What To Consider Before You Buy An Air Fryer
- Air fryers come in various styles and sizes. In general, basket units are easy to use and great for the basics. If you want a model that can do-it-all and then some, consider an air fryer toaster oven instead.
- Many 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 $50 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 can help make air fryers more versatile.
Ninja Digital Air Fry Oven
Similar to some of the best convection ovens, the Ninja Foodi Air Fry Oven is small enough to sit in a nook on your countertop, and it flips up to store away even more inconspicuously. But in spite of its small footprint, the Foodi oven can cook a pretty decent sized batch of french fries. It also has air roast, air broil, bake, dehydrate, keep warm, toast , and bagel functions in addition to its air-frying function.
Features like the crumb-release tray help you keep the oven clean, and a light comes on in the ovens interior at the end of the cooking cycle so you can see your food. The digital display and stainless exterior make the Ninja Digital Air Fry Oven feel high-quality, and you get an included air frying tray and a nonstick pan.
What Size Air Fryer Should You Get
While there are several features to consider, the size of your air fryer is likely the most important decision you’ll make. If you’re typically cooking for one or two people, a 2- or 3-quart air fryer should be large enough. Consider adding another quart of capacity to your air fryer for every person that you’re regularly cooking for. A family of four or five, for instance, should be fine with a 5-quart model. If you plan on regularly cooking full meals for a family including meat and veggies or sides, you might consider a larger, dual-basket air fryer like the Ninja DualZone that we’ve recommended above.
Here’s the tiny 2-quart Gourmia air fryer next to the more standard 4.25-quart Phillips model.
All that said, the smaller the air fryer you can get away with the better. I’ve found that smaller air fryers such as the Magic Bullet 2- to 5-quart model and Instant Pot’s Duo Crisp net better results since food is going to get blasted faster and more often than inside a larger model. But smaller air fryers mean less overall capacity, so you may have to cook in batches.
Recommended Reading: Recipes With An Air Fryer
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How We Test Air Fryers
We’ve tested more than 40 air fryers in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances Lab, including traditional basket-style air fryers, air fryer ovens, air fryer toaster ovens and even several microwaves and multicookers with air fry capabilities. We also cook with them quite regularly and have developed countless recipes for them.
When we test air fryers, we evaluate their performance and ease of use by air frying frozen and fresh french fries as well as chicken wings. We don’t test baked goods like cake because cake and most other desserts benefit from an even distribution of gentle heat, and most air fryers don’t have heating elements on the bottom in addition to the top . We score the food on its crispiness, juiciness and evenness, and we consider details like how quickly it cooks, how helpful the user guide is and whether the machine is loud. We also evaluate features like the control panel, temperature range and whether the accessories are dishwasher-safe.
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Top 18 Product Ratings
| Fantastic cooking performance, easy to clean, easy to use, great temperature accuracy, multiple cooking functions | Even cooking, accurate temperature, good crunch, non-stick, sleek, controls are straightforward | Great cooking performance, user friendly, excellent temperature accuracy | Viewing window, interior lights, two separate baskets, user friendly, straightforward cleaning, preheat function | Relatively easy to use and clean, good air cooking performance, toaster oven functionality, flips up for easy storage | |
| Cons | Touchscreen occasionally doesn’t register touch, one level in basket, limited one-hour timer | Not the easiest to clean, cost | Unevenly cooks potatoes, does not provide proper potato crisp, large footprint | Expensive | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bottom Line | Exceptional frying performance and an easy to clean design makes this one of the best options on the market | Evenly cooks food, offers straightforward controls, and provides easy cleaning – all at a great price | This high performing, four quart model offers some of the most consistent quality | A duo basket air fryer for simultaneous cooking, with high temperature accuracy and user friendly controls | An ideal model for those wanting to add both a toaster oven and air fryer to their kitchen collection |
| Rating Categories | |||||
| 11.5″ x 13.3″ x 12.8″ | 6.1″ x 10.4″ x 7.4″ | 13.6″ x 11″ x 13.3″ | 15.9″ x 12.5″ x 15.1″ | 19.7″ x 7.6″ x 15″ | |
| Capacity | |||||
| Wire rack, air fry basket, sheet pan | |||||
| Power Consumption |
How Do You Clean An Air Fryer
Most removable parts on most air fryers are dishwasher safe. Check the owner’s manual of your air fryer for which parts, if any, are ok to run through the dishwasher.
