How to find the best air fryer for you
20.1.2026
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
Hot air fryers are designed to be fast at producing crispy fries without using lots of oil. If you’re thinking of getting one, it’s best not to exclusively focus on the price to avoid disappointment in the kitchen. I’ve put together a handful of other criteria to keep in mind before buying.
I should’ve listened to my late mum. «Do your research before making a big purchase, otherwise you’ll have to buy the same thing twice.» She was so right. To stop that from happening to you, I’m sharing my experiences with hot air fryers.
After seeing an air fryer being presented on a shopping channel for the umpteenth time, I’m giving it a go. Soon after, a Ninja hot air fryer is delivered to my home. It’s love at first use with this nifty appliance. Frozen fries come out tasty and crispy and it even does schnitzel. Brilliant! But in spite of it all its advantages, this gadget just wasn’t the right match for me.
The reason for our incompatibility? It only has one basket. But I want to be able to fry chicken and veg at the same time, so that’s a problem.
One or two baskets? The dual-zone question
My new air fryer is a step up from the old one. It’s a great addition to my kitchen with its two baskets that operate independently of each other. This means you can cook two dishes at different temperatures at the same time. The feature is referred to as dual-zone.
To make sure both foods are ready at the same time, you need a fryer with a sync function. The way this works is that you define the settings for both baskets and activate synchronisation mode. The air fryer lets you know both by making a sound and giving you a visual cue when you need to place the food with the shorter cooking time in the basket. It’s a feature my current air fryer has:
Not much space in your kitchen? Fortunately, that’s not a reason to do without two baskets. There are models out there with vertically stacked baskets.
They take up less workspace, but might be too close to your kitchen cabinets. For safety reasons, you should always keep a distance of 15 to 20 centimetres around the air fryer.
How much frying space do you need?
Another important question you need to ask yourself before buying is how many people you usually cook for? If it’s three to four, a fryer that fits around eight litres should have you covered. In any case, you won’t be able to fit a whole chicken into any of the smaller devices. But even with sides such as fries, smaller volumes can soon be quite cramped.
Filling the frying basket to the brim to make up for lacking space isn’t a great idea by the way. I tried that and failed. The hot air needs to circulate around the food. So if you cram too much in, your fries or wedges will be soggy, even if you flip them every now and again.
Temperatures and functions
Most air fryers can reach temperatures of up to 230 degrees Celsius. For classic air frying, baking or grilling, that’s plenty. Some models can reach even higher temperatures. This has some advantages for baking.
What’s much more important than temperatures, however, are the different preparation methods the fryer offers. Almost all fryers these days do more than just fry. They can grill, bake, reheat or desiccate. Budget allowing, always go for a fryer that offers the most cooking options.
Some manufacturers like to boast how many automatic programmes their products have. Sure, automatic modes can be useful if you prepare the same dishes on a regular basis. However, it’s more important you can set the temperature and time individually during cooking to give you flexibility.
Nice-to-have functions
Many devices come with a shake reminder. As the name suggests, it tells you when to give the basket a shake when you’re frying. Especially with fries, you’ll get more even results that way. Sounds simple, but can make all the difference.
A window to the cooking chamber is also a nice touch. It allows you to monitor the degree of browning of rolls or muffins. Otherwise, trust the information in the recipe. If you keep opening the drawer, you’re wasting energy and the food will take longer until it’s ready. So better wait until the end of the cooking time to take a peek.
App control is something you generally find in high-end models. Although I’m a big fan of smart home features, I prefer to keep things simple in the kitchen. Unless app control can flip my fries or empty the dishwasher, I can do without it. The «recipes» most commonly advertised by the apps can also be found online.
Whether you operate your air fryer using a knob or touchscreen is a matter of taste. Switches and knobs have a nice feel, touchscreens are easier to keep clean.
Speaking of clean: when choosing an air fryer, it’s worth checking which parts are dishwasher-proof. I prefer to wash the baskets and grill grates by hand, especially because of their non-stick coating. In any case, you should always clean the appliance and baskets right after use. This prevents unwanted odours from being transferred to your food.
Maybe I’ll manage to put all these considerations into practice before making my next big purchase. Not that I’ve managed to stick to this approach with my air fryer accessories. Find out which ones I still use after making many wrong purchases in this article:
Got any more tips for choosing an air fryer? Which one did you go for? Let us know in the comments.*
Header image: Stephan Lamprecht
Hamburg local, bookworm, and ice hockey fan. Dad and granddad. Constantly tinkering around with my smart home setup. I love DIY, the outdoors, fashion, and cosmetics.
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