Best Air Fryers 2022 : Buying Guide and Top Picks

What is an Air Fryer?

Before we begin, let’s answer the big question on your mind. What exactly are these air fryers?
Air fryers will allow you to fry, bake, roast, grill, and cook your foods in just about any format you can imagine.
Even better is how your food is cooked. Instead of using oil, your food is cooked with hot air. So you ultimately receive great tasting and healthy food with less fat and oil. And yes–you will still get that great crisp you want from any fried foods.

How Does it Work?

The way it works is also pretty simple. Air fryers emit heat from an electric coil underneath an exhaust fan which circulates hot air (up to 200-degrees Celsius) around a closed container. This allows your foods to cook thoroughly and evenly. In other words, you won’t be worrying about eating undercooked chicken anytime soon with one of these cookers. And don’t worry about unwanted odours. Air fryers often come with air filters to keep your home smelling fresh.

What Can You Cook in an Air Fryer?

Moving along, here’s probably the next question on your mind. The short answer is a lot. In fact, perhaps the better question here would be: What can’t you cook in an air fryer?

Your possibilities really do seem endless here—especially since you’re not limited to solely frying your foods. But to get those creative juices flowing, here are a few foods air fryers cook:

Raw meats:

Imagine the possibilities here! All your favourite proteins cooked just how you like them. Want some fried chicken? Go for it! Or how about some mouth-watering grilled pork? That’s also an option. Even if you want to cook a succulent filet of fish without juices splattering everywhere, an air fryer will cover that.

Veggies:

Are you in the mood for something healthy? Then try some steamed carrots and broccoli. You can also make some delicious fried pickles as well—again, air fryers can cook all your veggies just the way you love them.

Frozen foods:

Who says frozen foods are off limits? Get your favourite fish sticks and store-bought hash browns ready! Because these air fryers will prepare them in minutes! If that’s not enough, you can even thaw your foods here as well—so don’t be afraid of placing frozen foods in these cookers.

Baked goods:

Unleash your inner pastry chef! Muffins, custards, and even cakes are all options here. You can even buy separate baking dishes for your air fryer to achieve best results. Even if you don’t have much of a sweet tooth, you can still bake some savoury casseroles.

Nuts:

Yes, you can even roast some nuts with air fryers. Even better, you can usually roast them in less than 11 minutes. So if you’re craving a quick snack, you can’t go wrong with roasted nuts!

And here’s the best part—the above options are just the surface of what an air fryer can cook.

If you need a bit more inspiration, many fryers will come with cookbooks and apps to give you a few cooking ideas. Your creativity is the limit here. In fact, you can even create some Michelin star-quality dishes here!

Do Air Fryers Cook Faster?

Thankfully, air fryers will cook your food quickly. For starters, you can skip the start-up phases of cooking. By this, we mean that these air fryers do not need to preheat. They’re ready to cook once you tap that power button. As far as actual cook times go, most foods will finish between 10-22 minutes. That’s less than most programmes on TV to give you an idea of how fast this cooker works. Even better, you can reheat smaller portions in only a matter of minutes.

How Healthy Is an Air Fryer?

So we know air fryers cook tasty food fast. But can this actually be healthy?

The short answer is yes! When compared to actual fryers, air fryers require 80% less oil. And if that’s not good enough, you can even skip the oils altogether. Remember, the oil is where we get the bulk of yucky fats and calories in fried foods. So, so far, this is a pretty good deal.

Also, remember that you’re not limited to frying here. So check out some healthy snack options such as steamed veggies and grilled meats. Some of these cookers will even come with a tray to collect the fats of meats as they grill. So with all of the above said, we can safely affirm that air fryers are healthy.

Benefits of Using an Air Fryer

If you’re still not convinced after reading the above, then allow us to give you a few reasons as to why you’ll want to own an air fryer.

Health Benefits

• Little to no oils required.
• Fewer fats and calories.
• Evenly cooked food (no airborne food illnesses from uncooked food here!).
• Steam and grill your favourite healthy foods.
• Helps in losing weight.
• Reduce your overall calorie intake.

Cooking Benefits

• Fast—no preheating needed.
• Reheat foods without destroying key nutrients (unlike microwaves).
• All-in-one cooker—grill, fry, bake, roast, steam, and cook your foods with ease.
• Great crisply textures.
• Plenty of variety to the types of foods you can eat.
• Cooking tasty and healthy foods is super easy.
• Cooks food quickly.
• Comes with preset buttons for quick and simple one-touch cooking.

Other Benefits

• Easy to use—not too many buttons or useless features.
• Great for entertaining small groups.
• All your favourite foods can be cooked here.
• Easy to clean.
• No-slip feet prevent unnecessary messes.
• Low energy consumption.
• Easy to store.
• Not too large or bulky.
• Be the envy of all your friends after they see your culinary creations.

How to Buy the Best Air Fryer

So, are you now excited to buy an air fryer? Great! But there’s still one small problem. How do you choose with so many on the market? With so many options available, it’s easy to accidentally buy a dud. So to prevent this from happening, we created a buying guide for you. When you decide to buy your air fryer, you can’t go wrong if you check these features first!

Capacity

Here’s the question to ask. How many people do you plan to cook for? Your answer will determine the food capacity you’ll need on your air fryer.

Most of the time, your smallest air fryers will offer 800 g of food storage. If you’re looking to cook for 3-4 people, this is enough space. But if you plan to host a larger gathering, you’ll want to look for a bigger capacity.

And don’t get any ideas about overloading your fryer. When you do so, you risk your food cooking unevenly. And no one likes salmonella from uncooked chicken tenders.

