The Best Air Fryer To Buy in [2022] (America’s Test Kitchen)

An air fryer is becoming a popular kitchen appliance around the globe. The air fryer has the ability to crisp and brown food without oil. Anything fried is technically unhealthy, especially when excess oil is used, but air fryers use hot air to fry, bake, and grill foods with less to no oil.

Are you tired of eating foods with so much oil, but can you not do without fries, or want to cut down on your calories? Then you need an air fryer in your kitchen to achieve that.

But before we dive into the top 10+1 best America’s test kitchen air fryers available on the market, let’s discuss shortly what an air fryer is.

WHAT IS AN AIR FRYER?

An air fryer is a turbo-powered convection oven that rapidly circulates hot air around food to cook evenly and quickly to produce meals with lower fat content. Air-fried foods are way healthy than deep-fried food because they require less fat to cook; this helps to promote weight loss and reduce calorie intake.

ARE AIR FRYERS HEALTHY?

While using an air fryer to make a recipe can certainly be a healthier alternative to deep-frying it does not make it healthier. “A major misconception is that pre-fried items (such as bagged frozen chicken nuggets or fish sticks) are somehow made healthier when prepared in an air fryer.

While air frying is certainly a great way to prepare these frozen foods to crispy perfection, these types of foods are no healthier than when prepared in a conventional oven,” says Dana White, MS, RD, ATC of Food Network.

WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?

Single- or multifunctional: Perhaps the most important decision to make is whether you want an air fryer that only does one thing or one that does a lot of things. Some on this list are one-trick ponies, while others have settings for broiling, dehydrating, proofing, and more.

Capacity: The size of your air fryer should, of course, be determined by how you intend to use it. Are you going to use it mostly for yourself, to bake a single cookie, or to reheat leftovers? Is it intended to be used for regular family dinners? I’ve listed the capacity of each model in this category.

However, it should be noted that basket-style air fryers (the majority here) are measured in terms of quarts, whereas those with rack inserts (which look more like toaster ovens) are measured in terms of interior cubic inches.

Reviews of The Best America’s test kitchen Air Fryer

Here are top-rated air fryers on the market today

1 – Philips Kitchen Appliances Avance Digital Turbostar Airfryer (Best all-around by consumer reports)

Topping the list is the all-around best air fryer based on the consumer’s report. Phillips turbo star features a removable handle, instant heat when plugged, 4 presets for your common dishes, a keep-warm function, and a quick control dial.

This product helps you achieve an evenly fried food result without turning the food, drains excess fat up to 75%, and cooks fries more evenly with added flavor while creating tender insides and crispy shells. Quick control saves your time. 4 presets for your common dishes, which include meat, drumsticks, frozen fries, and meat. The food basket and removable nonstick coated drawer are easy to clean and dishwasher safe. It holds up to 1.8-lbs of food.

It is easy to switch between accessories, clean and store removable handles, and no need to preheat the air fryer before you start cooking. Produces instant heat, which quickly crisps the food and saves time. This product is versatile; it grills, bakes, and even roasts.

Cook and eat healthier meals and snacks with Phillip turbo star air fryer free recipe book and recipe App.

Pros

• Keep warm function
• Quick control
• Free recipe book
• Removable handle
• Adds flavor

Cons

• No temp control ( no pause/stop button)

2 – GoWise USA Programmable Air Fryer (Best inexpensive air fryer)

This product allows you to either select from the built-in smart programs or manually program your cooking time with its adjustable temperature, ranging from 170 degrees Fahrenheit to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

With little or no oil, you prepare a variety of meals from juicy wings to crispy fries. Features detachable basket, 30 minutes timer, 7 preset smart programs, and LCD touchscreen thermostat.

GoWise USA Air fryer has an automatic standby option that switches the air fryer into standby mode upon completion. The removable basket allows you to transfer the food to the plate easily. A knob guard prevents accidental detachment of the fryer basket. ETL certified.

