Before diving in, it’s helpful to know how air fryers work. The best air fryer eliminates the need to submerge foods in oil. Instead, it uses hot air circulation to “fry” the food. An air fryer features a chamber that heats food from a heating element close by. While the heating element cooks the food, a fan circulates the hot air produced. All the hot, circulating air has another positive effect – foods tend to cook faster and more evenly.
Air fryers will take up counter space due to their size and design. They’re electric – you’ll need to place yours near a wall outlet. Air fryers come in a variety of design styles and sizes. Some may look more like a toaster oven, while others are shaped like a pod. Some manufacturers may even offer the appliance in several colors to go with nearly any kitchen decor. We identified six of the best air fryers available now to help you on your path to eating healthier.
The Cosori air fryer is our top choice for the best air fryer due to its advanced features in a sleek, simple interface. The design won a Red Dot Award for stylish functionality in 2019. It’s equipped with a tempered glass LED touch screen display for easier programming. The smooth display is also low maintenance – there are no buttons, nooks, or crannies that collect food deposits, making it easy to wipe down and clean after use. The nonstick basket is also easy to clean and dishwasher safe.
While this review focuses on the standard air fryer, the model also comes Wi-Fi enabled, ideal when you want to program and manage the cook settings remotely, for an extra $30. The Cosori air fryer is extremely flexible, featuring 11 one-touch cooking presets or the ability to set your own time and temperature for custom recipes. Plus, it will remind you when it’s time to shake your food to prevent burning.
Pros
Stylish design11 presets (including pre-heat and warm) plus custom temperature and time settingsShake reminderThe cooking function automatically shuts off when you pull out the baskets
Cons
Stainless finish reduces the presets to 9
When all you need is a simple air fryer that works, Ninja’s AF101 steps up. It focuses on only four functions: roast, air fry, reheat and dehydrate. It may be a pared-down or no-frills version of an air fryer, but it does the job with little hassle. The non-stick basket, rack, and crisper plate are easy to clean up since food doesn’t stick. For more stubborn stains, you could always throw them into the dishwasher safely. Although there are only four functions, you’ll have a temperature range of 105 degrees to 400 degrees Fahrenheit to work with. The lowest setting is mostly used for the dehydrate function, which gently and slowly removes moisture from foods to create items such as fruit or vegetable crisps. Pros
Dehydrate function includedGenerous four-quart interiorDishwasher-safe basket, rack, and crisper plate includedSimple, one-touch control panel
Cons
No preheat setting – you’ll need to let the appliance run for a few minutes first to warm upA higher price point for fewer functions
Cuisinart’s oven design has a professional-grade feel that could work well in nearly all kitchen designs. The black stainless steel version is the latest introduction and a popular finish that’s more forgiving of fingerprints than the original stainless steel look. Cuisinart’s model is the most powerful at 1,800W, making it possible to roast a chicken or cook a pizza in less time than using a traditional oven. The oven’s capacity is generous. You could fit up to six slices of bread for toast, air fry three pounds of chicken wings at a time in the included air fry basket, roast a four-pound chicken, or bake a twelve-inch pizza. Instead of pushing a button, there are four knobs to help you adjust the thermostat, choose the cooking function you’d like, or set the timer (for up to 60 minutes). Pros
Professional-grade oven designVersatile – toast, bake, fry, and moreLarge, flexible capacity includes a four-pound chicken for roasting, three pounds of chicken wings for air frying, six slices of bread for toasting, or a 12-pizzaFashionable finishes include navy, copper, and black stainless steel
Cons
The dial isn’t as precise, with complaints that the heat setting isn’t as accurate or the timer doesn’t always run for the time required
Most air fryers are sized to handle nearly four quarts of food or more. While this is great when you’re preparing a meal for a group, it’s nice to know there’s an air fryer that can work efficiently in smaller batches. Instant’s Vortex air fryer holds two quarts, ideal when you want to fry only half a dozen chicken wings. The compact air fryer’s flat touchscreen is your control center. You can select from the four cooking functions of air fry, reheat, roast, and broil. You can also enter your own temperature, starting at 95° F and up to 400° F. The pull-out air fryer drawer is a unique and practical design touch. You won’t have to worry about handling the top of the fryer, which is where the heating element is housed and can be dangerous because of the high temperatures it produces. Instead, you pull out the lower drawer, which holds the food, to check on how the items are crisping or to serve. Pros
Compact designFast preheatingHandled basket slides in and out from the bottomFun colors available such as aqua and redFast preheating
Cons
No preheat settingNo accessories
The Chefman is the fullest-featured and largest capacity air fryer in our roundup. It features a capacitive touch control display to select from 17 preset options or set your own time and temperature. Our favorite feature may be the rotisserie, which cooks a whole chicken perfectly, thanks to the hot air flow and rotating spit. It comes packed with accessories, including three air flow racks so you can cook more in the air fryer, a stainless steel rotisserie spit and forks, a rotating stainless steel basket, and a removable drip tray. All the parts are dishwasher safe to make cleaning simple. Pros
The most cooking functions at 17 to choose from, including a rotisserie featureShuts off automaticallyIncludes interior lightingCome with plenty of accessories to fry, bake, roast, dehydrate and more
Cons
Larger in size, requiring more countertop and storage space
If you’d like an air fryer that takes most of the guesswork out, the GoWISE is a good choice. You already know you need minimal oil to cook. Simply insert your food items and push a button from the presets. There are eight to choose from – warm, french fries or chips, steak, pork, chicken, cake, shrimp, or fish. As you get more comfortable with frying, you can start developing your own recipes or trying ones from the included recipe book or that you’ve found online. The touchpad lets you set the time for up to 30 minutes of cooking for temperatures between 170 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The air fryer’s 3.7-quart capacity can hold up to half a pound of french fries, onion rings, or vegetables, or up to seven chicken wings at a time. Just remember to shake the air fryer basket every five minutes to ensure even cooking. Pros
Affordable priceEight functionsFour colors availableWarm function
Cons
It gets extremely warm from behind – allow space from the back of the air fryer and the wall
If you’d like to reduce countertop clutter, choose a multi-purpose cooker. For example, Cuisinart’s TOA-60 is a convection oven, toaster and air fryer, all in one appliance. It could save you from having several small appliances on your counters. The last consideration is capacity. Most air fryers have a mid-range capacity of three to four quarts. You should be able to prepare a meal for a family of four with a mid-sized capacity fryer. However, there are larger and smaller models available designed for a single person or for group entertaining. To make this best air fryer guide, all the models had to have high customer reviews and a competitive price. While you can find an air fryer for as little as $20 and up to the thousand-dollar range, the best air fryer models seem to cost between $50 and $150. We looked for models that provided plenty of value for the cost by choosing ones that had multiple cooking settings for versatility and included all the accessories you would need to start air frying right away. Lastly, low maintenance was a big part of our criteria. Cooking with high heat can be messy. Even with the reduction of oil, you could get spattering or caked-on foods. We chose models that had removable non-stick and dishwasher-safe parts to make cleaning up quick and easy. Models with touchpads or digital screens were also preferred because of how easy it is to wipe them down with a damp cloth.
