The Best Air Fryers In Canada In 2022 Reviews And Buying Guide
Fried foods are just absolutely addictive, arent they? Unfortunately, their unhealthy factor is as high as their deliciousness factor.
If only there were a way to enjoy fried foods without clogging our arteries so much But wait! There is.
An air fryer is a healthier and safer alternative to deep fryers that make cooking up a batch of crispy fries, wings, or fried pickles super easy and convenient.
Youll be able to enjoy all your favourite fried foods without an excessive number of calories, a ridiculous amount of fat, or any time spent hovering over a hot vat of oil.
Air fryers deliver that satisfying crispy exterior without using bucketloads of oil to do so.
They are much healthier and can be used for any type of food youd want to deep fry, plus a few extras trust us, re-heating your leftover pizza in an air fryer is life changing.
But since choosing a kitchen appliance is always an excruciating process, we decided to help you out.
We analyzed 35 products and 1756 consumer reviews over 67 hours to bring you a list of the best air fryers in Canada.
Following our last update, our top pick is the Ultrean 8.5 Quart Air Fryer it is super easy to use, has a great capacity for all of your foods, is easy to maintain, and prepares deliciously air-fried foods quickly.
Is Air Frying Healthy
In comparison to deep-fat frying, air frying is a healthier alternative â using convection cooking rather than oil means there’s less fat in the finished food, which in turn means fewer calories. However, air frying does have some negatives, so it should be considered as part of a balanced diet. Read more about the health credentials of air fryers in our guide â is air frying healthy?
What We Think Of The Instant Vortex Plus 6
Although air fryers can be a great addition to your kitchen, you still want to cook with a roaster, dehydrator, and other appliances on occasion. If you need multiple appliances, buy the Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer instead of every appliance individually.
What makes the Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer so unique is that it is a 6-in-1 appliance. It comes with an air fryer, roaster, boiler, dehydrator, baking feature, and reheating feature. In other words, you can cook anything you want in this device.
Despite being a 6-in-1 tool, this air fryer is super easy to use as well. Each of the six programs are displayed on an easy to touch screen system. Just touch and your food is ready to go.
As for the price of this model, we are absolutely ecstatic. It might be more expensive than a couple of the other air fryers on this list, but it is outrageously cheap it comparison to buying each of these devices separately. So, you can save some money when purchasing this 6-in-1 device.
Obviously, the Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer may not be your cup of tea if you arent looking for a 6-in-1 device. If you want an air fryer strictly, we recommend going with a more standard model.
I looked at many toaster ovens with an air fryer option, but this one met all of our needs. The digital readout is easy to read, and the automatic programs work wonderfully. I am impressed so far, and it looks great!
w.w.
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Are Air Fryers Worth It
If you’re wondering whether air fryers are really worth it, we think the primary perk of owning one is convenience. Like any kitchen gadget, you want something thatâs going to make life simpler, and thereâs no doubt that frying and baking conventionally can be messy, smelly and even dangerous.
Using an air fryer to bake, roast and fry will speed up the process, and can potentially cut calories and save money as you wonât have to use a larger oven for smaller portions and side dishes.
Think of air fryers as mini ovens that can tackle almost anything youâd put in a conventional oven or deep-fat fryer. Theyâre not just for chips: you can bake, roast and even dehydrate ingredients, too.
Is Air Frying The Same As Convection Cooking
Air fryers have become so popular in the past few years you wouldnt be alone in thinking its a new cooking technology. The core technology for air frying has been used in cooking for more than 70 years. It was and still is called convection cooking. Air fryers and convection ovens cook food by using fans to circulate hot air.
While the underlying technology is identical, the implementation differs. For example, a simple air fryer usually resembles a squat cylinder. Convection ovens generally have a rectangular shape with a door that opens in the front to reveal one or more removable trays. Food cooked in a conventional air fryer sits on a rack on the bottom of a removable basket. You put food on trays or shelves to cook in convection ovens.
Convection ovens generally have a larger capacity than air fryers, so the ovens can hold more food to cook simultaneously. Because air fryers dont have to fill as much space with hot moving air, air fryers usually cook food faster than convection ovens. Often, air fryers are louder than convection ovens because they use fans to circulate hot air around the cooking area.
You can find multifunction cookers that claim to be both air fryers and convection ovens. Based on the size and shape, you can tell which of the two variations on the same device more closely resembles. Both forms often have settings for baking, roasting, broiling, and dehydrating food, but at heart, theyre either an air fryer or a convection oven.
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Instant Vortex Plus 10
The Instant Vortex Plus 10-Quart Air Fryer is a convection oven-style air fryer with two racks to maximize cooking space. Weinstein said that he loves this model, but noted that if you use both trays, youll need to swap your food halfway through cooking. The Instant Vortex Plus has a touchscreen to set the temperature and the time. It features seven functions, from air frying to dehydrating. It comes with a drip pan, cooking trays and a rotisserie spit that you can throw in the dishwasher, too. The Instant Vortex Plus has a 4.6-star average rating from 23,000 customer reviews on Amazon and comes with a one-year warranty.
How Do I Use An Air Fryer
Air fryers heat up much more quickly than a standard oven, making them a great option when youre short on time or just dont want to wait around. most of us who have air fryers, Whens the last time you turned on your oven? Pitre joked. Your oven takes about 30 minutes to preheat, and your air fryer takes two or three. Because air fryers heat up so quickly, you wont heat up your kitchen like you might when using an oven, either.
