Looking to join the air fryer trend? Our air fryer reviews will help you choose the right one for your family. We talk you through what to look for in an air fryer and compare some of the top air fryer brands.
Air fryers have boomed in popularity recently, as a healthier way to enjoy fried food from the comfort of your own home. That means all your favorite foods like french fries, chicken wings and fish sticks guilt-free!
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What is an Air Fryer?
In case you aren’t already familiar with the air fryer, it is a compact kitchen appliance that fits on your countertop and cleverly cooks food by means of convection.
In other words, a handy cooking helper that uses circulating hot air and very little oil (or in some cases not at all) to mimic the taste and crisp texture of deep frying.
Air fryers work best for preparing fried style food from scratch or for frozen foods that are meant to taste deep-fried (just stay away from anything liquid batter!).
You simply place your food items in the air fryer basket and open once ready (large quantities will need to be done over a few batches).
Aside from the very attractive prospect of eating fried food with a fraction of the usual oil (i.e. fat content), air fryers have a number of advantages when compared to a traditional deep fryer.
These include:
- The compact design doesn't take up much counter space
- Takes less time than cooking in a traditional oven
- Tastes the same as deep frying but better for you
- Most have dishwasher-safe parts making for an easy cleanup
What to Look for when Buying an Air Fryer
Deciding which air fryer to buy can feel intimidating with all the different models available. However, there are a few rules of thumb that can help you decipher which is the right choice for you.
First off, know the size of your kitchen counter and storage space to make sure there’s enough space for the air fryer for both cooking and storing.
Standard air fryers typically use 800-1400 watts; check that your kitchen outlets can support the required wattage.
Have a clear idea of how much and what type of food you’re likely to want to cook, the average air fryer has a capacity for between 1.8 and 2.5 pounds of food.
This works for things like crispy french fries, mozzarella sticks and chicken tenders but if you’re looking to cook something bigger, like a whole chicken, you’ll want to look for a larger than standard capacity.
Another consideration is the temperature scale, most air fryers reach 360 degrees but double check the limit to see if it’s hot enough for your cooking plans.
Finally, extra features - such as a timer, preset functions or multi-levels in the frying basket for separate items - will vary between air fryers.
Check out the details to see which best fits your purposes so your new air fryer is exactly what you want.
Compare Air Fryers
The following reviews of the top rated air fryer models will help you choose what is the best air fryer for your family.
COSORI Air Fryer, Max XL 5.8 quart
The Cosori Air Fryer has a 5.8-quart basket and takes 1700 electric watts to power. This large capacity air fryer can fit up to 5-6 pounds of a whole chicken, so great for large families looking to cook bigger quantities.
The COSORI offers 11 digital cooking functions including steak, poultry, frozen foods french fries and vegetables.
The “shake” and “keep warm” functions are a nice touch, reminding you to open the basket and toss the food around or keeping your food toasty while you finish up another task.
This big air fryer cooks pretty quickly compared to other brands and leaves food with a pleasing brown and crisp effect.
The basket has a square shape that’s easier to fit certain foods in than in a round shape, and can be put in the dishwasher for easy cleaning.
The good news is it does not peel at all after months of regular uses and washes!
When in action, it could be considered a little noisier than others, but it isn’t a major issue.
If you’re stuck for inspiration, the Cosori also comes with a book of 100 recipes to try.
Philips Turbostar Technology
Philips is renowned as one of the top air fryer brands. This Philips digital air fryer uses 1425 watts to function and has a sleek black design, with a substantially sized 2.75-quart basket.
A plus is that thanks to the ‘Turbostar Technology’, you don’t even need to rotate your food while it’s cooking.
The digital screen is easy to use with pre-sets for french fries, chicken, fish and vegetables. The settings can be chosen by scrolling through with the dial or adjusted manually.
Apart from air frying, the Philips air fryer will also grill, bake, roast and keep food warm.
Both the grease tray and basket are safe to put in the dishwasher, and the basket handle can be conveniently removed should you want to do a quick wipe down.
Just note that the temperature settings are limited to steps of 25 degrees.
