While foods like fried chicken and French fries are surely delicious, they are not good for your health, considering the oils and extra calories they contain. Rather than constantly harming your health by consuming those dangerous carb-filled foods, you can use the best air fryer to get those crunchy and delicious foods with only a little calorie. What a time to be alive as a health enthusiast!
However, even though air fryers have considerably increased in popularity in recent years, finding the right model for you might still be difficult, like finding a needle in a haystack. That’s why we have compiled the list of 7 of the best air fryers on the market for you while taking into account some key factors like capacity, temperature range, and dimensions. While capacity determines how much you can put in the appliance at a time, the temperature range determines how hot it gets. Meanwhile, the dimensions must also be considered as you want to ensure they can fit in your space. All in all, he Ninja AF101 deserved the first place on our list.
More features: 4 programmable cooking functions; nonstick coating
The Ninja AF101 is an exemplary air fryer that offers you a super-fast operation, allowing you to prepare your food in no time at all. While its four-quart capacity is not really large, it is sufficient to cook for a family of four to six members. Designed to reduce fat up to 75 percent than traditional cooking means, this air fryer is a perfect fit for health enthusiasts. Apart from offering health benefits, it’s super easy to use, enabling you to start cooking right away without the hassle of studying a complicated user manual first.
With a temperature range of 105 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, the unit also comes with adjustable temperature control that enables you to cook whatever you wish. Besides, it comes with four programmable cooking functions, which include air fry, reheat, roast, and dehydrate. Then, there is a one-touch control panel that lets you choose between the four programmable cooking functions conveniently.
Speaking about the functions, the dehydration is suitable for eliminating moisture from ingredients when preparing homemade veggie chips or dried fruits. The unit also has an auto-adjust fan that automatically chooses between the fan speeds, thereby allowing you to cook your favorite foods. In addition, it features a non-stick removable basket with a non-stick coating that simplifies cleaning up.
However, you need to be ready for a very strong plastic/chemical burn-off smell when you use it for the first time. In addition to that, another downside is the fan, which makes a lot of noise sometimes.
More features: 7 functions; 60-minute timer; toast shade selector
It’s always interesting when you see an air flyer that looks different. While most air fryers are oddly shaped like a space capsule or a huge egg, this one is a massive stainless-steel cube that appears like a truncated toaster oven. Its boxy shape allows it to fit more effortlessly in a cabinet or on a countertop, but the unit still consumes some space on the countertop, despite the “compact” in its name.
In terms of power, it is quite powerful, delivering 1,800 watts. It also has a large capacity of 18 quarts, which makes it one of the first models that come to mind when you’re looking for an air fryer that can be used to prepare dinner for a large number of family members or friends.
When it comes to ease of use, this model has no complexity. You just need to turn a dial to set the desired temperature and time. There’s also a dial with different functions to choose from including “Broil”, “Toast”, and “Bake”. It also comes with an easy-to-understand manual that contains different recipes to get you started on a soft note.
Thanks to its large basket, you can spread your food out to quickly get crispier and more even outcomes without the food drying out within the time it is air frying. Most other models make you pile your food over each other, and this can cause uneven results. However, this unit is not easy to clean, which is because neither the drip pan nor the stainless-steel basket are dishwasher-safe. However, it’s a great model that doesn’t make you break your bank.
More features: 15 preset functions; comes with 10 accessories
If you have a large family or you often have a lot of friends come over for dinner at your house, then you need to consider the GoWISE USA GW44800-O. Possessing a huge 12.7 quarts capacity, it’s one of the largest units on the market. But despite having a large capacity, it is still compact enough to easily fit in your kitchen’s countertop. It also has three rack levels, which enables you to cook family-sized meals and control the speed and crispness of your food.
Furthermore, the GoWise unit also comes with an inbuilt rotisserie, which helps you prepare tenderloins, whole roasts, racks of kebabs, or an entire chicken. You can get crunchy, tender meats, impeccably blackened fish, and professionally roasted vegetables with the built-in rotisserie. It’s fast, simple, and you will definitely love it. It also includes ten accessories, which makes it super-easy to prepare a homemade meal.
In terms of control, this unit features an easy-to-read display with 15 presets, which eliminates the guesswork from temperatures and cooking times. You don’t even need to turn the range on to cook to either impress or for convenience. And as soon as you are done, you can easily clean it up, thanks to its stainless-steel interior and removable, nonstick drip pan.
When it comes to shortcomings, we didn’t find many during our research. The only one we could mention is that the included user manual is almost useless, providing little to no help.
More features: 8 cooking presets, comes with a non-stick pan and recipe book, 30-day money back Guarantee, Rapid Air Technology
GoWISE USA 8-in-1 Digital Air Fryer is available with 8 cooking presets for pork, chicken, fries, fish, steak, shrimp, cake, and pizza. It is among the most affordable air fryers that are large enough to feed 3 to 4 people.
