What Size Air Fryer Should I Buy

Air Fryer Toaster Ovens

So if an air fryer is like a convection oven and a convection oven is similar to a toaster oven, do you actually need an air fryer toaster oven? Maybe not, but it depends on if the air fryer toaster oven has any features that you aren’t already getting from your air fryer and if those are features you actually intend to use.

“Steer away from combo air fryers whose secondary appliance does repetitive functions,” says Nick Drewe, CEO and founder of Wethrift.

If your biggest concern about purchasing an air fryer is devoting precious counter space to yet another appliance, then you might be a good candidate for a combination air fryer and toaster oven.

“While this appliance is bigger than the standard toaster oven, it does allow you to have one appliance on your counter that performs multiple functions quite well, including toasting, baking small foods, and, of course, air frying,” says Emily Paster, author of Epic Air Fryer Cookbook.

The biggest difference between basket style air fryers and air fryer ovens is how they are configured. “With a basket style air fryer, you can shake the food around in the basket to flip things over. With an air fryer oven, you’ll need to flip foods by hand,” Laurence says. Often, however, you’ll find you don’t need to flip at all because they cook quite evenly with the air moving all around the food.

How Much Does An Air Fryer Cost

You can typically expect to pay between $80 and $150 for an air fryer, but a few of our top picks come in at under $80, and some of the smarter options go up to $200. As a general rule, as you go up in budget you’ll find that the options become smarter and larger. The best value air fryers we have tested come with one large-capacity basket and a drawer-style design that is easy to use and clean.

Is A Double Basket Or Dual Air Fryer Worth It

This depends on how many people you’re cooking for.

Dual air fryers have two separate cooking baskets side-by-side. They allow you to cook two different food types at the same time using different cooking functions and temperature settings. You can even set up each basket to finish cooking at the same time. The idea is that you can cook a complete meal in one go, but this may only be the case if you’re cooking for two people.

If you’re cooking for a family, you might find that you need both baskets to cook only one type of food. In this case you may be better off with a single basket air fryer that has a larger cooking capacity.

Read Also: Is It Worth Buying An Air Fryer

When Cooking For A Family Of :

If its mostly you and your beau sitting around the dinner table, the air frying aficionados recommend a 2- or 3-quart air fryer. The basket provides enough space to cook approximately six chicken wings at a time or enough vegetables for two people.

The quick-cooking ability of the air fryer allows for versatility on busy weeknights. Some nights when I dont feel like having the same dinner as my fiance, I can throw something in and have dinner ready in 5 to 10 minutes, says Shilalie, who has two air fryers at home.

We Recommend: The 2.75-quart Philips TurboStar Air Fryer

Cuisinart Convection Toaster Oven Air Fryer

Cuisinart was one of the first brands to introduce a toaster oven air fryer that allows you to toast, bake, air fry and convection bake. We tested this digital version, which not only made the crispiest air-fried food in the shortest amount of time out of all the air fryers we tested but also some of the most evenly-colored toast in our toaster oven test. The rectangular 15.5- by 16-inch air fry rack offers a large cooking surface and sits atop a drip/crumb tray for easy cleanup. Since launching the toaster oven air fryer, Cuisinart also introduced a smaller, non-digital version with the same features and quality performance as well as a same-sized model with a grill pan that we’re eager to test.

Type of air fryer: Air fryer toaster ovenDimensions: 17″ x 21.73″ x 15.75″Capacity: 0.6 cubic feetFunctions: Air fry, bake, broil, toast, bagel, pizza, roast, dehydrate, proof, low, dual cook, reheat and warm with a wide temperature range

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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.

How Did We Choose The Best Air Fryer

When testing, Homes & Gardens took into account the following factors:

Noise: The noise of an air fryer can impact your ability to use it. Perhaps you like to cook while listening to the TV, or you live in a smaller home and the noise of an air fryer running would distract you as you work. If an air fryer is noisy, we make a note of it.

Speed: Air fryers promise to speed up cooking times, so when testing them we used standardized recipes to see how long they will take to cook classic recipes. While potato fries would typically take around 25 minutes in the air fryer, the speediest air fryers we tested have taken as little as 12 minutes to make crisp, evenly-cooked fries.

