Best Air Fryer 202: Our Top Picks
We found that the Instant Pot Vortex Plus 6-Quart 6-in-1 Air Fryer made the best homemade fries of any air fryer we tested. They had a fluffy interior and crispy exterior, with evenly browned edges and consistent cooking throughout.
Because there is a removable air fry insert, you can also use the Instant Pot Vortex Plus 6-Quart 6-in-1 Air Fryer to reheat things such as rice or pasta, which would usually fall through the slots in the air fryer tray.
The six-quart capacity is perfect for families, and it will easily cook for 5 or 6 people. Our bacon rendered perfectly, and the innovative OdorErase technology really did help in preventing cooking odors in the kitchen. This is also one of the quietest air fryers we’ve tried, and we found that the control panel is sleek and attractive, just be prepared to wipe away finger smudges.
What’s better than one air fryer? Two, in one. The is incredibly versatile, so prepare for it to replace your oven.
There are six modes: air broil, air fry, roast, reheat, dehydrate, and bake. We found that the air fry mode is great, especially when you use the removable crisper plates, and you can use one in one drawer to air fry chicken while baking or roasting vegetables in the other drawer to make fajitas or simply a balanced meal.
The controls are intuitive and modern, and the air fryer basket is large enough to fit a whole chicken .
Air Frying Toaster Oven: Bake Broil Roast And Toast
These models look and function much like a standard countertop toaster oven but they have an air fry function as well. An advanced version is almost like adding a second main oven to your kitchen since they can broil, roast, bake, toast and much more. Some even come with a rotisserie function. For someone who hosts Thanksgiving or big family gatherings, the extra oven space these provide may feel like a godsend. Plus, they air fry although due to their larger size, these models usually don’t cook as quickly or quite as intensely as smaller solo air fryer ovens.
Breville makes an excellent model as do KitchenAid and Cuisinart. My favorite in a test of these types air frying toaster ovens was Ninja’s Foodi, which blasted chicken wings and french fries to crispy golden perfection — I suspect that was large in part due to the smaller cooking cavity which helps the air fry function work properly. It also made wonderful broiled salmon and perfect toast.
These air fryers start at around $150 and go up from there.
If you’re shopping for a countertop toaster, why not get one that air fries too?
Read more: Best countertop oven and air fryer in 2022
Why You Should Trust Me
As a senior staff writer at Wirecutter, Ive researched, tested, and reviewed toasters, toaster ovens, and deep fryers, among other kitchen gear and gadgets, since 2016. Ive spent more than 250 hours over the past four years researching and testing air fryers for this guide. In that time, Im pretty sure Ive eaten more fish sticks and french fries than the Gortons Fisherman and Ronald McDonald combined.
Read Also: The Best Air Fryer To Buy
What Is The Working Principle Of An Air Fryer
What is the working principle of an air fryer? They use fans to circulate hot, dry air around the food and then cook it. Because hot air is lighter than cool, it naturally rises.
This means that the hot air from the bottom of an air fryer will rise to the top and come in contact with the food.
The hot air heats the food, and that is what you want when using an air fryer. Convection currents are created by air fryers that allow the air to circulate about the food. Air fryers are a great way to speed up cooking because the hotter the air is, the faster it circulates.
Best Large Air Fryers For 5
For 5-6 people: If youre wanting to cook fresh food from scratch for a big family of about 4-6 servings, we suggest the large Oven-style, Rack, Countertop or Toaster style air fryer ovens. These models have at least 2 racks to cook on and some of them are large enough to use standard 8 or 9 cake pans, pie dishes and casserole bakeware. Just double check the dimensions before you buy the air fryer to fit your existing dish ware.
Recommended Reading: Instant Pot 3 Quart Air Fryer Lid
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.
Best Air Fryer Toaster Oven
The Breville Smart Oven Air handles a variety of kitchen tasks with aplomb, from your morning toast to a roast chicken to air-fried everything.
- Size: 21.5” x 17.5” x 13”
- Capacity: Air fry basket is 16.5″ x 12.5″
- Dishwasher-safe parts: No
- Preset modes: Toast, bagel, broil, bake, roast, warm, pizza, proof, air fry, reheat, cookies, slow cook, dehydrate
- Power: 1800 watts
Pros: Two convection settings for custom cooking comes with helpful accessories makes oven-quality meals quickly can take the place of many other appliances, including a roaster, air fryer, dehydrator, toaster, and more
Cons: Large countertop footprint
Air fryers generally come in two styles: the windowless units with a drawer containing a fry basket and the ones that look exactly like and, in fact, are convection toaster ovens. The Breville Smart Oven Air is in the latter group, but it’s not simply jumping on the air fryer bandwagon.