Power

You won’t need to worry about air fryers driving up the costs of your power bill. At most, you’ll find these won’t consume more than 1800 Watts. But you’ll find one big reason you’ll want to check the power—speed. As a rule of thumb, more watts leads to faster heat up times.

Timer

Any good air fryer will come with a timer. It is pretty essential to cooking for obvious reasons. When it comes to timers, you’ll come across two types.

Manual Timers: These are pretty easy to work. You simply slide a dial to your desired cook time. It’s that simple. Also, these tend to be a bit cheaper than digital timers.

Digital Timers: On the surface, these look a bit more high tech. The main advantage here is that you can see the exact amount of remaining time—instead of guessing from notches between numbers on a dial.

Digital timers will also offer pre-cook settings in some cases. So you can remove some guesswork when it comes to cooking times.

Temperature Controls

In most cases, air fryers will allow you to set a temperature between 80 and 200 degrees Celsius. The presence of a temp control is great for chefs who know what they’re doing when it comes to cooking.

But keep in mind that the absence of a temperature control system is not necessarily a bad thing. Often times, these air fryers rely on pre-settings, which will suffice for cooking most foods.

Easy to Clean

You already know your air fryer will get dirty after each use—just like everything else in your kitchen. Thus cleaning is essential.

As a whole, you’ll find air fryers are easier to clean when compared to classic fryers. The reason for this is that most pieces disassemble. So you can scrub those hard to reach edges easily.

Also, keep in mind that non-stick parts will speed your cleaning process. Just keep in mind that non-stick coatings will dissolve over time—so this isn’t a long-term feature.

Dishwasher Safe

This feature goes along with ease of cleaning. Most air fryers on the market will offer dishwasher safe parts. This is why it’s great to have those detachable trays and lids. But keep in mind that some fryers still lack dishwasher safe parts. So read the manual carefully.

Cord Length

Your average lead length ranges from 0.8 to 1 metres. This number will determine how far you can place your air fryer from your outlet. So make sure you set enough counter space.

Warranty

By now, we all probably know why warranties are great. Sometimes, parts and pieces don’t work how the makers intend. So it’s great to get replacements or refunds without losing money. Across the market, most air fryers will come with a 1-2-year warranty.

Other Features

Paddles:

Do you want to manually stir your food, or do you want the fryer to do it for you? If you answer to the latter, then a paddle is a great feature for you. This option does as the name implies—stirs your food while it cooks. Just keep in mind that you will need to clean this paddle after each use.

Extra Cooking Rack:

This is a great feature for those times you want to cook two separate dishes at once. When planning for a gathering or dinner, this feature can save quite a bit of time. Why not cook your entrée and sides at the same time?

Auto-Shut Off:

This is a great safety feature—for you and your food. Once the air fryer finishes, this feature powers off the cooker. So you won’t need to worry about burning or overcooking any dishes.

More importantly, this can also prevent any fires or damage from occurring for those times when you can’t be near the air fryer when your foods finish cooking.

Top 10 Best Air Fryer Reviews

Now for the moment of truth! We’re about to unveil the 10 best air fryers in the UK. We did all the hard work for you and tested countless models. But in the end, we found these 10 air fryers to work great for any situation. So check those features closely to find which air fryer will work best for you!

1.Philips HD9240/90 Avance Collection Air Fryer

When it comes to top of the line air fryers, the Philips HD9240/90 Extra large fryer is one you won’t want to overlook. This cooker’s size will allow you to cook for any small gathering. Meanwhile, the Philips air fryer offers all the features you could ever want. But does the price justify all these features? Read along with us to see just how good of a value you’re getting here.

Rapid Air Technology

You already know that air fryers cook foods by circulating hot air. And this Philips model is no exception. So, feel free to fry, roast, bake, and grill all your favourite foods. And yes—they taste amazing afterwards.

Also, the rapid air technology allows for some healthy cooking as well. When frying your foods, you’ll never need any more than a tablespoon of oil. So you can eliminate those unwanted fats and calories. Speaking of frying foods, everything we fried during our tests resulted in a crunchy outside with a moist interior. Really, can we ask for much else when it comes to fried foods?

Lastly, we noticed no unwanted odours after frying as well. So you won’t need to worry about your house smelling like a McDonalds after using your air fryer.

Digital Screen

You get full control of your temperature and time on a digital display. And, if you’re curious, the temperature can rise to a full 200-degrees Celsius.

Do you ever forget the cooking settings for your favourite dishes? This is where the preset button saves the day. Here, the air fryer will remember the temperature and cook time of your select meals.

Of course, if you prefer doing things the manual way, that’s also an option. You’ll not only find a 60-minute timer on this air fryer, but you’ll also see a countdown of the remaining cooking time. Once your food finishes cooking, you’ll even hear a loud beep to inform you the time is up. If you need to stop the cooker at any time, just push the start/pause button. Even better, there’s an auto shut off feature here as well for some extra safety.

Power

This air fryer will offer you 2100 W of power. Overall, this is enough power to cook your favourite foods in a reasonable time. During our tests, we found chicken wings only took 24 minutes to fully cook. Meanwhile, frozen fries only required about 10-12 minutes of time.

Starfish Design

Philips dubs its air fryer as presenting a starfish design. But why is this so great? Overall, the design allows for heated air to circulate quickly. So your foods will cook evenly and thoroughly. In other words, you won’t need to worry about consuming undercooked foods.

Dishwasher-safe Parts

You already know you’ll need to clean your air fryer after each use. And thankfully, this Philips model makes cleaning easy. All detachable parts wash safely in your washing machine. So you can rest assured knowing your air fryer is receiving enough sanitisation.