The cook time ranges from 1 to 30 minutes with an adjustable thermostat. This product comes with a nonstick basket and pans for easy use and cleaning. Rapid air circulation technology quickens the circulation of hot air and ensures even and fast cooking. It contains a recipe book that includes grilling, baking, roasting, and sauteing desserts, snacks, and meals. The LCD touchscreen allows you to set your preferred temperature.

 Pros

• Recipe book
• Affordable
• 7 preset programs
• Alarm indicator
• Temperature control

Cons

• Nonstick coating flakes off

3 – COSORI Nonstick Air Fryer – Best America’s test kitchen air fryers

Cosori air fryer is one of America’s test kitchen best air fryers available in the market designed with unique features.

The detachable square basket has a larger space to put in more food, is dishwasher safe, easy to use, nonstick, and nontoxic. This basket is available for sale and replaceable. The built-in digital touchscreen features 11 preset menus for French fries, vegetables, bacon, seafood, poultry, steak, shrimp, frozen food, bread, desserts, and root vegetables.

This product automatically turns off to avoid overcooking and produces more crispy and tasty results with a temperature range of 170 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit or 77 to 205 degrees Celsius within 1 to 60 minutes.

The nonstick coated basket makes it easy to take out food, Cosori air fryer has a keep-warm function and a shake reminder that lets you know when to shake the food for even a fry. The one-touch digital panel aids you in making excellent choices with a handle and button to accidental detachment of the basket.

Pros

• Dishwasher safe
• Removable square basket
• versatile
• Keep warm function
• Shake reminder alarm

Cons

• Stunk when in use

4 – Ninja Air fryer

The next product is the Ninja air fryer with four programmable functions to improve your cooking; dehydrate, air fry, air roast, and reheat. Ninja air fry is coated with a nonstick ceramic coating and a high gloss finish. The multi-layer rack, basket, and crisper plate are easy to maintain.

Multiple layer rack increases the dehydrating capacity, and a ceramic-coated crisper plate allows hot air to get under the food for even heating. For all-around crisping results, the ceramic coated basket has a 4-quart capacity, suitable for family use.

Easy to operate control panel with digital timer and a wide temperature range that quickly crisp and cook meals with convection heat, and allows you to remove moisture from foods within 105 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

This product requires about 3 minutes to preheat before coming up to the set temperature to achieve excellent results. The dehydrate function removes excess moisture.

The reheat function allows you to heat up and revive your cold foods and leftovers. With the air roast function, you require no oven to make your favorite roasted veggies, and the air fry function allows you to get a crispy result without all the fat.

Pros

• Programmable thermostat
• Multiple racks
• Versatile
• Easy to operate
• Nonstick

Cons

• Stunk up

5 – Ultrean Air Fryer, Electric Hot Air Fryers Oven

This is one of the best America’s test kitchen air fryers manufactured by Ultrean. It features LCD digital screen, timer control, scratch-free design, advanced air technology, detachable frying pot, a user manual included, temperature control, an on/off switch, and a cookbook to guide you in preparing a delicious meal with ease. This product comes in four different colors, namely blue, red, white, and black. It offers a larger space, fast air heat circulation, and saves time and cooking oil.

This sleek air fryer helps you create delicious meals with less effort, stress-less cooking set up with accessible buttons. It comes with adjustable temperature control, a removable dishwasher-safe basket, heat resistant handle, a nonstick pan, and an auto switch-off.

Pros

• High quality
• Even heat distribution
• Durable
• Resistant to scratch
• Multiple functions

Cons

• Expensive

6 – Ninja Foodi Digital Fry – Convection Oven- Toaster Air Fryer

The Ninja foodie digital air fryer has many distinctive features and cooking capacity in a compact package. Great value for your money. This product is an air fryer, toaster oven, and convection oven, you get all of these in one product: Air broil, air fry, air roast, bagel, dehydrate, toast, bake, and keep warm functions. You can always reclaim your kitchen space by flipping the air fryer up after use. Stainless steel finish, 8 in 1 functions in a powerful 1800-watt appliance.

