French fries and onion rings, fried chicken legs and mozzarella sticks, fried funnel cakes and doughnuts, vegetable pakoras and samosas – who among us doesn’t love something spicy, crispy, and deep-fried? The most ordinary foods taste a thousand times better when deep fried in oil! But there’s a better way, using this air fryer buying guide you’ll know how to eat healthy and still have delicious food.

On the other hand, the more you deep-fry your food, the more oil you are including in your diet. Almost all kinds of oil out there, are filled with unhealthy saturated fats and trans-fats, and daily consumption means the risk of heart diseases, clogged arteries, and Type II diabetes. Too much oil in your diet also causes digestive distress, acne, heartburn, and frequent trips to the bathroom, not to mention the greasy plates and pots. Hence, the arrival of an air fryer to solve all these problems!  

What is an Air Fryer?

Something you’ll definitely know at the end of this air fryer buying guide. Air fryers are a relatively new kind of kitchen appliance that has taken the world by storm. It can give you all the pleasures of the deep-fried foods that you love, without the added oil and grease. 

The kitchen air fryer is similar to a convection oven, but it has been designed to deep fry your favorite ingredients with little or absolutely no oil, butter or ghee. From chicken wings to French fries, feta triangles and carrot pieces – you can fry anything in an air fryer and they will come out crispy and crunchy, without needing any oil.

Any kind of frozen food that are usually deep-fried, i.e. French fries, chicken legs and pieces, chicken wing, chicken and fish strips, mozzarella sticks, potato wedges, croquettes, Cajun shrimp, chimichanga, taco fries and fish tacos, Hassel back potatoes, baked chicken and turkey breasts, skewered fish, chicken and seafood, scallops, fried doughnuts, fried brownies and bagels, pizza and dinner rolls, fried ice cream and fried butter sticks, etc. Almost anything that you can deep- or shallow-fry in a pan with oil, you can cook in an air fryer with little or no oil. 

How to Use an Air Fryer?

An air fryer is usually a small and compact kitchen appliance, run by electricity. It comes with a pull-away drawer at the bottom for your food to be put in, battered and marinated. You can fry food inside it, just like a convection oven, by the dry air circulating inside the appliance at a very high temperature. Instead of heating a pan full of oil to deep fry your food, an air fryer heats the air inside to do so. Your chicken legs and carrot sticks will become crunchy and crispy within a few minutes inside the air fryer, without the added stress of the oil. 

You can compare an air fryer with a regular counter-top convection oven found in households. The top portion of the air fryer has a small fan and a heating mechanism. When the air fryer is turned on, the heating mechanism produces heat inside the air fryer that is forced down to where the food is kept. The small fan is also turned on and this causes the hot air to circulate around the food that is kept inside the basket. The entire Air Fryer is an air-tight appliance so that none of the hot air can escape; rather, all the hot air created inside the air fryer rushes up and down the small compartment, and cooks the food thoroughly, with a crispy exterior just like if deep-fried. 

A regular air fryer takes the exact same time to cook food as deep-frying in oil, but the result is infinitely healthier. Your food tastes exactly the same as when deep-fried in oil, but without the greasy texture, the mess, the risk to your health and the wastage of oil. 

There are three main parts of any air fryer, regardless of brand, design, and model: the base, the basket, and the basket base. The base contains all the electronic parts and the mechanics of the appliances, while all the food goes into the basket. The basket base is where you put the basket is; since the basket usually has mesh or net at the bottom, all the excess oil and crumb is stored in the basket base. Both the basket base and the basket can be taken out and cleaned with water. 

The food that you want fried needs to be put inside the basket – marinated or battered and the basket needs to be put inside the basket base. Between the food and the basket bottom, it helps if you place a piece of cooking parchment paper or baking paper; you can also use parchment paper between two layers of food to create a makeshift shelf or rack. Spraying some oil on the parchment paper will make sure that the food doesn’t stick to the paper. You can also use the cooking spray on your food, but it is not a necessity. Now all you have to do is to place the basket base into the air fryer and choose the necessary options for type and time, and the rest of the work will be done by the air fryer itself. No need to stand beside the stove flipping over your food and risking a blister from the hot oil!

