Buying an air fryer? Here’s what you need to know!

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Are you based in the UK and debating buying an air fryer? Confused by the various brands and models, and don’t know which is best for you? This in depth easy read will get you fully clued up. So you can be confident that the air fryer you choose will be perfect for your lifestyle! Keep reading to learn more…

Is it really worth buying an air fryer?

Making a large purchase can be a difficult choice. There’s a lot to consider, especially when debating whether to hand over your hard earned cash! So it’s important to ensure you’re making the best decision for you.

So, is it really worth buying an air fryer? The answer will be different for everyone. And it depends entirely on you as an individual, and your lifestyle. For some, it will be the best thing they’ve ever bought! For others, it will be a complete waste of money!.

You need to work out how an air fryer will fit into your life, and whether it’s worth the price tag or not.

Why NOT to buy an air fryer

Although air fryers can be very handy gadgets to have, they aren’t for everyone. And depending on which brand/model you choose, they can be an expensive buy. 

If you don’t think you would use yours regularly, don’t eat the types of food that are typically air fried, don’t have lots of free worktop space, or already use your oven to the fullest potential (i.e. fill it up when you cook, rather than just cooking one thing and wasting energy), then buying an air fryer might not be the right choice for you.

On the other side of that coin, you may ask yourself – can an air fryer replace an oven? In which case, you really need to choose your air fryer wisely.

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What to consider when buying an air fryer

You need to figure out what type of air fryer will work best for you. The best place to start is by asking yourself the following questions…

How many people do you cook for? Are you looking for a small air fryer? A large air fryer? More of a family size air fryer? Choosing the right capacity is one of the most important factors. And something you should consider carefully.

Will air frying be a part of your daily life? Or is it a once in a blue moon sort of thing for you?

What type of food do you typically cook at home? Are you looking to make your weekly meals in it? Will you be using it for special occasion cooking? (i.e. Christmas dinner, baking birthday cakes etc.) Or are you just going to use it to cook chicken and chips?

Is easy cleaning important to you? Do the baskets and drawers need to be dishwasher safe? Or are you ok hand washing if the non stick makes it easy anyway?

The answers to all of these questions will not only help you determine whether buying an air fryer is right for you, but also help you better understand which type would work best in your current lifestyle.

How do air fryers work?

Air fryers have a heating element above the drawer(s), teamed up with quite a powerful fan. The combination of the two is what blows dry hot air around the drawer(s) and cooks your food.

What different types of air fryers are there?

There are quite a few different styles on the market nowadays. We’ve come a long way from the days of the Tefal Actifry dominating the market (although they are still going strong!). Here are a few different air fryers that you will definitely want to consider when making your choice…

1. Classic single basket drawer air fryer. These are the most common, and can be bought at a wide variety of price points. Very handy for lots of different lifestyles, and usually not too bulky.
2. Air fryer with a rotating blade. Mostly used for cooking chips, these air fryers allow for a more hands off approach. Although fairly limiting, they can prove to be very useful for certain styles of living.
3. Air fryer oven. These are typically a much larger type of air fryer. They have shelves rather than a drawer, and allow for more traditional oven style cooking. These are great if you don’t/can’t have a traditional oven.
4. Air fryer with 2 drawers. These are very popular models, as they can cook multiple things at different temperatures at the same time. Something that your oven actually can’t do.
5. Double stack air fryer. Relatively new to the air fryer world, this is a 2 drawer air fryer that has one drawer stacked on top of the other. Ideal for those that need a bigger air fryer, but don’t have the work surface for it.
6. Multi-cookers. You can also buy machines that have multiple uses. i.e. they air fry and slow cook. These are great if you don’t have a lot of space, or a big enough budget to by individual machines for each use.
7. Flex drawer air fryers. These beauties have the ability to switch between 1 larger drawer and 2 smaller drawers. Literally giving you the best of both air fryer worlds!

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What different features do air fryers have?

The air fryer market has grown substantially over the last few years. And, as a result, so have their capabilities! There are now so many amazing things you can do with an air fryer, it’s tricky to know which ones you’ll get the most out of.

Here’s a look at some of the different air fryer features on the market…

• Various sizes. From small to HUGE, there are a great choice of air fryer sizes to choose from. 
• Various settings. From standard air fry, to max crisp, bake, roast, dehydrate, reheat and more!
• 1 drawer. Having a bigger drawer means you can cook bigger things.
• 2 drawers. So you can cook different things at the same time, at different temperatures!
• Flex drawer. Giveing you the choice of 1 larger drawer or 2 smaller drawers.
• See through drawer with a light. So you can keep an eye on your food during cooking.
• Basket style drawer inner. Air fryers with a removable perforated inner drawer basket.  
• Crisper plate drawer inner. Air fryers which have a removable perforated plate/tray at the bottom of the drawer.
• Non-stick coating. Make sure you get an air fryer with a superior non-stick coating. Otherwise cleaning can be more difficult.
• Sync setting. This allows you to cook foods for different lengths of times and have them finish together.
• Match setting. A feature that allows you to match the settings from one drawer to another.
• Alarms. A features that notifies you when you need to shake the food and/or your food is cooked.
• Steam. Some air fryers now even have the capability to steam foods, as well as air fry them.

Air fryer pros and cons

While lots of people absolutely LOVE air fryers, just like anything, there are always pros and cons. Let’s have a look at what’s great, and what’s not so great, with the humble air fryer.