Dimensions

As a whole, this air fryer feels bulky. At 30.2 x 31.5 x 42 cm, this cooker ranks as one of the largest on our list. But not all is bad here. The 1.2 kg cooking capacity is pretty large for an air fryer. In fact, you’ll find no problems feeding up to five people in one cooking session. You also get access to an XL frying basket in case you want to cook larger portion sizes.

Warranty

This air fryer will ship with a 12-month warranty.

Pros

• Easy to set up and use.
• Produces less smell than other conventional fryers.
• Easy to clean, great for daily use.
• Comes with a Recipe Booklet that offers more than 30 delicious food recipes.

Cons

• Bulkier than other air fryers.
• Expensive.
• Smokes when cooking fatty foods–fixable by placing jug of water under the basket, but still annoying.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for one of the best air fryers on the market, there’s no denying the Philips HD9240/90 will cover all your needs.

Any feature you could ever need presents itself here. Even better, it cooks food amazingly well. If you can get past the large price tag, this cooker will give you anything you could ever want from an air fryer.

Also, if the price is a major issue for you, you can always buy a cheaper alternative in the Philips HD9230/20. This version is great for cooking for smaller families of two.

2.Tower T17008 Digital Family Air Fryer

Do you plan to air fry for larger groups? Then this is the fryer for you. Whether you host gatherings with your mates or cook for the whole family, this fryer offers a gigantic capacity for just that. But of course, there’s more to air fryers than the amount of people they can serve. So how does this Tower cooker stack up to its competition? Read along with us to see how well this air fryer cooks.

Capacity

First things first. This fryer offers some impressive capacity. The Tower T17008 offers a whopping 5.5 kg food capacity! This is one of the larger air fryers on the market at the moment.

If you’re curious, that’s enough space to serve six generous sized portions. So it’s a great cooker for a family dinner or an evening with friends.

Rapid Air Circulation Technology

Much like the other air fryers on our list, this cooker makes use of rapid air circulation technology. The name says it all. Hot air circulates throughout the cooker. This is a good thing since your food cooks evenly and thoroughly.

Digital Displays

You’ll have full control with these digital displays. The timer allows you to cook your foods for up to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, the temperatures can go as high as 200-degrees Celsius.

If you want some added help in remembering the right time and temperature, the air fryer does come with some preset functions. In our experience, all of these worked great. If you’re curious, the presets include: Chips, chicken, steak, shrimp, meat, cake, and fish.

For an added nice touch, the air fryer will automatically power off once the timer reaches zero. So you won’t need to focus all your attention on your fryer while it cooks.

Power

At 1800 W, this air fryer is pretty average as far as energy goes. Your electric bills won’t rise dramatically after buying this cooker. But at the same time, the temp heats at an average rate.

Less Fat, More Flavour

There’s no denying this fryer offers a generous capacity. But that doesn’t mean you’ll need it. And this is a good thing. When frying, you’ll need little to no oil. Some foods like chips might require a small spoon of oil—but it’s still 80% less than a typical fryer. During our tests, the food came out pretty tasty. So less oil doesn’t mean less flavour.

Easy To Clean

Many detachable parts are dishwasher safe. So you can save some time and energy after each use.

Amazon Alexa Integration

Have you bought an Amazon Echo? Well, now you have a use for her than testing her zany comebacks to weird questions. Try asking Alexa for some air fryer recipes. You’ll find she can offer some pretty tasty options. Even better, the echo device caters everything toward this Tower model. So it’s pretty clear how to prep and cook each meal.

Dimensions

Surprisingly, this cooker isn’t too bulky considering its capacity. At 35 x 30.5 x 26.5 cm, you’ll have no issues finding counter space. At the same time, its 5 kg weight is nothing too heavy either.

Warranty

You’ll get a 3-year warranty with this air fryer. Compared to other devices on our list, this guarantee is pretty generous.

Pros

• Amazon Echo Integration.
• Big Warranty.
• Massive Capacity.

Cons

• No cooling wall.

Final Thoughts

If you plan to host some gatherings or family dinners, this is hands down the air fryer for you. Its large capacity is pretty impressive. Even better is that this cooker fries foods nicely.

Of course, you’ll need to get past the lack of essential safety features, such as auto-shutoff. But if you can stay alert and aware of its cooking times, this air fryer will do all you’ll need it to.

If that price is a problem for you, then note that a cheaper alternative does exist. The Tower T14004 offers a far more budget-friendly price.

3.Tefal ActiFry AH950840 Family Express XL Low Fat Healthy Fryer

Sometimes, we’re not looking for all the latest bells and whistles without air fryers. As long as it cooks food well, we’re happy. And if this is your thinking, then you cannot go wrong with the Tefal ActiFry AH950840.

As a whole, this basic air fryer is easy to use. Plus it has a nice stir paddle to make cooking even easier.

But simplicity naturally leads to a lack of advanced features. So with this in mind, can the Tefal air fryer keep up with others on our list? Read our review to learn more.

Dual Motion Technology

Similar to other air fryers, this Tefal cooker moves hot air throughout the fryer. During this process, a stir paddle slowly rotates your ingredients so that you won’t need to. In our experience, the stir paddle resulted in a very even cooking.

Tefal ActiFry Express XL

This feature is what Tefal claims allow for fast cooking times.

In reality, we found the cooking times to be on par with other air fryers on our list. For example, we found filling the fryer with chips only required an average of 28 minutes to fully fry.

Sadly, the stir paddle did have a habit of smashing chips and other foods during the cooking process. It wasn’t common, but it was still annoying when it would happen. And, in some cases, it could destroy your foods presentation. But, on the bright side, we did notice the foods tasted quite flavourful.

