What To Consider When Buying An Air Fryer
There are a number of considerations that need taking into account when choosing the best air fryer for you.
Start by deciding which type of air fryer you want. Basket air fryers tend to be healthier because they funnel the juices, as well as the fat, away from the food but you canât check on the food without opening them and letting cold air in, which can stall the cooking process.
Bowl air fryers, however, have glass lids so you can keep an eye on your meal, but the cooking juices remain in the air fryer and in contact with the food, making it tastier but not as healthy.
Youâll also need to check the capacity of the air fryer. If youâre feeding four or more mouths, look for larger air fryers, which can hold around 6.5 quarts / 6 liters, while couples will find designs that have a capacity of around 2.5 quarts / 2.5 liters will be sufficient. Some of the best air fryers also have more than one compartment, which means you can cook multiple foods at the same time.
As weâve already mentioned, if youâre tight on space look for air fryers that offer a multitude of different cooking methods, to cut down on the number of appliances that clutter up your kitchen countertop. Also, consider whether you want an air fryer with smart features that means you can switch it on or off from your smartphone.
How We Chose The Best Air Fryers
Every air fryer in our top 10 roundup has been tested hands-on by the Ideal Home team for a minimum of two weeks, or four thorough recipes. This allowed us to compare air fryers directly when compiling our top 10 list, and it also helped us when deciding which air fryers will be the right pick for different living situations. Because all air fryers claim to do very similar things, it’s important to us that we put them through their paces before recommending any air fryer to our readers. We used a standard recipe for air fried homemade chips across all air fryers, recording the cooking timings and considering how evenly the crisps came out, and how well cooked they were.
Another test we replicated across different air fryers was cooking bacon. Bacon cooks brilliantly in air fryers, allowing fat to drip away and leaving crispy rashers in the basket. We used the speed and evenness of cooking as a way of measuring how well an air fryer distributed heat and how fast it circulated hot hair. Based on our findings, we gave every air fryer a rating out of five and then sorted them into a top ten list to recommend to our readers.
Why You Need A Small Air Fryer
Heres why you need a small air fryer:
To save counter space
Due to their compact dimensions and incredibly small footprint, small air fryers dont take up much counter space. This allows you to use them in a kitchen crowded with the presence of other devices.
To prepare small servings
These units have a relatively small capacity less than 4-quarts that you can exploit to prepare all your favorite meals in small portions. This is what makes them a must-have for small-sized households.
To make healthy foods
Experts are quite vocal about the various health benefits that you can get by eating air-fried foods. Some of them include lower calorie consumption, less build-up of fats in your belly, and a trimmer waistline.
Read Also: Air Fryer With Stainless Steel Basket
Chefman Air Fryer Turbofry 2 Quart
Chefman TurboFry 2 Quart Air Fryer, Personal Compact Healthy Fryer w/ Adjustable Temperature Control, 30 Minute Timer and Dishwasher Safe Basket, Black
The Chefman Air Fryer is manufacturing as a toaster oven although you can make toast so easy. It has all such arrangements that help you to make cooking so convenient.
On using this oven youll be able to enjoy the mouthwatering foods like Chicken Nuggets, Chicken Drumsticks Steak, Pork Chops, Salmon, Hamburgers, and some others. For that reason, this oven has been manufactured for providing you the Mindful meals.
For super-hot air circulation inside the oven, youll be able to enjoy the crispy food instead of soggy. All the necessary options or buttons are placing at the top of the oven. So, youll not have to take notice of different places. If you want to enjoy the different delicious food you can orderChefman TurboFry 2 Quart Air Fryer is for you.
Pros
- Due to having the rapid-air technology youll not have to wait so long for the cooked food
- It will not consume so many spaces as the dimension of this oven is only 9.8 x 9.8 x 12.5 inches
- In the case of this oven, youll get all the necessary options in one place in the oven
Cons
- There is no display for showing you the details of the cooking functions
Best Small Kitchen Appliances Of 2021
Top-scoring air fryers, blenders, multi-cookers, and more from Consumer Reports’ tests
When you shop through retailer links on our site, we may earn affiliate commissions. 100% of the fees we collect are used to support our nonprofit mission.Learn more.
