The best air fryers are the perfect tool to crisp up your food without being too unhealthy about it. These countertop devices need just a fraction of oil to cook all the best fried foods, should you ever been in the mood for fried treats without all the grease and fat.
They are, at their core, super-powered convection ovens, and can be used for all sorts of cooking, including roasting and baking if the need arises. And there’s no meddlesome oil to dispose of when you’re done. If all that sounds appealing, make sure to check out the best fryers money can buy.
What are the best air fryers?
Based on our research, we think the Philips TurboStar Digital is the best air fryer for most people. At $149, it’s not too-too expensive and reviewers report that it consistently gives the best results. However, it has a fairly small capacity of around 3 quarts, so when you’re cooking for a crowd, you’ll have to fry up your food in batches.
If you’re looking for a larger capacity, the GoWise USA Digital Air Fryer comes in sizes ranging from 5 to 7 quarts. And it’s less expensive, with the 7-quart model selling for about $89.
With the Cuisinart Compact Air Fryer Toaster Oven you get an air fryer that doubles as a toaster oven. If you only have room for one large countertop appliance, it might be your best bet. Unlike many air fryers, the Cuisinart is not oddly shaped but rather looks like a large stainless steel cube.
The Ninja Air Fryer receives high praise from both consumers and professional reviewers. It competes well with the Philips for top notch air frying results but costs a lot less. Anyone who is looking for a really versatile appliance, should consider the Ninja Foodi, which not only air fries but pressure and slow cooks, dehydrates, sautés and more — and does it all well. It is however, big, heavy and expensive.
We’re currently testing a new batch of air fryers, so stay tuned for our reviews.
The best air fryers you can buy today
The Philips TurboStar Digital appears at the top of more lists than any other air fryer. Just shy of $200, the TurboStar Digital is not the cheapest option, but you can depend on it to give excellent results and consistently turn out food that tastes like it came out of a deep fat fryer. Keep in mind however, that it only has a capacity of 3 pounds of food so you could just about fry a whole small chicken cut in pieces at once.
As the Philips has digital controls, you set temperatures and times precisely. The drawer-like basket with a nonstick coating is easy to remove and clean and can even fit in the dishwasher. The unit is relatively compact and unlike many big and bulky models, will easily fit under standard cabinets when it’s not being used.
With eight preprogrammed settings for a variety of foods, a wide temperature range and an affordable price, the GoWise 8-in-1 Digital Air Fryer is our top budget pick. And rest assured, it’s no slouch at air frying either. You just might be able to convince your kids the French fries came from their favorite fast food restaurant.
In addition to having a large capacity so you can cook all your chicken in one batch, the GoWise has an alarm that you can set to remind you to toss or turn over your food during cooking to get even browning and crisping. You don’t have to preheat the GoWise which is a timesaver and the frying basket is both nonstick coated and dishwasher safe. If you need inspiration, the GoWise comes with a cookbook full of recipes.
The Cuisinart Compact Air Fryer is a much more versatile cooking appliance than most of the other models on this list. In addition to being an air fryer, it’s a convection toaster oven so it can be used to crisp up bagels, roast a 4-pound chicken, bake a 12-inch pizza and broil hamburgers.
Unlike most other air fryers, it’s not made of plastic and shaped like a space capsule or giant egg. Instead, it’s constructed of stainless steel and has a boxy design with a glass door so you can see your food as it cooks. Not only will it fit neatly on your countertop, it will actually look good. However in spite of its name, the Cuisinart is not small and compact. The controls aren’t digital which means there are no preprogrammed settings and it’s very straightforward to operate—you simply turn well marked dials.
Ninja is relatively new to the air fryer game but it makes a darn good product. With 4.8 stars from reviewers, it’s one of the highest rated air fryers sold on Amazon. And rightly so, according to the pro testers, who claim it rivals the Philips for frying up crispy potatoes and chicken nuggets. As it’s very reasonably priced, it’s a great buy for anyone who is on a budget.
It has digital controls and settings for reheating, roasting, and dehydrating as well as air frying. All of these options make it make it a little more complicated to get the hang out of programming the Ninja but they do help you to get perfect results without guessing at the correct times and temperatures. A rack is included so you can cook two batches of food at once.