 A recipe book for 15 different meals and precision-controlled temperature help you set the air fryer manually. It takes a minute to preheat, and prepare a full meal in less than 30 minutes.

Even and rapid heat distribution for optimum cooking performance, easy to operate, and maintain. The LED interior light helps you monitor your cooking process. A detachable crumb tray collects drips and crumbs that fall off, the flat back design grants easy access to the interior of the oven for thorough cleaning 

Pros

• High quality
• Advanced technology
• Detachable crumb pan
• Versatile

Cons

• Bulky

7 – Innsky Air Fryer Electric Stainless Steel Air Fryers Oven

This product was designed with 7 preset cooking menus, an LED digital touch screen, a removable fry basket with a handle, a Timer setting, temperature setting.

The digital touchscreen allows you to manually select the menu, which produces excellent results rather than turning knobs. Detachable pan and basket for easy cleaning and secure transfer of food from the basket to the plate. The release button is used to separate the basket and the pan.

A nonstick pan aids the free release of food. Easy to maintain with a dishwasher. The kitchen does not get hot or get filled with fumes when in use. The temperature ranges from 180 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. It occupies less space and provides more possibilities. 

Automatically shut off to avoid overcooking food and allows you to remove the basket during the cooking process without interfering with the preset temperature or time. A square frying basket accommodates more food than a round air fry basket.

Pros

• Metal interior
• Auto shut off
• Quiet
• Nonstick basket
• Digital touchscreen

Cons

• Expensive

8 – Chefman 6.3 Quart Digital Air Fryer

This versatile product has many functions that make cooking effortless when you use it. Chefman air fryer functions as an air fryer, dehydrator, rotisserie, and convection oven. It is perfect for nearly all kinds of cooking, tailored to suit your kitchen needs. 

Auto shut-off prevents the food from burning and overcooking, and the touchscreen presets, allow you to quickly select from the menu the recipe you want to use, and you can also regulate the temperature ranging from 90 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. It does not require preheating before use.

The digital touch screen display is easy to operate. The 6-quart space allows you to make a large quantity of food. Interior lights will enable you to watch your food as it cooks easily, comes with two airflow shelves, a rotating basket, drip tray, rotisserie forks, and spits.

Pros

• Auto shut off
• 1-year warranty
• Versatile
• Extra accessories

Cons

• Gets too hot

9 – Emeril Lagasse Power Air Fryer 360 Reviews

Emeril Lagasse power air fryer is equipped with a pro-grade built-in rotisserie, built-in dehydrator with racks, brushed stainless steel, pizza rack, crumb tray, cookbook, baking pan, rotisserie spit, crisper tray, LCD digital screen, and extra-large capacity. It remembers your last preset cooking temperature and time, replacing up to 9 kitchen appliances with just this air fryer.

A sleek design with stainless steel to complement the kitchen, versatile and large to cook for a family. 12 preset functions, which include baking, air frying, toasting, roasting, broiling, bagel, reheat, pizza, slow heat, dehydrate, warn, and rotisserie.

Help cut down on calories while you still consume delicious meals. Five powerful heating elements cook meals rapidly and evenly on all sides. Most ovens have only 3 heating elements. You can choose from the various cooking options, slow-cooking for up to 10 hours. 360-degree airflow tech, dehydrate snacks with no added preservatives or sugar, air fry French fries with less or no oil.

Pros

• Durable
• 12 preset menu
• Extra accessories
• Advanced airflow technology

Cons

• Expensive

Top 10 – Paula Deen 9.5 Quart Air Fryer

Looking for an air fryer that can cook a family-sized meal all at once?

This is a perfect product for you. Paula Deen’s air fryer cooks quick and healthier meals that can feed everyone in the house. The timer can be set from a minute to 60 minutes. With the temperature up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit to bake, dehydrate, roast, reheat, and air fry food.

Create a variety of dishes with the help of the cookbook that has about 50 recipes for savory, delicious, and healthier foods. It doesn’t leave your kitchen heated up or fumes or leave oil residue in the kitchen. 