It shined making broccoli, producing gently crisped yet tender and moist florets. It did the best job of making crisp, evenly cooked fresh-cut fries. We’ve even found it useful for other everyday tasks, including roasting sweet potatoes, proofing dough, and toasting bread. There are several different presets, including pizza and cookie modes.
The Breville Smart Oven Air comes with useful accessories, including a roasting pan, air fryer basket, broiling rack, and pizza pan.
You May Like: Which Air Fryer Is Best To Buy
Instant Omni Pro 18l Toaster Oven And Air Fryer
Also available at Williams Sonoma.
This air fryer oven touts 14 functions , which certainly sounds impressive, but we’re not sure we’d use them all. Setting up the rotisserie chicken, for example, was quite complicated. For all its functions, the control panel is surprisingly intuitive to use, with its large LED display, though we found the button beeps a bit annoying. The taste tests were pretty impressive, too, so it’s a good cooker overall, though cleanup was less than ideal, as with other oven models.
What To Contemplate While Buying An Air Fryer
An air fryer should be small enough to hold all your food items. An air fryer that holds between one and two people is sufficient.
Generally, an air fryer that holds up to one cubic foot is ideal if you are cooking for the entire family. You should consider: how much space you have to store your air fryer. If you have a small apartment or dont have enough space, an air fryer is probably not the right choice.
Also Check: Toaster Oven Air Fryer Dehydrator
Dont Let Yours Sit In The Box
The Spruce / Madhumita Sathishkumar
It seems like everyone and their mother is falling hard for air frying. While air fryers might feel like a new trendy gadget, theyve actually been in home kitchens for over 10 years now. In that time the size, selection, and capabilities of the air fryer have improved making them a truly exciting product. Air fryers cook food using convection which means they can mimic the high heat of an oven and broiler and give food a fried-like texture with just a small bit of oil. Plus, an air fryer takes about a third of the time to preheat than a conventional oven. Your favorite frozen shortcuts, weeknight dinner staples, and sweet treats can be easily adapted to air frying.
Ready to jump on the air frying bandwagon? Dont be intimidated! These 5 recipes will take you from beginner to pro and help you learn how to use your new favorite gadget.
What Are The Benefits Of Using Air Fryer Food Chart
Quite a few! Aside from making cooking easier and more efficient, many air fryer food chart can also help you make healthier choices by allowing you to prepare foods without added oils or fats. Additionally, some tools like blenders and food processors can actually help you save time in the kitchen by eliminating the need to chop or shred ingredients by hand.
Recommended Reading: What Can I Do With An Air Fryer
What Size Air Fryer Is Best
Although the versions will inform you of their dimensions, they are not absolutes. You will need to consider the type of food you are cooking before determining what can fit into the cooking area.
A couple of chicken wings or legs can take up more space than a portion of chopped chips or other vegetables.
Philips is a popular brand for high-quality air fryers. Air fryer sizes are referred to as meals poundage. The 2.2-quart version will state that it can fry 1.8 lbs of food. The 3.2-quart version will state that it is an air fryer suitable for cooking 2.6kg of food.
American air fryers are referred to by the dimensions of the units regarding meal quarts.
International versions refer to the air fryer sizes in liters.
Do Air Fryers Work For Large Families
Air Fryers can absolutely work for large families. The trick is getting the right model and choosing your recipes wisely.
Some brands offer 8-quart or larger options that have sufficient space to cook food for six or more people.
Just be sure to have your expectations set properly. You will likely not be able to make a full meal for a large family in the Air Fryer. But you will be able to make a component of the meal, such as the meat or the veggies.
Read Also: Power Air Fryer 360 Reviews
Best Overall: Philips Premium Air Fryer Xxl
Also available at Williams Sonoma and Philips.
Pros: The Philips Premium Airfryer XXL is easy to use straight out of the packaging, and cleanup is easy because many parts can go right into the dishwasher.
Cons: At 19 pounds, this may be a bit heavy for a household that can’t leave it out on the countertop and needs to move it frequently additionally, it was significantly louder than the other models we tested.
After a day of testing, this model was the clear winner. This basket-style air fryer can do it all with zero learning curve once it’s plugged in. The Philips Premium Airfyer XXL cooked our chicken fingers, fries, and rotisserie chicken to a crispy texture and provided a picture-perfect browned look.
What really stood out to us during our PEOPLE Testing process is that it was easy to set up and get cooking right after you plugged it in. We didn’t need to read a complicated manual to get dinner on the table. The countdown timer let us know when the air fryer was preheated as well as when our food was about to be ready, a feature many other models didn’t have. Our French fries came out crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside and we didn’t have to flip the fries over in cooking because the air fryer provides an even cook.
Many air fryers can be challenging to clean and stay greasy the Philips stood out because many of its parts could go in the dishwasher, making it easier to get the pieces truly clean than in a convection-style oven.