Some air fryers can also be used to bake, roast, grill or cook, just like in a regular convection oven. We have added a sample recipe and techniques to use any regular air fryer at the end of this article for your convenience. 

How to Choose the Best Air Fryer?

Almost all the air fryers available in the market are similar – in design, features, function, and durability. Only a handful of brands have marketed air fryers till now; this kitchen appliance is not as common as a blender or a mixer. This kitchen appliance is a favorite among families who love their fried food but are also conscious about eating healthy. 

However, when looking for an air fryer, there are certain features that we should look for. 

  • Space 

Air fryers aren’t very large appliances; rather, they are quite compact, only big enough for a few pieces of food. However, if you have a large family or if you are used to cooking in large batches, you’ll need an air fryer big enough for adequate food. 

All air fryers come with a pull-out basket, tray or bowl at the bottom of the appliance, where all your food goes. Only half of the size of the air fryer can be used for cooking, while the top half is where the heating mechanism and the fan is housed. The taller or the wider the air fryer is; the more space you’ll have for food. Besides, an air fryer requires all the food inside to be placed with enough space in between, so you can’t really pile on a lot of food in it. For a relatively larger batch of food, you can arrange the food in layers or buy a larger appliance. 

However, there are some models, such as the Breville BOV900BSS Convection Oven and Air Fryer that look just like a convection oven. It is larger than the average air fryer and you can use it to fry several batches of food at the same time. 

  • Size and Design

Size is always an issue when it comes to kitchen appliances. You would want something that allows you to cook an adequate amount of food, but not an appliance that is hard to store away in one of your kitchen cabinets. With air fryers, you get an option between an appliance that is tall and slim or an appliance that is short and wide. The one that’s right for you will depend on the space you have in your cupboards or on your counters. 

If your air fryer opens upward, it will be a bother if you have restricted space on your counters. If that’s the case, you might want to opt for a model that comes with a pull-out drawer or basket. On the other hand, if you plan to stow away your air fryer into the cabinets after each use, you might want to opt for a model that’s small and compact. 

  • Ease of Cleaning 

Most air fryers are easy to clean. It’s only the bottom part of the air fryer that you need to clean, not the upper part. With most air fryers, the bottom tray, drawer or basket can be pulled away, emptied and washed under running water. Most air fryers are also dishwasher safe, i.e. the baskets and the basket bases, the trays and the drawers. You can clean them just like you clean any other pots and pans in your kitchen. 

The top portion of the air fryer cannot be cleaned with water as it contains the heating mechanism and wires. However, it should be wiped with a damp piece of fabric every now and then. 

  • Type of Control 

You can have two types of control options in an air fryer: digital or manual. The manual controls are the ones with dials that you have to adjust yourself. They are the types you’d find in a traditional oven; although not very accurate or detailed, dials are basic and easy to use. They could be limiting, too. With some air fryers, you can’t set the machine for more than 30 minutes. With dial controls, you only get the option to choose temperature and time. 

The digital controls come with a mini touch display, a pretty accurate time, pre-programmed settings and temperature readings. You also get alarm sounds instead of a ‘ding’ when your food has done cooking, and you can even choose any amount of time on your air fryer. 

For example, the Breville BOV900BSS Convection Oven and Air Fryer have manual knobs while the Ninja Air Fryer has digital buttons and the GoWISE GW22621 has a touch screen control.  

  • Multi-functionality 

If you have a small kitchen, there’s no use in buying tons of appliances you don’t have space for in your kitchen. For a compact kitchen, the perfect appliances are the ones that can be used for more than one type of cooking, i.e. an air fryer you can also use as a convection oven, for grilling, roasting, baking, and cooking. For example, you can use the Ninja Air Fryer can also be used for reheating, dehydrating and roasting as well as for air frying; the  Breville BOV900BSS Convection Oven and Air Fryer, too, is both an air fryer and a convection oven. 

