The 8 Best Air Fryers In 2022 And How To Buy Them According To Experts
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According to a 2022 report from market research firm The NPD Group, nearly 26 million air fryers have been sold over the last two years, thanks in part to a pandemic that has kept us inside and looking for new things to cook and new ways to cook them for ourselves , but also thanks to the perks and the ease of air frying. An air fryer doesnt actually fry anything its a small, convection-type oven that blows very hot air around its insides to cook your food with almost no oil.
SKIP AHEADBest air fryers |How to shop
According to the cooking experts we spoke to, you can make nearly anything in an air fryer. Some foods are obvious French fries and roasted vegetables, for instance but experts told us they also love using their air fryers to cook everything from egg rolls to onion rings.
To help you find the best air fryer, we spoke to cooking experts about how to shop for air fryers and how they work. They also shared their personal recommendations with us.
Best Affordable Air Fryer Under $: Dash Tasti
TheDash Tasti-Crisp doesnt have the presets, settings and modes that higher-end options have, but if you just want to air fry quickly and easily, this is a great option.
We quickly found the fryers basic controls a timer wheel and temperature dial, with no type of LCD display to be a benefit. With no additional settings to think about, it was extremely convenient to just toss the food in the basket, turn the dial and set the timer. Granted, you will need to know what temperature and time your food needs, but that can easily be found in the instruction manual or on the bag of food itself.
This simple timer also made it extremely simple to add a couple extra minutes to the cooking time. More complex fryers typically require you to wait until the time is up or have you reset the air fryer mode altogether, but with theDash Tasti-Crisp all you have to do is keep cranking the timer knob as much as you like.
Despite these basic controls, or perhaps because of them, theDash Tasti-Crisp ended up cooking all of our food items really well. The fries turned out crispy and evenly cooked, with a nice soft interior the shrimp were perfect and crunchy and even the Brussels sprouts came out great after a little trial and error with recommended cooking times.
Should You Buy The Philips Essential Air Fryer
With a decent capacity and sleek design, I think the Cosori Pro LE Air Fryer L501 is the perfect middle ground of any air fryer. Its average in price and size, but above-average when it comes to performance. It also regularly features in Black Friday air fryer deals and other seasonal promotions. If you do want something larger I would recommend trying the Ninja AF300UK Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer, and take a look at our Instant Vortex Mini Air Fryer review for a smaller and cheaper air fryer that punches well above its weight.
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Create Delicious Meals With Less Oil
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The Spruce / Chloe Jeong
Air fryers have gained popularity for producing crispy, evenly browned “fried” foods without the use of an actual deep fryer. They work by circulating hot air around food, similarly to a convection oven, and eliminate the need for much, if any, cooking oil, resulting in grocery savings and less cleanup.
Many consumers are convinced air fryers produce a superior fried finish on French fries, tater tots, and chicken wings, compared to a standard oven. They can even be used to make homemade chicken tenders and potato chips, making them worth the investment for fried snack food lovers.
Many air fryers are programmed with multiple cooking functions and can double as a toaster oven, convection oven, warmer, rotisserie, indoor grill, and more. With so many options on the market, it can be tough to choose the one that’s right for you, so we sent the top-rated air fryers to our experienced product testers to review. They cooked French fries, wings, and more, and tested out each appliance’s special features and additional functions beyond air frying. They specifically rated each air fryer on its design, heating capacity, performance, versatility, and overall value.
Here, the best air fryers, based on our extensive testing insights.
Our Air Fryer Testing Methodology
One thing I discovered early in my testing process was that air fryers tend to vary wildly in their cook times. Set at the same temperature, one unit charred broccoli to an undesirable crisp in six minutes, while another took 13 minutes to just reach al dente. So I cooked three different recipes with each machine, evaluated how quickly each one cooked, whether or not it dried out the food, and how evenly each batch came out.
