Fried food has become very common today.
When it comes to fried chicken or fish, it can be difficult curb our cravings at times.
Unfortunately, fried food has been proven to be terrible for your health, and regular intake can cause arteries to clog up quite quickly.
Traditionally, food is made in a deep fryer, where it is effectively dunked inside vast amounts of oil. This is obviously not healthy at all.
However, thanks to advancing technology, we now have access to much healthier options.
An air fryer, for example, is an excellent alternative to the deep fryer.
Instead of using frying oil, this handy appliance circulates hot air to heat up the food from all sides at the same time.
This creates the same delicious taste and crispy layer you normally get from a deep fryer but without the unnecessary fat. In fact, food prepared this way contains roughly 80% less fat.
No matter how good fried food is, it is important to keep a healthy and balanced diet. It’s always a good idea to invest in kitchen equipment that will not only make your life easier, but will let you enjoy great tasting healthy meals.
As a result of this thought, we will be looking at the best air fryer models today. A lot of us tend to look for the highest quality and are willing to spend a lot of money to get it. For this reason, we have listed and extensively reviewed 4 of the top-performing products in this air fryer review guide.
While most of tend to spend a lot of money in the name of high quality, some of us prefer to focus on the price range and spend that which we can afford.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with this and to tell you the truth, if we look hard enough, we can often find a bargain that comprises of a higher quality even when it is compared to a product that is twice the price.
In order to ensure that everyone is catered for, 4 of the top-performing affordable models have also been selected and reviewed in detail.
Let’s get to it then!
Best Air Fryer Reviews
1. Philips HD9240/94 Digital X-Large – Rapid Air Technology
To put it simply, if you want the best air fryer on the market right now, regardless of price, then you won’t find one better than the Philips HD9240/94.
When we looked at this model in detail, it was easy to note how it stood out from the rest of the competition. It comes in a larger size than most similar products available on the market right now and this is indicated by the official title, which has X-Large in it.
While this extra large size may lead to a bulkier design, we felt that this was a bit of an advantage because it did lead to a higher capacity.
I have personally used some of the smaller air fryers before and have had to cook French fries multiple times because I can’t make enough to feed the whole family in one go. So for people like me who have large families, this will be a savior in getting the job done quickly and easily.
When it comes to food like French fries, if you buy pre-cooked portions from your local supermarket, you won’t need to use any oil whatsoever. In comparison, if you are preparing something from scratch at home then you won’t need to add more than one tablespoon of oil.
In my opinion, this is a huge advantage and one that is bound to have excellent rewards for your health in the long run.
You will also be pleased to know that this model is a multi-cooker in the sense that it can carry out a host of tasks. These include things like baking, frying, grilling and roasting foods. As a result of this, you’ll be able to keep your kitchen counter free of heavy and bulky kitchen appliances. I think this is definitely something that will be convenient for pretty much every homeowner.
Moving on, let’s talk a bit of ease of usability. Some kitchen appliances can be difficult to operate. This is definitely not the case with this particular product and this air fryer review shows this. To put it simply, this product is extremely simple to use.
It has lots of convenient features and a digital touchscreen interface that is so simple to use that you won’t need any tech knowledge.
There is an added convenience of having a double layer rack that includes a few skewers. This will ensure that you increase your cooking space and that you have everything that you need in order to satisfy the cravings of the entire family.
We were extremely satisfied with the functionality associated with this product because it performed wonderfully well. The food wasn’t just great but a lot healthier as well.
While the functionality can often be great, some appliances struggle in other areas such as the ease of cleaning. However, this wasn’t the case with the HD9240/94 because it comes with parts that are safe to be washed in the dishwasher.
If this is going to be your very first air fryer then you might be afraid to get started. However, once you buy this particular product, you’ll get a free cookbook alongside a smartphone app that’ll enable you to experiment with up to 150 different recipes.
In my opinion, the Philips HD9240/94 is the highest quality product available on the market right now and its reviews speak for itself. While it is expensive, we feel that the money would definitely be worth it in the long run and the value for money will be evident once you have used it.
2. Philips HD9230/26 Digital – Rapid Air Technology
The Philips HD9230/26 is a close competitor to the previous model that we have just spoken about. While there are some differences between the two, they are both built on the same foundations.
One advantage this model holds is the lower price tag and this may appeal to some people more than others.
You can cook all types of food with the HD9230/26 thanks to its digital touch screen interface.
