Do you often worry about your diet? Are you looking for a quick ‘n easy way to cook your food? Has your doctor asked you to cut down your oil consumption? If your answer is yes, then you have come to the right place.
To find an easier way to cook and eat healthy, you need the right equipment. This is where we come in with air fryers. We have done our work and reviewed eight of the best air fryers (Consumer Reports) in the following article.
If you want to live a healthy life without cutting back on your favorite crunchy, fried food, then air fryers will complement all your cooking needs. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about air fryers.
Table of Contents
- What is an Air Fryer?
- How to Buy an Air Fryer?
- Top 10 Best Air Fryer and Air Fryer Toaster Oven for 2020 Reviews
- #1. Best All-Around- Ninja Air Fryer that Cooks, Crisps and Dehydrates
- #2. Most Versatile- COSORI Air Fryer
- #3. Best for Deep Frying- Philips TurboStar Technology Airfryer
- #4. Best Air Fryer Toaster Oven- Cuisinart AirFryer, Convection Toaster Oven
- #5. Best Small Air Fryer- GoWISE USA Digital Air Fryer
- #6. Best Large Air Fryer- OMORC Air Fryer
- #7. Best Air Fryer Oven (Consumer Reports)- Innsky Air Fryer
- #8. Best Air Fryer for the Money- Instant Vortex 4-in-1 Air Fryer
- How Does an Air Fryer Work?
- How to Use an Air Fryer?
- How to Clean Air Fryer?
- Conclusion
What is an Air Fryer?
If you do not own one already, we are sure you have probably heard about air fryers anyway. People are praising its air frying technology for replacing their unhealthy food with much healthier alternatives.
But what is an air fryer in reality? Are air fryers healthy or just a trick? Who even invented them in the first place?
Well, the credit goes solely to Philips Electronics Company, who introduced the first air fryer into the market. It is a smart appliance that uses just a small amount of oil to help you cook fried food with a healthy twist. Hence, you can replace the traditional deep-fried food with an air fried alternative that gives you the same favorite crunchy and delicious food.
Overall, you can reduce your fat consumption by almost 85% and not even take the fried meals out of your diet. Just like an oven, an air fryer bakes, roasts, and grills your food by using convection currents to blow hot air on your food.
As a result, you can cook dishes like chicken wings, French fries, empanadas, and vegetables to perfection. Besides all this, an air fryer cuts down on cooking time and offers a faster clean-up after each cooking cycle.
Hence, air fryer sales saw a huge boom in just a couple of years. People saw it as a means to eat healthier food at home, minimize fried food from fast-food restaurants, and even cut down their cholesterol as per doctor’s recommendations.
How to Buy an Air Fryer?
Whether you are looking for your first air fryer or you want to replace your old one, getting the right product can be a struggle. To invest wisely, read the following section and learn about all the factors you need to consider for a quality air fryer.
Price
Since air fryers can cost anywhere between $50 and $200, with the high-end ones costing around $300, setting up a budget is crucial.
Although they are typically more expensive than other kitchen appliances, a good-quality air fryer can offer you much more versatility for its price. If you have a low budget, make sure to look for affordable but durable air fryers that can fulfill all your needs.
Cooking Capacity
Before purchasing an air fryer, you need to know that they are typically compact and can only cater to a small family. Overall, you can find air fryers with capacities ranging from two to six-quarts in the market.
While a smaller air fryer can cook enough food for a couple of people, you need to invest in the larger models for more people. Keep in mind not to overcrowd the air frying basket if you want evenly cooked food.
Temperature Settings
When you start browsing the internet for an air fryer, you will find that each air fryer will offer different temperature settings.
While almost all of them will give you control over the temperature and cooking time, there is a difference between the control panels and preset features. The best air fryers will offer a complete digital touch screen along with multiple presets for versatility.
Some air fryer brands can include more than 10 pre-programmed settings for the most popular dishes, thereby removing any guesswork out of the cooking. On a negative note, they are generally more expensive.
Versatility
If you want to invest in a versatile kitchen gadget, you need to look at all the features every air fryer offers. For example, some models might come with a second level on their air fryer basket, allowing you to simultaneously cook two different dishes.
On the other hand, you can also find air fryers that come in combination with toaster ovens. Not only do you save kitchen counter space with this innovative appliance, but you’ll also save money.
