Fried food is undeniably delicious — and who doesn't love a crunchy texture? — but it's also typically not great for your health. Air frying, a method that takes a small amount of oil and uses a fan to blow hot air and oil around your food, offers the same texture and similar taste without dipping your food into bubbling oil. If you're wondering where to start, we've rounded up the best air fryers available today.
The GoWISE XL has a 5.8-quart cook capacity that's perfect for families and it's easy to program thanks to a large touch display. Choose from a bunch of presets based on popular fried foods or set your own time and temperature. Get ideas from an included recipe book. It's also available in four colors to best match your kitchen.
Black+Decker's Purify has a 2.1-quart capacity that's great for two people, and it keeps things simple with a couple of control dials. All you have to do is set the temperature and timer, and the dual convection fans take care of the rest. The basket is dishwasher-safe for easy cleanup so you can sit back and digest a plate of fries.
The Philips Avance (HD9641) air fryer is the most expensive option on the list, but it makes up for the price with a ton of features. TurboStar fans ensure even frying, and you can bake, roast, and grill in the 2.75-quart dishwasher-safe tray. A digital display is easy to program and comes with presets, plus the Airfryer app provides more than 200 recipes.
Whereas most air fryers look more like a coffee maker with a tray that slides out, T-FAL's ActiFry has a visible ceramic frying tray that's dishwasher safe for easy cleanup. You can watch your food crisp up evenly thanks to pulsing air circulation, and it's all controlled with a simple two-button panel.
If you'd like to free up some counter space, this air fryer doubles as a toaster oven with the ability to convection (or regular) bake your food. It has a sleek stainless steel construction, the capacity for up to a four-pound chicken, and the trays are dishwasher safe. Four dials control all operations for a bit of a retro look.
Thanks to a 4.2-quart capacity, this option from Secura has the space to fit a toaster rack and skewers for "grilled" meat and vegetables when you're not frying in the usual basket. It's all controlled with a couple of dials for temperature and time.
If we're making a suggestion
This collection of air fryers includes a bunch of options that will appeal to different people, but if you're still stumped on where to turn, we recommend giving consideration to the GoWISE XL. It has a large 5.8-quart cooking capacity, a large touch display to control cooking, and it's also (surprisingly) the cheapest option on our list.
