AIR fryers have been around for a while now, but with the ever-increasing cost of living, they’re becoming an essential part of our kitchen kit.
The best air fryers produce flavoursome, healthy food that even the kids want to eat, for a fraction of the cost of switching on your oven.
You’re not limited to one type of cooking either, some models have multiple functions, allowing you to steam, bake, grill and sauté, as well as air fry, creating a delicious smorgasbord of dishes to delight the family.
“An air fryer is similar to a mini oven that can take on almost anything you’d put in a conventional oven or deep-fat fryer,” says Lara Brittain, kitchen and appliances expert at Currys.
They have a fan over a heating element that quickly circulates hot air around the cooking chamber.
Because it’s such a small space, it heats up quicker than a conventional oven and stays warmer for longer so you don’t use as much energy.
Lara explained: “Air fryers have come a long way over the years and they’re not just for chips: you can bake, roast and even dehydrate ingredients too, depending on the model.”
We tested some of the best air fryers on the market. Read on for the results.
Pros: Compact, efficient, dishwasher-safe
Cons: Poor included instructions
Instant’s Vortex range of Air Fryers have become incredibly popular as the appliances have become must-have kitchen accessories.
This 3.8L model boasts a range of useful features, as well as a 4.8-star customer review rating on John Lewis.
You can use it to air fry, bake, grill, roast, reheat, and dehydrate your meals, and the basket and cooking tray are both dishwasher-safe.
Happy shoppers praise it for being compact, efficient and easy-to-clean.
Dimensions: H33.1 x W28 x D25.7cm, Capacity: 3.8L, Functions: air fry, roast, bake, reheat and dehydrate functions, Power: 1650W
Pros: Extra large capacity, two fryer baskets, easy to clean, synced cooking times
Cons: Large size
The Vortex Plus is a great deluxe choice for fussy families as it allows you to cook two dishes simultaneously.
With air fry, roast, grill, bake, reheat and dehydrate functions, plus two separate fryer baskets, you could air fry potato wedges on one side and roast a small joint on the other.
Turn the interior light on and you’re able to keep an eye on your food as it cooks through the transparent “ClearCook” panels. It’s helpful to be able to tell when your frozen fries could do with a jiggle.
Ours came out perfectly after 11 minutes, with one shake of the basket. They cooked evenly, too, as did the six crispy chicken drumsticks we cooked on the other side.
We particularly liked the “sync” function that sorted out cooking so everything was ready at the same time, even if we pre-heated only one basket. The machine told us when to add food and if we opened one side to move things around, the other side would pause cooking.
Although we thought keeping this model looking pristine might be tricky, the see-through drawers were easily cleaned and the quality casing and clear display were top of the range.
Dimensions: 40.3 x 38.4 x 31.7cm, Capacity: 7.6kg, Servings: 6, Function: air fry, roast, grill, bake, reheat and dehydrate functions, Power: 1700W
Pros: Seven cooking features, easy to use, easy to clean, clear instructions
Cons: Quite big if you have a small kitchen, no recipe book
The Russell Hobbs Satisfry has seven settings which cover pretty much all types of food prep: Air Fry Light, Grill Light, Roast Light, Sear Light, Bake Light, Keep Warm Light, Slow Cook High Light and Slow Cook Low Light.
All of the functions are easy to use, thanks to the handy instruction manual and so far we’ve prepared tasty breakfasts, lunches and dinners with it.
It has a 5.5 litre cooking pot so there’s plenty of space – enough to fit in an entire chicken or baking tins for cakes – and you’ll find cooking for the whole family a breeze.
The pot and grill plate are removable and easy to clean; both are also dishwasher-safe.
See our full Russell Hobbs Satisfry Air Grill Multi-Cooker review here.
Dimensions: 37.8 x 32 x 28.2cm, Capacity: 5.5L, Servings: 5, Functions: seven, Power: 1745W
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Pros: Incredibly easy to use, easy to clean, large capacity
Cons: Takes up a lot of space
We loved using the Cosori Air Fryer mostly thanks to its wide range of functions — there are 12 altogether, all of which are accessible at a single touch of a button.