Who could have predicted that quarantine cooking would become a thing in 2020? Due to the coronavirus pandemic, consumers spent more time in their kitchens this year, which led to a rise in small kitchen appliance sales.
While you were home experimenting with new techniques and trying to master new recipes, Consumer Reports pushed forward with countertop appliance testing. You needed a solid stand mixer to knead your sourdoughwe had you covered. Morning coffee runs went out the windowwe offered home alternatives. But the best of these appliances will continue to prove useful long after we emerge from the pandemic days.
Below are the models that came out on top in CRs lab tests.
Don’t Miss: Best Choice Air Fryer Walmart
Q How Do I Use A Small Air Fryer
A: Using a small air fryer is easy. Simply add your food to the basket, set the temperature and timer, and wait for the timer to go off. Then, open the lid and remove the basket from the air fryer. Be careful of hot surfaces when removing food from the air fryer. Use oven mitts or gloves to protect your hands.
What To Consider Before You Buy An Air Fryer
- Air fryers come in various shapes and sizes. In general, smaller units are designed to cook food for one to two people at a time. XL and XXL sizes can fit enough food to feed up to six people at a time.
- Some air fryers are multi-functional. You can find air fryer-toaster oven combo units and even pressure cookers with an air fry function. Depending on your space and how you plan to use your air fryer, a combo unit could be right for you.
- Prices vary. Air fryers can range in price from around $40 to upwards of $300. We’ve found that many of the best air fryers cost around $100 and are often on sale.
- Make the most of your air fryer with accessories. Like the beloved pressure cooker, air fryer accessories are hitting the market making the appliance even more versatile.
Amanda Neal
Also Check: Kalorik 6 Qt Air Fryer
How To Buy The Best Air Fryer For You
Check the air fryer features and programmes
Look for easy-to-use controls for both temperature and time, as these are the most important features on any air fryer. Auto-stop and keep warm functions can be useful but chips, if left for any amount of time will soon lose their crispness. More expensive machines will feature touch screens rather than dial controls, which will help with accuracy.
How To Choose The Best Small Air Fryer
One of two types of foodies will consult this article. The first are those who know everything about small air fryers. They are only here to find the unit with the best ratings and reviews. Once they have found such a model, theyd buy it.
Such seasoned pros are in the minority. Most of our readers might not know much about the various features of air fryers at the beginning of their search for a new unit. They need to learn more about the characteristics that separate the high-end air fryers from the ordinary ones.
It is for the second type of food-lovers that this buying guide will come in handy.
Don’t Miss: Best Oven Type Air Fryer
Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer
If you arent worried about money or space and you find that youre regularly preparing meals for a bunch of people, the Breville Smart Oven Air is a great convection oven-style air fryer. I have a Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer that I absolutely love, Pitre said. It has 11 cooking functions, like toasting, broiling, baking, and of course air frying. Like most of our recommendations, it has a screen for the timer and temperature. The Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer has a 4.7-star average rating from around 160 reviews at Best Buy and comes with a one-year warranty. Its important to note here that the Breville doesnt have any dishwasher-safe parts.
How Big Of An Air Fryer Do I Need
For the average buyer, we suggest buying a five-quart air fryer. The basket is large enough to not be crammed when cooking for your family, but won’t take up too much space on the counter.
For two-person households, between two and four quarts of capacity will serve your day-to-day air frying needs. However, if you want to cook for more than two people or you plan on cooking two elements of your meal at once, some of the top dual-drawer air fryers offer up to nine quarts of cooking space.
Don’t Miss: Air Fryer Toaster Oven Reviews
Frequently Asked Questions On Small Air Fryers
HOW MANY PEOPLE A SMALL/COMPACT AIR FRYER CAN FEED IN SINGLE BATCH?
