If you can barely keep up with demand for air-fried everything at home, chances are your air fryer is feeling the strain as much as you are.
Standard air fryers can only fit so much, which is fine if you're only cooking for two or three people. But if you're feeding a larger crowd or you want to air fry more than one thing at a time, a regular-sized air fryer might not cut it any more.
If you're ready to move on from small fry to large, we'll talk you through how to find the right size and configuration for your needs, and tell you which large fryers to forget about.
Then, exclusively for CHOICE members, we'll reveal the top-scoring big hitters from our tests.
If you just want to get straight to the best products, you can jump to the results now.
How big is big?
CHOICE's kitchen expert Fiona Mair puts each air fryer through a gruelling series of tests.
So, you're ready to level up your air fryer size.
You're probably thinking you should go big or go home – so you should look for models with the largest capacity, right?
Yes and no.
The advert might say that an air fryer has a huge 10-litre capacity, but what does that mean?
Some manufacturers base the number on the entire space inside the air fryer, but not the actual cooking space, so the 10L you've been promised could turn out to be less.
And it's not the size that matters, it's what you do with it: depending on the configuration, that 10-litre fryer might only be able to fit 500g of chips, or a model that claims to have a 2500-gram capacity might not be able to handle that amount of food.
Things to consider when buying a large air fryer
"First up, think about what types of foods you want to cook in your air fryer and how many people you cook for," says CHOICE kitchen expert Fiona Mair.
"If you're a family of six then it's a no brainer: you'll need a large air fryer.
"But it's not just about how many mouths you're feeding. If you're planning to cook up an air-fried roast for Sunday lunch, then make sure a 2kg piece of meat will actually fit.
"Need to air fry a kilo of chips or a large serve of chicken wings? Find out whether the unit can accommodate that much."
There's one other angle you probably haven't considered: "If you want to cook large quantities of food, ask yourself whether you even need an air fryer at all when you have a perfectly good oven that could give you the same results," says Fiona.
Ask yourself whether you even need an air fryer when you have a perfectly good oven that could give you the same results
Fiona Mair, CHOICE kitchen expert
This is likely to be an unpopular opinion, but a fan-forced oven is basically an oversized air fryer – it uses a fan and a heating element to move hot air around the food, just like an air fryer does.
So, if you're air frying in bulk, you might be better off sticking with what you already have rather than buying a new appliance.
Which type of large air fryer should you choose?
When you go big, a whole new world of possibilities opens up: all of a sudden, there are all sorts of different shapes, sizes and functions available. But which one is right for you?
A supersized air fryer lets you cook more of your air-fried faves.
Larger single drawer
Like what your basic air fryer is doing but just need more space? Keep it simple and just go for the same thing, but bigger.
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Cheaper than models with more functions
- May be able to accommodate larger items, such as a whole chicken or a roast
Cons:
- Takes up more space but still only has one function
- Despite the larger size, it may not fit as much as you'd expect
- Larger drawer can be difficult to clean in a regular kitchen sink
Twin air fryers allow you to cook different foods at different temperatures at the same time.
Twin (aka double-drawer) air fryer
What's better than one air fryer? Two, of course!
Models with two drawers can double the fun: you can either cook twice as much of your favourite thing, or mix it up and prepare two different dishes at once.
Pros:
- Allows you to cook foods with different temperature and time requirements together
- With some models, you can sync the drawers so the foods finish cooking at the same time
- Some have a removable divider so you can just cook one big batch, or insert it to cook two different foods
Cons:
- They may not hold as much as a single-basket model with a larger capacity
- You can only really cook an entire meal for two to three people
A rotating basket in a benchtop oven takes care of turning and shaking the food for you.
Benchtop oven
Short on space but still want to whip up a Sunday roast?
A benchtop oven with air fryer functionality could be just the ticket: you'll be able to grill, bake and roast, plus knock out air-fried food as well.
For optimum air frying, look for a model that has a rotating basket and wire shelves – they'll allow for better air flow during cooking, which means more evenly-browned food and better crispiness.
Pros:
- Larger capacity
- Versatile: more functions than a standard air fryer
- Provide oven functionality in spaces too small for a full-size oven
Cons:
- More expensive than other air fryer types
- Take up more space on the bench
- A rotating basket will only accommodate around 700g of chips
- Models without a rotating basket don't always perform well as air fryers – each time you open the door to shake your food, the hot air escapes and the food can't cook or crisp evenly
A multi-cooker can replace several appliances, not just an air fryer
Multi-cooker with air fryer function
If you're replacing your air fryer, why not replace your slow cooker, pressure cooker, sous vide machine, yoghurt maker, dehydrator and more at the same time?
Since you're spending money on a new machine, you might as well make it earn its keep.
These machines can have as many as 14 functions, so you won't be restricted just to air-fried dinners.
Pros:
- Can replace multiple appliances
- Many of them perform well when we test them against regular air fryers
- They may cost less than buying multiple single-function appliances
Cons:
- Take up a fair amount of bench space
- Can be more expensive than a standalone air fryer, especially the more features they have
- You'll need room to store the accessories
- Can be complicated to use at first
The large air fryers not to buy
Knowing what you don't want can be an important step in narrowing down what you do want.
Our experts say that these air fryers are ones to take off your list: they're the lowest-scoring large air fryers from our tests.
Not so hot: This Cuisinart benchtop oven was the lowest-scoring model in our air fryer test.
Cuisinart Express Oven Air Fry TOA-65XA
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 62%
- Claimed capacity: 17L
- Price: $449
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 67%
- Claimed capacity: 9L
- Price: $119
Tefal Dual Easy Fry & Grill XXL Air Fryer
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 68%
- Claimed capacity: 8.3L
- Price: $500
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 68%
- Claimed capacity: 11L
- Price: $299
Sunbeam 22L Multi Function Oven + Air Fryer
- CHOICE Expert Rating: 69%
- Claimed capacity: 22L
- Price: $299
CHOICE kitchen expert Fiona Mair tests dozens of appliances in the CHOICE test kitchen each year.
What are the best large air fryers?
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