Best Air Fryers on the Market Now: Buyer’s Guide to Air Fryers

Air Fryers Today

Air fryers have been around since the early 2000s, and the internet seems to be in a silent discussion between Fred van der Weij (2006) and William Maxon (as early as 1945!). Regardless of the source, to reheat and fry some crispy potato fries with less oil is the ultimate goal here, and we thankfully have this tech now. However, a simple fry is certainly not the case today as you can do so much with these little “new ovens”. 

In any kitchen, these small but powerful appliances will be of great help in a variety of tasks. These tasks range from easy bakes, cakes and tartes, to eggs for breakfast and even go all the way up to tonight’s dinner for a hearty dish. As a proud owner and user of an air fryer for over a year now, I can confirm that once you get the hang of it, there’s nothing you can’t make in an air fryer. Which reminds me to bake that spinach tart again tonight, the craving is real and I never thought it would be good in the air fryer. 

If you’re interested in the idea, or if you have no idea but I can still convince you for this investment, you’re in for a good read! You’ll understand the need to convince your friends to get one after you bake your first dish in one, no joke. Through this article, I’ll review some of the top air fryers out there today, and compare between different capacities of each. These reviews will be based on size, energy consumption, practicality, and design! This article is also supported by affiliate links from Amazon. The main goal here is for you to have an answer to the big question: Are air fryers worth it? 

The Top 5 All Rounders

Russell Hobbs Satisfry XXL DE

Cosori 12-in-1 6.2L

Philips 3000 Series

Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone

Ninja Double Stack XL

Air Fryers For Beginners

The basics are pretty simple to start your own air fryer journey. The two criteria you should pay the most attention to are the price and the capacity (basket volume). These two will be the foundations of your purchase! The budget you would like to put aside for it at first is totally up to you, and the basket should basically be in accordance with your meal sizes. Are you cooking for one, two, or more at once? 

The most classic “entry” is with a basket capacity of about 5 liters and around 60€. In addition, keep in mind that you may need specific parchment papers, baking trays, or other custom gadgets and utensils that are made specifically for air fryers. Most air fryers will come with their own trays, but I haven’t seen the mini, special cut parchment papers arrive with any of them yet. To be fair, I haven’t used one myself as well. The tray just works too well.

Cecotec

My first air fryer was from Cecotec with a 5.5L basket, 1700 W, at 59.90€. It seemed like a good place to start and this proved to be true. Happy to report that there haven't been many dishes I couldn’t make so far! Only hiccup has been with big bakes like bread, cake, and pizzas. Mostly due to size, which is why it’s quite important to keep in mind! You don’t wanna break your pizza in half after all.. The basket itself is super easy to clean, and it arrives with a few accessories as well.

Aigostar

Surprisingly, this one also has the “cooking modes” for different dishes and meats you can cook with it, but I would not count on these too much in comparison to higher powered machines. These modes exist in almost all air fryers, but the quality and delivery of these modes differ on each air fryer. 

Xiaomi Smart Air Fryer

Which Air Fryer to Buy with a Budget of 80€–100€

If you’re looking to invest a bit more than the average air fryer enthusiast, or simply looking for a small upgrade to your beloved kitchen assistant, this budget allocation is the one for you. 

Cosori 5,5L

This Cosori has a shake mode which is quite important for air fryers as you may need to shake the basket every now and then to get that evenly cooked and crispy meal! 

Air Fryers For Budgets Over 100€+

Anyone who is happy to spend more than 100€ for an air fryer, or those of use who are looking for upgrades to their smaller and less expensive air fryers, your time has come! 

Cookwise Dual Zone

Not sure if everyone feels the same, but I do love the window option in some of these air fryers. It makes it feel more cozy to me somehow! 

There’s an Air Fryer For Every Budget

The question was: “Are air fryers worth it?”, and I can confirm that it’s worth having this appliance in your kitchen. Last night mine helped me make some lovely garlic bread super fast and crispy for my soup, and today it will provide a lovely spinach pie for lunch, and for dinner it will reheat the potato fries I have as leftovers alongside some yummy meatballs. Am I using it for every meal? Yes.. but only because it’s super convenient. I could’ve even grilled the veggies and blended them into one of those viral soups.. So good! 

What do you think? Is it time to invest or upgrade? I’m definitely due for an update and this list is what I’ll be basing my purchase on. I’m really stuck between the Cookwise Dual Zone and Ninja FlexDrawer. I do love the windows A LOT, but also feel like everyone has a Ninja one…

Let me know which way you’re going with an air fryer, ideally before I buy one!