And though you should use some oil when you cook with an air fryer, experts said you dont have to use tons of it. This might be good news for your health: Deep fried foods from restaurants and fast food joints can negatively impact ones heart health, whereas vegetable cooking oils you might use with your air fryer, like olive oil and sunflower oil, have been shown to have little impact on our cholesterol levels.. When you reduce the amount of oil youre using, your entire cooking process should become simpler and cleaner, too.
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What To Consider When Buying An Air Fryer
Think of your individual requirements before investing. You may want to consider the following:
Manual or digitalThe simplest air fryers come with manual knobs that you twist to set the time and temperature. You may prefer a digital version, where you press buttons to set this, and can see the remaining time digitally displayed.
Choice of pre-set programmesDo you like to choose your own temperature and how long to cook things for, or would you prefer to leave all that to the machine? Some of our fryers had up to nine pre-set programmes for popular foods like chips and, bizarrely, shrimps.
SpeedIt took between 17 and 30 minutes to cook chips in our samples, so this might be a factor. Some models need preheating, but only for a few minutes .
SizeAlways check the size as the capacity varies enormously â important if youâre feeding the masses or just want dinner for one. But bigger isnât always better. Some take up more space on the kitchen surface and if youâre going to keep it in a cupboard, check the dimensions, some are sizeable beasts.
Transparent lid or internal lightSome models have a see-through lid so you can glance in and check your chips are browning well. With others, you have to open the basket to check, stopping the machine. The transparent ones tend to be a feature on more expensive machines, so you need to decide how important this is to you.
PriceAir fryers vary hugely in price â our tested models varied from £39.99 to £300.
What We Think Of The Cosori Zyx Air Fryer
The Cosori air fryer is a slightly more advanced digital model with excellent features for beginners. The most unique attribute of this air fryer is the shake reminder so your food will come out evenly cooked every single time. This 11-in-1 air fryer can cook nearly a dozen types of food and makes it incredibly easy to switch between modes with simple touch buttons on its digital display.
The air fryer ranges from 170 to 400 degrees F for cooking, which is a slightly larger-than-average range that we see on air fryers. You can also choose to have your temperature displayed in Celsius if you would prefer. This air fryer has a 60-minute timer that will alert you to your foods finished state so you can eat it while its hot, though there is no auto shutoff function to protect your food from overcooking.
This is a high-quality air fryer. It is very powerful, lightweight, and has an incredible temperature range that will cook anything you need. The timer is perfect for any recipe, and this machine even has a shake reminder to tell you to mix up your food while cooking. This appliance is absolutely perfect for me, my only complaint is that it isnt bigger, it makes such delicious food Id like to make more of it!
FIona W.
Also Check: Best Air Fryer For Pizza
What We Think Of The Chefman Turbofry Air Fryer
Air fryers, especially large capacity ones, are almost always bulky and have to be stored on your counter. If you have a decorated kitchen, you probably want an air fryer that enhances the kitchen, not distracts from it.
The Chefman TurboFry Air Fryer is our sleek pick because it has a modern, minimalistic, and attractive design. It is made from stainless steel, but it has some dark gray and black accents as well. It has a traditional square shape, which means it can fit into most places in the kitchen.
In addition to having a sleek appearance, this air fryer is effective too. It has four preset functions that includes chicken, fries, meat, and fish. These buttons make cooking some of your favorite meals easy.
The model comes with a digital display, which shows you cook times and reminders. Once again, the display enhances the usability of the model, but it makes it look very modern and sleek at the same time.
You can even cook for multiple family members when using this air fryer. Because of its 8 court capacity, it is perfect for large family cooking or gatherings.
Very simple but great. Doesnt heat up the kitchen, dehydrates fast, and air fries perfectly and quickly. You can reheat french fries so they taste restaurant crispy again. Love it!
cheryl
All around, the Chefman TurboFry Air Fryer is a great air fryer because it is sleek and functional, though it may be a tad overpriced for what it offers.
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.
Also Check: Quick And Easy Air Fryer Recipes
Health Benefits Of An Air Fryer
When you use an air fryer to cook your food instead of a deep fryer, you lose the fat and calories you would gain from all the oil you would dip your food in. Everything from chicken strips to French fries or battered vegetables will cook in an air fryer, and because you use little to no oil, the food you make in an air fryer is healthier for you than deep-fried food.
Air Fryers Are Easy To Use
Whether youre making appetizers for the family or youd just like to test out a few new recipes for air fryers, youll always find your air fryer is easy to use. The compact countertop design means it can sit neatly in a corner of your counter or store in your cabinet, and most air fryers have easy-to-use one-touch menus that take the guesswork out of everything you cook.
Air fryers are also safer to use than traditional deep fryers. Because a deep fryer heats a vat of oil to boiling, you may splatter oil when submerging your food. With an air fryer, your food slides into the appliance and the lid stays closed, so any heat stays inside the fryer. Because you dont need to use hot oil, you dont get oil splatter.
If youd like to know how easy it is to use an air fryer, take a look at a few reviews of the latest models.
Also Check: Dash Compact Air Fryer Kohls
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.
How To Choose The Best Air Fryer
Air fryers differ in size and versatility, so it’s worth considering the following while you do your research.
- What would you like to cook in it?
- How many people are you cooking for?
- How much space do you have?
- What is your budget?
- Do you have a specific requirement for ease-of-use? For example, large, clear function icons and controls, or perhaps an audible indicator for when each function has finished?
If it’s simply a healthier, more efficient method of cooking chips that you’re after, you can narrow your search down to one without bells and whistles, and save some pennies on a machine that does the core function well.
Top tip: Watch out for those that will require you to part-boil the cut potatoes prior to crisping â air fryers worth having should be able to fully cook chips on their own.
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