Best Air Fryers

An air fryer is able to achieve results comparable to using a deep fryer, while using 70% less fat. If at all, people suffice with just adding one or two tablespoons of oil  before air frying! And if you’re preparing chicken with the skin on it, the skin has enough fat in it that you don’t have to add any oil! Even the cooking time is about the same. An air fryer saves you from all the disadvantages of deep frying--you can have French fries or fried chicken, without having to be concerned of all that fat that the food absorbed. Also, heating some vegetable oils to 350 degrees (the typical temperature for deep frying) create chemical by-products called aldehydes. Aldehydes have been linked to heart disease and high blood pressure, cancer, and even dementia. If you can find a substitute for deep frying, why not use it?

But you can find air fryers that do much more than just fry. They operate on a simple design: There is a heating element set above the food you are cooking--this radiates heat onto the food. The air fryer then employs a fan to circulate the air inside the fryer around the food. If you get an air fryer with a wide temperature range, it can be used for steaming, grilling, roasting, and even baking as well!

We’ve composed this buyer’s guide to help you make the right decision when selecting an air fryer. It'll help you:

• Choose the right type of air fryer,

• See useful tips about that particular type of air fryer,

• Read reviews of different air fryers, and what customers are saying,

• Select the right brand of air fryer, and

• Compare prices and find the best deals.

• Analog air fryers: The simplest air fryers use analog dials for setting the temperature and cooking time. An example is the Philips Airfryer HD9220. Setting the timer essentially turns the unit on--and it has an automatic shutoff when the time is up.

• Digital fryers with pre-programmed settings: You’ll notice that many air fryers can prepare a number of foods. For example, the Simple Taste Multi-Function Air Fryer has 8 cooking programs for particular foods. You pretty much can just press the button and forget about it! The programs include warming, chips, chicken, steak, shrimp, meat, cake, and fish. It is capable of frying, steaming, grilling, roasting, and baking. Its range of temperatures goes from 170-400 degrees Fahrenheit. If you don’t want to use the automatic settings, you can set the temperature and time digitally. If you want the food to be browner, just add on some more cooking time.

• Accessories: You’ll find that some air fryers have accessories for special dishes. For example, the Big Boss Oil-less Air Fryer, despite being already 16 quarts big, has an extender ring that you can attach, that can let you fry an entire turkey (well, a small turkey at least). There are also low and high cooking racks, a mesh basket, and separators. GoWise also makes a number of accessories for their air fryers, to allow for preparing for more than one dish at a time.

GoWise Air Fryer Accessories 

• Food preparation: Some air fryers require that you soak potatoes for French fries for 20 minutes, and then drain the water off before putting them in the air fryer. Other air fryers don’t have such a requirement. That’s something to be aware of, to avoid any surprises.

• Don't fill the food basket to the top: Since air fryers work on convection, you must leave space for the air to circulate inside. The more space you leave in the chamber, the crispier the food will be.

• Timer: Note that a lot of air fryers have a timer that doesn’t go over 30 minutes at a time. An exception is the Black and Decker Purify 2-Liter Air Fryer, or the Philips XL Air Fryer, with a 60-minute timer. Warning: Take note if your air fryer has an auto-shutoff when the time is up--some just ring a bell, and hope that you’ll turn it off!

• Size of the frying basket: You’ll see a big range in air fryer capacity. For students or young couples, a 2.3-quart unit will be enough. That’s large enough to cook 1.6 pounds of food. On the other hand, 3.7 Quart capacity, such as in the FrenchMay Touch Control Air Fryer, can prepare food for a family of 4. GoWise makes a 2.75, 3.7, and 5.8-quart models. If you’re into preparing even bigger meals, one of the largest air fryers that we saw was the Big Boss Oil-less Air Fryer, with a 16-quart capacity. It even has two trays, so you can cook two foods at once--French fries on top, and succulent chicken on the bottom! The capacity is important--one of the big complaints about air fryers is that they can’t cook a lot of food at once.

• Check whether you need to shake or turn the food: Air fryers work on convection, so it’s important that the food is exposed to the air. But whether you’ll have to shake the food will depend on the recipe. If you are cooking French fries or onion rings, you might have to stir the basket every few minutes, to make sure that all of the fries turn brown. If you’re preparing chicken, it’s enough just to lay the pieces one next to the other--it shouldn’t be necessary to agitate the frying basket also. If you must agitate the food, there are models that can remind you to do that as well. The GoWise USA Air Fryer has a built-in alarm that gives you a reminder every 5, 10, or 15 minutes. The T-fal Actifry has a rotisserie, that flips the food over for you! Its timer also can be set for 99 minutes!

• Cleaning the utensils: The basket and pan of the air fryer are usually non-stick and even typically dishwasher-safe. If you choose to wash them by hand, you should clean them after every use. Wait until the parts cool down completely before cleaning. Wipe the grease off with a paper towel, and wash the basket with hot water and soap. (If anything, don’t use any abrasives on the non-stick surface!) The outside and interior of the unit can be wiped clean with a damp cloth. Some models can be cleaned with a baking soda solution.

• GoWise USA--is a manufacturer of kitchen appliances such as air fryers, blenders, and pressure cookers. They also make bathroom and kitchen scales, blood pressure monitors, flashlights, and pedometers. Their headquarters is located in Phoenix, Arizona.

• FrenchMay--is based in City of Industry, California. Their digital air fryer allows you to fry, grill, bake, and roast all your favorite foods--up to 3.7 quarts of food at a time. It has a touchscreen control and LED display.

• Secura--is a manufacturer of kitchen appliances and beauty products. They make a 1500 Watt hot air fryer, that uses little to no oil, but still achieves results comparable to traditional deep frying. Secura also makes juicers, induction stoves, pressure cookers, waffle makers, and more.

• MaxiMatic--is located in City of Industry, California. They make a wide range of appliances for the kitchen and home. Their cooking appliances include air fryers, deep fryers, egg cookers, grills, skillets, steamers, and more. They also make food preparation products, such as blenders, food processors, grinders, choppers, and the like.

• Philips— is a Dutch technology company with their headquarters in Amsterdam, founded in 1891 by Frederik Philips and his son Gerard.  Their division for household products includes kitchen appliances, low-fat air fryers, grills, pasta makers, and more.