You might tell that there is an air fryer fever right now. Buying the best air fryer will guarantee that you can replicate all of those tasty TikTok recipes and that they will taste incredible. An air fryer will also give you “fried” foods in a healthier manner, which means you can eat all the french fries you want.
Another benefit that you can have with these little ovens is that you won’t be using oil. Deep-frying is an art, and everything fried tastes amazing, yes, but if you aren’t used to doing this, it can be dangerous. So if you want to reduce some calories and aren’t good with hot oil, you should read this and buy one of our recommendations.
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What is an Air Fryer?
Essentially, an air fryer is a countertop convection oven on steroids. Philips Electronics Company patented this appliance and sold it as the best alternative to oil or conventional ovens. Even though this is true, you still need tiny drops of oil if you want a crispier, golden result. However, it’s healthier than frying.
It might not look like it, but this gadget has been in the market for a little longer than you might expect. Right now is a must-have in your kitchen if you want to be healthier and use less oil. Overall, you can do more than just frying, and it’s an excellent tool for your kitchen.
How do air fryers work?
Again, they work more or less like a conventional convection oven, with just hot air. The top of the air fryer has a fan that is connected to a heating mechanism. You only need to put what you want to eat on the basket, close it and turn it on. The fan and the heating mechanism turn on when you do this, and the hot air rushes in all directions.
Using it is very easy as well because everything is mainly automated:
- Firstly, you need to place your food on the basket, keeping in mind the size of the fryer. You can hold 2 to 10 litres.
- Then, set the timer and the temperature and add some drops of oil if you want crispier food.
- Finally, you just need to wait for the food to be ready.
Our top Air Fryer picks
There are many air fryers on the market right now, and some are better than others. Here, we show you the ones that we think do the best job and deliver the best tasty treats you could have.
Ninja Air Fryer Max XL
Easily, the Ninja Max XL is the fastest alternative you could buy, and it’s very easy to use. With its 5.7 L capacity, you could quickly cook almost anything you think of in no time. Thanks to its buttons on the front, it is straightforward and intuitive, so you won’t need help. Also, the ceramic interior and the removable tray are very easy to wash.
Its performance is outstanding too. The air fryer basket slides in and out with just one move and is very easy to manipulate. All the functions are very easily programmed, with just a little programming here or there. The Ninja Max XL can reach 235° C, which means you could even roast chickens with it.
Some of the best functions we need to talk about are the timer and the several cook settings. We know that a timer sounds very lame as a function, but not every single air fryer has one. So when you are cooking in a rush, and you need to do another thousand things, you will be grateful. Also, the settings are unique, and with one button, you could crisp, cook, or broil.
Instant Vortex Plus 6-in-1
Here you have an air fryer, a griller, a one-pot and more. So if you want it all, you could have it all without spending a lot, and everything is in one appliance. Another benefit it’s the 5.7 L capacity basket, which means you can make a whole family dinner in there. Or you could do a 1.8 kg chicken for yourself in there if you want.
Besides the air frying, you can roast, bake, reheat, dehydrate and grill. In other words, you won’t be short on recipes you could do here. Also, you can do any of those in no time, thanks to its top fans. Several air fryers have their fans on the back; however, that’s a bad feature. This means that you will need more countertop spaces, and they cook slower.
Chefman TurboFry
With a 4 L capacity and its digital screen, it’s a cheap air fryer considering everything it offers. However, you could do a lot of food with its space, and it’s very easy to program it, so you will save a lot of time. Another benefit is that the basket is vented, which means you will cook faster; however, this allows dripping.
If you wonder, air vented baskets allow the airflow to be better, which means you will cook everything faster. On the other hand, this same benefit allows oil to drop; in other words, you will empty the grease built up inside the fryer. Even though this could be very annoying, you can clean this air fryer in a dishwasher.
Princess Air Fryer & Dehydrator
As another fryer with multiple functions, you will get many appliances in just one package. You can easily roast, fry and dehydrate whatever you want, but the fryer has other functions that work slower. Overall, this is a fantastic air fryer, and the included functions work amazingly if you are patient enough.
The model has a glass window that allows you to see everything you are cooking. Thanks to this, you won’t have to worry about burning anything without knowing. So no matter what you are doing, you will always get perfect results. Its panel is straightforward, but you might need further instructions from somebody because the manual won’t guide you.
Power XL Air Fryer Pro
The Power XL Pro works more like an oven and less like an air fryer; however, you get more space. Instead of a basket, this one has racks installed; however, the Power XL includes a rotating basket that will deliver evenly crispy treats. We recommend that you cook the bigger dishes on the racks, so you could have better results.
On the one hand, this is an excellent option if you want more functions for just one product. On the other hand, this one is more like an oven, so even if you can air fry, some things will be better on the racks. That’s not a bad thing, but some recipes will take more time than the ones you could do in an average air fryer.
Cosori Pro 5.5-litre
Overall, the Cosori Pro is an excellent air fryer that includes all of the functions you might expect. However, it’s very sleek, so it will fit any countertop and has an excellent capacity. In addition, you have 11 preset functions that will guarantee perfection in every recipe. In other words, you just need to push some buttons and let everything cook on its own.