Let’s face it, kitchen appliances can totally dominate your countertop, leaving you with little valuable prep space. To the rescue: the Ninja Foodi which is a pressure cooker, slow cooker, and air fryer in one! And this multitasking product performs exceptionally well in all 3 modes. You can even combine them so for example, you can pressure cook a whole chicken, and then switch to the air fryer lid to crisp and brown the skin, while keeping the inside nice and moist.
But wait there’s more! The Foodi also has 6 other settings including dehydrate, sauté, steam, and roast. All this functionality comes at a cost. And this odd-shaped machine is heavy so you’ll want to plan on clearing space for it and not lifting it in and out of a cabinet on a regular basis.
The Krups Fry Delight is the lowest-rated air fryer on our list but its performance and compact size makes it a good alternative to some of the more expensive models here, particularly if you have a small family or limited countertop space. With its square shape, it’s attractive too.
Compared with the other air fryers on this list, whose temperature range is measured in the hundreds of degrees, the Krups has a much smaller range — from 300 to 390 degrees Fahrenheit — so you can’t use it for much more than air frying. Customer reviews on Amazon praise the Krups for producing crunchy and great-tasting food in small quantities. but a number of critical reviews complained that the handle fell off their units after a relatively short period of use.
How to choose the best air fryer for you
Air fryers range in size, shape, capacity and price. Those machines that cook enough for a whole family tend to be large and oddly shaped so will eat up some space on your countertop and aren’t easy to take in and out of a cabinet or closet. Typically, the best ones come with a relatively steep price but they are likely to come with digital temperature settings for precise control.
Here are the five things to consider when shopping for an air fryer:
Size: Most air fryers are not only not small, but irregularly shaped. Be sure to measure the space on your countertop where you plan to keep your air fryer and the air fryer itself before making a purchase. Don’t forget to check how much room you have from the counter surface to under your cabinets if you want to be able to move the fryer out of the way when you’re not air frying. If you don’t plan on using it often, also consider how heavy the appliance is to see if it will be convenient to lift it in and out of a cabinet or closet.
Capacity: Air fryers are available with a wide range of capacities from about 2 ½ quarts to as much as 8. If you have a large family, go for a larger size. In a small air fryer you may only be able to fry a half pound of French fries or a couple of pieces of chicken while in a large one you can fry a whole bag of Frozen fries and 8 chicken pieces at once.
Type of Controls: Dial controls are intuitive to operate but offer less precision. To set the time you’re basically turning a mechanical timer that dings when time is up. While digital controls can take a little more work to figure out, they are exact and allow for special settings for various types of food so you don’t have to guestimate what temperature to use and how long to cook.
Other functions: Some air fryers do double duty as other appliances. This gives you more versatility and means you’ll have fewer products taking up space in your kitchen. However it also adds to the price of the air fryer so be realistic about whether or not you also need, let’s say a toaster oven or a pressure cooker.
Price: You can spend anywhere from $50 to $500. While the very best air fryers tend to cost more, you can get a very good one for about $100. If you are not sure that you will use your air fryer often resist the temptation to spend top dollar.
When to replace your air fryer
There are reports of air fryers lasting as little as three months or as long as 8 years, though manufacturers typically provide one to three years of warranty. One thing you can do to extend your fryer’s life by keeping it clean. By hand washing the basket and avoiding using metal utensils to stir or turn foods, you can avoid One of the major complaints about air fryers — that the non-stick finish eventually begins peeling off.
Another common occurrence are broken handles. Cleaning baskets by hand can also help this issue. You should also try to avoid pulling on them with force. If your machine should completely malfunction and it is no longer under warranty, your best bet is to buy a new one. If you do get a repair quote, and it’s more than 50 percent of the price of a new air fryer, our advice would be to consider buying a replacement.
When you shop for a new air fryer you’ll find a much bigger selection of sizes is now available. You can choose a small space saving model that holds just enough for one or two portions, or a jumbo unit that can fry a full bag of French fries in one go. If countertop space is at a premium in your kitchen, you can also now opt for a multitasking appliance that does more than just air fry.
There are many toaster ovens on the market that can air fry as well as toast, bake and broil; some even come equipped with rotisseries. A few companies offer air frying appliances that can pressure cook and/or slow cook as well. The newest air fryers also have digital controls with pre-programmed settings, rather than knobs that you turn to specific temperatures and times. Not only are they easier to use and clean, they give more precise results.
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