Effectively, this allows you to easily adjust the temperature up to 390 degrees, depending on what you’re cooking. This makes it quite easy to make those crispy golden-brown fries or that crispy fried chicken we all love.
The built-in Rapid Air Technology seems to work very well. Essentially, the purpose of this is to circulate hot air very quickly and with precision, which helps to cook food faster and with excellent results.
On top of this, this Philips air fryer has a unique “starfish” design on the bottom, which makes it easier to facilitate air circulation in order to get evenly distributed heat. Having tested it ourselves and used very little oil, we felt the food was thoroughly fried and tasted very nice.
More importantly, it requires just a tablespoon of oil, whether you want to make fries, grills, bakes, or roasts food. There is also a double layer rack included, which helps to maximize the cooking surface. This is a very nice addition and does make it a lot easier.
For convenience, there is a 60-minute timer and an option to shut-off automatically. This prevents your food from overcooking. It’s also very easy to clean, because most of the parts are Dishwasher safe.
There is one slight negative though, and that is the small 1.8 lbs. capacity of food that can be cooked at any one time. For a costly appliance like this, we were hoping it would be higher than this.
If you’re not very experienced in using these appliances or at cooking in general, there is an included recipe booklet, which has around 25 interesting recipes and was created exclusively for this product.
We don’t just consider this to be a fryer though. If you’re in the mood for grilling or roasting some chicken, you can easily do that. You can even bake a cake with this, and it does turn out quite nice. It’s kind of like an all-in-one gadget and will be an important appliance for your kitchen.
When you look at the price, you will know that the Philips HD9230/26 is not cheap. However, it is simply excellent at its job and makes delicious and healthy food. If you don’t mind the price, we would highly recommend it. It is easily one of the best air fryer models out right now.
3. The Philips HD9220/26
Being the predecessor to the HD9230/26, the Philips HD9220/26 is very similar.
There isn’t much difference between the 2 in terms of price. However, this is obviously a little bit cheaper to compensate for the lack of a few features. As you might expect though, there are very few differences between them as well.
For starters, there is no digital touch screen interface to control, where you can change temperature settings or timing. Saying that, there is still a separate adjustable temperature control, which you can change up to the same 390 degrees.
There is still a dial to set timing, but instead of the 60-minute timer on the HD9230/26, you can only set up to 30 minutes on this product. The auto shut-off and “ready” signal functions still work as normal and help to prevent overcooking.
Most of the parts are dishwasher-safe so it is very easy to clean up once you’re done making lunch or dinner.
At 1.8 lbs., the cooking capacity of the basket is a little on the small side, but it is still exactly the same as the HD9230/26.
The Rapid Air technology is built-in within this model as well, and it ensures good circulation of air around the entire surface area. We noticed the food was evenly cooked throughout and tasted very nice. Again, this is impressive considering only a tiny amount of oil was used.
The unique “starfish” design seen on the HD9230/26 is seen on the HD9220/26 as well. As stated earlier, this ensures better air circulation and more evenly distributed heat, thus making evenly cooked food.
While it is primarily used for frying, you can still grill and roast food, as well as bake it. This gives you a greater choice when deciding on what to make for lunch or dinner.
Overall, this Philips HD9220/26 air fryer review shows just how good of a product this is. We really liked it!
It may be the predecessor to the HD9230/26 but in terms of performance, it is exactly the same.
There are a few small differences, like the exclusion of the digital touch screen interface, but as the price is also less, you might be tempted into opting for the HD9220/26. They’re both excellent and work just as well in making tasty yet healthy meals.
4. T-fal FZ7002 ActiFry
The T-fal FZ7002 is cheaper than 3 of the best air fryers but is still a top quality low-fat multi-cooker.
You need little to any oil needs to make all kinds of full meals with the T-fal FZ7002, whether you want meat, seafood or vegetables. You can even make good quality desserts with this. In fact, there is an included recipe book, with over 34 awesome recipes to help you get started. This air fryer review should help you understand how well this product works.
It’s incredibly easy to use thanks to the 2-button system. There is only an on/off switch and a digital timer with buzzer. That’s all you need to start making meals.
There is a handy measuring spoon included to help you measure the right amount of oil when cooking. This, along with most other parts, is dishwasher safe, making it very easy to clean up afterwards.
The lid is transparent and steam-free, while the closed cooking vessel prevents hot oil from splattering across the kitchen.