Besides the available presets, many air fryers can even help you bake, grill, broil, or even roast your meat too. If you search enough, you can find everything you need in a small compact design.
Top 10 Best Air Fryer and Air Fryer Toaster Oven for 2020 Reviews
In the following section, we have eight air fryer reviews that will cover top air fryers from some of the best air fryer brands. Keep reading to find one that suits your needs.
#1. Best All-Around- Ninja Air Fryer that Cooks, Crisps and Dehydrates
Ninja is an American brand that was established in 2008 to manufacture smart kitchen gadgets such as cookers, blenders, ovens, grills, and coffee makers. Their Ninja Air Fryer is an all-rounder appliance for all your kitchen needs.
It comes with many various beneficial features, including versatility and user-friendly controls. By reducing more than 75% of your oil consumption, the air fryer can help you live a healthy lifestyle without giving up on your favorite foods.
Besides air frying, the Ninja air fryer also includes the option to reheat, roast, and dehydrate your meals. You can select any of these pre-programmed settings on the one-touch LED panel on the air fryer.
Apart from the flexibility of selecting your cooking time, this air fryer also gives a wide temperature range, between 105 and 400°F, which covers almost all types of cooking. Hence, you can program your settings for different recipes with ease.
You can easily fit around two-pounds of fries in the four-quart, ceramic-coated basket. On top of this, you only have to preheat for three minutes to start cooking your food.
The air fryer works by using powerful convection currents to give you the same crunchy food in less amount of oil. As for the dehydration feature, the Ninja Air Fryer uses a low temperature and fan setting to remove water from the food, and gives you chip-like food.
Moreover, the compact air fryer comes with easy-to-clean accessories. The crisper plate, basket, and multi-layer rack are dishwasher-safe, allowing you to clean-up in a breeze.
Pros
- Compact size
- Ample cooking space
- Efficient
- Intuitive control panel
- Wide temperature range
- Dishwasher-safe parts
- Four programmable settings
Cons
- No extra features
- Limited presets
- Rubber or plastic smell
#2. Most Versatile- COSORI Air Fryer
Known for its award-winning kitchen appliances, COSORI is an American company based in California. Their COSORI 5.8-quart Air Fryer offers various presets and a substantial cooking capacity in its compact body.
Besides cutting down 85% fat from your crunchy food to make it healthy, the air fryer comes with a massive square 5.8-quart basket. Here, you can fit almost five to six-pounds of chicken, which is enough to feed three to five people at a time.
Moving on to the best part, the air fryer gives you 11 preset options to select the meal of your choice. Some of these include seafood, French fries, steaks, shrimps, poultry, desserts, bacon, and poultry.
Putting these pre-programmed settings aside, you can use the intuitive control panel to customize your temperatures and cooking too. While the LED touch screen gives you one-touch buttons, its angled design will offer you a clear view of your settings.
Moreover, the fryer utilizes 360° air circulation technology to cut down the preheating time to just two to five minutes. Since it is much faster than traditional conventional ovens, you can get faster results with better taste.
If this was not enough, the COSORI Air Fryer also comes with a Keep Warm feature, and a shake reminder that alerts when it is time to toss your food. As for the clean-up, its air frying basket is completely non-stick, dishwasher-safe, and detachable.
Pros
- 11 versatile presets
- Durable sleek design
- LED touch control
- Dishwasher-friendly parts
- Large cooking capacity
- Included recipe book
- Two-year warranty
Cons
- Steam leakage
- Longer cooking time
#3. Best for Deep Frying- Philips TurboStar Technology Airfryer
Philips is a multinational conglomerate brand that introduced the world’s first air fryer in 2010. The brand was founded in 1891 with its HQ located in the Netherlands. It was once the largest manufacturer of electrical appliances.
Their Philips TurboStar Technology Airfryer works exceptionally well for deep frying. Although it cuts the fat down by 75%, the TurboStar technology with its starfish design ensures that you get crispy food from the edges and the middle.
You only need to use a tablespoon of oil to give uniform heat to your favorite meal and get 50% more evenly cooked meals than other air fryers. Moreover, it is efficient and offers a short preheating time.
Moving on to the control panel, Philips has added a QuickControl dial to set the time and temperature at 25 °F increments using the same knob. With its five popular presets for grilling, roasting, and baking, you can even take the guesswork out of your cooking.