This multifunctional air fryer comes with 50 recipes that will allow you to bake, fry, roast, and grill diverse meals with little to no oil. The air fryer has a sleek design with a large digital display at the front of the appliance. It has been upgraded with a new Start/Stop button that adjusts the cooking time and temperature and an integrated alarm that works in 5, 10, and 15-minute increments to remind you to shake your dish. The fryer features a wide temperature range from 180°F to 400°F to accommodate a wide variety of dishes with different cooking temperatures. The temperature is configured to 10-degree increments. It also includes a non-stick pan, a timer of up to 30 minutes, and a detachable basket with a cool-touch handle secured with a button guard.
Both COSORI CP-158AF and GoWISE USA 8-in-1 Digital Air Fryer have the same wattage and capacity, but the former comes with more presets and recipes and a longer warranty. However, GoWISE USA 8-in-1 Digital Air Fryer has the added advantage of a 30-day money-back guarantee that reassures customers.
More features: includes 50+ recipe book; 2 cooking racks
Moving ahead, the next inclusion on our list is the Big Boss Oil-less Air Fryer, which with its 16-quart capacity, warrants its name. Its large capacity means it’s perfect for large families as you can effortlessly prepare a complete meal at once. However, there is one aspect where this air fryer is really unique from others – it can cook food with triple cooking power that includes halogen, infrared heating, and convection.
While infrared lights cook from inside out, convection and halogen are responsible for spreading hot air with a fan. Consequently, this makes the entire process three times faster than the convection oven. With this air fryer, you can cook two different foods simultaneously. Moreover, the air fryer has a glass body that enables you to keep a tab on your food while cooking. However, for all its upsides, this unit doesn’t have a digital display, which means you have to manually control temperature and timer with knobs.
Additionally, the timer cannot be reduced if you set it high accidentally, which takes a chop from the convenience ratings of this unit. The unit is dishwasher safe, with the only difficult task being cleaning the main glass bowl. In addition to the fact that it’s dishwasher safe, the product also comes with many accessories that include a ring extender and two trays.
More features: 11 presets; one-touch LED panel; 100 recipes are included
Everyone that is familiar with air fryers knows how similar they usually are. Except for some like the COSORI CP-158AF that are equipped with unique features to stand out from the rest. Despite resulting in 85 percent less fat than customary deep-frying techniques, it delivers the same delectably crispy taste of fried food using a very small amount of oil. The primary highlight with this air fryer is its squared-off basket, which provides you with more space, along with a decent 5.8-quart capacity.
While the appliance is a little bulky, it makes a lot of sense if you’ve got the space to put it in your kitchen. Asides that, this air fryer is pretty big on functionality. It features a touchscreen display with eleven presents that range from root vegetables through shrimps, which takes away tedious dialing and enables you to start immediately by just using a button.
In terms of power, this unit delivers quite a punch, producing 1,700 watts. With this kind of power, you will get your food cooked faster without compromising its quality in any way. With its speed, this air fryer is suitable for you if your schedule is always busy and every minute counts. The product also comes with 100 original easy and delicious recipes for each meal, which makes things a lot easier for you.
It’s also worth noting that this air fryer is dishwasher safe, making it easy for you to maintain and clean. And since it comes with a detachable inner basket, you can easily separate and clean the part that comes in contact with your food. Probably the only downside you will hear from most users is its pretty high price.
More features: 30-minute auto shut-off timer; dishwasher safe parts
Looking for a healthy eating way for your friends and family doesn’t just improve their healthy life – it improves the general quality of their lives. A device with which you can have such an impact on the lives of the people you love is the Dash Compact Air Fryer. Using an air-crisp technology, this compact appliance allows you to quickly and easily make fried meals without needing to add any cooking oil whatsoever. This unit reduces additional fats by 70 to 80 percent without giving up the food’s flavor.
Furthermore, it delivers 1,000 watts of power to heat up quickly to you the cooking temperature you desire. However, the 1.3-quart capacity means that this small appliance was designed for just a single person. But even though its small build means it’s not ideal for a large number of people, it allows it to occupy less space on your countertop than the traditional convection oven. Not to mention that it’s incredibly easy to clean since the tray has a nonstick coating and is dishwasher-safe.
With the Dash Compact Air Fryer, you don’t need to wait for the fryer to heat up, so using it is pretty easy. It comes with a digital display that allows you to see the exact time remaining and to control the temperature settings to your liking. The only primary issue most users have with the unit is the non-digital timer, so it’s rather hard to set with the desired precision.
Apparently, the reviews of air fryers aren’t the only aspect you need to take into consideration when making your purchase. There are other things you need to know in order to choose the right air fryer for your needs.
With that said, we have included everything needed in this section: the benefits you stand to gain from an air fryer, the factors you need to consider before buying, and the maintenance tips you need to follow.
