While food could be cooked in healthier ways like baking and roasting, let’s admit it, we still crave that deep-fried food oozing with so much extra fat. Well, who could say no to crispy fries and chicken, right? Not me, for sure. Good thing, air fryers offer similar flavor in a healthier form.
An air fryer is an appliance that uses high-speed circulation of extremely hot air around the food to turn them into the crispy treat we are craving for, with considerably less oil, while retaining the flavor. These devices reduce oil by 70 to 90% while delivering results quite similar to deep-fried foods.
What more is that an air fryer could also lessen the amount of clean-up after cooking. With less fat and easy-to-clean fryer baskets, you could just wipe the surfaces clean and be done with it. No need to burn all the food you’ve eaten with the laborious clean-up that usually follows deep frying. Indeed, air fryers could easily become your next favorite kitchen appliance.
With the recent popularity of air fryers though, a lot of options are easily available. However, you surely want to make sure that you end up with a product that will live up to your expectations. Hence, we have summarized in this article the top 5 air fryers that were tried and tested.
Best Air Fryers Comparison & Rating
1. Sboly 540D Air Fryer
Capacity | 6.3 quarts |
Weight | 10.98 pounds |
Dimensions | 10.9 x 10.9 x 12.9 inches |
Power | 1500 watts |
If you are looking for a space and time-efficient appliance for healthier cooking of your favorite comfort foods at a lower price, Sboly will give you the best bang for your buck. I know this is a cliche but there is just any other word for it. Really. It is well-built and the touchpad menu is responsive and easy to navigate and comes with bright and clear displays. It is very quiet but works real quick. With its high-speed hot air circulation technology plus the large 6.3 quarts capacity, you could easily set meals for more people. There is no need to cook them in small batches. Whether you’re cooking for a large group or simply want it done fast so you could go back to your busy schedule, this is the product for you. Your whole chicken, bacon, meatballs, or even breaded cauliflower will cook and crisp really well without taking out the flavors. Further, the design makes cleaning a quick work, which is a definite plus. What I like most about this product, however, is its compact design that could cook more without taking up more space. This is definitely a great addition to your kitchen!
2. Whall Gla-1006 Air Fryer
Capacity | 13 quarts |
Weight | 17.2 pounds |
Dimensions | 12.83 x 14.09 x 14.76 inches |
Power | 1700 watts |
Whall’s air fryer is a nice pick for a family of five or six. It will make cooking easier, faster, and less messy. It has an impressive build and offers a number of useful functions. You would surely appreciate that it could accommodate 13 quarts of food for cooking without taking up much space in your kitchen. This saves you from having to cook in small batches which could be very time-consuming. With this, you could cook up to 15 or 20 chicken wings in one batch. It retains the flavor whether you are cooking chicken, pork ribs, french fries, or vegetables. Its rotary system is also a definite plus because it could better deliver your expectations for an evenly cooked meal. Then, it is also easy to use and to clean. With the excellent results that this appliance delivers for its multiple functions, it is easy to become your next favorite item in the kitchen. It is worth every penny.
3. TaoTronics TT-AF001 Smart Air Fryer
Capacity | 6 quarts |
Weight | 13.8 pounds |
Dimensions | 11.73 x 11.73 x 13.39 inches |
Power | 1750 watts |
If you are on the look-out for a perfect partner in preparing easy-to-cook and healthy fried meals, you don’t need to look elsewhere. TaoTronics got you with their sleek, user-friendly, and safe air fryer for a very affordable price. You won’t have a problem navigating the touch screen menu. The controls are intuitive and temperature is easy to control. It generates even and consistent heat to deliver crispy outcomes whether it be fries, salmon, or chicken wings. The huge capacity of the basket also allows cooking of larger portions for faster cooking, especially for families or groups. Even after cooking, it will save you from the hard work of cleaning up because the grease in the non-stick basket could be easily wiped off with a rag. It is also dishwasher safe. Further, the noise is very low and barely noticeable. Imagine an air fryer for easy-to-prepare and healthy fried foods for a price that won’t make you lose your appetite. You don’t need to imagine it anymore. It’s right here.
