The best air fryer uses hot air to crisp food rather than gallons of oil to create healthier versions of fries, chicken wings, and other tasty treats. They’re also faster than traditional cooking methods, meaning you’ll be able to speed up cooking times too.
The best air fryers are versatile appliances that can also roast, bake, and grill, while some models even offer reheat and dehydrate functions. They also come in different capacities; so whether you have a large family to feed or you’re a couple or individual, there’s an air fryer to suit you.
There are two styles of air fryer to choose from. Basket air fryers see food placed in a drawer while bowl air fryers use a paddle to move the food around, however both types ensure hot air can reach every inch of the food being cooked in them. You can discover how air fryers work and if air fryers use a lot of electricity in our in-depth articles.
If you’re tight on space consider one of the best Instant Pots as some models of these multi-cookers include an additional lid that adds air frying to their multitude of cooking methods. It’s also important to know how to clean an air fryer to ensure it’s as efficient as possible.
Air fryers are one of the most commonly discounted appliances during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. During the holiday sales season last year, we saw some of our top air fryer picks from Ninja, Instant Pot, Philips, and Cosori discounted by as much as 50%. For those on tighter budgets, there were also more discounts on more affordable fryer brands, such as Bella, GoWise, and Slater, with prices down to as little as $40 / £30.
We’ll be rounding up all the best discounts in our best Black Friday air fryer deals and best Cyber Monday air fryer deals articles so it’s worth bookmarking these pages to find out when the best savings drop. However, due to the global supply chain issues, if you want to ensure an air fryer arrives before the festive period we’d recommend snapping up one of the best deals available right now rather than hanging on for the day itself.
There’s a wide array of air fryers on the market with designs from brands including Ninja, Instant, Phillips, and Tefal, so knowing which is best for you can be confusing. We’ve put a range of the most popular models to the test, cooking up batches of fries and chicken wings to discover which is the best air fryer you can buy right now .
Best air fryer of 2021
How we test air fryers
To compare each air fryer, we’ve cooked up batches and batches of fries and chicken wings. As well as evaluating how, crisp, evenly browned and in the case of chicken wings, how moist and juicy the meat was, we’ve also compared how easy they are to use.
We rated each design on how many settings it offers, how durable and easy to clean the body and parts are, how loud their fans are and how hot the exterior casing gets. For each model we wanted to know whether it was simple to use design and didn’t require reading a thick instruction manual before use, came with useful accessories such as frying baskets, or a recipe book for inspiration.
What to consider when buying an air fryer
There are a number of considerations that need taking into account when choosing the best air fryer for you.
Start by deciding which type of air fryer you want. Basket air fryers tend to be healthier because they funnel the juices, as well as the fat, away from the food but you can’t check on the food without opening them, and letting cold air in, which can stall the cooking process.
Bowl air fryers, however, have glass lids so you can keep an eye on your meal, but the cooking juices remain in the air fryer and in contact with the food, making it tastier but not as healthy.
You’ll also need to check the capacity of the air fryer. If you’re feeding four or more mouths, look for larger air fryers, which can hold around 6.5 quarts / 6 liters, while couples will find designs that have a capacity of around 2.5 quarts / 2.5 liters will be sufficient. Some of the best air fryers also have more than one compartment, which means you can cook multiple foods at the same time.
As we’ve already mentioned, if you’re tight on space look for air fryers that offer a multitude of different cooking methods, to cut down on the number of appliances that clutter up your kitchen countertop. Also consider whether you want an air fryer with smart features that means you can switch it on or off from your smartphone.
Is air-fried food healthier?
There’s no denying air fryers use substantially less oil than deep frying, but just how healthy are they? Some foods, most of which are frozen or have naturally occurring fat, like Chicken Wings, are suitable for air frying without any oil at all. Fries, roast potatoes, and other traditional crisp foods will need some oil, but how much varies between air fryers.
In our tests, manufacturers ‘ instructions have recommended anywhere from 1tsp to 1tbsp of oil per 1.1lb / 500g of fries, so if you want to use as little oil as possible – we’d suggest you check how oil is required before you purchase a specific model. It’s also crucial to remember the healthiness of what you make in your air fryer, all depends on what you actually put in it, to begin with. To find out more, read how healthy are air fryers?
What can you cook in an air fryer?
Fries, roast potatoes, chicken wings and other deep-fried favorites are obvious dishes to cook in an air fryer, but that’s not all you can whip up in one of these handy kitchen gadgets. You can prepare anything you can cook in a traditional fan oven, space permitting, because they work in the same way. So whether that frozen foods, mini pizzas or even gnocchi and ravioli – it can all be cooked in an air fryer. f you’re still unsure we’ve got plenty of inspiration when it comes to what you can cook in an air fryer?