Cosori also claims that the Dual Blaze’s eponymous dual-heating element cooks food at double the speed of a traditional oven, and we can vouch for that; despite being capacious, it heats up almost instantly and cooks food extremely quickly.
Its 6.4L capacity means that it’s one of the biggest units in this list, and that does mean that it takes up a decent amount of counter space, but this is certainly an air fryer designed for large families (or at least large appetites).
Dimensions: 32.7 x 29.7 x 35.2cm, Capacity: 6.4L, Servings: 6 Functions: 12, including Air Fry, Roast, Bake and Reheat Power: 1700W
Pros: Easy to set up, budget-friendly, recipes included
Cons: Not a lot
This is a great value fryer.
It’s not too noisy, offers great functions – air fry, grill, bake, saute and roast – and doesn’t take up too much space.
It was easy to set up and get the hang of as well.
The list of pre-set buttons and functions covered everything we needed to make dinner for three.
Clean-up was easy, as everything seemed to slide off the non-stick coating of the dishwasher-safe inner pan.
Dimensions: 38.6 x 34.4 x 28.6cm, Capacity: 4.7kg, Servings: 4, Function: air fry, grill, bake, saute and roast, Power: 1500W
Pros: Lots of functions and accessories, large capacity
Cons: Not a lot
If you need a big, multi-function machine, this is it.
The air fryer has nine different functions, ranging from air frying to rotisserie-style chicken roasting.
There’s room to cook up to eight portions of food, which is plenty for the whole family.
And it’s all in a relatively compact device that will fit on your countertop.
It’s pretty pricey, but considering the number of functions and accessories you get, we think this represents pretty good value for money.
Dimensions: 37 x 32.5 x 32.3cm, Capacity: 1.7kg, Servings: 8, Function: air fry, bake, grill, roast, dehydrate, reheat, Power: 2000W
Pros: Doesn’t take up much room, great results, comes with a handy quick start guide
Cons: Hard to unpack, small fry basket
This is a digital air fryer you’ll use a lot, simply because it’s compact enough to be right there on the worktop where you can see it rather than stashed in a cupboard.
It has four functions — air fry, roast, dehydrate and reheat — so it’s great for perking up the remains of last night’s Deliveroo, too. Microwaves can make things taste boiled and overcooked, but the Ninja made leftover curry perfect again.
The non-stick, pull-out basket was one of the smaller ones we tested and although fine for a family-sized round of chips, we were pushed to squash in a medium-sized chicken.
With a bit of jiggling, we ended up with a lovely moist Sunday roast — cooked thoroughly and with crispy skin.
A really handy quick start guide was included with this model, giving recommended cooking times and recipes, but there was nothing “quick start” about trying to remove the packing tape from the unit itself, which came off in tiny shreds. That’s our only complaint, though; this one’s a keeper.
Dimensions: 36 x 32 x 25cm, Capacity: 3.8L, Servings: 4, Function: air fry, roast, reheat, dehydrate, Power: 1550W
Pros: Alexa compatible, has recipes to choose from, large capacity, keep warm function, great design
Cons: Not a lot
“Alexa, make me some chips” may sound like the stuff of dreams but with this smart Philips air fryer, the laziest couch potato can start cooking remotely.
Simply download the app, set the fry time and temperature, and let the XL Connected do the work.
We liked scrolling through recipes on our phones and prepping ingredients, then letting the machine get on with it, alerting us when dinner was ready.
This is a quiet air fryer, too, with intuitive controls and a mesh-style basket that is unusual in that it’s held in position when you pull it out to check on food. That’s really handy when it comes to serving up or turning things.
Nachos, fried chicken, fairy cakes, roast potatoes for Sunday lunch… we tried them all with great results.
The WiFi capabilities may seem like a bit of a gimmick, but in a busy household with a million things going on, the fryer’s “turn” and “finish” alerts and keep warm function are the business.
It looks great too, and is going to be staying on our kitchen worktop until Alexa tells us it’s time to go on a diet.
