Air Fryer Buying Guide
 

Air fryers have been all the rage in recent years for it promises the convenience of cooking healthy and delicious meals using a simple and easy-to-use kitchen appliance. Whether you’re shopping for an air fryer for one person or a big air fryer for a family of 4, DealAm breaks down the essential details and facts about this wonder appliance to help you buy the best choice air fryer. We gather information from air fryer consumer reports, expert reviews, customer feedback, and market research. 

The air fryer has made waves in the kitchen appliance market because it introduced a better, faster, and guilt-free way to prepare our favorite fried snacks. This countertop appliance can cook french fries, chicken nuggets, fried chicken, and so much more using little to no oil. You enjoy the crispy texture and delicious taste, minus the fat and calories, as when you use a traditional air fryer. You have several choices in terms of brand and price range, with different add-on features. Some air fryers have versatile functionalities and can double up as a grill or an oven. How do you shop for the best air fryer? Here are some essential points to consider.

Air Fryer Capacity  

Most of the earliest air fryer models are designed for single-person use. A portable model can make a great companion for when you go on camping trips or traveling to other places. Air fryers with a capacity of about 0.5 to 2 liters are best for a single person. If you’re looking for a large-capacity air fryer, look at brands offering a larger capacity. 

Air fryers with a maximum capacity of 2-4 liters won’t take up a lot of kitchen countertop space and serve couples or a small family. As for choices in air fryers for a large family, you can find models with a capacity of 4-6 liters. These will help you greatly in preparing meals in advance or if you’re having guests over. You’d have to make sure you have adequate space in your kitchen to add a large air fryer. 

Size and Design

The size and design of your chosen air fryer must fit well with your available kitchen space. Air fryers come in all different shapes and sizes to accommodate different types of room. Some designs are tall and thin, and others come in shorter and bulkier designs. Headspace is also a concern. If you’re putting your air fryer in a tight corner, you can skip out models with top-opening lids. If you’re shopping for an air fryer for personal use or travel purposes, there are plenty of compact design choices available.

Air Fryer Controls

Air fryers may be operated through a manual dial or a digital interface. When it comes to cooking, precision is quite important. If you’re particular about getting the temperature and timing just right, digitally controlled models can give you better accuracy. Other digitally controlled air fryers allow you to set the alarm and can be pre-programmed with your preferred settings. 

Temperature  

Food cooked using an air fryer is generally healthier. But you also must check the temperature range of an air fryer. Low-wattage air fryers would often feature a maximum temperature range of about 350 F. Air fryers with a higher temperature range can give you the option to cook a more comprehensive range of food and snacks.

Cleaning Your Air Fryer

After you finish the last bite of that delicious meal you just prepared with your air fryer, cleaning up can put a damper on things. But luckily, most air fryers are easy to clean by hand or using a dishwasher. The parts are small and light. Air fryers with a non-stick coating in the drawer or basket can be wiped up easily by hand. You can look for air fryers with dishwasher-safe parts for easier cleaning. 

How Does an Air Fryer Work

Choosing the best air fryer would be a lot easier if you have some idea of how they work. This revolutionary kitchen top appliance cooks food using hot-dry air circulated with an internal fan. To ensure that the food you put inside is evenly cooked, you have to shake or rotate the food at specific intervals. Different air fryer designs offer various ways for you to ensure an even crisp on your fried food.

• Stirrer

Some air fryers are equipped with an internal paddle, so you no longer have to turn over the food manually. You just have to wait for the cooking process to complete. Self-stirring air fryers will be ideal if you plan to cook food that requires deep frying or baking. There’s still a risk of an uneven cook if the stirrer doesn’t work as well as advertised. 

• Pull-out drawer

Air fryer models with a pull-out drawer would require you to shake the appliance every five minutes manually or so, depending on the instructions. Pull-out models are great for food that typically doesn’t take a long time to fry, such as grilled fish, meatballs, and baked vegetables.

• Rotating basket

Some air fryers come with a rotating basket multi-cooker that automatically turns the food around and cooks it more evenly. These models might sometimes also come with additional accessories that can offer you a myriad of other ways to prepare meals at home.

Additional Features

The latest air fryer models offer more versatility and newer, exciting features. Some air fryers may come with a drip tray that would catch excess fat from cooking meat or double-layer trays for maximizing cooking space. Some air fryers also have the Warm Mode feature, which keeps your food at the desired temperature until you’re ready to serve. Other multiple cooking functions available with some air fryers and multi-cookers include toasting, slow cooking, roasting, grilling, and baking. 

Upon reading this guide, you would already know how air fryers work and which features to look at. There are plenty of ways to get the most out of your air fryer. Consider capacity and space, temperature range, size and design, controls, and additional features.