Which Air Fryer To Get

What Can You Make In An Air Fryer

The options for foods you can cook in an air fryer are vast, but some air fryer favorites include chicken wings, chicken tenders, french fries and mozzarella sticks. You can also make fish in an air fryer, including salmon, for a moist inside and roasted outer crust. Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are great when made in an air fryer, as are certain vegetables like Brussels sprouts, mushrooms, onions, peppers and carrots. Frozen foods such as dumplings, potato skins, Hot Pockets and tater tots can be made in an air fryer for a quick and easy snack or side dish. Air fryers can also quickly reheat food like last night’s pizza or leftover fried chicken. Air fryers reheat food almost as quickly as a microwave and the results are generally much better.

Ninja Speedi Rapid Cooker & Air Fryer

The Ninja Speedi Rapid Cooker and Air Fryer is one of the newest air fryers we’ve tested. While it looks different and is somewhat larger than most air fryers on the market, it’s worth making room for on your counter. The 12-in-1 appliance not only air fries well and quickly, but it works similarly to a multicooker , and can be used to sear, sauté, bake, roast, broil, steam, slow cook, proof, cook sous vide and even dehydrate. It can also steam and bake/air fry at the same for the juiciest and most flavorful results.

One of the most impressive things it can do is cook quick one-pot meals by cooking the base like pasta, rice or quinoa on the bottom of the square basket and the toppings like chicken, shrimp or meatballs on the top level. It doesn’t require any additional accessories, just the included perforated tray, which is used for air frying and steaming in the lower position and crisping/broiling in the upper position. The tray and six-quart basket are ceramic coated, like the other Ninja air fryers, and they’re easy to clean by hand or in the dishwasher. We found the Speedi simple to program and liked the clear control panel, and the user guide is loaded with helpful instructions, tips and colorful recipes.

What Is An Air Fryer And How Does It Work

Despite the name, an air fryer doesn’t fry at all. Rather, air fryers are more like a supercharged convection oven, circulating hot air with a fan and hitting food more rapidly than most ovens. That causes the outside of food to cook more quickly without drying out the inside and giving a crispy, fried-like outer shell to wings, fries and other foods.

Most air fryers come with a grated rack or perforated basket so the air can travel through and hit the food on all sides.

You May Like: Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Macy’s

Air Fryer Sizes And Different Capacity Comparisons

There are quite a number of air fryer sizes available, and these sizes are determined by the amount of food the air fryer basket can hold in one cooking cycle. The general measurements are done in quarts, pounds or liters, each depending on the manufacturer and/or the region it would be used for. For example, American air fryers are measured in quarts whilst international models measure their air fryers in liters. This is a pointer to the fact that the measurements are merely guidelines and the quantity of food is what determines the measurements of the fryers.

We will be dividing the sizes of air fryers into four categories to help simplify things for you.

Category one: These are generally the smallest size air fryers, generally suitable for frying snacks and catering to the cooking needs of one person, or at most two. They range between 1.0-2.0 quarts.

Category two: These are the medium-sized air fryers, and they are well suited to be used to serve between 2-5 people. Alongside serving a diverse range of cooking needs, they can probably be used to serve a maximum of 6 people, but that depends on the model youre getting. They range between 3.0- 5.0 quarts.

Category three: They are the large air fryers, suited to cooking a whole chicken weighing between three to four pounds without breaking the backbone. They also generally have a number of cooking compartments, chief of which are baking cages. They are the 5.5-5.8 quarts sized air fryers.

What Is An Air Fryer

An air fryer is an all-purpose cooking appliance that can crisp nearly anything, from sweet potatoes to sizzling bacon. It provides a compact environment thats generally smaller and more lightweight than a microwave, for heated air to be blown around quickly in order to heat up and cook whatevers inside it. The hot air crisps the food actually frying the edges, Bruce Weinstein, author of the The Essential Air Fryer Cookbook, explained so you barely have to use any oil at all. But you must use some , he added.

Simply add a spritz of oil atop a slab of steak, for example, and put it in the air fryer. Its outsides will get crispy and the taste of the food will get more flavorful as the moisture evaporates and flavors condense.

Recommended Reading: Why To Buy An Air Fryer

Is Cooking With An Air Fryer Healthy

Advertised as a healthy, guilt-free way to enjoy your favorite fried foods, air fryers have become a popular kitchen appliance.

Many claim that they help lower the fat content of popular foods like french fries, chicken wings, empanadas, and fish sticks.

But just how healthy is cooking with an air fryer?

This article will take a look at the evidence and determine whether the benefits of using an air fryer really outweigh the risks.

