-open pause, overheat protection, anti-scald |
| Extras | Preheat, delay start, interior light, recipe e-book |
| Warranty | 1 year |
| Listed MRP | ₹12,999 |
| Typical street price | Around ₹7,600 – ₹8,300; has dipped to ₹5,799 |
The concern you need to weigh before buying
Everything above is genuinely good. This section is why the score is 4.2 rather than 4.6, and it would be dishonest to bury it.
After-sales support
Among the owner reviews is a detailed and serious complaint: a unit that failed within one month, a warranty claim that was not honoured, no accessible service centre, and calls to customer support going unanswered. The reviewer’s summary was blunt — buy at your own risk.
One review is one review, and it sits against a large majority of satisfied owners. But it points at a structural reality: SOLARA is a young direct-to-consumer brand without the nationwide service infrastructure of Philips, Bajaj or Havells. The warranty is one year, and its value depends entirely on whether the company answers when you call.
How much weight to give this depends on you. If you are buying through Amazon, the platform’s own return and replacement window is your practical protection for the first ten days — so unbox it immediately, run it hard on day one, and test every function including the rotisserie motor and each preset. Problems that appear in week one are recoverable through Amazon. Problems in month eight depend on SOLARA.
If you are the kind of buyer who needs a service centre in your city and a brand that will still be answering the phone in year three, this is a real risk factor and you should weigh a Philips, Havells or Inalsa alternative even at a higher price.
The touch panel
A second, much smaller complaint appears more than once: the touch controls are not consistently responsive. One owner reports having to press twice or three times to register a selection. Capacitive panels on budget appliances are frequently the weak point, and this appears to be a mild case rather than a failure — annoying rather than disqualifying.
Counter space
Twelve litres is a large appliance. Owners consistently note it requires substantial counter space, and this is the most common practical regret with oven-style air fryers. Measure your worktop before ordering. An appliance that has to be stored in a cupboard and lifted out each time is an appliance you will stop using — and at this size, lifting it out is a two-handed job.
What works
- 12 L fits a whole chicken, a full pizza, or two trays at once
- Motorised rotisserie no basket fryer can match
- Genuinely replaces an OTG, a toaster and an air fryer
- Glass door and interior light — check without losing heat
- 1800W preheats fast for the chamber size
- Manual override on every preset
- Real dehydrate function, not a gimmick
- Strong safety set: door pause, auto shut-off, overheat cut
What doesn’t
- After-sales support is the main risk — see above
- One-year warranty on a mid-priced appliance
- Touch panel can need repeated presses
- Needs substantial permanent counter space
- Slightly less crisp than a compact basket fryer
- Accessory count varies between listings
- Audible fan noise in operation
- Silicone mitts reported as low quality
How it compares
| Machine | Strength | Weakness | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOLARA 12L Air Fryer Oven | Capacity, rotisserie, visibility, replaces an OTG | Service network, 1 yr warranty, footprint | Families of 4+ |
| Basket air fryer, 4–6 L | Crisper results, compact, cheaper | No rotisserie, no baking, small batches | 1–3 people, snacks |
| Conventional OTG | Better at cakes and bread, established brands | Slower, no air frying, heavier power draw | Regular bakers |
| Premium basket fryer (e.g. Ninja) | Highest temperatures, best crisping | Costs far more, no rotisserie, less capacity | Texture obsessives |
The most useful comparison is against a plain OTG. If you were about to buy one, this does everything an OTG does plus air frying and rotisserie, usually for similar money. The catch is exactly the one described above: OTG brands like Bajaj, Philips and Havells have service networks measured in hundreds of centres. That is what your extra rupees buy.
Getting the best out of it
Three habits make a large difference with any oven-style air fryer.
Preheat properly. Three to five minutes. Food placed into a cold chamber spends the first several minutes warming rather than crisping, and the surface dries slowly instead of quickly — which is the whole mechanism behind crisp texture.
