Hailed as a kitchen appliance that's easy to use and able to handle a multitude of tasks, the air fryer is riding a long-lasting wave of popularity.
It's favoured by many fervent fans as a handy helper at mealtimes, with an ability to produce delicious and fast results for a wide range of foods.
But, while there are plenty of fly fryers on the market, there are several that won't give you much crunch for your cash, so make sure you know what you're buying to ensure you don't end up with a dud.
These big-brand air fryers disappointed our test experts, so if you're looking to up your kitchen game, give these models a miss.
What to look for when buying an air fryer
"When buying an air fryer, it's important that you choose one with comprehensive instructions including cooking guidelines and recipes," says CHOICE kitchen expert Fiona Mair.
"It's especially important if you've never used an air fryer before – otherwise it can be very difficult to figure out how to use them properly.
"Digital controls give better accuracy, and pre-programmed settings take the guesswork out of choosing a temperature and cooking time, and may also give you a reminder to shake the food to ensure even cooking."
The worst performing air fryers in our tests
The Cuisinart Express Oven Air Fry received the lowest score in our air fryers test.
Cuisinart Express Oven Air Fry
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 62%
- Performance score: 64%
- RRP: $449
It fries, it bakes, it grills, it roasts, it reheats! The Cuisinart Express Oven does it all – it just doesn't do it especially well.
It came in dead last place of all the air fryers we tested, failing to beat even basic models costing less than $100.
Its weakest point is cooking chips, which is virtually unforgivable in an air fryer. It scored just 45% on this test.
It's very good at cooking marinated chicken wings, but that's about it. Its efforts cooking crumbed chicken and roast pork were so-so, and if you can't have chips on the side of your meal, what's the point of having an air fryer at all?
Its weakest point is cooking chips, which is virtually unforgivable in an air fryer
More is sometimes better, but not in this case: the Express Oven may have a huge 17L capacity, but with cooking skills like these, all that means is it'll turn out larger quantities of mediocre food.
And at a hefty 8.9kg with a large footprint, it'll take up lots of space on your kitchen bench but won't earn its keep as a kitchen helper.
Nine of the 12 air fryers recommended by CHOICE's kitchen experts cost about the same or even less than the Express Oven, so you're better off spending that $449 on a different air fryer.
Read the full Cuisinart Express Oven Air Fry review.
Should you buy a benchtop oven?
While the Cuisinart might not be the best air fryer, it's still a good benchtop oven. And in fact, the benchtop ovens listed here performed well when we tested them against other benchtop oven models.
So whether or not a benchtop oven is right for you depends what you're looking for in an appliance. These are great for grilling and roasting, and they're big enough to fit a whole chicken.
While the benchtop ovens listed here might not be the best air fryers, they're still good benchtop ovens
"The reason benchtop ovens don't do as well as air fryers for chips or food that requires shaking or turning is because you need to open the door frequently. This means the heat escapes from the oven and therefore the food won't crisp and brown evenly," says Fiona.
If you need an oven for a small space, a benchtop model can be a great option, even if it doesn't produce perfectly golden, crispy chips. Enjoying a delicious roast chicken instead might be the next best thing!
Check our reviews to find the best benchtop oven for your needs.
Whichever way you look at it, the Dual View doesn't deliver, despite its high price tag.
Kitchen Couture Dual View Stainless Steel Air Fryer Silver
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 67%
- Performance score: 70%
- RRP: $499
This isn't Kitchen Couture's first time in our list of air fryers to avoid: its black 3.4L model was ranked second-lowest in our last test.
It's since been discontinued, but the company's latest offering isn't much better – and it costs more than three times as much.
The first Kitchen Couture air fryer we tested achieved a CHOICE Expert Rating of just 66% (which our experts rate as just "OK"), acing our hot chips test but bombing out on pretty much everything else.
So how does the new Kitchen Couture fryer fare? Like its predecessor, it turned out crispy chips, and it also did a nice job of cooking marinated chicken wings.
But sadly that's the extent of its talents. Chicken nugget lovers would do well to avoid this fryer: our experts scored it just 60% for cooking crumbed chicken. (It also did a disappointing job of roast pork.) And our experts didn't exactly find it a joy to cook with, either, rating it 63% for ease of use.
You could buy a yearly CHOICE membership for $98, find out which cheap air fryer is best, and pocket the extra $300 you would've spent on this one
Despite being a relatively large unit, it only has a small capacity in each drawer – in fact, the manufacturer recommends you put only 125g of chips in each drawer. That's not a lot of crunch for your cash!
With performance like this, it's hard to justify the $499 price tag.
Considering that several air fryers our experts recommend cost less than $100, you could buy a yearly CHOICE membership for $98, find out which cheap air fryer is best, and pocket the extra $300 you would've spent on this one.
Read the full Kitchen Couture Dual View Stainless Steel Air Fryer Silver review.
This Tefal may be XXL on size, but it's small in terms of performance.
Tefal Dual Easy Fry & Grill XXL Air Fryer
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 68%
- Performance score: 73%
- RRP: $500
Double the air fryer baskets means double the fun, right? Well, not in the case of this Tefal air fryer.
Yes, it can cook more chips and nuggets than the average fryer, but that's not necessarily a good thing since it doesn't cook them especially well. In our experts' opinions, the nuggs and chips it turned out were only OK.
It is better at cooking marinated chicken wings and roast pork, but let's be honest – most people are buying an air fryer for less fancy (but entirely delicious) foods.
Just like the Kitchen Couture number above, its $500 price tag is at odds with its lacklustre performance. And while it has a large capacity, more doesn't always equal better.
Read the full Tefal Dual Easy Fry & Grill XXL Air Fryer review.
Better as a benchtop oven than an air fryer: the Sunbeam Multi Zone Air Fryer.
Sunbeam Multi Zone Air Fryer
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 68%
- Performance score: 69%
- RRP: $299
Another fryer that's big on capacity but small on performance, this Sunbeam claims to handle 11L, but our experts found it only holds 9L.
That's because the manufacturer's claims can sometimes be misleading. We measure each air fryer's actual usable capacity so you know exactly how much room you'll have to cook with.
The Sunbeam was the best of this sorry bunch at cooking chicken nuggets, but that's not saying much. And when you consider that it wasn't much chop when we tested its ability to cook chips and chicken wings, it's not exactly smashing it out of the park, is it?
There are plenty of other options around this size but below this price point that'll do a better job
It does double as a benchtop oven, and it does a better job of this than as an air fryer. If you're in the market for a benchtop oven it's worth considering but as an air fryer, not so much.
Just like its companions on this list, its price doesn't match its performance. There are plenty of other options around this size but below this price point that'll do a much better job of cooking your dinner.
Read the full Sunbeam Multi Zone Air Fryer review.
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Stock images: Getty, unless otherwise stated.