I also assessed each machine for ease of use, noting how intuitive the user interface was. I tracked how many component parts there were to disassemble and clean. A unit with dishwasher safe accessories got big bonus points. These were the three cooks I performed with each machine:
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Best Air Fryer : All The Flavor And A Lot Less Fat
Our complete roundup of the best air fryer, with reviews of Ninja, Philips, Cosori, and Instant air fryer ovens
Pot Vortex Plus 6-Quart 6-in-1 Air Fryer
Foodi 2-Basket Air Fryer with DualZone
Foodi 8-in-1 Flip Mini Oven
Foodi 11-in-1 6.5 Qt Pro
ByMillie Fenderpublished 15 December 21
If you’re looking for the best air fryer to fill your home with delicious air-fried treats this holiday season, look no further. We’ve reviewed many of the best air fryers from Ninja, Instant, Philips, and Cosori to bring you our expert reviews. Many of the models in our guide feature a classic drawer-style design that makes it easy to shake up your food midway through a cooking cycle, and will allow you to tip your food directly out onto the place when it’s finished.
Air fryers have grown in popularity in the last few years, and it’s easy to see why. Not only do they mimic the texture and flavor of fried food with a fraction of the oil, but they also speed up cooking times considerably. Not all air fryers are made equal though, so in our air fryer reviews we made sure to test the same classic recipes for french fries, chicken wings, and more must-try dishes to directly compare the results. Every one of the best air fryers in our guide is Homes & Gardens approved, and we have also included our pros and cons for each model, which should make it easier for you to choose the best one for your kitchen.
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.
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What Are The Benefits Of Using An Air Fryer
There are numerous benefits to using an air fryer to prepare fried foods:
- Air fryer is much healthier than deep frying since youre using air rather than oil. This results in much fewer calories and fat so you can enjoy more of your favourite crispy foods without the same health impact.
- Air fryers are much more convenient to use since they clean very easily and you dont have to fill them with oil, making them much lighter and easier to store.
- Air fryers are also much easier to use than a deep fryer since you can prepare your fried foods with just a few buttons.
- Your running costs are much lower since you dont need to continually purchase oil for your deep fryer.
- Air fryers are safer to use than a deep fryer since youre never exposed to hot spluttering oil that can easily burn your skin. Theres also a nearly 0% chance of a fire, something that is of higher risk with traditional deep fryers.
- An air fryer is much more versatile than a deep fryer since you can perform more than one function with them and you can put any food in your air fryer without needing to coat it in an egg wash, flour, and breading before frying.
Pros And Cons Of Air Fryers
There is no doubt that air fryers serve a multitude of purposes in the kitchen, from creating an oil-less version of fried foods to steaming vegetables to baking cupcakes and brownies. But an air fryer does have its limitations and drawbacks.
Heres a look at the pros of cooking with an air fryer:
- Pro: An air fryer produces crisp, moist food without the need for a deep fryer or large amounts of oil. If avoiding saturated fats and heavily fried foods is on your list of dietary priorities, then using an air fryer instead of a deep oil fryer is clearly the way to go.
- Pro: Air fryers are much easier to clean and maintain than traditional deep fryers. There is no large container of hot cooking oil to filter and store. The air fryer’s cooking basket can be washed by hand or in a dishwasher between uses.
Heres a look at the cons of cooking with an air fryer:
- Con: The constant flow of dry, superheated air around many foods can eventually strip them of moisture, especially on the surface. While some people may accept a bit of dryness as the price paid for healthier eating, others could be disappointed by the dryness and/or lack of flavor in air fried foods.
- Con: Cooking times can be considerably longer in an air fryer than a traditional deep fryer.
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Have You Been Eyeing Up Air Fryer Recipes Lately Wondering Which Model To Buy Our Test Kitchen Tried All The Top Brands And Found The Best Air Fryer Out There So You’ll Know Which One To Add To Your List
Taste of Home
The latest gadget to capture our Test Kitchens attention is the air fryer. A small appliance that can give snacks like french fries and egg rolls that crisp texture without the fat and mess of frying? Sign us up! But like all new gear, its hard to know if youre getting the best option out there. Unlike basics like pots and pans, there are a lot of unknowns with new tools.
Thats precisely why our Test Kitchen decided to test the most popular air fryers on the market. We had to know which brand gave our favorite foods that crunchy fried textureand was easy to use.