Along with this, you also get a Keep Warm feature to keep your food warm for 30 minutes after cooking. You can check all these settings on the convenient digital display on the front of the air fryer.
On top of all this, the air fryer has a 1.8-pound capacity to feed four people at a time and includes a non-stick coating and dishwasher-safe basket for easy clean-up. Apart from this, it boasts a durable plastic body and high-grade metal interior to last a lifetime.
Pros
- Durable construction
- Five presets
- Keep warm mode
- Analog dial with digital display for control
- Easy-to-clean
- Rubber feet offer stability
- Automatic shut-off
- TurboStar offers even heating
Cons
- Expensive
- Low precision for temperature control
- Non-ergonomic handle
#4. Best Air Fryer Toaster Oven- Cuisinart AirFryer, Convection Toaster Oven
Cuisinart was established in 1971 to manufacture and sell its first electric processor. Later, it specialized in the production of a wide range of home appliances, like the Cuisinart AirFryer Toaster Oven.
If you are looking for a kitchen gadget that can function as an air fryer and a toaster oven, this model is undoubtedly the best air fryer toaster oven on the market. You get seven versatile presets, which allow you to toast, broil, convection broil, bake, convection bake, air fry, and warm in just one machine.
The stainless steel air fryer has a silver body and offers a durable and rust-resistant construction. Although it has a compact design, you still get a cooking capacity of four-pounds, which can fit a three-pound chicken, a 12-inch pizza, or six slices of bread.
Besides this, the air fryer oven comes with an adjustable thermometer and a 60-minute time to set your desired temperature and cooking time. With the auto-shutdown feature, you can rest assured that your food will not burn.
On the control panel, you also get two more control knobs, which help to select your preset and the shade of your toast.
Furthermore, the multipurpose oven has an interior light for convenience and includes a non-stick interior for faster and easier clean-up. It even comes with a 16-inch baking tray that allows the heat to spread evenly to the food and reduce the need for flipping food.
Pros
- Easy-to-use
- Durable construction
- Seven presets
- 2-in-1 versatility
- Non-stick interior
- Ample cooking capacity
Cons
- Flimsy control knobs
- No digital display
#5. Best Small Air Fryer- GoWISE USA Digital Air Fryer
Founded in 2013 and based in Phoenix, Arizona, GoWISE specializes in the manufacture of appliances for a smart and healthy lifestyle. Their product line includes pedometers, pressure cookers, bathroom scales, and even the GoWISE USA Air Fryer.
It comes with eight pre-programmed settings for fries, cake, chicken, pork, shrimps, pizza, fish, and steak. You can select these options on the user-friendly LED touch screen.
Apart from the presets, you can select your own temperature and cooking time for other recipes too. The GoWISE Air Fryer has a temperature range between 180 to 400°F, which you can adjust in 10°F increments. You even get a free recipe book to make the most out of your air fryer.
Besides this, the air fryer cuts down oil consumption by 80%, using only a small amount to give you the same crunchy, fried. Also, you can use it for baking, grilling, and roasting different meals too.
On top of all this, you get an upgraded control dial with an additional alarm feature that alerts you to shake your food periodically. It even allows you to adjust the time and cooking temperature while your food is cooking.
Moreover, the small air fryer comes with a substantial cooking capacity of 5.8-quart to cook for four people at a time. Hence, you can air fry 1.5-pounds of fries, or bake 10 chicken wings in one go.
Lastly, GoWISE has added cool-to-touch, ergonomic handles, and a convenient button guard on the basket for your safety.
Pros
- Affordable
- Massive cooking capacity
- Eight versatile presets
- Large temperature range
- User-friendly control panel
- Sleek design
Cons
- Temperature precision is not reliable
- Needs careful clean-up
- Short timer
#6. Best Large Air Fryer- OMORC Air Fryer
OMORC is a popular brand that produces innovative cooking appliances like juicers, cookers, blenders, processors, and even air fryers. Their OMORC AIR Fryer is the best large air fryer on our list.
It offers around six-quart of cooking capacity, allowing you to cook for about eight people at the same time. If you want to cook a large quantity of food, then the stainless steel air frying basket is spacious enough to easily hold five to six pounds of chicken.