  • Performance 

The performance of an air fryer depends on a number of features. i.e.: 

  • the amount of time it takes to deep fry your food, 
  • the amount of energy or electricity it uses up, 
  • the amount of noise the appliance makes when it is in use, 
  • the quality of food it produces, 
  • the crispiness on the exterior of the food, 
  • the evenness of the cooking, 
  • the way the food is browned on the outside, 
  • the type of food they can cook at one time, etc. 

These do not really feature that companies advertise, but you can learn about them from reviews by previous users. 

  • Extra Features 

If your air fryer comes with a self-stirring paddle, it means that your food will be automatically stirred every now and then throughout the cooking process. This also means that you won’t have to stir your food or give the basket a shake manually when cooking; the air fryer will itself use the paddle to move the food inside all around, ensuring even cooking and browning all around. 

This is actually one of the most advanced features that you can get in an air fryer, a feature you’ll only find in the most expensive models. Self-stirrer air fryers are perfect for food that you would have deep-fried in oil, small pieces of meat, chips, and vegetables. Some of these self-stirrer air fryers also come with an extra bowl that you can use for regular roasting, baking or frying, without the need for the stirrer paddle. 

Another feature of the more exclusive air fryers is that they come with a self-rotating basket. In such appliances, the basket rotates automatically while in use, ensuring that your food is cooked and fried evenly from all sides, inside and out. The food inside the air fryer is automatically rotated with the machine so that the hot air can reach every single inch inside the basket. 

  • Price 

Of course, the budget is also quite important when choosing a model. Air fryers can cost anything from $50 to $500, and more, depending on the number of features it has. The basic air fryers that come with dials and limited choices are the less expensive ones; whereas, the more features you get in your air fryer, the more expensive they are. The ones you can use for roasting and baking besides frying are the most expensive ones. 

You don’t really need all these extra features in an air fryer, but only the basic one that you can use to deep fry your food without having to use any oil or butter. An air fryer could be a wonderful addition to your kitchen as it will certainly make your diet healthier. If your family is fond of fried foods but you’re worried about all the oil, an air fryer could be the answer to your question. 

Best Air Fryers 2020 

Described and reviewed in detail below, these three are the most popular air fryers in the market at the moment, each with their own specialty. All three of these air fryers are quite different from each other, so there will definitely be one among the list that’s perfect for your kitchen. 

 

1. Ninja Air Fryer 

The Ninja Air Fryer has everything you’d need in a compact and affordable kitchen appliance. It’s modern, sleek look will definitely compliment your kitchen counters and cupboards; in a wonderful black and silver combination, the Ninja Air Fryer can do more than simply fry your favorite food for you. 

With this air fryer, you can reduce the amount of oil up to 75% in your daily diet; deep-frying your food in this air fryer will take only a few drops of oil as opposed to a pot full of it, which is the traditional method of frying. You can deep fry any kind of food in the Ninja Air Fryer, from French fries and potato wedges to fried chicken and seafood. These air fryers are actually tested against hand-cut French fries by deep-frying them. 

The Ninja Air Fryer gives you a wide choice in temperature, as you can choose any temperature from 105⁰F to 400⁰F. You can choose a high temperature for your deep frying so that all the extra moisture from the ingredients can be removed and the food is cooked quicker than in a stove. The hot air from the heating mechanism cooks the food quickly and doesn’t harm the appliance even if you choose the highest temperature settings. 

The basket that comes with the Ninja Air Fryer has the holding capacity of 4-quarts and has been ceramic coated for extra smoothness. You can fit up to 2 pounds of French fries in it in one batch, and prepare a large amount of fried food for your family in a very short period of time. The basket is a rather large one and can be removed to be emptied, and cleaned under running water. The basket, crisper plate and multi-layer rack – all the parts that come with the air fryer are also safe to be cleaned in the dishwasher. 

