If you love the taste of deep-fried, crispy-on-the-outside, perfectly-moist-on-the-inside foods, but hate the serious inconvenience of all that oil (not to mention all the extra calories) — it may be time for you to consider converting to an air fryer.
Air fryers use internal fans to cook your food, giving them a crunchy exterior without all the extra oil. Your low-fat fried chicken will come out perfectly golden brown, and your french fries perfectly crispy. Air frying also offers several nutritional advantages over traditional frying, since no oil (or significantly less oil) can be used in each recipe.
We spoke to Cynthia Sass, registered dietitian and nutritionist, to get an expert's take on the health benefits of cooking with an air fryer. As she pointed out, "Air frying saves calories because rather than submerging foods in oil, the machine produces a crisp, crunchy texture by circulating hot air that contains fine oil droplets. Because air frying requires significantly less oil, you save calories and fat, which may help support weight loss or prevent weight gain."
Aside from its many health benefits as an alternative to a deep fryer, an air fryer is also an incredibly versatile kitchen tool. Beyond its most common applications in the kitchen to prepare traditionally deep-fried foods like french fries, chicken wings, and mozzarella sticks, air fryers can also be used as a smaller convection oven to bake desserts like cookies, brownies, and even cake.
To demonstrate just how limitless cooking with an air fryer truly is, we worked alongside Celeste Rogers, recent Chopped Champion and Assistant Resident Chef at Sur La Table, who showed us a wide array of kitchen applications for using an air fryer — from savory to sweet. With the help of Chef Celeste, we used a Philips Air Fryer to test out five different recipes: Fried chicken, french fries, fried pickles, Nutella brownies, and even a fun cannoli recipe.
For a link to the full list of recipes we tested in this piece and more tips from Chef Celeste, keep scrolling to the bottom of the page!
If you're feeling lost while trying to figure out which air fryer to buy, check out our vetted picks for the best options out there. We took a look at everything from preset buttons to temperature range — as well as capacity and affordability — when making our choices, and then we tested the very best of the best to provide our expert picks.
Here are our top picks for the best air fryers that'll deliver consistent, crispy results.
Learn More About the 5 Best Air Fryers:
1. GoWISE Air Fryer - Check Price
Best Overall
Pros: Affordable, easy to use
Cons: As with most air fryers, you'll have to restart it every time you check on or stir your food
Inexpensive doesn't have to mean ineffective, and this user-friendly air fryer is proof. It comes with eight preset buttons, including chicken, pork, shrimp, chips, fish, and even cake! Yep, you can bake a cake in this air fryer.
It also has customizable temperature and time controls for recipes with specific cooking instructions. The temperature range is 180-400 degrees, and with a 3.7-quart capacity, it'll fit about eight chicken wings or a medium-sized batch of fries. For everyday use, the GoWISE gets our vote for best overall air fryer.
2. Philips Airfryer XL - Check Price
Chef-Approved Pick
Pros: Super fast, "Chopped" champion-approved
Cons: Pricey, must buy attachments to be able to cook multiple layers of food at once
This Philips air fryer uses a patented "starfish" fan to evenly distribute air in a way that delivers crispy results from edge to edge. That means you won't end up with soggy fried chicken wings or mushy fries in the middle and crispy ones around the outside of the pan.
The Philips Air Fryer has a range of settings that allow you to bake, steam, and even "grill" your foods, and it comes with one frying basket. You can also purchase other accessories for the inside that allow you to stack layers of food for more efficient cooking. This air fryer also features a smart preset button that memorizes the settings for your favorite and most frequently cooked recipes, like french fries.
3. COSORI Max XL Air Fryer - Check Price
Best for Families
Pros: Affordable, large temperature range
Cons: No preset buttons
For large-batch cooking, this air fryer is the one to get. The adjustable temperature goes up to 400 degrees, which is pretty much standard across the board, and this unit also features an easy-to-read LED digital touch screen with 11 pre-set cooking functions, including frozen foods, vegetables, and even french fries.
Adjustable time and temperature settings make it easy and intuitive to cook your favorite foods, and the dishwasher-safe, nonstick basket inserts allow for easy cleanup. We also love that this air fryer includes a helpful air-fryer cookbook, which includes 100 great recipes to try out at home.