4. COMFEE' CFY55T6ABB Digital Air Fryer
Capacity | 5.8 quarts |
Weight | 11.3 pounds |
Dimensions | 13.66 x 10.51 x 12.8 inches |
Power | 1700 watts |
This sleek and solid air fryer is a good option to consider with its low price and excellent design and functionality. With its easy and less messy cooking, it could make frying a lot simpler and healthier. No fear about it taking out the flavor in your favorite fried foods and leaving them soggy. Whether it be onion rings or chicken, or more, it’ll definitely deliver crispy treats. This air fryer also saves time because the large basket could easily fit a 5 pound whole chicken for the whole family of 5 people. This is also quite handy in dehydrating because it has a nice capacity to hold water while the appliance dehydrates evenly. The bonus shake feature is also a nice plus. It beeps 5 times and blinks with a “shake” reminder through the display so you would know when to shake to have an even fry. If that is not enough to convince you, this is also very easy to clean so you won’t burn whatever it is you have eaten with the clean-up that follows. COMFEE' Digital Air Fryer is indeed worth it.
5. Dash DCAF200GBWH02 Tasti Crisp Electric Air Fryer
Capacity | 2.6 quarts |
Weight | 7.24 pounds |
Dimensions | 12 x 12 x 10.5 inches |
Power | 1000 watts |
If you are preparing food for a maximum of two people or only for yourself, it might be more ideal to invest in something more compact and won’t take up much space in your apartment, dorm or RV. In that case, you might want to check out Dash’s Electric Air Fryer. Its 2.6-quart crisper drawer is just the perfect size for one to two people. You must be wondering how much you could really cook in a 2.6-quart crisper. Well, it could take 1 pound of fries, up to a dozen wings, or 4-5 medium-sized thighs. It is a quick solution for your meal prep. Less than 10 minutes and you have crispy sweet potatoes for snacks. What I like more about this, (aside from its compact design, and nice color options like aqua teal and gray) is its simplicity which makes it really difficult to mess up with your cooking.
Best Air Fryers - Buyer's Guide
The first thing I am looking for when I check out air fryers is the safety features. Yes, healthy ways of frying our favorite comfort foods are quite tempting. However, you could make sure that you take a pick that would let you indulge in these crispy treats while providing all the necessary safety features. For a start, you could check that the materials used are non-toxic and could withstand heat. It would also be a great advantage if they are FDA-compliant and comes with automatic shut-off or protection against overcooking and circuit overload.
These air fryers are designed with different capacities. While one with a bigger capacity could be more versatile, you should probably take into consideration as well how much do you really need. A 2.6-quart basket is just perfect for one to two persons. For a family of more members, then you could look for a 5-quart capacity or more.
Air fryers’ capacity is not usually evident in their external dimensions. Some air fryers with a nice compact design could offer big capacity without taking up much space in your kitchen. This is especially important if you have limited space in your apartment or kitchen or if you already have a lot of appliances in your place.
You should also probably check the air fryer system and check out how quickly and how well it cooks your food. A 360° air circulation system that provides even cooking on your food at all sides is nice to consider.
One of the biggest advantages of using air fryers is that you need to prepare for a less cleanup task. Hence, it might be nice to look for anti-stick materials in your frying basket or other accessory plates/ grills so that they could be cleaned with a simple wipe or through the dishwasher.
Best Air Fryers - FAQs
Both convection ovens and air fryers fan hot air around your food for cooking. The convection oven uses a fan to disperse the heat faster as compared to the conventional oven. Meanwhile, in the air fryer, rapid air technology heats the food more speedily by circulating super hot air in the relatively smaller-sized appliance to make your food come out crispy.
Air fryers could provide a healthier alternative to deep-fried foods and reduce the fat content. For instance, with only one tablespoon of oil, the hot air that circulates in the appliance could produce similar results that you would get from deep frying which would have required a few cups of oil. Only, air-fried food comes with less fat and calories.
The amount of time you need to cook using the air fryer varies depending on the heat circulation system of your air fryer and the kind and weight of food that you are planning to cook. For instance, a 13 quart capacity Whall Air Fryer with 1700W requires 15 minutes to cook french fries at 400℉. This might vary if you are using another fryer with a different capacity or if you are cooking different food.
Yes, you can cook a whole chicken in an air fryer, but it would depend on the capacity of the fryer and the weight of the chicken that you plan to cook. A typical whole chicken might require a 5 to the 6-quart air fryer.