Not just for deep frying, this air fryer from Ninja can also be used to dehydrate food, i.e. to turn vegetables into dry chips and meat into jerky. You can definitely use the Ninja Air Fryer to whip up some fun snacks for your family in a few minutes. All you need to convert the air fryer into a dehydration chamber is to choose a low-temperature setting and a low fan speed, and you can make your favorite snacks! 

Pros: 

  • Affordable price, under $100 
  • Small and compact size that can be kept on the kitchen counter or stowed away inside the cabinets 
  • Has a 4-quart holding capacity that can easily fit 2 pounds of French fries at a time 
  • The modern and chic black-and-grey color combination 
  • Comes with a ceramic coated non-stick basket 
  • Comes with a basket, a crisper plate, and a multi-layer rack 
  • Can be also used for roasting and reheating food 
  • Can be used to dehydrate food for snacking 
  • Wide temperature setting option between 105⁰F to 400⁰F
  • Comes with several pre-programmed settings 
  • Takes very little time to cook and fry food 
  • All parts can be removed to empty and clean
  • Runs on 1550-watts 
  • Can be washed under running water 
  • Can be cleaned in the dishwasher 

Cons: 

  • Can be noisy when turned on and used 
  • The handle of the basket can come out after regular use and needs to be fixed 
  • Air fryer needs to be pre-heated for at least 3 minutes before starting to cook 

Click Here To Learn More About Ninja Air Fryer

 

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2. GoWISE USA Air Fryer GW22621 

This air fryer from GoWISE is a modern kitchen appliance, as is evident from the sleek and compact design. It is quite a small appliance that can easily fit on your counters and inside your kitchen cabinets; besides, the pull out drawer of the air fryer makes it easy for anyone to use the air fryer without removing it from its place. 

This modern air fryer will deep fry and cook all your favorite foods without needing too much oil or butter. It works on a 120v, 60Hz power supply and doesn’t require a lot of time or electricity. Besides, you can choose between 170⁰F to 400⁰F temperature for your food, perfect for different types of ingredients, from seafood to meat, vegetables, and fish. At the same time, you can choose between 1 to 30 minutes on the timer to deep fry your food. You can choose between different combinations of the temperature and timer to deep fry your food, make it crispy and brown, or keep it juicy and succulent. 

After cooking is done, the GoWISE Air Fryer stays on Automatic Standby mode to keep your food warm and ready to eat, until the appliance has been turned off. An alarm would go off to let you know when your food is done cooking, so there’s no chance of the ingredients getting burned or overcooked. 

A unique feature of this air fryer from GoWISE is that it comes with 7 pre-programed cooking settings: for meat, chips, steak, chicken, fish, and shrimp. If you are cooking any of these ingredients or something similar, all you have to do is to choose the required one, and the smart program settings will cook your food accordingly. The touch screen display and control board of the air fryer helps you to choose the pre-programmed settings, temperature and time very easily. 

The completely detachable basket can be removed for emptying the food on your plate, and for easy cleaning. The air fryer will automatically turn off the moment the basket is removed from the base, so there will be no hot air escaping and no chance of burning yourself. 

Pros: 

  • Affordable under $100 
  • Beautifully modern and sleek design
  • A small and compact body that can fit inside cabinets and on counters 
  • 3.7-quart holding capacity for an adequate amount of food in one batch 
  • Deep fries and evenly cooks your food with almost no oil 
  • Works on a 120v, 60Hz power supply and doesn’t use up a lot of energy 
  • Easy to use touch screen display and control 
  • Comes with 7 pre-programmed settings to cook meat, fish, chicken, steak, shrimp, and chips 
  • Adjustable temperature settings between 170⁰F to 400⁰F
  • Can cook both crispy and brown food, or juicy and succulent meat 
  • Adjustable timer setting from 1 to 30 minutes 
  • Automatic alarm when the timer goes off 
  • Easy to select pre-programmed settings, temperature and time limit 
  • Comes with a basket and a basket base/drawer 
  • Automatic standby system after cooking is done keeps food warm and ready to eat
  • Completely detachable basket and basket base 
  • Air fryer turns off automatically when the basket is removed 
  • No chance of hot air escaping or burns 
  • Easy to clean basket and basket base 
  • Comes with a recipe book with 100 recipes 