ALL THE COMAPCT AIR FRYERS ARE GENERALLY OF 2QUART CAPACITY SUITABLE FOR FAMILY OF 2 AND FOR ANY COLLEDGE STUDENT LIVING DORM LIFE.
DO COMPACT AIR FRYERS LACK FUNCTIONS COMPARED TO LARGE ONES?
NO , JUST LIKE COMPACT FRIDGES AND COMPACT STOVE ,COMPACT AIR FRYERS GENERALLY DO NOT LACK THE BASIC FUNCTIONS AN AIR FRYER SHOULD PERFORM, PLUSTHEY ALSO COMES WITH ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS TOO, ONLY LACKING QUALITY IN A COMPACT AIR FRYER IS, ITS CAPACITY. AND THATS WHAT YOU WANT, LIMITED CAPACITY RIGHT?
WHAT KIND OF DISHES CAN BE MADE IN A COMPACT AIR FRYER?
ANY KINDS OF FRIED BAKED OR GRILLED DISHES CAN BE MADE IN ANY MINI SIZED AIR FRYER, JUST LIKE LARGE ONES BUT IN SMALL QUANTITY .
IN WHAT PRICE RANGE COMPACT AIR FRYERS GENERALLY COMES?
COMPACT AIR FRYERS HAVE SMALL CAPACITY THUS THEIR PRICE ARE ALSO VERY LOW COMPARED TO LARGE ONES, THEY GENERALLY FIT IN $40-$75-$100 RANGE EASILY.
What We Think Of The Ninja Foodi 6
This Ninja air fryer has so much to offer. Its 2-basket design is very innovative and incredibly convenient when you need to cook multiple dishes for a single meal.
Each basket can be set to its own temperature and time, so you can cook two very different food types or just a very large batch of the same thing.
The intelligent technology will let ensure each dish is ready at the same time, even if there is quite a variation in their cook time.
The 8 quart capacity can cook enough food for the average family, or a bulk meal for a couple or individual. After the timer has run out, the machine will automatically cool down and shut off.
There is no warming feature, so make sure youre ready to take out your food right away to serve it hot. Two crisper plates are included, and they are the only dishwasher safe components.
I used to use a deep fryer to cook fries, onion rings, and some other side dishes for my family. However, I was never a fan of how much oil I needed. I only recently became aware of how air fryers work, and I knew I had to get one. All of the food comes out absolutely perfectly, and I feel a lot better using basically no oil at all. Its a great product! Jackie R
This air fryer is outfitted with 6 cook programs: air fry, air broil, roast, bake, reheat, and dehydrate. We bet youll be getting rid of some other countertop appliances once you get the hang of this machine.
Don’t Miss: Tri Star Power Air Fryer
How We Tested Air Fryers
What is the first thing you think of when you consider air fryers? Chips, of course, so our homemade fries test was crucial.
The key to crisp fries was to peel and soak the potatoes in cold water for half an hour to remove starch, before drying thoroughly. We used Maris Piper potatoes for all.
We looked at the manuals for each model and followed their directions for cooking temperature, time and the quantity of oil needed. If the type of oil wasn’t specified them we used vegetable.
Anything from the size of the cut to the variety of potato can make a difference here, so itâs always good to gauge things halfway through the time. But for the purpose of the test, we shook ingredients only when prompted too and scored the appliance based on its performance.
We tested the air fryers using set criteria and scored each one on the following core areas out of five. The average of all determined the overall star rating they achieved:
Quality of foodTo ensure fairness, we initially cooked chips in every fryer we tested. We looked at how evenly they âfriedâ and whether they were brown and crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.
Ease of useNo-one wants to resort to a YouTube video to work out how to use a new gadget. We looked for fryers with clear, simple instructions, so we could get them out of the box and cooking our dinner as quickly as possible. Fryers also scored highly if the icons or control buttons were easy to use and intuitive.