Digital Display

The timer is a digital display. And it’s pretty easy to use as well. You simply tap the plus or minus buttons to adjust the cooking times. Are you wondering about temperature controls? Well, you won’t receive any with this cooker. And while this does remove some options, we found the foods still cooked quite well.

Healthy

As expected from an air fryer, you won’t need near the oil of a traditional fryer. When cooking chips, we noticed they only retained about 4% fat, which is not nearly as bad as other cooking methods.

As a whole, you won’t need any more than a spoonful of oil. Even better is that most recipes require no oil. So, you won’t be getting any excessive fats or calories here.

Easy to Clean

Everything but the base is non-stick dishwasher safe. This is great news. First of all, you won’t need to labour too hard to remove stuck on food from this air fryer. And then the dishwasher safe feature speaks for itself. You’ll save plenty of time and energy here.

Capacity

At 1.7 kg of food capacity, you’ll notice this air fryer ranks above average. Tefal claims this will feed about eight people—which is true if you’re serving modest portions. For more generous servings, you can expect to feed about five people—which is still great for an air fryer.

Power

Like the majority of air fryers on our list, this Tefal model offers 1550 W of power. As a whole, it heats food fast enough. Also, it won’t put any strains on your power bills.

Dimensions and Design

This Tefal air fryer is larger than most. But it’s definitely an attractive design. The cooker measure 49.2 x 37.8 x 29.8 cm, which is pretty bulky. But it does have a round dome shape that looks like it came out of some sci-fi drama. In other words, it looks pretty cool–even if it is a bit difficult to store. The transparent lid is also a nice touch since you can see your food cook.

As far as design choices go, Tefal also includes a stirring spoon. This spoon will rest atop the spindle inside the cooker. So it’s perfect for getting those measurements for oil and such.

If we had any major complaints here, they would certainly involve the handle. When the pan is hot and full of food, the handle is simply not comfortable to hold.

Tefal Mobile App

Do you want some recipes for your air fryer? Then you’ll want to download Tefal’s mobile app. With this feature, you can receive more than 250 recipes. And you’ll want this app since the cooker only comes with only 11 recipes, which isn’t much.

Pros

• Easy to Use.
• Measuring Spoon Feature is nice.
• Quiet.
• Decent capacity.

Cons

• Skimpy with included recipes.
• Stir Paddle will sometimes smash your foods.
• Bulky and difficult to store.
• Handle is not ergonomic when pan is full.

Final Thoughts

There’s something to enjoy about the unique design of the Tefal ActiFry AH950840. The futuristic design pleasantly clashes with its easy to use features. To make matters better, this air fryer does cook foods quite well. Plus who could argue with it’s above average capacity. The only downside here is the stir paddle, which sometimes will destroy your food’s presentation. But if you can deal with this issue, this air fryer will work perfectly for you.

4.Salter EK2205 Healthy Digital Hot Air Fryer

Are you searching for an air fryer with a sleek design? The Salter EK2205 offers a unique appearance for an air fryer. The black outside and blue lighting on the gauges allow this appliance to look great in any kitchen. Of course, looks aren’t everything. And thankfully, this Salter air fryer does not lack when it comes to performance.
So here’s the big question — can it cook foods as great as the other fryers on our list? Join us as we look at everything this cooker offers.

Power

At 1400 W, this air fryer received an energy efficiency rating of A. when running at full power, this cooker uses roughly 7kWh for a thirty-minute cycle. This is great since you won’t need to worry about a rapid increase in your electric bills.

Even better is that this does not mean you’ll see any slow cooking times. As far as heating goes, we noticed it could keep up with the other fryers we tested.

Another nice feature here is the noise. This air fryer is one of the quietest we tested. So you can hold your conversations in your kitchen while your air fryer runs–which is a fantastic feature!

Digital Displays

Here’s one of the best highlights of this fryer. Simply put, the gauges look sleek. The blue lighting is relaxing for the eyes. But the red numbers ensure you know the remaining time.

You also have full control of the temperatures and times. As far as ranges go, you can cook up to 200 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, the timer can reach 30 minutes.

Working this display is pretty easy as well. You simply push some plus and minus signs, and the gauges adjust accordingly. You really can’t get simpler than this—which is a good thing.

To make your culinary life easier, there’s even an auto-off feature. So once your foods finish cooking, the fryer will power down.

Healthy Cooking

As you’d expect from an air fryer, you can fry your favourite foods without much oil. So you won’t need to worry as much about those unwanted fats and calories. As far as cooking the food goes, this model rapidly circulates hot air for an even fry.

When it comes to flavour, we noticed the foods tasted nice and savoury. But we did have one small complaint… Anytime we tried cooking chips, they’d lack that crispy texture that other fryers could provide. It’s not that the texture is terrible by any means. Just keep in mind that you won’t get that same crunch.

Integrated Air Filter

Are you worried about your home smelling like some rundown fast food restaurant? Well, you can set those worries aside. With the integrated air filter, no unwanted odours will contaminate your home!

Easy to Clean

Cleaning this Salter air fryer is no major chore. You simply disassemble the parts, soak them in soap and water, scrub, and your good to go.

To further help with this process is the non-stick coating on the basket. With this feature, food is not only easier to serve, but you’ll also find the particles slide right off when cleaning.

Sadly, this air fryer is not dishwasher safe. We wouldn’t go as far as to say this makes the cleaning difficult—not by any means. But throwing these parts in the dishwasher for some thorough cleaning would have been nice.