Cons: 

  • Oil scatters inside the basket 
  • Basket base can be hard to clean 

Click Here To Learn More About GoWISE Air Fryer

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3. Breville BOV900BSS Convection and Air Fry Smart Oven  

The Breville BOV900BSS is one of the most expensive air fryers available in the market at the moment because it is certainly much more than a regular air fryer. This particular model looks more like a convection oven than an air fryer because it does the work of both appliances at the same time. It is also much bigger than the biggest air fryers from other brands, and you can cook for more than one dozen people in it at a time. 

You can use this kitchen appliance not only for deep frying but also for roasting, toasting, dehydrating, reheating, slow cooking and keeping food warm. It is also a rather smart appliance, with 13 built-in pre-programmed cooking functions; you can choose from several functions to find the one that best suits your ingredients: Toast, Broil, Bagel, Roast, Proof, Warm, Dehydrate, Slow Cook, Pizza, Air Fry, Cookies, Reheat and Bake. With such a large appliance, you can cook and air fry several batches of food at the same time, which is perfect if you have guests. 

The Breville BOV900BSS is 1 cubic foot in length, with enough space inside for 4 separate trays of food to be cooked at the same time. It is large enough to toast 9 slices of bread together, or a 14-pound turkey, slow cook food in a 5-quart pot, bake 12 muffins together or fit a 13-inch x 9-inch pan inside the convection oven. For your favorite snacks, you can dehydrate up to 4 trays of ingredients together in one batch. 

There is a convection fan inside this oven that offers a 2-speed option: super and regular. A great volume of hot air is distributed all through the oven so that your food is cooked perfectly, and this heat is great for dehydrating, air frying and roasting. The intelligent Element iQ-6 independent quartz heating elements inside the oven move the hot air where it is needed the most around your food, so every single inch of it is evenly cooked. 

An LCD display on the air fryer lets you see the type of setting you have chosen, but you need to use the dials to make the choices. You can choose the mode of cooking, the temperature and the time, and even choose between Fahrenheit and Celsius, or the speed of the fan.  

Pros:

  • A multi-functional appliance that works both as an air fryer and a convection oven 
  • Large space for cooking multiple batches of food at the same time 
  • 2-speed fan for even heat distribution: super and regular 
  • The powerful fan distributes heated air to all corners of the oven
  • Element iQ 6 independent quartz sends hot air to where the foot needs it the most 
  • Can be used to air fry, roast, broil, roast, warm, dehydrate, slow cook, reheat and bake your favorite foods 
  • Can cook and rehydrate up to 4 trays of food at the same time 
  • Large enough for a 12 muffin tray and for cooking a 14-pound turkey 
  • Can toast 9 slices of bread and slow cook food in a 5-quart pot 
  • Requires 110-120 volts of electricity 
  • Can fit a 13-inch x 9-inch pan inside the oven 
  • Comes with 13 pre-programmed cooking settings 
  • The oven turns off automatically when food is cooked 
  • Can be used to cook a lot of a different kind of food 
  • Can deep fry and bake food to perfection 
  • Small LCD display to see what you have selected 
  • Separate dials to select a temperature, time and cooking settings 
  • Can be used to cook for more than 14 people at the same time 
  • 2-year warranty 
  • Super convection oven adds extra crispiness to deep-fried food 
  • The oven door can be left open to up to 4 inches without it slamming shut
  • The front display is cooled by an additional fan so that there’s no harm in touching the display panel 
  • A newly added customizable “phase cook” feature to run two cooking modes together 
  • The mirrored ceiling for a better look at the food inside the oven 
  • A crumb tray that improves heat deflection 
  • Comes with an Air Frying basket for deep frying certain food 
  • Extra “Proofing” feature to be used for rising dough 
  • Fits any standard baking sheets and casserole dishes that are 16-inch wide 

