Keep hearing about the joys of air frying? Providing a faster and healthier way to cook fried foods with little to no oil, an air fryer has become something of a kitchen staple. It works much like a convection oven to circulate hot air around your food—only it’s more compact and increases your time savings. Think guilt-free crispy chicken, homemade fries, and donuts that are not only simple to make but come with easier clean-up compared to using a traditional deep-fat fryer.
With smaller capacity interiors to heat and shorter preheating times, an air fryer can be a quicker way to cook than your standard oven—potentially saving you money off your energy bills if used wisely. (Just make sure it’s large enough to cook what you need, otherwise you’ll be using it multiple times—which will defeat its energy-saving purpose.) Multifunctional in design, some air fryers come loaded with preset cooking modes for baking, roasting, dehydrating, grilling, and reheating. They can tackle a range of meat, fish, and vegetables effectively, as well as sweet treats: steak and sweet potato fries, homemade apple crisps, a warm banana loaf. Here are WIRED’s top picks to suit a range of ingredients and price points.
Check out more of WIRED’s top kitchen tech and accessory guides, including the Best Electric Kettles, Best Latte and Cappuccino Machines, Best Chef’s Knives, and the Best Gear for Small Kitchens.
Update April 2024: We’ve included three new options including the versatile Ultenic K10 Air Fryer, added information on caring for your new air fryer, and asked one of Europe’s best new chefs for her air frying tips and tricks.
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