Best Compact Air Fryer
Power: 1,700W | Capacity: 2 Quarts | Presets: 4 functions | Dimensions: 13.1″ x 12.9″ x 10.9″ | Weight: 8.38lbs | Color: Aqua, black, red or white |
Most air fryers are sized to handle nearly four quarts of food or more. While this is great when you’re preparing a meal for a group, it’s nice to know there’s an air fryer that can work efficiently in smaller batches. Instant’s Vortex air fryer holds two quarts, ideal when you want to fry only half a dozen chicken wings. The compact air fryer’s flat touchscreen is your control center. You can select from the four cooking functions of air fry, reheat, roast and broil. You can also enter your own temperature, starting at 95° F and up to 400° F.
The pull-out air fryer drawer is a unique and practical design touch. You won’t have to worry about handling the top of the fryer, which is where the heating element is housed and can be dangerous because of the high temperatures it produces. Instead, you pull out the lower drawer, which holds the food to check on how the items are crisping or to serve.
Pros
Power: 1700W | Capacity: 10 liters | Presets: 17 | Dimensions: 12.2″ x 11.81″ x 14.56″ | Weight: 14.2lbs | Color: Black |
It comes packed with accessories, including three air flow racks so you can cook more in the air fryer, a stainless steel rotisserie spit and forks, a rotating, stainless steel basket and a removable drip tray. All the parts are dishwasher safe to make cleaning simple.
Pros
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Cut Fat From Your Favourite Dishes Not Flavour Here’s Our Pick Of The Best Air Fryers
The best air fryers are ideal for cooking everything from chicken nuggets and chips to vegetables and even stir-fries. That’s because air fryers are an efficient way to satisfy your craving for “fried” foods with a much lower fat content so you can nibble on your favourite comfort foods with less oil.
They work by convection, meaning they circulate hot air around your food, ensuring every bit of surface area is exposed to the oil and heat. You simply need to spray or pour a little oil onto whatever youre cooking before switching on the appliance. A clever chemical process called the Maillard reaction creates a crispy result with far less fat up to 99% in some cases.
Air fryers generally operate between 150 and 200C, although different models will vary. Because so little oil is used, an air fryer won’t recreate exactly the same results as your favourite chippy, though most of our picks below do come close. So if you’re ready to make your favourite foods that little bit healthier, read our buying guide and bite-sized reviews to find the best air fryer for your needs and budget.
- Best air fryer overall | Tefal Genius+
- Beat air fryer for cooking two things at once | Ninja Foodi
- Best air fryer for cooking chicken | Tower T17039 5-in-1
Classifications Of Common Air Fryers
To fulfill customers requirements, three types of air fryers are available and easy to find in the market: the basket air fryer, air fryer oven, and paddle-type air fryer. Three versions use a similar frying function but differ in some features.
The Basket Air Fryer
This basket air fryer is the most popular type of air fryer, including detachable baskets, which contain food. Basket air fryers are simple to operate and clean. This design, however, restricts you from cooking anything in a fluid state like sauce or soup.
The Air Fryer Oven
The oven air fryer is comparable to a toaster oven with trays and racks inside the food case. Another feature that distinguishes air fryer ovens from the others is their capability to bake pastries and cakes.
The Paddle-Type Air Fryer
Paddle air fryers are often more pricey than basket air fryers and oven air fryers. This variant includes an internal stirring feature, so you dont have to stir your food as you do with the basket-type air fryers.
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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.
Are Air Fryers Bad For You
Air fryers are not bad for you. In fact, cooking with an air fryer means you can get foods that taste like they’ve been fried but with very little or no oil. You can make healthier chicken wings, french fries and more cheese sticks without the use of excess oil. Some foods do best in an air fryer with a light coating of oil but most don’t require any at all. Air fryers have become popular in part because they allow people to eat snack-type foods but with far less fat and fewer calories.
Air fryers use convection heat similar to your standard oven only moving at a faster rate. There are no magnetic waves or experimental heat sources to worry about.
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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.