What We Think Of The Instant Pot Vortex Plus 10 Quart Air Fryer
We love the windowed design of this Instant Pot air fryer. It is one of the only models on the market that lets you check on the progress of the food without actually opening the machine and interrupting the cooking process.
This 10 quart model weighs only 19 lbs, but it is still a bit large, so make sure you have the counter space and storage room to house this machine when not in use.
There is both a timer and auto shutoff in place to ensure your meals are always cooked to perfection.
This versatile machine can air fry, rotisserie, roast, bake, dehydrate, warm, and even function as a convection oven. It can function at any temperature between 90 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit, so your options are essentially limitless.
I never dreamed that I would be able to make my own rotisserie chicken at home. It has been a favorite food of mine since I was a little kid. I used to buy one from the store every once in a while, but now, I make one every week. It is so easy and the air fryer comes with all of the tools you need to create perfection. Honestly, its the only reason I chose this air fryer in particular. Allan E
Included with the air fryer are a drip pan, two cooking trays, and all of the rotisserie equipment youll need. All of these accessories are dishwasher safe to make cleanup easy.
Don’t Miss: Cooks 3.7 Qt Air Fryer
Ninja Air Fryer That Cooks Crisps And Dehydrates 4qt
If you want something bigger in the mini air fryer range, you will like the Ninja Air Fryer, which has the perfect size for a small family. You can cook guilt-free food in the fryer with 75% less fat than traditional methods, similar to the Philips Digital Turbostar AirFryer.
Many praise the ceramic-coated crisp plate in this model, allowing even heat distribution in the unit for evenly cooked, crispy meals. Another notable feature is a user-friendly control panel with a digital display that allows you to set the desired cooking mode.
You can choose from the four cooking functions to control the cooking time manually for best results.
- If you want a crispy golden treat, set the Air Fry mode.
- For roasted meat and veggies, go for Roast mode.
- Want to reheat leftovers and revive their crispness once again? Go for the Reheat mode.
- The Dehydrate mode lets you remove moisture from your food. This helps in making perfect dried fruits, jerky, and whatnot.
The Ninja Fryer can handle two pounds of frying at a time and cook meals for two to five people without a snag.
Pros:
- Bigger than other small fryers
- Takes up some space on the counter
Q What Are Some Advantages Of Using A Compact Air Fryer
A. The obvious advantage of using a compact air fryer is the space youll save with the compact design. A compact air fryer takes up less space and can fit in kitchens where a full-size model might not be an option. With a compact air fryer, you can also cook smaller portions and use less energy . Because of the smaller interior, a compact air fryer typically cooks much more quickly than a full-size model. Last, because of the diminished space, its easier to clean up. In summary, a compact air fryer can save you space, energy, and time while also cutting down on cleaning chores.
Read Also: Best Air Fryer For Price
How We Picked These Products
Evaluating everything from ease of use and assembly, to foods crispiness, juiciness and evenness, our friends at the Good Housekeeping Institute tested a variety of models to find the best air fryers. Their team of on-staff expertswhich includes all types: engineers! data analysts! registered dietitians!rigorously put everyday products to the test in their New York City-based labs to determine which ones you can trust. They tested each machine for user-friendliness, efficiency, cleanability, noise level during operation, and temperature range.
- Maximum setting evenly cooks most foods
- Mechanical timer is tricky to program
- Not a lot of temperature options
If you like the look of Smeg refrigerators, youll love the retro-chic design of the Dash Compact Air Fryer, which comes in a wide range of fun colors. An ideal option for those cooking for one, this model features a smaller, 1.7-liter capacity and a modest size thats perfect for easy cleaning and storage or for kitchens with limited counter space.
Though the Good Housekeeping Institute’s kitchen tech experts said the mechanical timer “makes it a little tricky to program to the exact minute” and it doesn’t have a lot of temperature options, the maximum setting of 400°F should cook most foods evenly.
Air fryers use a large fan to circulate heat . By rapidly dispersing hot air and using specially perforated trays and baskets, food crisps up or fries quickly without the need for flipping or tons of oil.