Dimensions: 39.7 x 39.2 x 36.9cm, Capacity: 6.2L, Servings: 5, Function: air fry, bake, grill, roast, reheat, Power: 2000W
Pros: Wide range of presets, grills as well as air frying, looks sleek
Cons: Takes up quite a bit of counter space, cooking chamber isn’t big enough for some cuts of meat
If you’re looking for an air fryer that does more than just fry, let us introduce you to the Salter AeroGrill Pro.
Its main selling point is that as well as everything a normal air fryer offers, it can grill your food, from chicken to sausages to vegetables. It’s a taste of barbecue without the time, fuss or need for a sunny day.
It has several other settings too, including bake, roast and dehydrate settings. In total, there are sixteen presets; we haven’t even had time to test them all.
The AeroGrill Pro also comes with a comprehensive instruction booklet as well as a recipe pamphlet.
Dimensions: 40.6 x 41.4 x 25.6cm Capacity: 3.8L Function: 16 including roast, bake and rehydrate Power: 1700W
Pros: Versatile, simple to use, great results
Cons: Nothing major
This nifty number offers a pressure cooker function as well as air frying great chips; in addition, it also roasts, steams, sautés and slow cooks.
It has two lids: one for air frying/roasting and a second for pressure cooking, you simply switch them around depending on what function you wish to use.
Of the six functions, we used pressure cooking and air frying the most.
Pressure cooking cuts hours off your cooking time and while the Ninja Mini isn’t big enough for large items, we still managed to cook a whole chicken in it within an hour.
During testing, we found ourselves using the Foodi for most meals that required an oven, as it was faster and used less electricity. It’s easy to get to grips with and ideal for a kitchen with limited space.
Read our full Ninja Foodi Mini Multi-cooker review here.
Dimensions: 38 x 32 x 35cm, Capacity: 4.7L, Servings: 4, Functions: six, Power: 1460W
Pros: Pre-set settings, easy to clean, easy to use
Cons: Not a huge capacity
It’s true, air fryers really do change the whole cooking game.
This Breville offering is unbelievably straightforward to use and has a capacity of 5.5 litres. Categories are handily represented by diagrams that include chips, poultry, vegetables, red meat and fish and they’re all pre-set to the exact time and temperature required.
Adjusting the temperature and timer manually is just as simple, with clear plus and minus signs that you simply tap to change.
The basket is easy to remove at the push of a button and it’s also easy to clean.
At £100, it does everything you need with little to no fuss and is a doddle to clear up afterwards.
Dimensions: 11.4cm x 15.2cm x 13.7cm, Capacity: 5.5l, Servings: 6, Function: air fry, bake, roast, sauté and grill Power: 1700W
Pros: Budget-friendly, large capacity, great results, easy to clean, lots of preset functions
Cons: Not a lot
This is a large-capacity fryer, making it a great choice for families.
It’s also budget-friendly, especially if you like the thought of a connected app with recipes and the remote control activation of more expensive models.
Once downloaded, the Proscenic app will show cooking and completion times, and guide you through its recommended recipes.
Its aluminium and Teflon basket is good quality and generous in size, with enough room to cook for the whole family.
We had a bake-off afternoon, using the Proscenic to whip up a superb apple pie (we used an enamel pie dish sitting in the basket) and a savoury quiche. No soggy bottoms in sight, as the heat was evenly distributed.
This model was also a cinch to clean – we could pop it in the dishwasher at the end of cooking, but just a quick sink rinse also worked well on its non-stick coating.
Read our full Proscenic T21 Smart Air Fryer review here.
Dimensions: 31.4 x 31.6 x 32.6cm, Capacity: 5.5L, Servings: 5, Function: air fry, grill, bake, keep warm, Power: 1700W
Pros: Easy to use, lots of functions, easy to store
Cons: Quite heavy
The Aerogrill Pro is multi-functional and you can air fry, bake, grill, dehydrate and roast in it. It’s easy to use with clear instructions and it greatly reduces cooking times compared with a traditional oven.
It has a generous six-litre capacity and comes complete with a temperature probe and a selection of trays and bowls to cook in, all of which are dishwasher-friendly.