Looks: It’s going in your kitchen counters, so it has to look the part. You might not mind a less attractive air fryer as much as some other users, but any bulky features or unattractive elements such as smudging or busy display panels were noted during testing.

Cleaning: Cleaning an air fryer should be easy. Most have baskets that can go in the dishwasher, and it’s rare to find on without a non-stick inside. If we ran into any difficulties cleaning, we marked it down.

Some of the air fryers in our guide have been reviewed on other Future Homes websites, but they have all been reviewed by the same Editor, meaning she can still bring you all her inside knowledge even if you can’t click through to read the full review on Homes & Gardens.

Also Check: Ninja Accessories For Air Fryer

Best Air Fryers For 1 Person

If you are looking for an air fryer to predominantly only cook for yourself, then you will want to check out the range of small fryer models. These offer a cooking capacity between 1 to 2 quarts, which should be suitable for solo meals.

Although you wont be able to cook a whole chicken in a small-sized air fryer, you will be able to cook a range of snacks. Some smaller fryers will even offer extra functions such as a dehydrating or toaster oven function.

Air fryer sizes designed for a single person tend to be the cheapest options on the market. So even if you are just looking to trial an air fryer and you want to upgrade to a larger one in the future, a 2-quart model is still a worthy investment!

Some of the best, smallest air fryers include:

What Size Air Fryer Do You Need For Everyday Dinners

You need an air fryer that is at least 4 quarts to cook everyday dinners for two or more people. You can cook entire meals inside your air fryer by directly placing frozen or fresh foods inside the basket.

The size air fryer you need for your dinner will vary depending on how much food you need to cook. If you have a large family that you cook dinner for daily, or if you like to make extras in case somebody is especially hungry, youll need to choose an air fryer thats a little bit larger.

This offers you the extra room to feed everyone without having to cook in batches.

Also Check: Air Fryer Sweet Potato Fries Frozen

Tips For Homemade Chips

To achieve the perfect crunchy chip, cut the chips evenly and soak in water for at least 30 minutes to remove the starch. Then dry completely by laying them out on a tea towel in a single layer. Place them in a bowl and toss through oil until evenly coated. Cook according to the instructions for your air fryer.

Read more: Air fry like a pro with these 10 hot tips for cooking and cleaning

Small Air Fryer To Medium Air Fryer

For simplicity sake, a small air fryer can be anything from 1-2 quarts in size. A medium air fryer is 3-4 quarts in size. This air fryer size works out great for those with limited kitchen space. Think TINY HOME for a 1-2 quart air fryer size.

A small air fryer size takes up very little space in your cabinet or on your counter. The small air fryer size is also great for taking along when camping. But lets break it down further!

For example, if you are cooking for a 1 person household or perhaps just want to heat up snacks for 1-2 people, then a small air fryer might be the right air fryer size for you. So along those lines you would be looking at making a single frozen burger in air fryer, a couple handfuls of air fryer tater tots or a couple of handfuls of frozen sweet potato fries. Also worth noting this is a great size for reheating leftovers!

A bonus with a small air fryer or a medium air fryer is that you do not have to sacrifice a lot of counter space. Typically, kitchens are full of appliances and adding a big appliance might not be a feasible option for some. Counter space comes at a premium, so we need to choose wisely.

Read Also: What Are The Top 5 Air Fryers

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?

Buying Guide How To Choose An Air Fryer

There are good chances you have heard of air fryers before. This kitchen appliance has existed for a while, and its making its prominence in every household. You can use it for making french fries, chicken nuggets, veg cutlets and Indian deep-fried starters such as samosas, vadas and kachoris with nearly no oil. It is also a great appliance to cook leftover food like chicken drumsticks, which usually get soggy when reheated in a microwave.

Not just deep-fried dishes, you can also use air fryers for baking cakes, donuts and bread. It offers the convenience and versatility of an OTG in a much smaller form factor. It cut downs on your calories intake and fats without taking away the crunchiness and taste that we all love. If you are considering buying one, it is easy to get confused because of the several options. We have put together a guide to choose the right air fryer for your kitchen.

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What Foods Wont Fit In An Air Fryer

Air fryers allow you to cook healthy alternatives to fried foods. On top of this, you can also use your air fryer to roast protein and even bake cookies. However, is there any food that you cant fit inside an air fryer?