4. GoWISE Electric Air Fryer XL - Check Price
Best Large Capacity
Pros: Huge capacity, super fast
Cons: Takes up a lot of space
This 5.8-quart air fryer is the larger version of our Best Overall pick, making this our top pick for anyone who's interested in large-batch cooking.
The adjustable temperature goes up to 400 degrees, which is pretty much standard across the board, and this unit also features a helpful 30-minute timer to set while you're busy with other kitchen-prep tasks.
While some of our other choices can fry and bake, this 700-watt air fryer can also grill and roast, allowing you to make personal-sized pizzas! It comes with a convenient reminder to shake ingredients while in this. We also love that this air fryer includes a helpful air fryer cookbook, which includes over 50 great recipes to try out at home.
5. Dash Compact Air Fryer - Check Price
Most Compact
Pros: Compact and lightweight; user-friendly features
Cons: Slightly smaller fry basket
If you're limited on kitchen space and looking for a more efficient model, this lightweight and compact electric air fryer is your best bet. With a 1.6-quart nonstick fryer basket, clear temperature controls, and automatic turn-off feature, this air fryer is user-friendly, compact, and stylish.
Beyond the sleek retro aesthetic and compact size, there are a few clever built-in features that make this air fryer model particularly user-friendly and versatile. A 30-minute timer shuts off automatically, eliminating the possibility of overcooking or burning and making this unit safe for families to use. A nonstick fry basket cleans easily with no extra mess, and is also dishwasher-safe for quick cleanup. An easy-to-read temperature-control dial allows the user to adjust the heat for a variety of different foods and recipes.
This air fryer comes in a range of fun colors to match any kitchen vibe or aesthetic. Choose from a retro aqua hue (featured), red, black, white, or gray.
Ask an Expert: Air Frying 101 with Chef Celeste Rogers
To demonstrate just how limitless cooking with an air fryer truly is, we worked alongside Celeste Rogers, recent Chopped Champion and Assistant Resident Chef at Sur La Table, who showed us a wide array of kitchen applications for using an air fryer — from savory to sweet.
The key to success, according to Rogers, is understanding how an air fryer actually works. "Manage your expectations and realize that an air fryer is basically a small, but high-performing convection oven."
Rogers points out that an air fryer is much less about frying and more about a healthier means of cooking traditionally fried foods. As she explained, "Rapidly circulating hot air dries and crisps while cooking your food. Name aside, there is no actual frying going on here!"
Chef Celeste's Top Expert Tips & Tricks:
1. Invest in a High-Heat Cooking Oil Spray
To optimize the performance of your air fryer, you’re going to need to invest in a high smoke point neutral-flavored vegetable oil spray. Chef Celeste's favorite is either safflower or grapeseed oil, but canola will do. You’ll need to spray the basket to prevent sticking and spray the surface of your food to ensure proper golden crisping.
2. Avoid Wet Batters
Things can go very wrong when it come to battered food (think beer-battered onion rings, tempura shrimp, etc). Wet batters are off-limits because the food will stick to, or even drip through, the basket. Instead, Chef Celeste recommends sticking with a drier dredged coating (think panko-crusted cutlets, coconut-crusted shrimp, or even fried pickles).
3. Give Your Food Some Breathing Room
You’ll need to give your food a bit of breathing room to properly air-fry. If pieces are touching, you’ll get uneven browning and less crisping. This means you can only make small batches and sometimes just single servings.
Check out the video below for more of Chef Celeste's expert air fryer tips & tricks!
Follow Chef Celeste @celestible and Sur La Table @surlatable for more cooking tips, tricks, and yummy recipes!
For a full list of the air-fryer recipes we featured in this piece, head on over to Chef Celeste's site.
What Are You Waiting For? Shop These Top-Rated Air Fryers Now!
FAQs: Everything Else You've Wondered About the Air Fryer
Q. How in the heck does an air fryer actually work?
A. Well, it's really the magic of science. However, in layman's terms, air fryers work by evenly circulating the hot air from the air fryer itself to cook some of your favorite foods without having to use oil (we're looking at you, deep fryer!). To dig a little deeper, the cooking chamber utilizes the heating element, which is typically positioned really close to the food you added into the fryer, so that your food is cooked efficiently. Plus, the fan will help to distribute the hot air all around the food.