An air fryer is a popular kitchen appliance used to make fried foods such as meat, pastries, and potato chips.

It works by circulating hot air around the food to produce a crunchy, crispy exterior.

This also results in a chemical reaction known as the Maillard reaction. It occurs when an amino acid and a reducing sugar react in the presence of heat and leads to alterations in the color and flavor of foods .

Air-fried foods are touted as a healthy alternative to deep-fried foods, thanks to their lower content of fat and calories.

Instead of completely submerging the food in oil, air-frying requires just a tablespoon of oil to achieve a similar taste and texture to deep-fried foods.

Best Quiet: Taotronics Air Fryer Tt

• Doesnt have a full touchscreen

• Presets need some adjustment

Love air-fried food, but not the noisy fans that accompany many air fryers? This model is well-rated for being ultra-quiet. In fact, our product tester said she could barely hear it when it was turned on. Like most air fryers, the cook can manually select the cooking time and temperature or use one of 11 cooking presets to prepare fries, steak, bacon, fish, shrimp, vegetables, chicken, potatoes, bread, cake, or thawing frozen snacks. The cooking basket holds 6-quarts, is nonstick, and is dishwasher safe.

The square-shaped design of this model gives you more room to fit food in the cooking basket compared to smaller fryers with rounded baskets. Our product tester noted the basket shape helps spread food out a bit more versus piling it on top of each other, which can lead to less crisp cooking results. In tests, this air fryer heated quickly, cooked evenly, and was extremely efficient. Our tester did warn that it does take a little practice playing around with settings to get the perfect amount of doneness.

The Spruce / Lindsay Boyers

Capacity: 6 quarts | Power Rating: 1750 watts | Dimensions: 11.73 x 13.39 x 11.73inches | Warranty: 1 year

“When I first started testing it, I actually turned it off and on a few times, because it was so quiet, I didnt think it was working.” – Lindsay Boyers, Product Tester

You May Like: Air Fryer Toaster Convection Oven

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.

Flaws But Not Dealbreakers

Due to the Cuisinart TOB-260N1s large interior, this model took about five minutes longer to cook frozen french fries than some of the smaller air fryers we tested took. That said, its slightly slower cooking time often produced more evenly cooked food that was better tasting. We think thats a trade-off well worth the few extra minutes of your time. And the Cuisinart is still small enough that it can preheat and cook faster than a standard oven.

Since Cuisinart doesnt market the TOB-260N1 as an air fryer, it doesnt come with a cooking chart for commonly air-fried foods. However, we found that in most cases, the same temperatures youd use to cook in a standard oven can also be used in the Cuisinart, whereas smaller, pod-shaped air fryers require you to cook at lower temperatures. We also found that when youre air frying vegetables with lots of moisture, such as eggplant and zucchini, its best to chop them into 1-inch or smaller pieces to prevent them from getting mushy. We have more tips for cooking air-fryer recipes in the Cuisinart below.

The Cuisinarts baking pan may warp slightly when the oven is roasting at high temperatures, but this in no way affects its cooking performance the pan will return to its normal shape when it cools. If you want a better pan, we recommend that you get a Nordic Ware quarter-sheet pan, a smaller version of our favorite baking sheet, which fits perfectly inside the Cuisinart oven.

Don’t Miss: Nuwave Air Fryer 8 Qt

Other Products I Tested

I tested five other products that each have a lot of fantastic benefits, but ultimately didnt rank among our favorite dedicated air fryers.

Philips Air Fryer XXL: This is a fantastic fryer that turned out crispy chicken wings, golden fries, and perfectly baked cookies. It narrowly missed being listed in our top three, but ultimately is not as convenient as some of the other fryers. It takes up much more space on the countertop and the control panel isnt as simple or straightforward.

Cosori Air Fryer Max XL: This oven yielded great results, but it isnt as easy to use as some of the others. It was loud when running and we found the button on the drawer to be cumbersome and confusing. Chicken and fries came out perfectly cooked, but the cookies burned and blackened on the outside.

Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven: Though this oven wowed us with its baking abilities, it didnt stand up to the rest of my tests as a dedicated air fryer. It’s a versatile and functional toaster oven, but we wouldnt recommend it if youre looking for a fryer that can achieve the same crispy, crunchy results as a deep fryer.

DASH Tasti-Crisp: I loved how simple and straightforward this product is. It easily fried wings and fries, but it couldnt bake cookies without burning them around the edges. I left it off of our list due to the lack of versatility and petite size.

What Is Air Frying Anyway And How Does It Work

Despite what it sounds like, air frying doesnt actually fry your food. Instead, air fryers are mini convection ovens that use fans to rapidly circulate hot air, cooking food faster and more evenly than a standard oven does.