Dimensions and Design

As a whole, the Salter air fryer offers a unique oblong appearance. The black plastic appearance looks great in any kitchen. As far as the size goes, it’s not too bulky at 35.8 x 31.8 x 31.6 cm. The only slight issue here is the weight at 6 kg. When cleaning, this cooker can feel a bit heavy. You’ll also get a 4.5-litre cooking basket. While not the biggest on our list, you can easily cook for two or three people in one cooking session.

Pros

• Great display.
• Interesting design choices.
• Quiet.

Cons

• Chips aren’t as crispy as we’d like.
• Heavy.
• Not dishwasher safe.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for a strong performing air fryer with a unique appearance, this is it. The controls are simple and easy to use. But they don’t offer that bland and boring look that other displays sometimes offer. Even better is that this air fryer is quiet, so you won’t need to worry about creating too much noise while cooking. If you can get past the non-dishwasher safe parts of this fryer, you’re looking at one of the market’s best air fryers.

5.Philips Viva Collection Air Fryer

We don’t all have a huge amount of space in our kitchens to place an air fryer. But thankfully, this Philips Viva Collection offers a nice compact cooker. As a whole, this air fryer takes up about as much room as a coffee maker. So it’s no surprise that this air fryer does its job well. But are you curious to know if it’s better than the other air fryers on our list? Follow along with us to find out for yourself.

TurboStar Technology

Think about the perfect fried dish? It’s definitely something with a crispy outside and soft, chewy inside, right? Well, that’s exactly what you’ll get with the TurboStar technology. According to Philips, this technology distributes heat 50% more evenly over your fried foods when compared to other fryers. After some testing, our team agreed with Philips. We fried some chips which not only cooked evenly but offered the perfect crisp. So, when it comes to cooking technology, we have no complaints here!

Manual Controls

You have full control over the timer and temperature. For the timer, you can slide a dial to a maximum of 30 min. As far as temperature goes, you select a heat between 80 and 200 degrees Celsius. As a whole, these knobs are easy to operate and use. Plus that timer knob does offer a nice stylish flair. Overall, the controls work great.

Power

At 1425 Watts, this air fryer is pretty energy efficient. Even better, it does a fantastic job of powering this Philips air fryer. Compared to other air fryers, this one cooks meals pretty fast. So if you’re looking to get your food in the shortest times possible, this is the fryer for you. Also, this air fryer is pretty quiet and emits hardly any odours.

Cleaning

As a whole, we found cleaning to be a bit of a mixed bag. On the one hand, the food basket is dishwasher safe. And the removable handle really allowed us to clean in those tight spaces. Our only real problem included brushing the basket. Sometimes, we’d need to apply quite a bit of force before residues would scrape off. But other times, we’d finish thoroughly scraping the basket in as little as 90 seconds. So our experiences varied, but keep in mind that sometimes food particles will be a pain to remove.

Dimensions and Design

Just looking at this air fryer, you’ll see it’s pretty small and compact. In fact, its measurements are 26.6 x 29.2 x 27.6 cm. If you’re keeping track, this is one of the smallest air fryers on our list. This is great news for anyone who feels they lack counter space. But of course, not all is great with the small size. You’re also getting a low capacity here at 0.8 kg. So you won’t be able to feed more than three people within a single cooking session. But if you’re cooking for yourself or a very small group, this is not necessarily a bad thing. Another issue we found was the overall weight. At 5.3 kg, it’s a bit heavy, especially for its small size. Also, the cable is pretty short. Thus finding a suitable place for this cooker can be a bit awkward.

Pros

• Small.
• Cooks faster than other air fryers.
• Fried foods taste amazing.

Cons

• Not much capacity.
• Cleaning can be a chore.

Final Thoughts

Philips has done it again! Just when we thought things couldn’t get much better, we tested the Philips Viva Collection. This air fryer might be small. But don’t allow its size to fool you. This cooker crafts some of the tastiest food you’ll ever eat. Even better, it cooks your food fast. If you don’t mind scrubbing hard when cleaning, this air fryer does an incredible job of ending any hunger pang.

6.Power Air Fryer XL

Stylish, affordable, and easy to use—all phrases that describe the Power Air Fryer XL. Finding a good value air fryer is not easy in today’s market. But the Power Air Fryer does a pretty good job of offering one of the best air fryers for the money. Even more surprising is finding a lower-priced air fryer with a variety of features.

However, at the end of the day, what really matters is how well an air fryer can cook. So, are you curious to see how the Power Air Fryer compares to other cookers on our list? Then check out our review below!

Healthy and Fast Cooking

By this point, you already have a good idea of how air fryers work. As with the others on our list, the Power Air Fryer requires 80% less oil than a traditional fryer. So you can create healthier versions of your favourite fried foods.

As far as the quality of the cook goes, we noticed this air fryer does a good job for the most part. When cooking proteins like fried chicken, we noticed the meat would thoroughly and fully cook. So we have no complaints there.

Yet we did find one minor issue when frying potatoes. Fries and chips on the outer edges of the basket cooked great. But the food in the middle of the basket often lacked the same crispy texture. In fact, sometimes these potatoes hardly cooked at all. Thankfully, reheating food is not too time-consuming here.

Speaking of the basket, we noticed one small gripe here as well. It certainly worked well for holding food. But sometimes, sliding it back into the cooker felt annoying. But after enough sliding and tilting, it will return inside the fryer.

To make up for this, the air fryer does come with a basket divider. So if you’re planning to cook two different meals at once, just insert the divider, and you’re good to go.