Along with this, it minimizes your fat consumption by 85% compared to traditional deep-fried foods. Since you can get your favorite crunchy food in just a small amount of oil, it is perfect for people who have to reduce their cholesterol without giving up their food.
Moreover, the air fryer comes with eight presets, including steak, French fries, fish, bacon, shrimp, cupcakes, chicken, and a keep-warm function to keep your food warm even after cooking.
You can also set your desired temperature and time for other recipes too. Just use the one-touch LED control panel to select your desired settings. In the case where your hands are greasy, you can even use the convenient knob on the panel.
Additionally, OMORC has included a free recipe book with the air fryer to make the most out of your kitchen appliance.
As for the clean-up, the air frying basket is detachable, non-stick, and dishwasher-safe. You can save your time by just putting it in your dishwasher.
Pros
- Durable, compact design
- Large cooking capacity
- LED one-touch control panel
- Convenient knob
- Easy clean-up
- Eight presets for versatility
Con
- Gives off a plastic smell
#7. Best Air Fryer Oven (Consumer Reports)- Innsky Air Fryer
Innsky manufactures high-quality kitchen products, like air fryers and ovens, to help people live healthier lifestyles. Their Innsky Air Fryer is one of the best air fryer ovens in the market.
The air fryer works on the same principle as an oven. It uses 360° hot air circulation inside the air fryer to give you the same crunchy food by just using a small amount of oil.
It comes with seven pre-programmed settings for everyone’s favorites dishes. As such, you can cook French fries, cakes, pizza, chicken, shrimp, fish, steaks, and poultry without any guesswork in your cooking.
Apart from this, the air fryer has an easy-to-use LED touch screen on the front. Here, you only have to touch once to select your preset or customize your settings for other dishes. The air fryer includes a wide temperature range between 180 to 400°F and a convenient timer.
On top of this, you even get an appointment function that automatically starts cooking your food at the set time. The shut-down feature, meanwhile, turns off the air fryer when your food is done.
Besides this, the air fryer offers a large cooking capacity of 5.8-quarts in its square air frying basket. This space is more than enough to hold a full five to six-pound chicken easily.
The Innsky Air Fryer features high-grade metal and has a non-stick coating. It has dishwasher-friendly parts, so you can rest assured that you can clean-up quickly. Lastly, it does not give off any plastic or rubber smell while cooking.
Pros
- Durable construction
- Large cooking space
- Seven presets
- LED user-friendly control panel
- Safety features
- Unique appointment features
- Easy to clean features
Con
- Noisy alternative
#8. Best Air Fryer for the Money- Instant Vortex 4-in-1 Air Fryer
Established in 2009 and based in Canada, Instant Pot is dedicated to manufacturing various types of kitchen appliances. Their Instant Vortex 4-in-1 Air fryer offers a substantial cooking capacity and various features in a durable body.
It comes with four functions in one appliance: air frying, roasting, baking, and reheating. You can select any of these settings on the one-touch LED panel on the air fryer by just pressing once on the desired function.
Moreover, you can even set cooking temperature and time for different dishes with ease. While the convenient control knob allows you to adjust the settings, the digital display will show your set temperature.
Besides this, the Instant Vortex Air Fryer offers great value for money by offering a massive six-quart cooking capacity in a compact body. It has a square-shaped air frying basket that can fit a full chicken or even two-pounds of fries.
You can rest assured that the air fryer will give you evenly cooked food every time. The vortex air fryer circulates extremely hot air to cut down 95% of your oil consumption, yet gives the same crunchy food.
If all this was not enough, the air fryer saves you a lot of time by offering a short preheating time. You can get right into cooking in just a few minutes. As for the clean-up, the brand has used a non-stick and dishwasher-safe basket to clean up your mess in no time.
Pros
- Large cooking space
- User-friendly digital control panel
- Knob for temperature control
- Small footprint
- Durable construction
- 4-in-1 functions
Cons
- Expensive
- Short electric cord
How Does an Air Fryer Work?
If you have questions about how an air fryer works, you are not alone. It is undoubtedly confusing how a kitchen appliance can give you the same crunchy and tasty fried food without using oil.
So how does an air fryer actually work? What technology does it use to cut down your oil consumption? Read on to find out.