Overall the Philips Turbostar Technology air fryer is easy to use, fast and effective.
Nuwave 36011 3 QT
If you are lookig for a small air fryer, the Nuwave 36011 3 QT air fryer uses 1300 watts to function and has a neat presentation with a shiny round shape.
It’s easy to use with buttons and a digital control screen, plus easy to clean with a machine washable, draw style basket and large handle.
The air fryer produces tasty and crispy results, in particular when making crispy fried chicken and homemade fries!
It has a default setting of 15 minutes of cooking time that can be adjusted in units of one minute using the arrow buttons.
There is a minimum temperature of 100 Fahrenheit, a maximum of 400 Fahrenheit and 6 automatic food settings including fries, frozen fries, nuggets, steak, poultry and fish.
The reheat function also comes in handy for leftovers.
At times food can stick to the bottom of the basket, however, this is easily avoided by giving it a shake during the cooking process.
GoWise USA 1700-watt 5.8 quart
GoWise USA brings us their 5.8 quart air fryer with a sleek, modern appearance and digital display with a touchscreen feature.
The start/stop button and built-in alarm make this a dummy proof choice that’s easy to turn on and use!
The pre-programmed cook settings on the GoWise USA Air Fryer cover fries, pork, chicken, steak, shrimp, cake, fish and pizza.
For personalized recipes there’s a good temperature range from 180 to 400 Fahrenheit that can be set in 10-degree segments, as well as a cooking timer of up to 30 minutes.
For clean up, the basket is dishwasher safe and you’ll also receive a cookbook of 50 meal ideas with your purchase.
The recipes are especially designed for the GoWise USA 1700-watt 5.8 quart and include options for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert.
Ninja FD401 Foodi 8 qt
Ninja presents the versatile FD401 Foodi 8 quart air fryer. The sophisticated design has a digital panel with 6 controls - function, temperature, time, start/stop, keep warm and power.
The Ninja Foodi goes beyond just air fryer cooking with nine different functions in total; pressure cooking, dehydrating or defrosting, baking or roasting, steaming, slow cooking, broiling, air frying, searing or sauté, and making yogurt.
Although it has a large size, it can replace other kitchen appliances such as your slow cooker, pressure cooker and steamer, making it a good option for a small kitchen with less space.
With so many functions, accessories are also included - specifically for air frying you’ll find a deluxe reversible rack with an additional layer for a bigger cooking capacity, plus a Cook and Crisp Basket with detachable fuser.
The size of the Ninja air fryer is pretty impressive, allowing you to cook for up to 8-10 people! For the best results when air frying, make sure that no liquid is present.
Instant Vortex Plus 6 in 1
The Instant Vortex Plus 6 in 1 is easy to use, simple to clean and versatile.
The 6-quart basket is large enough to fit 2 pounds of fries or a 4-pound chicken with a nice deep-fried flavor and crisp texture.
The body of the Vortex is made from shiny black plastic with a stainless steel door. The front of the appliance includes a black touchscreen control panel with a bright LED display showing the cooking time, temperature and reminders.
The 6 in-built pre-sets cover air frying, roasting, broiling, baking, reheating and rehydrating. Note that the full manual can be found online (the box does not come with a physical copy) which instructs how to properly set up each cooking mode.
You’ll see the plus and minus buttons to set time and temperature already there on the display screen.
So there you have it, a run down of some of the best air fryers available with their features.
If you love the taste or texture of fried food but want to avoid the very high fat content that comes with it, air fryers are the way forward for you.
The compact countertop appliance is best for those who cook fried or fried/frozen foods regularly, and will become an invaluable addition to the kitchen.
Remember, when working out which air fryer to purchase, take into consideration size, wattage, capacity, temperature scale and extra features.
You’ll be crisping up treats for family and friends in no time!
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Hello, Mama; I have read your air fryer survey and would offer this suggestion: in addition to all these wonderful machines which are family size, you could increase your possible income by making another section of air fryers for small households--many people, according to the US Census, are small households--1-2 people for which the machines you present are WAY to large. Please keep us in mind for all you do