These parts are also easily cleaned by hand with warm, soapy water and a non-abrasive sponge. If there’s any particularly difficult to remove grease or stuck-on food, let the parts soak in hot, soapy water first.
The interior and exterior of the air fryer can be wiped clean with a damp cloth, but should never be submerged in water since it contains electrical components.
If the heating element gets dirty, you can wipe it with a damp cloth when the unit is turned off, cooled, and unplugged.
Recommended Reading: Frigidaire Convection Oven With Air Fryer
Best Air Fryers 202: Guilt
Air fryers offer a healthy way to crisp up your food without the need for half a bottle of oil. Here’s our pick of the best air fryers.
Air fryers offer an alternative and healthy way to crisp up your food without the need for half a bottle of oil. They are basically small ovens that use powerful – and normally pretty noisy – fans, along with a concentrated heat source to deliver a fried finish to your food, whether that be chips, chicken, wings or even veg.
Requiring very little oil, or none at all, and a touch of a couple of buttons to deliver crispy chips, crunchy onion bhajis or anything else you might otherwise fry, these air fryers are essentially the guilt-free way to eat chips and some will save you energy compared to using an electric oven too.
There are several options available, all with various features, and while Tefal, Ninja and Instant appear multiple times on our best air fryers list, there are others to consider as well.
Best Overall: Kitchenaid 27 Stainless Steel Electric Built In Oven/microwave Combo
Shop Now
Get the best in cooking technology with our top overall pick, the KitchenAid wall oven microwave combo . This unique, one-of-a-kind oven microwave combo is equipped with Even-Heat True Convection oven and EasyConvect conversion system that takes the guesswork out of convection cooking for quick and fast meals that taste just as good as slow-cooked dishes. And with the microwave convection cooking and Crispwave microwave technology with a crisper pan, you can grill, fry, and convection bake in a snap for a perfect, golden-brown, and crispy look.
Why We Like It:
Also Check: Pressure Cooker Air Fryer Combo
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Double Wall Oven/microwave Combos
Double wall oven/microwave combos are an excellent space-saving alternative to separate appliances. Many offer a range of options including convection technology, self-cleaning, steam-cooking and air frying to suit any cooking style. If you have a smaller kitchen or need a smaller footprint for your appliances, these combination wall oven plus microwave sets fit in perfectly. They offer enough capacity for the needs of a small family. They can also help streamline kitchen operations by having both appliances in the same space.
No matter the decor of your kitchen, built-in double wall oven with microwave above combos come in a variety of sizes and finishes. Choose finishes such as stainless steel to match any kitchen. Other finishes include graphite stainless steel and black stainless steel. These offer a classic look with the same advantages as regular stainless finishes. Select for a fingerprint-resistant sets on darker colors to avoid marring the finish. Double wall stove with microwave combos come in 27 and 30 units available in a variety of heights and depths to fit into existing cabinetry.
Fuel type is an important consideration when purchasing a microwvae above double oven combo. Be sure to check if your unit will need to use gas or electricity. At Appliances Connection, we carry double-wall oven/microwave combos from leading brands, including LG, Bosch, Frigidaire, Jenn Air and many more. Shop now.
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Are Air Fryers Worth It
Air fryers are worth it if you like to cook foods quickly with minimal cleanup. Sure, some are bulky and may feel like a usurper of your counter space, but most people who use them learn the benefits right away. They’re especially great for prepackaged frozen foods and leftovers, like french fries or dumplings, that would normally get soggy or rubbery in a microwave. In the Kitchen Appliances Lab, we like using ours for quick dinners. All types of proteins, like chicken, pork chops and salmon, cook up quickly and become golden brown and juicy veggies become nicely blistered or caramelized. We especially like air frying root vegetables, like mini potatoes and diced butternut squash and beets.
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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.
Equator Combo Convection Microwave Oven
Award:BEST COMPACT DESIGN
WHY WE LIKE IT: A smart compact microwave that gives you the freedom to switch between convection and microwave modes, while also offering 800 watts and a compact 0.8 cubic feet of interior space.