This product comes with a year warranty, is coated with a nonstick ceramic coating, has simple knob controls that are easy to operate, with a rapid air circulation technology.

85 percent less fat. Nonstick aids the easy release of food. The air fryer basket is made with a nonstick ceramic coating which makes cleaning swift. All you need to do is wipe the basket with a kitchen towel and use a dishwasher to wash it.

Pros

• Rapid air circulation
• Suitable for a large family
• Versatile
• Nonstick

Cons

• No digital touchscreen.

Top 11- Cosori Smart Wifi Air Fryer

The first air fryer that can be controlled and monitored with your mobile device with the VeSync app requires a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connection to connect your smart air fryer to the VeSync app. Angled display screens provide a better view of your food without you bending over. Save counter space with its slimmer footprint.

Experience and enjoy a new way of cooking with the Cosori smart Wi-Fi air fryer constructed with your safety in mind, ETL certified with a removable nonstick basket that is dishwasher safe. Made with non-toxic material, automatic shutoff, and overheat protection features.

Button guard and handle prevent accidental detachment and touching of hot surfaces. One touch away from the preset feature, when you pick a recipe in the app, the setting adjusts automatically.

You can schedule your cooking time up to 4 hours in advance, you get over 100 recipes programmed in the VeSync app and have access to new recipes weekly. Through Alexa, you can remotely control your air fryer over voice commands. 

Pros

• High quality
• Advanced technology
• Versatile
• Durable

Cons

• Costly

HOW TO CHOOSE THE BEST AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN AIR FRYER?

1. Design

In choosing an air fryer, the model and design need to be considered, some are designed with a pullout tray while some come with a basket. You need to always pull out the tray to check your food’s progress while the one with the basket often comes with a stirring paddle and has a lid where you can monitor your food without disturbing the process. The stirring paddle saves you from the stress of stirring and flipping food.

2. Extra accessories

Most products come with extra accessories like an extra rack which allow you to cook different types of the meal at once. Some have a smaller bowl that fits into the main bowl. Some air fryers have added functions that make them a versatile kitchen appliance, while others have up to 5 functions, which range from the roaster, rotisserie, oven, dehydrator, and air roast.

3. Control

We have many air fryers with different ways of controlling them. We have digital and manual control features for both the temperature and time. Other products do not come with a control feature. The temperature and timer range setting also need to be considered before choosing a product.

There is also a smart control function in some air fryers. You can now control your air fryer with your smart devices from anywhere. The air fryer already comes with instructions; all you need to do is select your recipe. You can also keep track of your cooking process via the app on your smart device.

4. Size and shape

The space you have on your countertop and the number of persons you cook will determine the air fryer you choose. Air fryers come in different sizes and shapes; some have a square basket, and others have a round basket, it all depends on your preference and needs. 

HOW DOES THE AIR FRYER WORKS?

An air fryer works by rapidly circulating hot air around your food while it cooks, the air fryer has a detachable basket-like deep fryer, but instead of immersing the food into the hot oil, the food in the basket is evenly baked by the heat flowing in the air.

It is similar to the convection oven but in a miniaturized way. Air frying produces a similar result to deep frying. Instead of using plenty of oil to fry, you need just a tablespoon of oil to get a similar texture and taste.

The air reaches all the surface, the perforated basket and the walls of the chamber have little space in between them, and this intensifies the heat that gets in contact with the food. 

A small mechanical fan and heating element blows hot air around the food at high speed in an enclosed cooking chamber. The air swirls quickly in a circular form inside the air fryer. The air dehydrates all the moisture and fries the food evenly into a crispy and crunchy snack. This appliance works with electricity, so without electricity, your air fryer will not function.

Conclusion on Best Air Fryer

Finally, Air fryers save you from oil splashing all over you, and it is a healthier way of cooking different foods. Air is the new oil used in frying healthier foods with a tablespoon or less oil; your food is exposed to constant, circulating heat. You can choose from one of the best products to start eating healthy without fear of excess fat.

FAQs on Best Air Fryer