For those who've found themselves suddenly cooking more at home, you may be looking at your kitchen appliances and wishing they could do more. Especially if you're wanting to cook healthy meals for yourself and your family.
An appliance that can create crispy deep-fried delights using just a spoonful of oil sounds like the stuff of a George Foreman cheese-fever dream, but an air fryer can do just that by using convection cooking. This works by circulating hot air around food at speed to give it a crisp outer layer as a result of a chemical reaction called the Maillard effect. Which means you can fry chips, pieces of chicken and all manner of things (fried pickles FTW) using around 80% less fat than a deep-fat fryer. And most of these devices can also cook frozen food, roast meat and bake desserts, which makes them a handy addition to any kitchen. They also tend to appear in seasonal sales too.
We've scoured the web for the best air fryers around, from budget options to luxury and much more besides. Take a look below to find the perfect new addition to your kitchen.
If you’re looking for the fryer that cooks your food with the least fuss, the Tefal ActiFry Genius+ is the fryer for you. The Genius in its name is well earned, because it has nine automatic cooking modes in which the fryer itself adjusts the temperature and stirring rate as required, so you can wander off and come back to perfectly cooked food.
The stirring paddle also ensures your food is cooked evenly, removing any need for you to step in and shake. The cooking pan can also handle sauces, so you can cook meals without having to transfer ingredients to other pans, and both the pan and stirrer can go in the dishwasher once you’re done. There’s also a free partner app called MyActiFry which is full of recipes to try.
Buy from John Lewis | £149
This affordable appliance is a top choice for families with its 4.3-litre capacity (enough to feed everyone!). It’s great at producing top-quality fried foods and can crisp up everything from chicken goujons to chips (which are even better when the spuds are parboiled first). It’s sturdy, it’s easy to use and it comes with a temperature range from 80 to 200°C. At this price, it’s a great introduction to the world of air frying.
Buy on Amazon | £50
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With a large digital LED touchscreen, this compact device from British brand Lakeland is simple to control with an easy-to-use timer and temperature gauge (from 80 to 200°C) as well as an auto-stop function to prevent it being left on by mistake. It’s quiet when in use and any excess oil that escapes during cooking will drop into the drawer below.
Buy from Lakeland | £99.99
The Smart Oven Air might cost a pretty penny, but since it can do the job of a whole load of other appliances, it might end up being the most cost-effective option. As well as being a roomy air fryer that has the space to cook an entire chicken plus trimmings, it can also roast, bake and slow cook; it even has dedicated pizza and bagel modes, with the latter offering seven darkness settings. The ten one-touch presets make cooking with the Smart Oven Air easy, and the non-stick coating on the inside means that it’s not too much of a chore to clean afterwards either.
Buy from Lakeland | £299.99 (currently reduced to £199.99)
