Air Fryer buying guide

An air fryer is a must for any modern kitchen, delivering fast and crispy food without the need for oil, at the touch of a button. With handy features such as pre-set cook modes for easy dinners, digital controls for precision cooking, and dual drawers to make multiple dishes at once, there’s an air fryer for every kitchen, lifestyle and budget.

There are plenty of air fryers to choose from, and one of them is the perfect match for your kitchen. Whether you want to understand the difference between basket-style and oven-style air fryers, or you just need to find the right air fryer without getting lost in technical details, this air fryer guide is here to help you pick the perfect option for your home, budget, and lifestyle.

Benchtop Air Fryer

Standalone benchtop air fryers work by circulating hot, dry air rapidly inside a pull-out drawer or basket to produce evenly cooked food with the texture and golden brown colour of fried cooking. Needing just a drizzle of oil, or even none at all, they offer a healthier way to enjoy flavourful fried foods such as French fries or chicken nuggets. Their compact design, user-friendly interfaces and easy pre-set cooking modes make air fryers a popular choice for busy households. With no need to preheat before cooking and easy-to-clean compartments, benchtop air fryers also help streamline meal prep; some models even have Wi-Fi connectivity, so you can control them from your phone. Air fryers come with either a single large drawer – some with capacity to roast a whole chicken – or dual drawers that let you cook smaller portions of several food items, such as fish and veggies, at once. Air fryer cooking capacity can range from a compact 1L for single-serve cooking to 7L (to fit a kilo of fries), and even right up to 9.5L (ideal for family feasts).

Multi-Function Air Fryer

As the name suggests, multi-function air fryers earn their benchtop real estate by giving you more ways to cook, while still offering you the same convenient, compact design and functionality of a standard air fryer. The most versatile models can air-fry, roast, grill, bake, defrost, dehydrate, steam, and cook ingredients sous vide. What’s more, they come with a range of pre-set programs and extra accessories, such as grill plates, temperature probes and water tanks for steam cooking, giving you endless options at mealtimes. With a multi-function air fryer, you can roll several appliances into one, gaining back precious cupboard space and streamlining your kitchen.

Air Fryer Oven

Due to the huge popularity of air fryers, most leading kitchen appliance brands now also offer air fryer functionality in select larger cooking appliances, such as benchtop ovens, toaster ovens, convection microwaves and electric wall ovens. A benchtop oven with air fryer functionality is a smaller version of the traditional electric wall oven and can typically be used to cook, roast, bake or air-fry a range of recipes, making it a great choice for small households. Toaster ovens are usually a bit smaller and have a more limited range of settings but can heat up quickly. A convection microwave with air fryer capability contains an additional heating element and fan. It offers a convenient all-in-one cooking solution by combining convection cooking, microwave cooking, grilling, roasting and air-frying. Wall ovens with a built-in air-frying feature work by circulating hot air very quickly around the surface of the food on the rack when in Air Fry mode, to replicate the golden, crispy finish of a standalone air fryer. Because ovens are larger than benchtop air fryers, cooking times can be longer. However, because they have more capacity, you can cook more at once.

Now you know about all the different types of air fryers, it’s time to find the best air-frying appliance for your tastes. Here are some tips and advice to help you find your perfect size and match.

What size Air Fryer should I get?

With so many different air fryer options around, it can be confusing to decide which model you’ll get the most out of. If you are planning on fitting out a new kitchen soon or are tight on bench space, shopping for a new oven with air fryer functionality makes perfect sense. If you are a keen cook and can easily envisage yourself making beef jerky with the dehydrator setting, taking advantage of steam cooking to enjoy healthier meals, and frequently preparing crispy, air-fried treats for the family, it might be worth spending a little more on a multi-function air fryer.

When it comes to standalone air fryers, basket capacity is really important because the bigger the basket (or drawer), the more you can cook at once. Generally speaking, a 1-2L appliance will suit a single-person household, a 2-4L air fryer is ideal for couples, while a 5-7L machine is perfect for families with three to five people and a kitchen with ample bench space. If you want the versatility of cooking different things at once, go for a double-drawer model. If you want to roast a whole chicken, an air fryer with a single drawer is your best bet.

Benefits of an Air Fryer

The many benefits of air fryers have helped make them a modern kitchen classic. Being able to savour fresh-fried crispiness without using vats of oil tops the list, with their speedy cooking time and user-friendly design running a close second. Here are some more air fryer benefits to consider:

• Air fryers are safe, making them a good option for older kids who are starting to cook

• Their affordability and their size are great for small households or those without access to a good oven

• They can work in tandem with your oven for streamlined catering

• They’re fantastic at reviving leftovers, so can help stretch your fridge’s contents further

• Many models come with a non-stick coating and dishwasher-safe parts for hassle-free clean-ups

• The vast trove of online air fryer recipes means you can explore endless new taste trends.

What can I cook in an Air Fryer?

Air fryers bring a world of delicious tastes to any kitchen. They are best suited for foods that require dry heating methods such as roasting, baking and frying, more so than braising or steaming, and are perfect for frozen foods and those that are usually deep-fried (think any type of fries, spring rolls, fish fillets and nuggets). Air fryers also turn out succulent roasts, moist brownies and crispier, tastier vegetables – great for tempting fussy little eaters. Some of the most popular recipes are for air fryer pork belly and air fryer salmon, plus you can toast paninis, grill sausages and even “boil” eggs to perfection. You can also use an air fryer to reheat leftovers and restore crunch. For best results when using an air fryer, remember to shake or flip food midway through cooking to ensure every side is evenly crisped, and don’t overcrowd the basket.

Check out below to get clued up on all the jargon before you start shopping.

Adjustable temperature

Many air fryers give you the option to cook using pre-set programs, or a manual temperature dial with an adjustable temperature range for precision frying.

Air Fryer Basket

A pull-out perforated basket or drawer that allows hot air to circulate around food on all sides.

Alerts

Some air fryer models beep when cooking is finished or it’s time to shake the basket to ensure even, crispy cooking.

Dehydrate

Some air fryers come with additional features such as dehydration, allowing for more versatile cooking options – think beef jerky or dried fruit.

Divider

Some single-drawer air fryers come with a divider, so you can create two cooking zones when needed to prepare multiple dishes at once.

Dual Zone

An air fryer with two self-contained drawers with separate heating elements and fans, allowing for different temperatures and cooking times in each.

Grill Plate

Some people like to use a grill plate accessory inside their air fryer when cooking to enjoy classic grill marks on their food.

Match

Some air fryers with dual zones have a match (or “copy”) function that lets you use the same cooking setting in both zones.

Pre-Set

Pre-set functions allow you to cook various dishes without needing to know the exact cooking specifications – a big advantage for those new to air-frying.

Smart Air Fryer

Some advanced air fryers are now Wi-Fi- and Bluetooth-enabled, so you can control them with your voice or phone and access recipes.

Sync

The Sync setting on a dual-zone model ensures both sides finish cooking at the same time.

Timer

Many air fryers come with digital timers that count down the remaining cooking time.