Fried favourites cooked healthily may sound too good to be accurate, but with the help of the handy air fryer, you can cook staples like chips with little to no oil. Indeed, this increasingly popular appliance can cook everything from chicken to cakes in a few simple steps, making it excellent multi-purpose kitchen equipment. They work by convection, which means they circulate hot air around your meal, exposing every surface area to the oil and heat. Simply spray or sprinkle oil across anything you’re cooking before turning on the oven. The Maillard reaction, an intelligent chemical mechanism, produces a crispy finish with significantly less fat – up to 99% in some situations. Air fryers typically function between 150 and 200 degrees Celsius, though this varies depending on the brand. Because so little oil is required, an air fryer won’t produce the same results as your favourite chippy. However, the majority of our recommendations below come close.
So, if you’re ready to make your favourite foods healthier, check out our buying recommendations for the best air fryers for your needs and budget.
Ninja AF160UK Air Fryer
Most air fryers are multipurpose; however, not all include usable baking functions. The spherical nonstick pull-out tray of this type is ideal for baking cakes. Ninja excels in plastering its packaging with clear, easy-to-read instructions. The box itself describes all options: max crisp, air fry, bake, reheat, and dehydrate, but if you’re too enthusiastic to reading it, a detailed quick-start guide and instruction booklet will. The controls are tactile and labelled. It also produces a loud buzzer mid-cook if the contents need to be shaken. The 5.2-litre tray has good high sides that allow cakes to rise and small entire chickens to cook. Drawers can be cleaned by placing them in the dishwasher.
Breville Rotisserie Air Fryer Oven
Suppose you have placed on your counter another boxy appliance. In that case, Breville’s latest air fryer is a multifunctional statement item that will catch attention from across the room when it’s turned on. It can handle a small trussed chicken for an easy rotisserie and comes with a chip basket to keep chipped potatoes moving for even crisping. If you merely skim-read the instruction booklet, the rotisserie function must be manually activated, which may need clarification. Once triggered, you can use the interior light to inspect its contents. One thing about crowd-pleasers is that they make people want to rub their faces up against the glass.
Cosori Pro 4.7L Air Fryer
This is one of the most subtle modern air fryers on sale, and it’s just what we’d like to have on our kitchen counters. If you’re not preparing for a large group, the capacity is adequate for two people or four side dishes. The materials are high quality, with a tray that locks in place and must be released before usage. The tempered glass display selects all seven pre-set functions, including chicken, fries, steak, seafood, and vegetables. There is also a bacon function, which is unique. Its tiny, lightweight form makes it simple to move between countertop and cabinet for out-of-sight storage.
Sage the Smart Oven Air Fryer
Consider this clever small stainless steel gadget a new permanent feature in your kitchen, and watch as you gradually replace your main oven with it. It would be ideal for Christmas, gatherings, and small kitchens. It’s much more than an air fryer, with pre-sets and features that can handle everything from crumpets or chips to slow-cooked casseroles. Sage employs a supercharged convection heater and air frying to crisp things up. With a top temperature of 230 degrees, this model has one of the highest settings of any of the devices we look at here, ensuring chip perfection.
Tower T17005 Air Fryer
This low-cost air fryer is inconspicuous but strong and straightforward to use. It also makes high-quality fried foods: it can crisp everything from chicken goujons to chips (which are made even better by parboiling first). The Tower’s low price isn’t its only selling point: it’s a good option for families because it has a large capacity and is on the healthier side of the spectrum, purportedly lowering fat by 80%. Its elements are dishwasher-safe, which is wonderful for quick cleanup after cooking. It comes with various accessories, including a baking pan and a divider for cooking two foods at once. Furthermore, while the Tower still uses a manual 30-minute timer with an auto-off feature, it can also be used with the Tower Recipe Alexa skill.
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