Buying an air fryer seems like a simple matter of popping to the shops and choosing one – until you realise you need to consider basket size, drawer layouts, cooking functions and a wide range of prices. We can help you work out which type and size is right for you and the features worth paying for.
On this page
- First things first – should you buy an air fryer?
- What is an air fryer?
- Do air fryers make food healthy?
- What size air fryer do you need?
- What about a multi-cooker or benchtop oven?
- What features are worth considering on an air fryer?
- How much should you spend on an air fryer?
- What about ongoing costs – are air fryers cheaper to run than ovens?
- Which air fryer brand is most reliable?
We’ve reviewed dozens of air fryers – from cheap little models to more expensive multi-cookers and benchtop ovens that can air fry. We put them through a range of cooking tests, including two of the most popular things we know people cook in their air fryers – chicken nuggets and thick-cut frozen chips. While we’re doing these cooking tests, we’re also looking at how easy the air fryers are to use, clean and store. We buy all the models we review, and we don’t accept advertising, so you can trust our independent advice.
First things first – should you buy an air fryer?
If you already have an oven, you might not need an air fryer. But they do make life pretty easy in some circumstances. An air fryer may be especially useful if you live alone or are cooking for two – as they avoid heating up the oven for just a small amount of food. They’re also good if your household needs dinner on the table fast at the end of the day, as they heat up and cook quickly.
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What is an air fryer?
An air fryer is basically a mini convection oven with a drawer. An element and a fan circulate hot air around the food. Calling this a “fryer” is pushing it a little, as there really isn’t much frying happening, more baking really! But because the hot air is concentrated in such a small space, food can come out crispy and browned, as if it’s been fried.
Do air fryers make food healthy?
Air fryers don’t magically make food healthy – they’re only as healthy as what you put in them. But the way they cook can make a difference. The fan-driven hot air helps create a crisp, fried texture with little or no added oil, which is where the health advantage comes from.
Compared with deep frying, the gap is huge because the food isn’t submerged in fat. Compared with pan-frying, it’s still significant, although smaller. Compared with baking or roasting, the difference is likely to be more modest – but you may still use less oil to get a similar level of crispiness, especially with foods such as roast vegetables. There’s another small advantage too – with fatty foods, some of the fat can drip down into the basket instead of the food sitting in it.
What size air fryer do you need?
Air fryers list their capacity but take it more as a guide than gospel – we often find the actual capacity is less than what it says on the box. Our air fryer test results report both the claimed capacity and actual capacity as measured by us.
The shape of the basket is also important. A broad basket is better than a deeper basket with the same capacity because food cooks better when it has room around it rather than being piled up.
Couples or people who live alone
You can get away with what we call a medium air fryer (3.1–5L), which will also have the advantage of not taking up much bench space. There are some great medium air fryers we recommend – and some of them are very cheap.
If you’re on your own, you might be tempted to buy a very small air fryer. The smallest we’ve reviewed is 3L, but we’ve seen even smaller models for sale, including a 2L air fryer from Kmart. They’re so small that you’re probably going to need to cook your food in multiple batches, even if you live alone.
Small families or flats
A medium air fryer with one drawer might be enough, but if multiple people want to cook different things at the same time, or you want to cook the main and a side together, you’ll need one with two drawers – and that means buying a large (5.1–8L) model.
Large households
Look into a large (5.1–8L) or extra-large (8.1L+) air fryer, possibly with two drawers. Before you buy, have a look at how much room is actually in the drawers.
When you’ve decided what capacity suits you best, compare options by filtering the air fryers we’ve reviewed by size.
What about a multi-cooker or benchtop oven?
A standard air fryer is a bit of a one-trick pony that can take up a lot of room on the kitchen bench. So you could think about getting a multi-cooker or a benchtop oven with air-frying mode.
We’ve tested the air-frying capabilities of some Ninja multi-cookers – the more expensive of them can also pressure cook and slow cook, steam, roast and grill. Check out the reviews to see how they perform.
A benchtop oven is closer to a small convection oven than a drawer-style air fryer. They could be handy if you want to cook bigger food such as a whole chicken or reheat a pizza, but they take up even more room. We’ve tested how well some Cuisinart and Sunbeam benchtop ovens air fry.
What features are worth considering on an air fryer?
These features are genuinely useful:
Clear prompts to shake or turn food
Helpful for more even cooking.
A viewing window
Useful for monitoring food without opening the drawer.
Sync finish on dual-drawer models
Lets foods with different cooking times finish together.
Easy to clean
Air fryers are renowned for having nooks and crannies that are tricky to clean. Some of the models we’ve tested have features that can help, such as a steam cleaning function to clean the element and the inside of the lid. Before you buy, check the cleanliness rating we’ve given each of the air fryers we’ve reviewed.
Safety features
Every model we’ve reviewed has a timer cut-out so it won’t keep cooking your food once it goes off. Non-slip feet are a good idea if you have children – a secure grip will make it harder for a child to pull the fryer over. Also, handles on the pan make lifting it easier than trying to grab the sides with oven mitts.
A quiet fan
This isn’t going to be something you can judge when you’re in the shop. We’ve recorded the noise each one makes in testing so you can check how loud the whirr will be.
Dishwasher-safe parts
About three-quarters of the air fryers we’ve reviewed have parts that you can put straight in the dishwasher.
Does an air fryer need to be ‘smart’?
WiFi or app connectivity will usually push the price of your air fryer up so you need to think if it’s really something that will make your life easier. Apps will usually let you check how much cooking time is left or notify you when it’s time to shake the basket. But the point of an air fryer is they are extremely fast, so do you really need to be reminded what stage of cooking it’s at? A lot of air fryers also beep loudly when the food is ready for a turn, so you’re likely to hear it without getting a notification on your phone.
How much should you spend on an air fryer?
Some of the smaller air fryers we like are only about $110 to $250. The extra-large models we recommend are more in the $400–$700 price range.
Remember, price doesn’t indicate quality. The only way to know if an air fryer will do a good job is to check out our reviews.
What about ongoing costs – are air fryers cheaper to run than ovens?
This really depends on how much you’re cooking and for how long. If you’re cooking a small amount of food, it will be cheaper than waiting for the oven to heat because only a small space has to be heated. The actual cost, though, depends on the wattage of your air fryer and cooking duration.
The cheapest air fryer in our reviews will cost $5 a year in power if used for half an hour three times a week. The most expensive to run will cost $16 – so it’s not a big difference when spread out over the year.
Which air fryer brand is most reliable?
Our product surveys ask thousands of New Zealanders about the brands they have experience with. We use those survey results to calculate reliability and satisfaction ratings for brands in each product category. The best brands get our People’s Choice endorsement.
Consumer NZ members can see which three brands are our People’s Choice for air fryers. You can filter our air fryer reviews by both People’s Choice and Consumer Recommended to see which models got both ticks.