Create perfect chips, steaks, grilled fish and chicken – you can even bake bread and cakes in it and it produces delicious dehydrated fruit.
We think this air fryer is perfect for families. We love the dehydrator function which allows you to conjure up healthy dried fruit snacks for the kids.
Read some of our Salter Air Fryer reviews here.
Dimensions: 30.5 x 39 x 28cm, Capacity: 5.2L, Servings: 4, Functions: five, Power: 1760W
Pros: Makes great chips, simple to use, family size
Cons: Large
This air fryer is on the large side so is great for families, though perhaps for one or two people it may be a little too big.
It claims to use up to 75% less fat than traditional frying and at the same time, to be 50% faster to cook than a fan oven.
The Ninja has six functions: air fry, max crisp, roast, bake, dehydrate and reheat so there are lots of choices. However, we used the air fryer setting the most and it produced some of the best home-cooked chips we’ve had in a long time.
Read our full Ninja Air Fryer Max review here.
Dimensions: 36cm x25cm x 32cm, Capacity: 5.2L, Servings: 4, Functions: six, Power: 1750W
Pros: Great results, easy to clean, robust design
Cons: No keep warm function
This Tefal air fryer is a square, boxy style with a large silver chunky handle on the pull-out fryer basket. It feels great quality, robust and more built-to-last than some of the other models we tested. We like how one of the inner trays can be flipped over so you can use the machine as a grill – the ridged bars made lovely charred lines on steaks and chicken breasts once we’d pre-heated the air fryer for 15 minutes.
There was no specific keep warm function, but we found this model held onto heat really well when the drawer was fully shut.
Kids’ potato waffles and fish fingers were still piping hot and crispy when we went back for seconds, and the machine had been switched off for at least 15 minutes. All good news when it comes to saving on those energy bills.
As you would expect from the company famous for their non-stick pans, this one was a dream to clean, with the inner basket and grill tray easy to rinse clean and also safe to stick in the dishwasher.
Dimensions: 40.7 x 39.9 32.4cm, Capacity: 6.2L, Servings: 8, Function: air fryer, steamer, and grill, Power: 1700W
Pros: Compact size, budget-friendly price, easy to use, pre-heating light
Cons: No preset functions, no digital display
There’s no faffing around with digital displays and auto functions on this air fryer. After a simple temperature selection and a twist of the timer knob, you’re frying!
The actual drawer space in this compact model could handle four sausages or enough fries for two side portions, so we’d say it’s ideal for singletons or couples with smaller appetites.
The most compact air fryer in our selection, this model is at an entry-level price point.
Considering its dinky size and simplicity, it would be a great choice for uni students and elderly family members who sometimes can’t find their way around complicated gadgets.
We liked the green pre-heating light, which pinged off to show us when the time was right to place ingredients in the “fry pot” drawer, which had an optional crisping tray for extra crunch.
Although there aren’t many fancy functions, this is a straightforward, budget choice that won’t bamboozle you with needless complications. Bring on the chips!
Dimensions: 27 x 25 x 23cm, Capacity: 2.5L, Servings: 2, Function: air fry, Power: 1300W
Pros: Big enough for whole pizza, can replace main oven
Cons: Expensive, extra wide
This is a posh choice that claims to cook 30% faster than conventional ovens and it certainly made us think we’d see ours go out of action if this was on the worktop. The pre-heat time is only 90 seconds on this model and that’s good news for your leccy bill, compared to using the main appliance.
There’s another great advantage with the Cuisinart: Because it’s so wide, you can cook a whole 12” pizza in there in just seven minutes.
Ours was crispy and gooey perfection. Take away one of the shelves and you’ll fit in a decent-sized chook for Sunday lunch as well.
Yes, this air fryer oven is certainly bigger than some of the basket versions, but there may be a way to clear some space.
For one thing, lose your toaster. Cuisinart’s dedicated mode means you can do a whole tray of bread or bagels in one go, and choose your perfect shade.
One niggle with this model was the crumbs would fall through the basket to the bottom of the unit on air fry mode, which means extra cleaning.