Digital Touch Display

Here’s where the redeeming qualities become evident. The digital display allows you full control over the temperature and the cooking time. But how does anyone remember the settings for all their favourite foods? The Power Air Fryer understands this problem all too well. So it helps its users by adding seven preset cooking functions. So if you want to cook steaks or fries, there’s not any guesswork involved.

Another nice touch is the icons. You always know when the fryer is in use by a blue fan icon. Again, it’s small features like this that make for a great display. We also enjoyed the automatic shut-off feature. This is great since the cooker powers off once your food stops cooking. So long gone are the days of overcooked foods. Plus, it’s a pretty nice safety feature for those times you’re unable to monitor the air fryer for the full cook time.

Power

You won’t notice anything abnormal with energy consumption here. At 1500 W, this air fryer is on par with the others on our list. During our tests, we found shrimp only needed about 10-12 minutes to cook. Chicken cooked in less than 30 minutes. And turkey only required 35 minutes. So, overall, these are pretty fast cook times.

Cleaning

Overall, this air fryer is easy to clean. For starters, the basket is non-stick. So you can clean any residues in a matter of minutes. Also, disassembling the basket from the tray is an easy process. With the touch of a button on the handle, everything easily comes apart.

As for the inside of the cooker, you can wipe that down with a moist cloth. To help with the cleaning, the fry basket is dishwasher safe. On the other hand, do note that the outer basket is not dishwasher safe. Another nice feature here is the odour filter. So your house will never become unbearably smelly after using your fryer.

Dimensions

Overall, this air fryer is a good size for its capacity. At 38.8 x 33.8 x 33.6 cm, it ranks slightly larger than most air fryers on our list. But it doesn’t feel overly bulky. You’ll also get a 1 kg food capacity. As far as servings go, you’ll get between 3-4 portions here.

Warranty

The Power Air Fryer XL ships with a 12-month warranty.

Pros

• Preset functions are really helpful.
• Cleaning is easy.
• Display is one of the best.

Cons

• Won’t always fully fry chips and fries.
• Inserting the basket in the cooker can be a pain.

Final Thoughts

When looking at the best air fryers on the markets, sometimes a great display and low price are enough to nudge a product to the top of the list. There’s no denying that the Power Air Fryer XL’s display is one of the best we’ve ever seen. Add to this that it’s easy to use, and you’re looking at one of the best air fryers on the market. You might notice some issues with receiving an even cook with a loaded basket. But once you work around this problem, we have no doubts that you’ll love this air fryer.

7.Duronic AF1/B Air Fryer

When you think of kitchen products, Duronic might not be the first brand to come to mind. Starting in 2005, it is pretty new. But don’t think that means Duronic can’t give us some great products. In fact, the Air Fryer AF1/B is proof of this company’s potential.

If you’re looking for a budget air fryer, this is it. In fact, this just might be the most affordable cooker on our list. As with most budget models, we already know the big questions on your mind: Is this the best air fryer for the money? Or is this a “get by” model?

You’ll find the answer in our review below. And here’s a hint—it’s good news. So read along with us to see how you might be able to save a few pounds when buying an air fryer.

Circulating Technology

As with most other pressure cookers, you’ll find the Duronic Air Fryer cooks your food by rapid circulating hot air. Even better, you can cook your foods with minimal amounts of oil—you’ll never need more than a spoonful for best results.

Analogue Display

You’ll be happy to know that you have full control over your cooking times and temperatures. Even better, this air fryer is super easy to use. To set the timer, just turn the manual slider to your desired cook time. As with other models on our list, the timer caps at 30 minutes.

Once the timer finishes, you’ll even get a sound alert. So you won’t waste any time knowing when your food is ready to eat. As far as temperatures go, the dial allows you to choose between 80 to 200 degrees Celsius. Overall, you have full control in terms of cooking your foods.

Healthy Options

As you might have guessed, you’re not limited to frying foods with the Duronic Air Fryer. If you want healthier options, try adding water to the bottom of the basket to steam foods. Or if baking is more your style, then you can create all your favourite baked foods here.

Easy Cleaning

Who could argue with an air fryer that’s easy to clean? The tray and basket remove very easily from the fryer. Even better, the grill and cooking tray are dishwasher safe. So you won’t spend too much energy with the clean-up process. Even better, the closed lid atop the steamer offers a splatter proof experience. In other words, you won’t need to clean any of your counters as a result of using this steamer.

Power

Much like other air fryers on our list, the Duronic Air Fryer uses 1500 watts. So you won’t be thinning out your wallet when that electric bill comes around. To help you save some more energy, this fryer offers and auto-off function. So you won’t need to worry about overcooking your foods or wasting power.

Dimensions and Design

Looking at this air fryer, you’ll see a very stylish design. The chrome accents and large knobs add a nice retro flair to any kitchen. You even get a choice between black or white. So make sure you buy the one that fits your tastes.

As far as size goes, the Duronic Air Fryer is nothing too large or bulky. At 33 x 23 x 31 cm, you’ll find no problems creating counter space. Meanwhile, the 2.2 litres of space and 1.2 kg food capacity will allow you to cook for three portions, which is pretty decent for a budget model. Overall, that capacity allows for about 800 g of fries and 500 g of meat.

Recipe Book

Surprisingly, this air fryer ships with a very detailed recipe book. We won’t complain here since this is a rare feature for budget models.

Warranty

You’ll get a 2-year warranty with this cooker.

Cord Length

The lead is lengthy enough at 1 metre. Most other air fryers have cords in this range, so things are still looking good.

Pros

• Stylish retro design.
• Very affordable.
• Great overall value for your money.

Cons

• No dividing panel.
• Not much as far as extra features go.