Pros
- Seniors may prefer easy-to-use controls
- 0.8 cu. ft. of internal capacity and 800 watts
- Can be configured as a built-in
Cons
- Trim kit accessories may be too large for some kitchens
Not everyone needs a massive microwave, and thats why were including this pick from the Equator. Its a compact convection microwave oven that offers 800 watts and 0.8 cubic feet of internal capacity. Yes, its not as powerful as many of the competitor options, but its a great option for someone who is a casual microwave user and might not need as much space or power as a larger unit can provide. This model has external dimensions that measure 21 inches wide, 16.7 inches deep, and 15.1 inches tall. And we like that this is one of the few convection microwaves that comes with the trim kit rather than requiring you to buy it separately.
Also Check: Ninja Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
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How Much Oil Do I Need To Use In My Air Fryer
While most recipes call for a teaspoon or half a teaspoon of oil. We found we got a more even coating on some foods by decanting our choice of oil into a small spray bottle and using that. Never use one-calorie oil spray, which is a step too far in the diet stakes we found, producing nasty, chewy fries.
Most of the machines we tested couldnt be used with fattier meats such as sausages or chicken or duck with the skin on. This sometimes results in meats being drier on the outside. This was where a spray oil came in handy and definitely improved results if not making them as good as if theyd been fried.
Save Your Pasta Water
Once the pasta is finished boiling and just al dente, reserve some of your pasta water, then drain. A splash of this warm, starchy water will help loosen the sauce if it becomes too thick.
Description: Food Network Kitchen’s Baked Feta Pasta. Keywords: Cherry Tomatoes, Feta Cheese, Mezze Rigatoni, Garlic, Basil, Red Pepper
Matt,Matt,Matt
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Now That You Have One Lets Get Cooking
As mentioned, oil plays a crucial role in air-frying. You do need some fat in order for your food to come out evenly cooked and perfectly browned. Youve got two routes to take here:
Everything you cook in an air fryer needs a coating of fat to encourage caramelization and prevent sticking. Some users swear by spray bottles of oilwe recommend La Tourangelle Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil Spray, a high-quality olive oilbut you can also just toss your veg in oil in a bowl before cooking. If youre playing with oil sprays, make sure to spray food before you transfer it into the basket.
Breaded foods get nice n toasty in an air fryer, but without some fat mixed into the breading theyll take longer to brown and the food inside could overcook before max crispiness is achieved. Tragedy! For our Sesame Coconut Chicken Tenders, we toss the breadcrumb mixture with a generous amount of oil before using it to coat the meat, which ensures perfectly golden brown outsides and juicy insides.
Best Air Fryers Review
We dug into every element of the air fryers on the market and found the 7 best air fryers based on budget, functionality, look, and buyer reviews :
- Accessories: not included
Size: Philips has a small air fryer as well as an XXL version . In both versions, buyers loved the roomy basket, which could fit two layers of food.
Look: The Philips AirFryer comes in black. Its compact design makes it easy to store, though it makes a slick addition to your countertop appliances.
Function: This air fryer produces some of the crispiest results due to the way air can flow through the basket. Its intuitive controls are easy to use, and there are many presets to make cooking even quicker.
People say: Most buyers love the Philips AirFryer, with the biggest complaints being the smaller capacity and the premium price.
Read Also: Sam’s Ninja Air Fryer
So Are Air Fryers Or Convection Ovens Better
Air fryers cook quicker than convection ovens and don’t require heating a large appliance, like your full-sized oven. Their perforated racks also allow fat to drip onto the drip pan so your food doesn’t absorb excess oil, which minimizes calories and becomes crispier since it is more dry.
The downside of air fryers is they can’t cook as much food at one time as you can in an oven. Food cooks better in an air fryer when it’s in a single layer. Some foods, like French fries, can be stacked, but should be tossed at least once. Air fryers can also be loud although many manufacturers consider this in development.
Is It Time To Get A New Best Built In Microwave Convection Oven Combo
Youre looking for a new best built in microwave convection oven combo. Think about it. Its impossible to foresee pricing fluctuations in the future. The sooner you buy, the better off youll be if manufacturing doesnt slow down. If, on the other hand, production is falling and prices are expected to climb, you might want to hold off on making a decision until the hype has calmed down.
Also Check: Best Air Fryer Slow Cooker
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How We Picked The Best Air Fryers
To select this list of the best air fryers, I tested a dozen of the most popular appliances from leading and lesser-known brands available online. I set up, cooked with, and cleaned each air fryer on this list to assess how easy they are to use and maintain, how quickly and evenly they cook various types of food, and the overall design. I also took into account price, size, and durability, including product specs and long-term customer reviews in my research. The list below includes the most loved appliances for every kind of household.