Large pizzas and whole turkeys generally wont fit in a standard air fryer. While you can fit a whole chicken into a large air fryer, you will be hard-pressed to find a device capable of cooking a large pizza or a Turkey inside, as air fryers are generally smaller than conventional ovens.

You can fit regular and small pizzas into most air fryers to cook them. You can also put individual slices of a large pizza in an air fryer, but you would struggle to fit the whole thing inside without ruining your dinner.

Small Size Air Fryers

Air fryers of small size are ideal for small kitchens and those with limited space. The capacity of the air fryer is 1.5 to 2.5 quarts. It can cook food quickly for one or two persons.

Because they are small, these air fryers can easily be transported anywhere you want. They are also easy to clean/maintain.

These fryers are small enough to fit in a hotel room or office. These air fryers dont take up too much space.

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Air Fryers For Compact Kitchens:

Compact kitchens are not suitable to keep so many cooking appliances. Air fryers of 2 Qt size can serve one person or also two persons if you are a stay alone person, you would love to cook with the smart kitchen friend. It is perfect for cooking two small portions of chicken breast, one medium-sized potato for French fries, 1/2 dozen chicken wings, and other food for baking.

Air fryers of size 3.2 to 4 can cook for a family of two people. You can choose an air fryer from 2 Qt to 4 Qt size for a compact chicken to fry your favorite food at ease. No matter the size of the family, if you have a family with picky eaters, then you would be freed from tension to satisfy your loved ones taste buds.

Ninja Af160uk Air Fryer Max 52l

Best air fryer for quick baking

Pros:

• Non-stick tray with silicone corner protection

Cons:

• Might not fit under low countertop cupboards

Wattage: 1750W

Star rating: 5/5

Most air fryers are multifunctional but not all extend their practicality to usable baking functions. This model’s round non-stick pull-out tray lends itself well to baking cakes. Ninja is great as a brand at plastering its packaging in clear, easy to read instructions. The box itself explains all options: max crisp, air fry, bake, reheat and dehydrate but, if you’re too excited to bother, a comprehensive quick-start guide and instruction booklet will do the same.

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The controls are labelled and textured. It also emits a loud beep mid-cook if you need to shake the contents. The 5.2 litre capacity tray has nice high sides which allows room for cakes to rise and small whole chickens to roast. Drawers can be put in the dishwasher for easy cleaning. For a smaller option, the Ninja 3.8L AF100UK air fryer was awarded 4/5 stars by our reviews team.

• Progress bar indicates pre-heat and cooking time
• Clear notifications to shake food

Cons:

• Awkwardly-sized drawers for fitting a separate dish for baking

Wattage: 1700W

Star rating: 5/5

Our first impressions of the Instant Vortex Plus were positive. The control panel is touchscreen, which gives the model a sleek, minimalistic look when turned off and at 40cm across, its footprint on the countertop wasn’t as chunky as others we’ve tested.

Wattage: 1500W

Also Check: Hamburgers In Air Fryer Toaster Oven

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.

What Size Should I Buy

If youre looking to buy a new air fryer, there are several different things to consider. Firstly, you need to consider what size air fryer you need. This will typically be determined by how many things you plan to fry at once. A standard air fryer is able to fry at least two small to medium-sized food items at once. This is enough for the average person. However, if you want to fry more than that, you may want to buy a larger air fryer. A larger air fryer is able to fry two large items at once, or even more. Most people find that they need at least a 6 quart air fryer, and sometimes even 8 or 9 quarts. The more quarts you buy, the more space youll have to store your food, which may be something you want to consider.

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Air Fryers Vs Multicookers

The home appliance market changes over time and new trends emerge. Right now, countertop cooking appliances are becoming bigger, bulkier and more feature-laden as they take on a multitude of cooking tasks, from air frying and pressure cooking, to steaming and slow cooking.

Weve tested pressure cookers and multicookers that also work as air fryers, like the Ninja OP350UK and the Instant Pot Duo Crisp & Air Fryer. These have separate lids for pressure cooking and air frying, and do a number of other jobs, too. All this versatility comes at a premium though, so if youre tempted by fancy features, consider whether youll really use them all. If you just want batches of chips and the odd chicken drumstick cooked, a simpler, cheaper air fryer will do the job just as well.