Final Thoughts

At the end of the day, the Duronic Air Fryer AF1/B offers far more than we’d ever expect from a budget air fryer. You’ll be getting a great cooking tool with a stylish design to fit in any kitchen. Upon first use, you’ll see that affordable does not equate with a loss of quality. The only real issue here is the lack of extra bells and whistles. But even with that said, for everything the Duronic Air Fryer does, it does well!

8.Morphy Richards 480001 Health Fryer

For years Morphy Richards brought us some amazing home products. And, thankfully, this company is no slouch when it comes to air fryers. The Morphy Richards Health Fryer offers a little bit of everything you’ll need when shopping for an air fryer. Everything from a great cook to a great display is present here. So if your looking for an all-around great fryer, definitely give this Morphy Richards product a second look. So, continue reading with us to see if this product is the classic jack-of-all-trades and master of none, or if it offers something to push it above the other cookers on our list.

Rapid Air Technology

As usual, hot air rapidly circulates throughout the air fryer to ensure an even cook. To help with the process, this Morphy Richards cooker even offers a perforated frying pan. So the air cooks your foods from the bottom as well.

Digital Display

Not just digital displays, but touch displays! Overall, this display is simply stellar. For time, you can set your foods to cook for up to 30 minutes. Once your food finishes cooking, an alarm will even sound. Sadly, it’s not a particularly loud alarm. So if you’re not in the kitchen, it’s pretty hard to hear.

As far as temperatures go, you also have full control up to 200 degrees Celsius. But if you want to remove some guesswork, you can also make use of the eight pre-programmed settings—everything from meat to tempura is here.

Don’t worry too much about the presettings not meeting your personal tastes. You can always make adjustments from the preset values.

Dimensions and Design

Let’s get this out of the way first. The capacity is pretty big. At 3L of space and 0.5 kg food capacity, you are a bit more limited when it comes to the amount of food you can cook at once. In fact, this is only enough space to fry about 500g of chips. So this is a great choice when cooking for two or less people.

As far as the size goes, it’s surprisingly not too bulky, especially for its capacity. With measurements of 33.7 x 27.9 x 31.3 cm, you won’t have any issues finding space for this air fryer.

Further adding to a great design is the cool touch handle. Long gone are the days of burning yourself on hot cookers!

Our only gripe here is the overall feel of the air fryer. There’s no denying it’s pretty. But this cooker also feels cheap and plasticky. So take some extra care when setting and storing this air fryer.

Power

Overall, you’ll find decent energy efficiency with this air fryer. At 1400 Watts, you won’t be spending too much on your power bills. To help reduce energy consumption, there’s also an auto-shutoff feature. So once your food stops cooking, the fryer powers off.

Morphy Richards Cook and Create

Want some extra recipes for some inspiration? Then download the Morphy Richards Cook and Create App. This will allow you to follow some delicious recipes.

Warranty

Morphy Richards ships this air fryer with a 2-year warranty.

Pros

• Great at evenly cooking food.
• Presettings are a nice touch.
• Decent features for price.

Cons

• Feels a bit plasticky and cheap.
• Alarm is pretty quiet.
• Low food capacity.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s hard to find stuff to not like on the Morphy Richards 480001 Health Fryer. A decent capacity, cooking style, features, and displays make this a great overall air fryer. We found some issues with the cheap feel of this air fryer. But really, that’s hardly an issue when everything else works without problems.

9.Philips HD9216/41 Air Fryer

There’s nothing wrong with buying a product that focuses on the basics. And with this Philips air fryer, that’s exactly what you’ll get—a basic air fryer. While this cooker might not offer you all the bells and whistles on the market, you’ll find it does a mighty fine job of cooking and frying foods. But is there a such thing as being too basic? Continue reading to see how this Philips air fryer stacks amongst its competition.

Rapid Air Technology

With the air fryer hot air circulates throughout the cooker. You’ll even find that the air travels through a metal mesh in the basket to cook the bottom of your foods evenly.

You’ll also get Philips’s starfish design here. This simply refers to the body of the fryer allowing for more efficient circulation of air. Overall, your food cooks thoroughly.

Fully Adjustable Manual Temperature Controls

As far as temperature goes, you have full control. You simply set the dial between 80 and 200 degrees Celsius. For the timer, the same rules apply. You can set a cook time of up to 30 minutes. Don’t worry about watching the timer none-stop. Once your food stops cooking, you’ll get a sound indication.

Even better, the air fryer comes with an auto-off feature. So once your food stops cooking, the fryer powers off.

Power

This air fryer comes with a 1425W motor, which allows for a fast cooking process. As far as actual cook times go, the instruction manual suggests you start by preheating this fryer for about 10 minutes–after which you can put the items you want to cook into the fryer. Non-pre-packaged chips only require about 25 minutes to cook after preheating the air fryer. If you prefer a bit more crisp, then you’ll need some more time.

For other foods, we found:
sausages–20 minutes
bacon–15 minutes
chicken legs and breasts–25 minutes–and yes, this is for crispy skin!

Easy to Clean

All parts are removable and dishwasher safe. Disassembling these parts is also pretty easy since this fryer only comes with three parts. So you simply remove the basket and drawer, and you’re ready to clean.

Dimensions and Design

As far as capacity goes, this air fryer offers as little as possible. With only 0.8 kg of food capacity, you’ll only be cooking enough food for three portions. This isn’t great. But it’s also not bad if you don’t cook for large groups. In fact, this is a great choice for cooking for two or three people. For the size, you’ll find this Philips air fryer is quite bulky given its low capacity. Measuring at 31.5 x 28.7 x 38.4 and weighing 7 kg, this is one of the larger air fryers on our list.

