Home air fryer makers promise a lot. The biggest claim is they create the delicious deep fried taste you crave but with almost no oil. Some companies say their air fryers can roast whole chickens complete with perfectly crisp skin. That's why we decided to see for ourselves just what these countertop cookers can do.
We put eight different air fryers to the test, including units from Black & Decker, DeLonghi, Krups, Philips, Simple Chef and T-Fal. After cooking everything from french fries to frozen snacks to chicken wings to burgers, here's what we found.
The Black and Decker Purify.
Chris Monroe/CNETBlack and Decker Purifry
The $100 Purifry from Black and Decker is a solid air fryer choice. It's affordable and performs well, but its small capacity is no crowd pleaser.
The DeLonghi Multifry 1363.
Tyler Lizenby/CNETDeLonghi Multifry 1363
The DeLonghi Multifry 1363 successfully conjures some of that deep fried flavor and crunch in the food it makes. It also comes with a motorized mixing paddle. Just don't try to use it to make risotto, which it claims it can do.
The Krups Fry Delight.
Chris Monroe/CNETKrups Fry Delight
This Krups air fryer is reasonably priced and makes decent fries. It's hard to clean its metal mesh basket though, and its shape and size make it bulkier than most people will want for a countertop appliance.
The Philips Airfryer XXL.
Chris Monroe/CNETPhilips Airfryer XXL
Here's an air fryer that's simply massive. The Philips Airfryer XXL cooks up the biggest batches of all the fryers we've looked at so far, but it's also expensive and has confusing controls.
The Philips Avance Collection Airfryer.
Tyler Lizenby/CNETPhilips Avance Collection Airfryer
This Philips Avance Collection Airfryer is one appliance you'll want to skip. The Avance cooked fresh food no better than a conventional oven despite its steep price.
The Philips Viva Collection Airfryer.
Tyler Lizenby/CNETPhilips Viva Collection Airfryer HD9621
The Philips Viva Collection Airfryer is compact, cooks frozen snacks quickly, and is a snap to clean. Its low-powered heating system though couldn't make food with deep-fried flavor and texture. It's also more expensive than it should be.
The Simple Chef HF-898 Air Fryer.
Tyler Lizenby/CNETSimple Chef HF-898 Air Fryer
The most affordable air fryer we've tested so far, the Simple Chef HF-898 Air Fryer is also the easiest to keep clean. We weren't entirely blown away by its cooking performance, but overall this one is a solid choice.
The T-Fal Actifry FZ7002.
Tyler Lizenby/CNETT-Fal Actifry FZ7002
If you crave truly outstanding fries at home the T-Fal Actifry FZ7002 is the air fryer to buy. Most shoppers though shouldn't spend this much on an appliance that can't do much else.
To air fry or not
Countertop kitchen air fryers are gaining hype as a small appliance category, and many manufacturers now sell these products hoping to cash in. Whether you should buy one depends on how much you enjoy fried potatoes and frozen snacks in all their varied forms. If the answer is a lot, then by all means choose a model that you can afford. Otherwise consider relying on your trusty oven when the fried food craving strikes.
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