All of this means that you don't really have to use oil to get that "fried crunch" taste you normally would on things like chicken, french fries, potato chips and more. You can use a little oil, however. More on that below!
Q. Are air fryers safer to use than deep fryers?
A. Yes! And much less messy. According to Chef Celeste, "Deep-frying is messy and comes with some serious safety precautions. Air frying, on the other hand, leaves you with very little clean-up and no risk of third-degree burns, bringing homemade french fries into the the realm of accessibility for after-school snacks or 4 a.m. munchie binges."
Q. What can my air fryer do besides frying? Can I use it as an oven or to make desserts?
A. As Chef Celeste says, "... an Air-Fryer is basically a small, but high-performing convection oven." To this end, you can use your air fryer as a small convection oven to make sweet treats like chocolate chip cookies, brownies, and even cannoli!
Q. Everyone seems to be talking about air fryers these days. Is it actually good for me?
A. It's not so much that it's "good for you" as it's just “better for you,” especially when comparing it to a deep fryer. You're using a ton of oil with a deep fryer and not really any oil when utilizing the air fryer. This alone will help reduce fat while still allowing you to enjoy your favorite foods like fried chicken, fish, potato chips, steak and even cake. Mmmmm cake!
Q. What do health experts say about cooking with an air fryer?
A. We spoke to Cynthia Sass, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, to get an expert's take on the health benefits of cooking with an air fryer. As Sass told us:
"Air frying offers several nutritional advantages over traditional frying. Air frying saves calories, because rather than submerging foods in oil, the machine produces a crisp, crunchy texture by circulating hot air that contains fine oil droplets. Because this process requires significantly less oil, you save calories and fat, which may help support weight loss or prevent weight gain."
Sass also added, "perhaps most significantly, air fryers produce less acrylamide, a substance formed when carb-rich foods are heated at a high temperature. Acrylamide has been linked to an increased risk of both cancer and heart disease. One study found that air frying reduced acrylamide by 90% compared to deep-frying."
More Top-Rated Air Fryers For You!
Q. Do I have to add oil to the air fryer itself?
A. The short answer is "no." You actually shouldn't add oil at all into the air fryer itself. After using your air fryer a few times, if you feel like your food is still a little too dry, you can always lightly (very lightly) coat your food in oil first before placing it into the air fryer basket. The circulating hot air will strip out some of the oil, so it's still a better low-fat option for you.
Chef Celeste recommends investing in a high smoke point and neutral-flavored vegetable oil spray. Her favorite is either safflower or grape seed oil, but canola will do. "You’ll need to spray the basket to prevent sticking and spray the surface of your food to ensure proper golden crisping," she recommends.
Q. Do air fryers cook faster than other means of cooking?
A. Well, depending on which means of cooking you're referring to, the answer is “yes” (usually). Air fryers are typically on the smaller side (although there are some extra large versions) and their temps can range anywhere from around 200 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Therefore air fryers reduce your average cooking time by 25% than your normal oven.
As Chef Celeste told us, "A benefit for all the impatient cooks out there is the speed." Whether you’re baking or deep-frying, you’re usually looking at substantial pre-heating time. Since you skip the preheat with most air-fryer models, you're looking at a much quicker bake time.
Q. Are air fryers a pain to clean? Are they dishwasher-safe?
A. Always check the manual that came with your specific air fryer brand, but overall, they're pretty easy to clean, and many have parts that are removable and dishwasher-safe. If you're manually cleaning it, you'll want to simply unplug it first and then remove the basket and pan for a quick washing in the sink. Use a mild dishwashing soap, some hot water, and a non-abrasive brush or sponge to lightly clean it. Then rinse it, let it air dry, or use a soft cloth to pat it dry.
If you have some stubborn food particles that aren't easily removed, we suggest to just soak it in hot water for about 5-10 minutes before continuing to clean.
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Additional research and reporting for this piece was done by Sally Kaplan.
