Our Top Air Fryer Picks:

Tested by Ben Mims, Leah Brickley and Amanda Neal for Food Network Kitchen

Air fryers have been on the market for several years, simply now we're seeing them in such varieties of shapes and sizes (like unlike makes and models of cars) that information technology can be difficult to discern a coupe from a clunker. Dissimilar microwave ovens that may be shaped differently but all the same retain the same bones functions beyond various models, air fryers exercise differ slightly from model-to-model. Some are bare-basic convection ovens, while others come with actress bells and whistles that allow y'all to dehydrate food or rotate information technology on a spit!

Nosotros tested out several top models to meet which ones stood out from the rest of the pack. If you lot're in the market for an air fryer, use this guide to figure out which machine is perfect for you to become cooking.

Nosotros updated this guide in January 2021 later one of our original picks, the Crux 2.6 Qt. Air Convection Fryer, was discontinued. The Instant Vortex half dozen-Qt. 4-in-ane Air Fryer which nosotros reviewed in 2019 still remains our elevation overall air fryer pick. We as well still dear many picks from our original test by Ben Mims in November 2018. Read on for our list of current favorites.

How Do Air Fryers Work?

An air fryer is substantially a countertop convection oven. This compact version of a conventional oven allows y'all to cook food quickly and evenly in less fourth dimension than a traditional oven or toaster oven. A heating chemical element and powerful fan is ready at the tiptop of the unit. It generates and circulates hot air effectually the food that is set up below in a basket. The basket allows air to catamenia all over the food, making it actress crispy. In general, most foods are air-fried at a higher temperature than a conventional oven — call back around 400 degrees F or more.

Are Air Fryers Healthy?

While an air fryer can certainly be a healthier alternative to deep-frying foods, just using an air fryer to make a recipe does non arrive healthier. "A major misconception is that pre-fried items (such as bagged frozen chicken nuggets or fish sticks) are somehow fabricated healthier when prepared in an air fryer. Air frying is certainly a corking fashion to prepare these frozen foods to crispy perfection, but these types of foods are no healthier than when prepared in a conventional oven," says Food Network's health and diet consultant Dana White, MS, RD, ATC.

What To Consider Earlier You Buy an Air Fryer

  • Air fryers come in various shapes and sizes. In full general, smaller units are designed to cook food for one to 2 people at a fourth dimension. Xl and XXL sizes can fit enough food to feed up to six people at a time.
  • Some air fryers are multi-functional. Y'all tin find air fryer-toaster oven combo units and even pressure cookers with an air fry function. Depending on your space and how you lot plan to utilize your air fryer, a combo unit could be right for yous.
  • Prices vary. Air fryers can range in toll from around $forty to upwards of $300. We've found that many of the best air fryers cost around $100 and are often on sale.
  • Make the virtually of your air fryer with accessories. Like the beloved pressure level cooker, air fryer accessories are hitting the market making the appliance even more versatile.

How We Tested

Nosotros evaluated each air fryer by making frozen, store-bought French fries, bone-in, skin-on chicken breast and prepared yellow cake from a mix to determine if the machine browned food well on the exterior by the time information technology cooked within and produced crispy texture on the exterior. We as well checked how easy it was to clean the machine and how effective each motorcar was at even heating and cooking. We tested how organic the controls were to utilise, besides, eschewing clunky manual dials that don't pause themselves in favor of digital displays/buttons that were easy to gear up and paused themselves when yous opened the baskets to bank check your nutrient. Extras similar how aesthetically-pleasing the models were, how much noise they fabricated while cooking, and how cumbersome they were to interact with were as well measured every bit tiebreakers to separate the best machines from the regular joes.