Where To Find Recipes For Air Fryers
There are countless food blogs and youtubers, who create recipes that can be prepared with an air fryer.
Also be sure to for some ideas where lot of bloggers share their newest recipes too.
Most air fryers come with a recipe booklet but usually they dont have that many recipes
If you dont feel like searching but need some inspiration then youll find countless
Also some air fryers have a recipe app where hundreds of recipes can be found specifically created for that air fryer model.
Check out our recipes too.
Also Check: Big Lots Air Fryer Oven
Air Fryer Buying Guide
Deep-fried food is delicious, but its not the healthiest option when youre hungry for a snack or meal. Because deep frying involves dipping your food in oil, it can add calories and fat to everything you make. Thankfully, there is a healthier way to get that deep-fried flavour and crispy coating. All you need is an air fryer. It will take everything from chicken strips to wings or French fries and make it crispy and delicious, and it uses nothing more than hot air to do so.
Also Check: Big Boss Air Fryer Accessories
What To Look For When Shopping For The Best Air Fryer For You
Size: How many people are you cooking for at one time? A compact size is good for one to two people, while a bigger size works better for three or more.
Style: Basket-style air fryers are good for small quantities and foods that are easy to shake, like fries and veggies. Air fryer ovens are a bit bigger and can air fry food on multiple shelves, but they require more monitoring and food often needs to be rotated during cooking. Air fryer toaster ovens can perform multiple cooking functions like baking, roasting and broiling in addition in addition to air frying.
Price: Digital air fryers tend to cost more than mechanical air fryers, as do stainless steel options versus plastic.
Multifunctionality: If you’re in the market for another appliance, toaster ovens, microwaves, pressure cookers, steamer cookers and even full-sized ovens have started to incorporate an air fry option into their designs, so investing in a multifunctional appliance might be a good value .
Read Also: Largest Instant Pot Air Fryer
Best Air Fryer Manufacturers
Today the market has a large variety of air fryer for every taste. You can choose a device of any size, with mechanical or electronic control, with a wide range of functions. In addition, you can buy additional equipment for air fryer: baskets, racks, tongs, etc. The choice is not so easy. But I spent a few hours and did everything for you. Below is a list of the main air fryer manufacturers with their products, as well as the most necessary accessories for air fryer.
Each store contains numerous air fryers and other kitchen appliances and accessories to choose.
Do You Need To Use Oil In An Air Fryer
Short answer: No, you don’t need oil. But some foods do well with a light spray or coating of cooking oil. Vegetables including green beans, broccoli, asparagus, and even potatoes will dry out if you blast them in an air fryer so a light spritz of avocado or olive oil can go a long way.
Remember, you’re still using far less oil than deep-frying or even pan-frying in which food sits in oil or is submerged the entire time it’s cooking. Anything with some inherent oil content, like chicken or salmon, will have plenty of natural oil to baste itself while cooking.
When air frying vegetables, a light coating of oil goes a long way.
Read Also: Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid 10 Qt
Air Frying Is Healthy Right
Air-frying is ingenious marketing it sounds so light, so fat-free, so noncaloric. But its not healthy by default. Yes, the air fryer uses a lot less oil than deep-frying, but were you really deep-frying that much before? I do love that it makes roasted veggies and salmon in a flash, which maybe means Ill eat more of them. If youre looking to make some changes in your eating habits, Id suggest talking to a registered dietitian, not your toaster oven.
Dont Miss: What To Look For When Buying An Air Fryer
How To Choose The Best Air Fryer For Beginners
In best air fryer for beginners, prior understanding of the product is always important. Other performance-related factors may be included in these findings. For this reason, we recommend that you evaluate the products price to its value before making a decision.
Only you can avoid wasting your important time by performing thorough research and comparisons. To help you save time, weve already done the research and comparisons. With the best air fryer for beginners, you can get the performance you want in the quickest amount of time feasible, without sacrificing anything.
You May Like: Bella 2.5 Air Fryer Reviews
Dual Basket Air Fryer
This is the newest trend on the market. A dual basket air fryer is basically an air fryer with 2 distinct baskets. Each of them have a separate heating unit. You can set a different timer and temperature for each of these baskets.
Usually it comes with a sync button where you can sync together the 2 baskets so the food will be ready at the same time. Their size varies but usually between 6-10 quarts so they are quite big. So if you buy an 8 quart dual basket air fryer it means it comes with 2 separate 4 quart baskets.
Why we really like dual basket air fryers is that you can create a main and side dish at the same time .
Advantage:
- Make a complete dinner in one go
- You can sync the baskets so they are ready at the same time
Disadvantage:
Related article: Best Dual Basket Air Fryers
