This is the most common type of air fryer. They have a cooking bowl or basket with a handle, so you can shake your food during cooking. This helps ensure the food cooks evenly and makes it easy to lift out of the air fryer once it's ready. Dual air fryers are also an option if you're cooking for more people. They can fit between 0.6kg and 2.3kg of food. Do you prefer digital or manual controls? Digital models can make it easier to see how much cooking time is left. Some air fryer models come with smartphone control via an app.

Best air-fryers 2023, tested and top-rated by our experts

The smallest air fryers we've tested can hold up to 800g of food – about four portions of chips and roughly equivalent to the amount of food you can fit on two baking trays in an oven.Some air fryer manufacturers offer starter recipes to get you going: take a look at these Ninja recipes and Philips recipes . Yes. An air fryer can save you money, but it depends on the size of your air fryer and how many people you’re cooking for. With most air fryers, you can set the temperature you want the food to cook at. Typically, you can choose anything from 80°C to 200°C. How much do you need to spend to get a good air fryer? Mini oven’ types: these models use convection or fan technology to cook food on flat, slide-in trays. As well as roasting, their extra air-frying functions circulate hot air around the food for more efficient crisping. These took up the space of an average-sized microwave. Some may also include rotisserie elements. If you typically only cook for four people or fewer, any of the air fryers we've tested should be big enough. But if you want the option of using the air fryer to cook for more people – or you just have a particularly hungry household – air fryers such as the Tefal Actifry 2 in 1 or Tefal Actifry Express XL can fit almost twice as much (1.5kg).

MENGYUAN Household Multi-function Air Fryer, Oil-free Air MENGYUAN Household Multi-function Air Fryer, Oil-free Air

Oven-type air fryers come with one or multiple trays to place your food on and slot into the machine for cooking. Basket style with heating elements: tall, slim air-fryers feature a main unit with heating elements and fans. These have slide-out baskets or trays that slot into place inside. As they tend to have a smaller cooking area than oven-style fryers, in testing we found even results were more likely if the cooking was paused occasionally to rearrange or toss the food around. Some fryers will cut out automatically when you do this, some will need to be paused if you want accurate timings.Some basket-type air fryers have baskets that are set at an angle. This tilt, combined with a rotating action tumbles your food around, helping it to cook more evenly. Smart controls

MENGYUAN Blue/Grey Oil Free Air Fryer, 4.2L Large Capacity MENGYUAN Blue/Grey Oil Free Air Fryer, 4.2L Large Capacity

You can keep an eye on the cooking time using the app on your phone, and it will let you know once cooking is finished.Do you value the fried food taste above all else? We find that foods made in an air fryer, and chips in particular, do have a fried quality. But if you're used to deep-fried food, then you won't be fooled: most people can taste the difference.

MENGYUAN Home Multifunctional Air Fryer, Can Be Used For

In our tests, some cheaper air fryers were so poor, we named them Don't Buys. We also found some pricier models that gave disappointing results –including soggy, limp or tasteless chips.Not sure which shop to buy from? Take a look at our member survey on the best home and appliance shops. Can an air fryer save money on your electricity bills? Air-fryers differ in size and versatility, so it’s worth considering the following while you do your research. Some models, like Ninja Foodi Dual Zone, have a second cooking compartment that allows you to cook two different types of food (at different temperatures) at the same time, so you could make steak and chips without having to mix them together. See our guide to how to buy the best dual air fryer. Preset cooking programs To help you decide whether an air fryer is a worthwhile investment, we cooked 320g of chips (two to three portions) in an air fryer, a halogen oven and a built-in electric oven.