It’s obvious that an air fryer is powered by electricity. Besides its digital display, it is the main source of the integrated heating element. While some models of air fryers may have the element at the top of the unit, the majority of them contain it at the bottom.
Besides this, each air fryer includes a powerful high-speed fan with different settings to spread the heat evenly inside the whole chamber. The air frying basket is also perforated to expose your food to the air for even cooking.
When you have placed your favorite meal inside the basket with a small amount of oil, the heating elements warm the air to the set cooking temperature. Meanwhile, the fan keeps blowing the air inside to set up powerful and efficient convection heat currents.
Since the food is exposed on all sides, the hot air cooks up the food from all edges to give the same sought-after crunchy layers. In this way, you can cook French fries, tater tots, chicken wings, frozen tenders, fish, pork chops, mozzarella sticks, vegetables, and many more.
How to Use an Air Fryer?
Air fryers are designed to make your life easier by offering you shorter cooking time, easy-to-use intuitive control panel, and a healthy lifestyle. Hence, it is vital that you know how to make the most out of your air fryer. Keep reading to learn tips on how to use your air fryer efficiently.
- Firstly, look for your air fryer’s instruction manual to read the manufacturer’s recommendation on using it. Since each air fryer model differs from the others, chances are, your control panel might have a stark difference in operation.
- Right off the bat, make sure that your basket is clean and free from any grease to prevent your food from sticking to it.
- Set up your air fryer on the countertop. It must maintain a little distance from the wall for sufficient air passage.
- Before placing your food inside the basket, ensure that it is dried and not dripping with marinade to avoid a mess. Brush the outer surface with a light coating of oil so that it does not stick to the basket.
- Do not overcrowd the basket by placing food one on top of the other as it cuts off the area exposed to the hot air.
- Next, select the desired preset or customize your setting by adjusting the cooking temperature and timer yourself.
- After your food has started cooking, keep shaking or flipping your food inside the basket every five to 10 minutes. This helps to make sure that the pieces of meat cook evenly from all sides without sticking to each other.
- After your set timer goes off, check if your meal has cooked properly. If undercooked, pop your food back inside the cooking chamber for another few minutes.
- Turn off your air fryer and clean it thoroughly for the next cooking cycle.
How to Clean Air Fryer?
If cleaning up after each cooking cycle is a hassle for you, then air fryers are right up your alleyway. Compared to deep-frying, air fryers generally make less mess. Since they use a minimum amount of oil, it is quite easy and fast to clean-up after each cooking cycle.
However, it is wise to make sure that you clean it thoroughly to prevent any grease from building up and forming an infestation of bacteria. Not only will it ruin your food’s taste and smell, but your air fryer will also lose value over time.
Follow the given instructions to clean your air fryer properly.
- Before starting, make sure your air fryer has cooled down completely for your safety.
- For the exterior, use a damp towel and a gentle cleanser to wipe any marks or greasy prints. You can also use a paper towel to give the outside a good swipe.
- Next, take out the tray and air frying basket from the unit, and wash it under tap water using a mild detergent. However, if the manufacturer has labeled the accessories as dishwasher-safe, you can just place them in your dishwasher for stress-free cleaning.
- If you can see hardened grease building up on the wire basket, do not place it in the dishwasher. Instead, soak it in hot air for a few minutes first to soften the grease.
- Then, use a brush to remove any leftover particle from the basket.
- After this, you need to clean the inside thoroughly. Take a damp cloth or a soapy sponge to wipe the interior of the air fryer. You can also use a brush to remove any particles from crevices.
- Lastly, make sure not to drip water or brush hard over the air fryer’s electrical components.
Conclusion
An air fryer can be the perfect solution for you if you want to change your unhealthy eating habits to a healthier lifestyle. They allow you to cut back on your oil consumption without giving up the comfort of fried food. As a result, you can even reduce your cholesterol and reduce weight to protect yourself from many diseases.
All of the eight air fryers reviewed in this article offer the best performance, easy-to-use control panel, and exceptional result. However, the COSORI Air Fryer and Ninja Air Fryer are undoubtedly the best among them all. Besides high versatility and high-quality temperature control, these air fryers are built to last a lifetime.
Make sure to read through the article to learn more about the benefits and the technology behind these notorious air fryers. Before purchasing an air fryer, also make sure to go through all the features to find the one that meets your needs.