Consuming fried foods in larger quantities directly increases the chances of obesity. This is due to the fact that deep-fried foods have a tendency of being high in calories and fat. Therefore, when you switch from deep-fried foods to air-fried foods, your regular intake of harmful oils will reduce and this will, in turn, promote weight loss.
When you deep-fry foods, it often involves heating a big container filled with scalding oil, which is quite dangerous. While air fryers get hot surely, there’s no risk of splashing, spilling, or touching hot oil accidentally. Therefore, it’s generally agreed upon that air fryers guarantee safety.
Harmful compounds like acrylamide can start developing when you deep-fry foods. In fact, acrylamide may have a hand in the development of certain cancers, including ovarian, endometrial, breast, esophageal, and pancreatic cancer, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Additional research has further suggested that there is a connection between dietary acrylamide and endometrial, ovarian, or kidney cancers, although the results aren’t certain. By switching from deep-frying to air frying, you can reduce the possibility of having acrylamide in your food.
The accessories and items in your home often indicate the kind of person you are. Most likely, you have decided to buy an air fryer for two primary reasons – for convenience while cooking and to adhere to healthier dietary practices.
While most air fryers will meet your primary requirements, there is a superfluity of options on the market, and the features are unlimited. Below is a list of key features you need to take into account before making your final decision:
If you like to cook in batches or you have a larger family, a six-quart air fryer should be ideal for you, while anything from two quarts upward should suffice for singles, couples or small families. However, if you will be having friends and family coming for dinner at yours, you may take a look at models with extra-large capacities like the Cuisinart TOA-60 and the Big Boss Oil-less Air Fryer.
Most companies list the number of individuals you can expect to cater for alongside sizing, so ensure you get this right before making any decision. You also need to consider the space you will require to accommodate the unit relative to your home/kitchen and the countertop space available.
The wattage that will be ideal for you will depend on the nature of electric installations at your home. A unit with a higher wattage will tend to quickly get your food ready almost in no time at all, which makes them ideal for people in search of fast meal prep options. However, such a unit can be a bit risky to operate around pets and children.
On the other hand, while units with lower wattages will probably take a bit longer to cook your food, they’re safer and won’t require much electricity to operate. Therefore, you need to take everything into account before making your selection and decide according to what you need. Delivering 1,800 watts each, the GoWISE USA 8-in-1 Digital Air Fryer and the Cuisinart TOA-60 both have the highest wattages on our list.
While the majority of air fryers deliver a temperate range of around 200 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, some models are adjustable and have wider temperature ranges for more flexible settings.
Different meals and foods need various temperature settings, which means you have to ensure that the fryer comes with an easy-to-adjust temperature range. The adjustment can either be digital or analog. Generally, while digital control is more precise than the analog options, fryers with digital controls are often more expensive.
It is also important to take the timers into consideration when choosing the right air fryer for your needs. Manufacturers usually implement timers using an analog knob or digital interface. Since food items cook faster in air fryers, most models can only go up to 30 minutes.
If you intend to cook foods for longer, however, it would be wise to buy a unit that is capable of going up to 60 minutes.
If we are being realistic, the more the features an air fryer has, the larger it will probably be. If you live in a bachelor pad or a tiny apartment, you will probably be short on space, which means you might need to compromise on some features just to make sure that the unit you pick will be able to comfortably sit on the countertop of your kitchen. So, the dimensions really matter. The Dash Compact Air Fryer is the smallest unit on our list while the GoWISE USA 8-in-1 Digital Air Fryer is the biggest.
While these machines aren’t overly expensive, it is still great to know that you’re covered if anything goes wrong. Therefore, look for models with lengthy warranties and manufacturers that aren’t difficult to contact in the event of questions.
Some models come with convenient features that can make cooking much easier, such as nonstick coating, dishwasher-safe parts, and accessories. You may also look for some advanced features like auto shut-off switches that will turn these appliances off if they begin to overheat.
Apart from cleaning your air fryer regularly, it also needs some basic maintenance to ensure that it does not start behaving improperly or get damaged. Read the tips below:
The Ninja AF101 Air Fryer is our Editor’s Choice, primarily due to its perfect combination of everything. While its four-quart capacity may not be ideal for large families, it can easily feed three to four people. Meanwhile, it delivers an incredible 1,550 watts and comes with many advanced features, despite costing a fraction of the Cuisinart TOA-60 Air Fryer. It’s the best air fryer on our list, but not by a wide margin.
Speaking about the Cuisinart TOA-60 Air Fryer, it is our second pick, and probably the best model on our list based on pure capabilities. Boasting a large 18-quart capacity and 1,800 watts of power, it is surely a model that is capable of anything. The only downside is that it is rather expensive.
Our third pick is the GoWISE USA GW44800-O, which apart from being one of the largest units on our list, is also one of the most powerful. With its inbuilt rotisserie and easy-to-read digital display, it’s needless to point out that it’s designed for optimum convenience.
