As we steamroll towards the end of the year, with plenty of sales events (such as Black Friday) soon to come and lots of Christmas gifts to buy, you may be thinking of adding an airfryer to your wishlist. Perhaps you've had one for years and you're looking to upgrade, or maybe you're finally ready to join the hordes of air fryer fans to find out what all the fuss is about.
Whatever the case, CHOICE's kitchen experts have some advice to keep in mind before you buy.
They've put dozens of air fryers through their paces in the CHOICE kitchen labs to bring you an extensive review of the best and worst air fryers, so they know all the red flags to avoid, and how to choose the appliance that will best suit your needs. Here are their top five tips to keep in mind while you're shopping.
1. Be wary of manufacturer claims on size
Air fryers come in all shapes and sizes, and the best size for you depends on factors such as the types of foods you'd like to cook and how many people you're cooking for. When shopping for an air fryer you'll notice that many are advertised in terms of their litre capacity – which could be from around 3L up to 10L or more. This tells you how big the inside of the air fryer is, to help you understand how much food you can fit in it.
But, a litre measurement isn't always helpful, as you're cooking solid food, not liquid. And, when we test air fryers in our kitchen labs, we often find that the true capacity doesn't always match up to what's claimed by brands.
We've tested one lid-opening air fryer that claims its basket can accommodate 1.8kg of French fries, which we found not to be true
Some manufacturers measure the whole space inside the air fryer rather than the actual usable capacity, to make the fryers sound bigger than they actually are. We've tested one lid-opening air fryer that claims its basket can accommodate 1.8kg of French fries, which we found not to be true when we tried it ourselves.
CHOICE kitchen expert Fiona Mair says "Before buying an air fryer, it's a good idea to think about the volume of food you want to cook in it, to make sure it can fit enough to feed your household. "I suggest checking out the actual product instore so you understand the size of the inner cooking area, or check our reviews to see if the claimed capacity was found to be true in our testing."
2. Paying more won't guarantee a better air fryer
When it comes to air fryers, our tests reveal good (and not-so-good) performers at all price points. In fact, our experts found models to recommend at nearly every price point, from less than $100 right up to $500.
"Smaller air fryers with limited functions are generally cheaper, and you'll likely find that larger multi-functional air fryers with sophisticated features are more expensive, however there are good options to suit all budgets," says Fiona.
3. Air fryers are not necessarily cheaper to cook with
While it's true that air fryers are more energy efficient than ovens and could make a small difference to your power bill, the savings aren't massive.
The air fryers we've tested in CHOICE labs cost between $8 and $42 per year to run (based on running the appliance for 30 minutes at 200°C, three times a week), whereas running a modern wall oven can cost from between $41 to $78 per year (or more if you have an older, more inefficient oven).
Even though they generally cook foods faster than an oven, don't forget an air fryer will usually only be able to cook smaller quantities of food, or only one to two different foods at a time, so you need to factor that in when weighing up any cost (or time) savings.
Love crisp, golden foods? Bag yourself an air fryer.
4. Some are easier to clean than others
Cleaning your air fryer can be a real drag. They get really greasy, have lots of bits and pieces and can be too bulky to clean easily in the kitchen sink. And if you don't clean it properly after each use, it can affect the lifetime of your appliance and lead to problems. Residue or crumbs could burn the next time you use it and leftover oil can smoke. That will affect your food's flavour, stink out your kitchen and it could even pose a fire hazard.
That's why it's smart to look for an airfryer that's easy to clean, with a basket or tray that has smooth surfaces, few crevices to trap residue and easy access to the fan (as the fan and fan element requires extra attention when cleaning). Because why add more work to your dinner routine than you have to?
You can find this information in CHOICE's expert air fryer reviews (our kitchen experts clean each and every air fryer thoroughly after using and give it a score).
5. They vary hugely in weight and size
We've already talked about how much air fryers vary in terms of the amount of food you can fit in them, but they can also vary hugely in terms of how heavy and bulky they are.
Before settling on your new air fryer model, make sure you actually have space on your benchtop or in the cupboard to store it. Although Fiona says that if you're going to get the most out of your air fryer, it's best to have a permanent spot for it on your benchtop.
"Some air fryers can be really heavy, particularly the larger multifunctional models that can weigh more than 10kg. If you need to get yours out of the cupboard each time you want to use it, you may find it's one of those things that ends up unused, simply because it's such a pain in the neck to hoist it onto the bench each time," she says.
If you're going to get the most out of your air fryer, it's best to have a permanent spot for it on your benchtop
An appliance that gathers dust in your cupboards doesn't sound like good value to us. You can check how much your preferred air fryer model weighs in our air fryer reviews.
Also consider the space you have available above and around the air fryer – you need to ensure there is good clearance above and around the air fryer to avoid damage caused by overheating surfaces, so ensure you're not buying one that's too bulky. If you have a bench surface that is vulnerable to heat, consider buying a heatproof mat to protect the surface from possible heat damage.
Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
