Everyone told me air fryers are great. It's the worst kitchen appliance I've ever used in my life.

Friends, family members, and colleagues have all insisted over the years that air fryers are amazing. I was always skeptical, but when I saw one on sale on Prime day, I bit the bullet and got it. The one I got was a 10-quart model with two removable trays, a rotating rotisserie spit, and several other accessories. I was mostly looking forward to making homemade rotisserie chicken and crispy air-fried veggies.

Problem #1: The rotisserie spit can only handle a 4-pound chicken. I knew this was a small chicken; I DIDN'T know until actually looking for one that my grocery store doesn't sell chickens under 5 lbs. But whatever; we'll do some wings instead, I thought.

Problem #2: The capacity of this thing, even at 10 quarts, is absolutely pathetic. And to be fair, I knew the capacity wouldn't hold a candle to a regular sheet pan. But holy shit, I couldn't even fit 3 lbs. of split chicken wings (with tips cut off) between the two trays. No big deal, right? I can just batch cook, because air fryers cook food relatively quickly, right? Not really, because...

Problem #3: Cook time is protracted because you have to keep messing with the food. I think a multi-level air fryer with only one heating element at the top is an inherently bad design, as the wings on the top tray cooked and browned WAY faster than the ones on the bottom tray. Total cook time: close to 40 mins., plus the several minutes I spent switching the pans around and flipping the wings over to ensure even cooking.

To be fair, the wings were crispy--more so than ones I've made in the past. But I'm not convinced that I can't produce the same effect with my conventional oven. I may need to put the wings under the broiler for a little bit, but that's still WAY more convenient than rotating tiny pans every 7 minutes to make sure the food cooks evenly.

Bottom line: I cooked the wings yesterday, gave the air fryer a good scrub, and returned it today.

If you actually like air fryers, please tell me why, as I genuinely don't get it. What do you actually use them for, and why do you consider them handy?