Pros

• Cooking times are faster and at lower temperatures.
• It’s a smaller appliance than an oven.
• It’s cheaper than an oven.
• You can cook at multiple temperatures at the same time with certain models.
• It can be very energy efficient.
• Great when it’s a hot Summer’s day and you don’t want to switch on the oven.
• Takes much less time to preheat than an oven.
• It can be a healthier way of cooking.
• Is easier to clean than an oven.
• Safer than using a deep fat fryer.

Cons

• Not ideal if you don’t have much worktop space.
• Has a smaller cooking capacity than an oven.
• Not good for cooking larger items, like pizza.
• You may need to cook in batches if they’re not big enough.
• Air fryer drawers are predominantly unsuitable for use in dishwashers.
• You will need allow time to learn to use an air fryer properly, as it’s not the same as using an oven.
• The initial cost can seem very expensive.
• Air fryers can be quite noisy during operation.

What to avoid when buying an air fryer

Don’t be duped by special offers or lower price points. Yes, it’s always great when you can save a few pennies. And Lord knows we all love a discount voucher! But you need to stay focussed. Don’t lose sight of which air fryer(s) will REALLY work well for you, and your circumstances. If you don’t, you could end up still wasting your money, even if you get a good discount!

Even if it turns out a more competitively priced model is actually the best choice for you, keep your options open throughout your search. Just in case.

One of the best things you can do to ensure you stay on task, is write out a list of the features you want. Categorise them into 3 groups – must have, added bonus, not necessary. This way, when you see those shiny air fryer deals, take a look at your list (focussing on the must haves) and stick to your guns!

Another thing to avoid is getting too hung up on reviews. We’ve all done it right? Spent hours and hours scouring various websites, reading hundreds of reviews to find out the nitty gritty of those items we want to buy? Especially those higher ticket items, like air fryers!

But, the thing is, they’re not you. As I’ve said before, what works for you and your lifestyle is what really matters. Not what works for other people! Take those reviews with a pinch of salt, and try to remember the key features that will work best for you. That’s the most successful method of choosing the right air fryer.

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What is important when buying an air fryer

There are most certainly some key important things to know before you go and buy an air fryer…

1. Know which style of air fryer will work best for your needs, and don’t compromise. Or you could end up wasting your money by not being able to get the most out of it.
2. Work out your budget, and stick to it. By all means, use a discount code/voucher if there are any available. You could also consider spreading the cost using a ‘buy in 3’ payment option like Klarna if that would help. But if it means waiting patiently until a special offer comes along and makes your dream air fryer affordable, so be it. It’ll be worth it!
3. Does it come with a manufacturers warranty? If so, what is covered and what isn’t? This comes with a caveat – once you’ve made your purchase, you will need to get familiar with your new air fryer, and learn how to use it properly. If you don’t, you could end up accidentally damaging your new air fryer, and it may not be covered by a warranty.

Which air fryer should I buy?

Choosing the right air fryer for you can be a tricky decision. It’s all about weighing up the pros and cons, and which one will work best for your lifestyle. Ask yourself… How many people are you cooking for? What do you typically cook in a normal week? Would you find cooking larger quantities more helpful than being able to cook things at different temperatures at the same time? Or is it the other way around?

After reading this article and answering those questions, you should have a pretty good idea of the key features you need in an air fryer. Once you have those, Google it! Google ‘air fryers with [key feature] uk’ and you’ll easily compile a shortlist of air fryers to consider as serious contenders.

Once you have your shortlist, read a few reviews across various websites to narrow down your search. (Don’t forget to check them on Trustpilot to ensure they’re reputable sellers.)

Now all that’s left to do is find a good deal! Look for discount codes or in-store special offers. Websites like Hot UK Deals are always a good place to start. And the Honey browser extension can also be a handy tool for finding good discounts.

5 top rated air fryers

I’ve previously owned a Tefal air fryer (which had a rotating blade) and currently own a Ninja air fryer, the AF400UK max dual zone model (which has 2 drawers). I’ve used my Ninja Foodi dual zone almost every day for well over a year, and I’ve honestly never looked back! It’s been so worth the money in our house. If you want to know more, check out my Ninja Foodi air fryer review.

For further research, I’ve also recently purchased a Tower T17067 4 litre single drawer air fryer. I’m really enjoying it so far. The single drawer size difference makes a nice change from smaller dual drawers. And I love that the temperature range goes down to 80ºC, and can be changed in 5º increments.

I’ve also spent a lot of time Googling and researching air fryers! Based on my experience and research, here are my top 5 recommended air fryers 2024 (in no particular order).

1. Instant Vortex Plus Dual. Currently considered one of the best dual drawer air fryers on the market. It has a wipe clean electronic display with lots of handy functions, two large drawers with see through panels for easy viewing, and SyncFinish/SyncCook features for seamless cooking.
2. Tower T17023. A small but perfectly formed single drawer air fryer. Ideal for 1-2 people and/or smaller kitchens!
3. Ninja Flex Drawer. 1 large drawer or 2 smaller drawers? This machine has BOTH! Giving you the best of both worlds.
4. Ninja Double Stack. Don’t have the worktop space for a large appliance? The double stack might be for you! Instead of having 2 drawers next to each other, this machine has 1 drawer stacked on top of the other. Giving you a good amount of cooking space, while sacrificing very little worktop!
5. Tefal Actifry Genius XL. A double layer self stirring air fryer. Ideal for those who get fed up of having to constantly shake the basket.

Get in touch!

I hope you’ve found this article super helpful! If you have, and you’ve gone on to purchase an air fryer as a result – I’d LOVE to hear about it! Get in touch via social media – on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Or email me at emma@kitchenmason.com. I’d love your feedback!

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