Need to know
- More air fryers are becoming available with baskets made from alternative non-stick materials such as glass and ceramic coatings
- CHOICE experts recently put a range of air fryers through a tests and assessment in our kitchen labs to help you find the product that best suits your needs.
- Our latest CHOICE review includes over 40 models from leading brands such as Philips, Ninja, Kmart, Healthy Choice, Aldi, Sunbeam and more
Air fryers are one of the latest kitchen must-haves for home cooks who value speed and convenience. Offering a healthier alternative to traditional deep-frying, air fryers are essentially mini ovens, circulating hot air within an enclosed space to deliver crisp, golden results on a variety of foods, using little to no oil.
From single-drawer and twin models to multi-functional ovens, the variety of air fryers on the market today is continually expanding. New models spruik an array of different features and cooking modes, and come in a range of sizes and configurations to suit different cooking styles and households.
Most air fryers have baskets which use non-stick coatings made with PFAS – a group of widely used chemicals that are exceptionally resistant to oil, water, heat and stains, and give many forms of cookware their non-stick properties. You may recognise the name of the specific PFAS used in cookware: PTFE (also known as Teflon).
There have been concerns raised over the years about the potential health risk associated with exposure to these types of chemical coatings
While convenient and easy to clean, there have been concerns raised over the years about the potential health risk associated with exposure to these types of chemical coatings. Many scientific studies have investigated potential health effects resulting from PFAS exposure, but the results have been mixed, and scientific understanding is still developing as more research is undertaken. At the current time it is unclear if migration of PFAS chemicals in non-stick cookware into food causes harm to human health.
Alternatives to air fryers with Teflon coating
Targeted at consumers who may want to avoid using cookware with these types of chemical coatings, more air fryers are becoming available with baskets made from alternative materials such as glass and steel, or with parts and accessories coated with alternative non-stick materials such as ceramic or food-grade silicone.
As well as being free of chemical coatings, glass basket air fryers offer the added advantage of providing increased visibility during cooking, so it's easy to see how well your nuggets are crisping up. Ceramic-coated or food-grade silicone-coated baskets also offer Teflon-free non-stick capabilities.
As well as being free of chemical coatings, glass basket air fryers offer the added advantage of providing increased visibility during cooking
If you're looking to avoid buying an air fryer with a Teflon coating, we have tested several options in our latest air fryer review. When testing air fryers, CHOICE experts rate each model on its cooking performance (including how well it cooks popular items such as nuggets, frozen chips, roast pork and marinated chicken wings) and how easy each model is to use and clean. You can also choose to sort out reviews on your preferred type, size and basket material.
Only members can access our detailed air fryer testing data. If you're not yet a member, join CHOICE to get instant access to all of our expert, independent reviews.
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We independently test and review dozens of air fryers each year in our onsite labs, and our experts know exactly what to look for to help you find the best product.
Best air fryers with glass, ceramic-coated or silicone-coated baskets
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