All in all, though, the results were great – with everything toasted, roasted and crisped evenly. Jacket spuds were another hit as they were done 12 mins earlier than in our main oven. But boy oh boy, we’re still thinking about the crunchy crust on that homemade pizza – simply magnifico!
Dimensions: 40 x 35 x 31cm, Capacity: 17kg, Servings: 4, Function: air fry, bake, grill, Power: 1800W
Pros: Compact, easy to use
Cons: Hand-wash only
This model impressed us with its cooking results and uncomplicated settings.
It’s hand wash only, but we found the pull-out tray easy to clean with soapy water – sometimes it only needed a quick wipe with a kitchen towel.
It doesn’t take up a lot of space either, but we were able to easily cook six large Southern fried chicken drumsticks.
With temperature settings up to 200 degrees, we got a real crunch to that coating, prompting one tester to say she was giving up on Colonel Sanders and going homemade from now on; high praise indeed!
If you’re not convinced you would use an air fryer a lot, then this is a good choice. It’s compact enough to fit in a cupboard but versatile enough to make you fall in love and wonder how you ever did without it.
Dimensions: 32.7 x 32 x 27.4cm Capacity: 4.5kg, Servings: 4, Function: air fry, Power: 1300W
Pros: PFOA-free, BPA-free, large capacity
Cons: ‘Shake’ reminder only works for presets
If you’re concerned with the toxic elements surrounding air fryers, then the Cosori is a great option for putting your mind at ease: the nonstick metal basket is PFOA-free and BPA-free.
With a 5.5L capacity, the square basket can serve three to five people: there’s enough room to accommodate a 2.25kg roast chicken or even an eight-inch pizza.
We found it really simple and easy to use from the get-go: our first attempt at perfectly crispy spring rolls had us hooked, it was easy to clean afterwards and we loved the addition of the recipe book which has some really tasty-looking breakfasts, sides, desserts and more.
The downside? It’s hard to find one in all honesty, but we did notice that when using the manual setting, there’s no option for setting a reminder to shake the basket for evenness.
It’s an easy one to get around, however: as presets have a shake reminder, we just selected one and manually adjusted the time and temperature from there. Sorted!
Dimensions: 30D x 32W x 30H cm, Capacity: 5.5 litres, Servings: 3 to 5 people, Function: roast, air fry, grill, toast, reheat, defrost, Power: 1700W
Pros: Hands-free model, great results, app with over 300 recipes
Cons: Few functions, quite expensive
Tefal’s ActiFry is an updated version of one of the original air fryers.
It has an in-built paddle that moves your food around as it cooks so you get perfectly even results with no shaking needed.
Download the companion app and you’ll have over 300 recipes to try out, including desserts.
It’s pretty expensive though, especially considering you can’t grill with it.
For the money, you get a large capacity fryer with room to cook enough food for up to eight people, with great results each time.
Dimensions: 47.6 x 32.8 x 26.3cm, Capacity: 1.7kg, Servings: 8, Function: air fry, Power: 1500W
Pros: Quick cooking times, large size to feed a hungry family, two drawers for different ingredients
Cons: Expensive
This is Ninja’s best-selling air fryer, and it’s easy to see why. It’s so versatile, able to cope with everything from breakfast toasties and teatime quiche to post-pub chip butties. It performs each task admirably.
The Ninja replaced our regular oven and other cooking appliances over the course of a week and we didn’t miss them at all. We used it for baking cakes, reheating leftovers and takeaways, and for cooking separate meals in each basket.
Its non-stick, pull-out drawers and inner trays all look like they’ll withstand heavy use and importantly, they are also easy to clean.
Read our Ninja Air Fryer review here.
Dimensions: 41.5cm x27cm x 32.5cm, Capacity: 9.5L, Servings: 8+, Functions: six, Power: 2470W
Since air fryers exploded in popularity in 2020, it’s now easier than ever to find stores that sell the speedy kitchen gadget. If you’re unsure of what you’re looking for, a big retailer like Amazon or Argos may be a good starting point as they stock a variety of brands. Or, if you’re looking for a particular model, going direct to the brand may be best.