Cons: 

  • Loud noise when the appliance is in use 
  • Hard to reach into the oven to clean

 

Click Here To Learn More About Breville Air Fryer

 

Conclusion 

All three air fryers discussed in this article are completely different from each other, in all terms. Two of them are quite affordable whereas one happens to be quite expensive; at the same time, it is an appliance that can be used for more than just air frying. 

No matter how much you end up using your air fryer, it is one of the healthiest approaches you can make in your diet. If you love fried foods but always hesitate because of the amount of oil needed, an air fryer is what you need in the kitchen. It will reduce your oil intake by more than 75% because deep-frying in an air fryer only requires very little or almost no oil in the food. 

The addition of an air fryer can be one of the best decisions you make for your health and your family’s health. It is one of the wonders of a modern kitchen that we can barely live without these days, just as much as a blender, a coffee maker or a mixer. If you are on the lookout for an air fryer, by the end of this article, you might have all the information you need to decide on one.

Bonus: Air-Fried Chicken Recipe 

Fried chicken is probably everyone’s favorite deep-fried food, no matter what age you are. However, frying a single piece of chicken would require more oil than is healthy for you; with an air fryer, you can fry deliciously succulent and crispy chicken pieces with almost no oil at all. Here is the recipe. 

Ingredients: 

  • Whole Chicken, 1 (cut into separate pieces, i.e. wings, thigh, breast, leg, etc.) 
  • Hot Sauce, 1 cup
  • Buttermilk, 1.5 cups
  • All-Purpose Flour, 1.5 cups 
  • Seasoning Salt, 3 tsp 
  • Onion Powder, 2 tsp 
  • Garlic Powder, 2 tsp 
  • Cayenne Pepper, 1 tsp 
  • Italian Dressing, 3 tsp 
  • Canola Oil, for Spraying 

Instruction: 

  • Marinate your chicken pieces in a mixture of hot sauce and buttermilk. The hot sauce can be spicy so go easy on it if you don’t want your chicken to be too hot. Be generous with the buttermilk as it will help make the chicken juicy and succulent on the inside. 

  • Cover and keep in the refrigerator for as long you want, anytime between 1 hour to 24 hours. 

  • Combine all the other ingredients for seasoning, i.e. seasoning salt, onion and garlic powder, Italian seasoning, Cayenne powder, and flour. 

  • Use a pair of tongs to pick up a piece of chicken and place it on your dry mixture. Use the tongs, or your hands, to completely coat the chicken pieces generously with the flour mixture. 

  • Take the basket of your air fryer and place an appropriately cut piece of parchment paper on the bottom. 

  • Place the coated piece of chicken on the parchment paper. 

  • Repeat with the other pieces of chicken. You can put as many pieces of chicken in the air fryer as you want until they overlap or touch each other. For the best results, there should be adequate space between each piece of chicken. 

  • Set the air fryer to 390⁰F temperature and the timer to 25 minutes. 

  • Halfway through the timer, after they have been cooked for about 13 to 14 minutes, open the air fryer and spray a little oil on your chicken pieces. You might see a few white flour spots on the chicken, which is completely normal. Spray the oil (just a little bit) on those white spots to wet them. 

  • Use the pair of tongs to flip over the chicken pieces so that all sides are cooked evenly. If you see white flour spots on the other side of the chicken, spray some oil on them, as well. 

  • Put the basket back into the air fryer to let cook for the remaining time. 

  • When the timer stops and the alarm starts (varying on model), you can use a cooking thermometer to check the temperature of the chicken. If your chicken pieces show 165⁰F on the inside, they have been fully cooked. 

  • Repeat with the rest of the chicken pieces until you have enough for the whole family, and more!