Air Fryers Buying Guide

An air fryer is a compact countertop appliance that cooks food by circulating very hot air rapidly around it, typically at temperatures between 160°C and 200°C. Food sits in a perforated basket, or in two separate baskets on dual-drawer models, which allows the hot air to reach the surface from all sides.

In practical terms, an air fryer is a small, high-powered convection oven built into a worktop-friendly shape. The rapid air movement produces a crisp, browned exterior on foods like chips, chicken and vegetables using little or no added oil, which is where the 'frying' name comes from — though nothing is actually submerged in fat.

An air fryer uses a heating element and a high-speed fan mounted above or around the cooking chamber. Air is heated and then forced downward and around the food at speed, stripping away the layer of cooler air that would otherwise surround it. This constant fast-moving hot air transfers heat to the food's surface far more efficiently than the still air in a conventional oven.

The perforated basket design is central to how the appliance performs. Because air can pass both over and underneath the food, moisture escapes and the surface dries and browns quickly, producing the crisp texture associated with deep frying without submerging the food in oil.

The core trade-off between an air fryer and a conventional oven comes down to chamber size. An air fryer's small cooking chamber heats up in a couple of minutes rather than the ten to fifteen minutes a full oven typically needs, and the concentrated airflow produces a crisper surface on foods like chips and chicken skin.

The trade-off is capacity. A conventional oven can cook a full tray bake, a whole tray of roast vegetables, or several dishes across multiple shelves at once. An air fryer's basket capacity is genuinely smaller than it appears, and overfilling it stops the hot air circulating properly, leading to uneven, soggier results rather than the crisp finish the appliance is bought for.

Air Fryer vs Convection Oven comparison →

A single-basket air fryer has one cooking chamber and one heating element, sized for one type of food cooked in one batch. A dual-drawer air fryer has two independent baskets, each with its own heating element and fan, allowing two different foods to be cooked at different temperatures and times but finish together.

Dual-drawer models solve a common frustration with single-basket air fryers: cooking a full meal — for example chips in one basket and chicken in the other — without one dish going cold while the other finishes. The trade-off is that dual-drawer units take up considerably more worktop space and cost more to buy and run than an equivalent single-basket model.

• Single basket: smaller footprint, lower price, simpler to operate
• Single basket: best suited to individuals, couples, or side dishes
• Dual-drawer: cook two different foods to finish at the same time
• Dual-drawer: significantly larger worktop footprint
• Dual-drawer: higher purchase price and running cost due to two heating elements

Manufacturer litre ratings for air fryers are measured as the total internal volume of the basket, not the amount of food that can be cooked while still leaving room for hot air to circulate freely. Filling a basket to its rated capacity almost always overcrowds it, blocking airflow and producing pale, soggy results instead of the crisp finish the appliance is designed for.

For small portions, an air fryer's smaller chamber and shorter heat-up and cook times generally mean it uses less electricity than heating a full oven for the same food. This is the main energy argument in the category's favour, and it is most pronounced for quick meals like chips, nuggets or a small tray of vegetables.

For family-sized meals the picture is less clear-cut. Running a dual-drawer air fryer for an extended cook, or running a single-basket model through several batches to feed a family, can narrow or eliminate the energy advantage over cooking the same meal in one oven load. We measure energy per cycle in each individual review rather than relying on manufacturer wattage figures, since real-world consumption depends heavily on cook time and mode used.

Air fryers rely on a fan to circulate hot air, and the operating volume of that fan varies noticeably between models. Some run at a background hum barely noticeable in a kitchen; others are loud enough to be intrusive in an open-plan living space, particularly at higher temperature settings or when running two baskets on a dual-drawer model at once.

If the appliance will be used in a space adjoining a living or dining area, noise level is worth checking against independent measurements rather than assuming all models are comparably quiet.

Baskets are typically coated with a non-stick finish, and the durability of that coating varies considerably between models. Coatings that scratch or wear away with regular use become harder to clean and can affect cooking performance over time, so coating durability is worth weighing alongside cooking performance rather than as an afterthought.

Most baskets are described as dishwasher-safe, but manufacturer guidance and real-world durability under repeated dishwasher cycles do not always match. Cooked-on residue, particularly from fattier foods, can also be more or less stubborn to remove depending on basket design and coating quality.

• Check whether the basket and crisper plate are genuinely dishwasher-safe or hand-wash recommended
• Look for removable, non-stick coated components rather than fixed baskets
• Consider how easily cooked-on residue lifts, particularly after fattier cooks

Most air fryer manufacturers state that preheating is not required, since the small chamber comes up to temperature within a couple of minutes regardless. In practice, a short preheat of a few minutes can improve evenness of cooking for foods like chips, where placing food into an already-hot chamber helps the surface begin crisping immediately rather than gradually as the unit heats around it.

Air fryers are capable of baking small items such as cakes, muffins and bread rolls, provided a correctly sized tin or dish is used that fits within the basket with room for air to circulate around it. Baking results are generally more consistent for smaller bakes than for large or delicate items, where the strong airflow can affect rise and texture compared with a conventional oven.

Household size is the starting point for choosing capacity, but cooking habits matter just as much. A couple who regularly cook for guests will need more real capacity than the same couple cooking only for themselves, and a family that prefers cooking two dishes at once is a stronger candidate for a dual-drawer model than one that is happy batch-cooking in a single basket.

1. Buying on headline litre capacity alone. The rated volume overstates usable cooking space — check real-world portion guidance rather than the specification sheet.
2. Underestimating basket overcrowding. Packing the basket to its rated capacity blocks airflow and produces soggy, unevenly cooked results.
3. Assuming all air fryers are equally quiet. Fan noise varies significantly between models and matters more in open-plan kitchens.
4. Ignoring basket coating durability. A coating that wears quickly makes cleaning harder and can affect performance over time.
5. Choosing a dual-drawer model without the worktop space to match. Dual-drawer units have a considerably larger footprint than single-basket equivalents.
6. Expecting oven-equivalent capacity. An air fryer is not a replacement for a conventional oven when cooking large or multi-component meals.