Cord Length

This air fryer offers a lead of 0.8 metres. This is plenty of lengths to find counter space near an outlet.

Pros

• Simple and easy to use.
• Cooks food evenly.
• No smells.

Cons

• Bulky for such a low capacity.
• Skimpy on settings–no pre-settings for specific types of foods.

Final Thoughts

When it comes to performing basic functions well, the Philips HD 9216/41 does an exceptional job. Sometimes, all you need is an air fryer that will cook food well without creating a mess or offering convoluted controls. Of course, it would be nice to see a luxury feature or two. But if you’re a person who likes sticking to the basics, this very well might be the best air fryer for you.

10.VonShef Air Fryer

If you prefer easy-to-use air fryers, then give this one your attention. With this air fryer, VonShef sticks to the essentials. So at the end of the day, you might not have fancy gauges or top end features you’ll never use. Instead, you have a simple, yet stylish cooker that will fry your favourite foods in a healthy manner. But is this basic approach really enough to keep up with the other air fryers on our list? Continue reading to find out.

Manual Gauges and Displays

As with other air fryers on our list, you have full control of the temperature you choose to cook your foods. In fact, you can select between 80 and 200 degrees Celsius for a wide range of cooking options. Just set the dial to your desired temperature.

You won’t find any presettings. And this is fine since the air fryer is easy enough to operate. For cooking time, the fryer works the same way. Just turn the knob to the length of time you wish to cook your foods.

The real stand out feature here is the 60-minute timer. Most other timers on the market only reach 30-minutes. So this is definitely a nice touch. To make matters better, there’s even an auto-off switch for when the air fryer finishes cooking.

Power

At 1300 W, this is one of the more energy efficient air fryers on our list. Thus, your electric bills won’t jump in price too much.

Cook Healthy Foods Fully and Evenly

It’s no surprise that you can fry all your favourite foods with only a spoonful of oil. What’s also standard is how this air fryer cooks your favourite foods by circulating hot air. But what is nice is how crispy this cooker can craft chips and fries. During our tests, we were quite impressed with the final results.

Dimensions and design

Overall, the VonShef air fryer is one of the larger cookers on our list. At 31.4 x 34.5 x 27 cm, it’s not too bulky to find some counter space—just a bit larger than other cookers. Unfortunately, for all that size, you only get 0.8 kg of capacity. So expect to only cook three portions at a time.

Stainless Steel design

We won’t lie. That stainless steel and black colour scheme looks amazing. Few other air fryers on the market look this sleek. Even better, this design fits well in any modern kitchen.

Warranty

VonShef offers a full 2-year warranty with this air fryer.

Pros

• Easy controls.
• Affordable.
• Basket comes with a non-stick coating.
• Dishwasher safe.

Cons

• Small capacity.
• Not many bells and whistles.

Final Thoughts

The VonShef Air Fryer is another great cooker that works off the basics. Few other air fryers on the market are this easy to use. Furthermore, with such a stylish design, how could you not give this cooker a second look. Of course, the small capacity and lack of features will be a turn off for some. But for others, that basic design and 60-minute timer will be more than enough. Also, you can buy a digital version if you prefer digital controls.

Which Air Fryer is the Best?

Okay, so you’ve read through our reviews, and are now at a point where you can make a full decision. Don’t feel too stressed here. At the end of the day, these are all stellar air fryers that will provide you with some great food.

So here’s our final piece of advice on this matter—pick the fryer that is right for you. If money is not an issue, then the Philips HD9240/90 Avance Collection is hands down the best fryer on our list. You can’t go wrong with a fantastic fryer that offers a lot of capacity.

But if budget is an issue, then the Duronic Air Fryer is the best air fryer for your money. You won’t be spending too much here. And quite frankly, it offers all the features you’ll ever need. And then you can’t go wrong with the basics. If you don’t want anything too fancy, the VonShef Air Fryer and Philips HD9216/41 will offer you a cooker without any convoluted features.

And then there’s the rest, which all offer something fun or unique for your cooking experience. So don’t be afraid to reread our reviews. See if you can’t single out those features that truly matter to you. Then your decision won’t be so difficult.

FAQ

Okay, so we know you might still have some lingering questions. So before we wrap up here, we’ll try to cover anything else that might be on your mind. Thus, stay with us just a little bit longer to get some last quick tidbits about air fryers.

Are Air Fryers and Halogen Ovens the Same?

Not quite—halogen ovens heat food with a bulb. On the other hand, air fryers circulate heat in a small container, so you’ll get more of an even cook with these. Plus, you’ll find air fryers require less energy as a result of their small size.

Does an Air Fryer Consume A Lot of Electricity

No—hardly any at all in most cases. Very rarely will you find an air fryer that exceeds 1500 W. In a single day, these rarely will use more than half a unit of electricity.

Does Air Fryers Have Radiation / Can it Cause Cancer?

No—air fryers do not use radiation. Instead, they cook your food by emitting heat. And no, air fryers will not cause cancer. If anything, you’re less likely to get cancer from air fryers than other cookers since they do not contain high amounts of acrylamide that you’ll find in classic fryers. In fact, a recent study from the Journal of Food Science found that air frying can reduce the cancer-causing acrylamide levels in fried potatoes by 90%.

Can the Air Fryer Bake a Cake/ Cookies?

YES! And it’s pretty easy too!

Can the Air Fryer Pop Popcorn?

Yes again! Just add popcorn kernels to the air fryer and cook.

Can You Cook Frozen Food in an Air Fryer?

Yes! And you’ll even find frozen foods cook faster in an air fryer than in a conventional oven.