Do not overfill the racks. Hot air has to reach every surface. Pile a tray and the food steams in its own moisture and comes out pale. Two properly spaced batches beat one crowded one, even on total time.
Add water below fatty food. When roasting chicken or sausages, a tablespoon of water in the drip tray stops fat burning onto hot metal, which is the usual cause of smoke.
Who should buy it
Buy it if you
- Cook for four or more people regularly
- Want rotisserie chicken and tikka at home
- Were already considering buying an OTG
- Bake occasionally as well as air fry
- Have permanent counter space to give it
- Want one machine instead of three
Skip it if you
- Need dependable brand service in your city
- Cook mainly for one or two people
- Have limited or contested counter space
- Want maximum crispness on small snack batches
- Prefer a longer warranty on a mid-priced buy
- Dislike touch panels and want physical dials
Frequently asked questions
Is the SOLARA 12L an air fryer or an OTG?
Both, effectively. It is a countertop convection oven with a high-speed fan, which is what an air fryer is at a mechanical level. It bakes, grills, roasts and toasts like an OTG, and air fries like a basket fryer — slightly less crisply than a tight drawer, because the chamber is larger.
Can it roast a whole chicken?
Yes, on the motorised rotisserie rod, which turns the bird as it cooks for even browning. This is the standout capability and the main reason to choose an oven-style machine over a basket. Owners specifically praise the results for chicken and tikka.
Is 12 litres enough for a family of four?
Comfortably. Twelve litres handles a whole chicken, a nine-inch pizza, or two trays of snacks at once. For reference, a 4.2-litre basket fryer serves two to three people and requires batching beyond that. If anything, 12L is generous for four.
How much counter space does it need?
A lot — this is the most common practical complaint. Measure your worktop before ordering, and plan for it to live there permanently. Also allow clearance behind and above for hot air to escape. A machine you have to lift out of a cupboard is a machine you stop using.
What is the warranty and is service reliable?
One year. Service is the weak point: SOLARA is a young direct-to-consumer brand without the nationwide network of Philips or Havells, and at least one owner has reported a failed unit, an unhonoured warranty claim and unanswered support calls. Test everything thoroughly within your Amazon return window.
Does it use less oil than deep frying?
Substantially, yes. That comparison is measured against submerging food in one to two litres of oil, versus a teaspoon or none here. Against shallow frying in a pan the saving is real but much smaller. It is an honest claim measured against a specific baseline.
Can I bake a cake in it?
Yes — there is a dedicated cake preset and the enamelled tray suits baking. A conventional OTG with top and bottom elements gives slightly more even results for delicate bakes, but for everyday cakes, cookies and bread this handles it well.
Is the touch panel reliable?
Mostly, with a caveat. More than one owner reports needing to press twice or three times to register a selection. It is an irritation rather than a fault, but if you strongly prefer physical dials, it is worth knowing before ordering.
What does the dehydrate function actually do?
Runs low heat with continuous airflow for several hours, slowly drawing moisture out. It genuinely works for dried mango, banana chips, dried herbs and homemade kasuri methi. It is one of the few presets worth learning rather than ignoring.
Why is my air fryer oven smoking?
Almost always fat dripping onto a hot surface and burning. Add a tablespoon of water to the drip tray when cooking chicken, sausages or anything fatty. Persistent smoke with no grease source, or a burning-plastic smell, means stop and contact support.
Final verdict
As a piece of hardware, the SOLARA 12L is very good. It does something no basket air fryer can — a whole rotisserie chicken, a full pizza, two trays at once, real dehydrating — while covering everything an OTG does. The safety features are sensible, the presets can all be overridden, and owner feedback on cooking performance is strongly positive.
The reservation is not about the cooking. It is about what happens if it stops cooking. A one-year warranty from a young brand with a thin service network is a genuine risk, and at least one owner has had a bad experience with exactly that.
Buy it if you cook for a family, want the versatility, have the counter space, and are comfortable relying on Amazon’s return window as your real safety net for the first ten days. If you need the reassurance of a brand with service centres in every city, pay more and buy one.