The food cooked was excellent and tasted lovely. It’s almost hard to believe that just 1 tablespoon of oil is needed to cook most food.
The T-fal FZ7002 has a unique pulse heat system as well as an interesting stirring paddle, to help it cook food evenly throughout. The idea behind it is to evenly distribute the oil throughout the food, and it does this quite well.
There is a 2.2 lbs. capacity, which is greater than the 2 Philips options that we discussed above. If you regularly cook large meals, this might suit you better.
If you want a high quality multi-cooker that cooks delicious healthy meals and has a large capacity, don’t hesitate to go for the T-fal FZ7002. It’s not overly expensive but still works extremely well.
Finding the Best Air Fryer under $100?
1. Avalon Bay AB-100B: Oil Less Option
When you consider its price tag, we thought it was a good idea to include the Avalon Bay AB-100B on this list.
It’s certainly not a small appliance, and comes with a 3.2L mesh basket. While this does make it easier to cook large meals, bare in mind that it will also take up significant space on your kitchen counter.
This isn’t just a fryer. You can also grill and roast your food, and even bake cakes, which gives you plenty of choice for lunch and dinner.
The end result is excellent, partly due to the Rapid Air Circulation Technology. This basically helps to circulate hot air at high speed and precision to ensure optimal heat distribution, leading to evenly cooked food very quickly.
There is a built-in adjustable temperature control, ranging from 200-400 degrees, so you easily set the best settings depending on what you’re cooking. In order to prevent overcooking, Avalon Bay have included a built-in 30-minute timer, as well as an auto-shut off feature.
It’s also important to note that literally no oil is used in the process, meaning you get healthy meals that also taste delicious.
Most parts are dishwasher safe so once you’ve finished up, simply pop them inside and you’re done.
2. GoWISE USA GW22621 4th Generation
Our air fryer review guide lists the GoWISE USA GW22621 as one of the most affordable ones available to buy right now. However, as you will be able to observe, there have been no compromises with quality.
It is easy to note that a touchscreen interface is often the easiest to use when it comes to usability. However, this feature is one that isn’t common with cheaper kitchen appliances. Despite this, we see a high quality touchscreen interface located on this particular product.
This improves the overall appeal of the product and also improves the appearance considerably. Furthermore, it will hand over complete control as to how you wish to cook your food. You will be allowed to cook everything manually by selecting the time yourself or you will also have the option of selecting from 7 different pre-programmed settings that are for the preparation of specific food types.
There is also a 30-minute timer integrated into this air fryer while the appliance will also go into standby mode automatically when appropriate.
The technology utilized by this brand is relatively similar to most similar products. This hot air circulation system allows heated air to surround food from every angle and cook it thoroughly. This leads to delicious taste and near perfect results every time.
When dealing with hot food, we often need to be extremely careful because of the dangers associated. I’m sure most of us have experienced burns or a similar form of injury when cooking food in any kitchen appliance.
While this is minimized due to a lack of oil used, we can still experience a burn if we touch the interior of the device. This is actually happen accidently and is a common occurrence when a basket is detached for example. Fortunately, we have a button guard that prevents this so you can go about your business with confidence.
The basket itself is detachable so you’ll find it relatively easy to serve food and cook another batch.
While most of the features are top-notch, this product hasn’t been made by a very well known brand. This means that you wouldn’t really know what to expect in the long run.
Furthermore, the cooking capacity is also on the lower side while the timer will also only last 30 minutes.
While these flaws need to be considered seriously, it is important to deduce that this is a high quality product that is extremely cheap when compared to similar branded products that are associated with overall quality that is of a similar level.
For this reason, I would definitely advise you to take the risk and buy this product if you wish to minimize your total spending.
3. BLACK + DECKER HF110SBD
The BLACK + DECKER HF110SBD is one of the most impressive air fryers that we came across during our research. This was mainly because of the extremely price. As a matter of fact, this model is the cheapest on our list and this is probably the main reason for its popularity in recent times.
The best part about this is that we are all aware of the Black + Decker brand so we can be sure of the quality associated with this.
In terms of appearance, you’re looking at a typical air fryer design that doesn’t really stand out in any way. However, it is acceptable and at this price range, as long as it does the job, we don’t mind what it looks like.
The main mechanism through which this operates is dual convection fans that will combine with heat to surround and attack the food from all angles. This leads to a fast cooking time alongside impressive results when it comes to crunchy fried foods. Even the appearance of your French fries is bound to impressive you after you’ve cooked them in this machine.