Convection has been around for more than a century. The first commercially sold convection ovens were developed by the W. L. Maxson Corporation in the 1940s as a way to reheat frozen food for airplanes. And they worked much the same as todays air fryers and convection toaster ovens do: As the fan circulates hot air around the food, it crisps the outside in a way that mimics deep frying. But your tastebuds will tell you that air-fried food isnt anything like traditionally deep-fried food in flavor and texture.

You May Like: Best Size Air Fryer For Family Of 5

Air Fryers Can Smoke And Smell

Just like with cooking with a normal pan, an air fryer can produce smoke and nasty odors when something gets burned or gets over cooked. The first time your air fryer starts smoking it can be a bit stressful. That is because it looks a bit like your air fryer is on fire from the inside. But dont be afraid, it is completely normal that an air fryer starts smoking. Luckily it this doesnt happen a lot, it only occurs with certain types of food.

I experience a smoking air fryer when I air fryer meat or other food with a lot of fat in it. Think about burgers or bacon. This fat melts during the process of air fryer and the fat gets splattered around inside the frying basket because of the circulating air. This small drops of fat and oil can splat against the heating element, which is red hot. When this happens the fat burns and produces the nasty smelling smoke.

A smoking air fryer can also occur when an ingredient touches the heating element. Once I wanted to make my own crisps with thin slices of potato. Because these slices are so thin and light, they were blown around because of the circulating air. The ventilator above the heating element sucked the slices against the element, so they got scorched. This also ended up with a smoking air fryer.

What Is The Best Air Fryer Brand

As you can see, we think that the best air fryer brand is Instant. We rated its Instant Pot Vortex Plus 6-Quart Air Fryer the best on the market when we tested it in our review kitchen, but Ninja came a close second with its Ninja Foodi DZ401 6-in-1 XL 2-Basket Air Fryer. This comes with two cooking baskets and an XL capacity for feasting.

Another brand that really impressed us when it came to cooking quality is Philips, and if you want the best value air fryer brand, take a look at Cosori air fryers.

You May Like: Air Fryer Toaster Oven Dehydrator

Save 22% On This Retro

Amazon

If youre all in on the retro craze, youll be glad to know that you can buy an air fryer to match your timeless aesthetic. This Comfee air fryer doubles as a toaster oven with a 14-quart capacity and seven built-in cooking functions. A $27 discount puts it under the $100 mark.

For even more Amazon savings opportunities, head over to our to check out the deals from some of our favorite retailers.

Best Multitasking Air Fryer

The Instant Pot Duo Crisp is a pressure cooker, slow cooker, and air fryer all in one, making it one of the most useful and economical small appliances I tested.

• Size: 15″ x 15″ x 13.5″
• Capacity: 8 quarts as Instant Pot, smaller capacity as air fryer
• Dishwasher-safe parts: Yes
• With Instant Pot lid: pressure cook, saute, slow cook, steam, sous videWith air fryer lid: air fry, roast, bake, broil, dehydrate
• Power: 1500 watts

Pros: Multiple functions doesn’t dry out delicate foods can perform multiple steps in a recipe in the same appliance

Cons: Food on lower level of fryer basket cooks more slowly, many pieces to store, difficult to agitate food mid-cook, removing lid exposes heating coil

Air fryers often get a bad rap for being uni-taskers, but Instant Pot has bucked the trend by adding air fryer functionality to its already quite versatile multicookers. The Duo Crisp comes with two separate lids a traditional Instant Pot lid you’ll use for all your pressure and slow cooking and another equipped with an electric heating coil and fan that you’ll use for air frying, broiling, dehydrating, and more.

If you’ve used an Instant Pot, you’re already familiar with the Duo Crisp’s pressure cooking. We rated it the best multitasking electric pressure cooker. Plus, it did so well in our sous vide testing that we named it the best multitasking sous vide machine.

All told, this is the air fryer I reach for most. Its versatility has earned it a space in my kitchen.

Read Also: Air Fryer Dehydrator Toaster Oven

Why Trust Good Housekeeping

Nicole Papantoniou is the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Culinary Innovation Lab. She has worked at kitchen appliance companies, where she helped develop some popular air fryers as well as many recipes for them. Since joining Good Housekeeping, she has had her hands on all of the new air fryers that come through the Lab and has tasted food that was made in almost all of them. She’s an avid air fryer user at home, too, where she has about six to choose.

How Much Oil Do I Need To Use In My Air Fryer

Ready for another test? Best kettles

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.

Don’t Miss: Walmart Ninja Air Fryer Max Xl