Here are some of the best places to buy an air fryer in the UK:
The inner pan and any trays or racks in the air fryer are generally removable and all you need do is wash them with a soft sponge and soapy water. Many are suitable for cleaning in the dishwasher (although check your specific model), which makes the job even easier.
Don’t use scourers or harsh materials as you’ll scratch the non-stick surface.
The air fryer itself simply needs wiping with a damp cloth to remove any spills.
Before buying an air fryer consider the size of your household. A family of six is going to need a larger appliance than a single person or a couple.
There’s a multitude of options available to suit any number of people, such as the Nutribullet Magic Bullet fryer in our review, which is perfect for two, right up to the Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone Air Fryer that cooks enough for eight and more.
Space is another consideration to bear in mind before buying an air fryer. Do you have room on your kitchen countertop for a large model, or will you need to store it away in a cupboard?
If you’re going to pop it in the cupboard after each use, check the measurements to make sure it will fit.
An air fryer costs less to run than an oven, considerably so and they’re quicker for cooking meals, so they don’t use as much power either (as they’re not running as long).
They’re also a lot smaller than an oven so don’t use as much energy to heat up or function.
Exactly how much they cost to run depends on your electricity supplier and tariff, as well as how powerful your air fryer is; those with a higher wattage use more energy.
For guidance though, a 1000W model costs around 34p per hour and a 1500W fryer costs around 51p per hour.
Bear in mind cooking times for air frying are generally less than 30 minutes and often around the 20-minute mark, which for a 1500W air fryer would mean a cost of 17p.
Having said that though, if you’re batch cooking or preparing lots of dishes at once then your regular oven is still going to be your best bet.
The first thing to consider when deciding on an air fryer is capacity and the size of your family. If you live alone then a small model will be ideal, but if you have kids then you’re going to need something bigger.
While many kids would be happy with chips and chicken nuggets every day, this doesn’t make for a varied diet, so look for additional functions on your air fryer such as slow cook, pressure cook, bake and even dehydrate.
The latter will enable you to prepare healthy dried fruit and veg snacks, while the other functions are great for stews and casseroles, quickly cooking meat while retaining the flavour and texture and baking cakes and bread.
Having so many functions combined in your air fryer means you don’t have to have separate appliances for each thing, so freeing up space in your kitchen.
Speaking of space, check how much room you have on your countertop and whether wall units will restrict the opening of any lid, before buying your chosen fryer. You can always buy a model with drawers that pull out, rather than a top-opening version.
If you’re not going to use your air fryer daily then you may want to store it in a cupboard, so again checking the size of the appliance with the space you have available is a good idea.
There are so many foods you can cook in your air fryer, depending on the functions it offers.
A basic model will cook great chips, frozen breaded and battered fish, small pizzas, chicken breasts and drumsticks, burgers and chicken nuggets of course.
Those models that offer a slow cook setting are great for soups and stews, while a bake function produces bread and cakes in less time than an oven does.
Refer to the instruction manual to check on the foods suitable (and unsuitable) for cooking in your particular fryer.
An air fryer works by generating heat from an element and then circulating the hot air produced around the inner pan, cooking your food in the process. You can add a little oil if you prefer – say one tablespoon – but it’s not necessary.
Some models also distribute oil over your food as it cooks, for a crisp, golden finish – though you only need to add a tiny amount to the fryer.
Unlike with a microwave, it is perfectly safe to put foil in an air fryer. Placing it in the bottom of the pan stops food from sticking to the base, making it easier to clean afterwards, which is great if you’re cooking with cheese as the melted bits stick to the foil rather than the pan.
Check your air fryer instruction manual to see if the manufacturer recommends any particular way to use foil in the appliance.
In short, the answer is yes. They use little or no oil, whereas deep frying uses loads of oil, much of which sinks into the food.
According to Lara Brittain, kitchen and appliances expert at Currys: “In comparison to deep-fat frying, air frying can be a healthier alternative.
“Using convection cooking rather than oil means there will be less fat in the food that ends up on your plate.”
However, air fryers don’t magically make chips and nuggets healthy! Just more healthy than if you deep-fat fried them.
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