This machine also comes with a 60-minute timer, which is definitely more than most products within this price range. Once this timer has been completed, the device will automatically be switched off.
This machine is extremely easy to use and has a very simple interface. There is also a massive temperature range that gives you full control of what you can make. However, there is a tiny little flaw with these controls because they are absolutely tiny. This means that you might need to be in full focus when you’re using the machine.
The capacity of the basket included in this product isn’t too large but in my opinion, this will be adequate for most people even though there are high chances that you might need to turn the machine on again for round 2.
In addition to all of these points, it might also be worth noting that the clean up process is extremely simple to conduct. You can easily clean the main cooking element with some paper towels. The cooking basket is safe to be cleaned in the dishwasher though you can also wash it by hand if you wish.
In general, we found this machine to be excellent in every way and in my opinion this definitely provides a terrific value for money. It’s cheap but has some features that are on a similar level as some of the more expensive products.
4. Glip AF800
The Glip AF800 has a multi-surface airflow design and combines this with high-speed air cycling and continuous heated air, in order to cook food evenly and very quickly.
The temperature control lets you choose your perfect settings and allows you to cook at up to 400 degrees. For a relatively large volume of food, it took about 20 minutes to fully cook, which is not bad at all.
There was literally no need to add oil for most food either, ensuring very healthy and great tasting meals.
There is a built-in timer as well, so you can preset to a maximum of 30 minutes. It will then automatically turn off to prevent overcooking, which is always a nice feature to have.
Once you’re done, simply remove the frying basket and put into the dishwasher. It’s as simple as that.
The included cookbook has plenty of interesting recipes to try out. You also get a free heat resistant pad with it, which is a nice touch.
With the Glip AF800, we were able to make healthy meals very quickly, and without any oil. At this price, this is a very useful appliance and we highly recommend it if you want a low cost option.
Aspects to Consider before Purchasing
Here are some aspects you need to consider in order to find the best air fryer:
Attributes: Even though this product produces much healthier food than a traditional deep fryer, it still needs a little bit of oil. For those who want nothing to do with oil, you can opt for a completely oil-free fryer. You might also want a product that comes with digital settings and a non-stick surface. Or, you might want something that can reach a very high temperate and make food quicker.
Capacity: Most products come with a total cooking capacity of around 800 grams. Obviously, there are some that have a higher capacity and some that come with a lower capacity. Just choose whichever option suits you best.
Price: Don’t be surprised if you see a product costing over $200. These are top of the range models and work extremely well. At the same time, there are some high quality options that cost under $100. Our list includes both options, as we realize everyone has different requirements and budgets.
Size and Style: If there is very little space on your kitchen counter, you may want to consider the size and style of the new appliance. Some products can take up a lot of space so it’s extremely important that you look at the dimensions before ordering.
Wattage: It is a good idea to ensure that your kitchen outlet can handle the wattage that air fryers will come with. Normally, this can range from around 800 to 1400 watts.
Summary
The Philips HD9240/94 air fryer review should give you a better understanding of just how good this product is and what features to look out for in other products.
This is probably the best air fryer available right now and the main reason for that is the size. The problem is that there aren’t many products available that have large capacities. To tell you the truth, this is probably the main one that has been associated with high quality.
For this reason, this product received the highest total marks from us. Some of Philips’ other models can be associated with similar quality when it comes to the functionality but while they are cheaper, they’ll only allow you to make small portions at one time.
However, if you wish to explore the market then there are a lot of options available and this is the main reason that it can be quite difficult to choose the right one.
If you read the section above, we have explained the features you should consider if you wish to buy the perfect product for your needs.
In addition to this, we have also extensively reviewed the top 8 models based on a wide price range. This will ensure that you’ll be able to find something to suit your personal preferences irrespective of the requirements that you may have.
If you’re all about quality and don’t mind spending big money and want the best air fryer, the Philips HD9240/94 is an excellent choice.
On the other hand, if you want a high-quality product but don’t really want to pay over the odds, we highly recommend the BLACK+DECKER HF110SBD.
While all of the products discussed in the affordable section are associated with top performance and excellent value for money, the BLACK+DECKER HF110SBD is the cheapest on the list and has some terrific features.
Regardless of which product you like, make sure you read air fryer reviews left by customers and weigh the pros and cons before taking the plunge.
