In the mood for crispy chicken wings? Air fryers make the best ones! Want French fries, fried pickles or fried zucchini sticks that aren’t dripping in grease? Air fryers to the rescue. Keep scrolling to see the best air fryers of 2021 and decide which one is right for you.
What is an Air Fryer?
Air fryers are essentially small kitchen appliances that deliver crispy, healthier results without having to cleanup vats of oil after making a meal or a snack. They’re comparable to what expensive convection ovens offer for industrial kitchens and restaurants, but are available to everyone in a succinct little package known as the air fryer. An air fryer is an appliance that allows you to bake and roast foods. It can also simulate deep frying foods without having to use oil. A benefit of using an air fryer is not needing to buy and store large quantities of oil. Spare your kitchen the messes that come along with deep frying! Also, eliminate the smells that can seep into your skin and clothing while deep frying. Knowing your food is healthier and not saturated with fattening oils is a huge perk. Inside the air fryer, a fan circulates hot air in order to achieve that nice crisp outer layer on your food while cooking the insides perfectly. Depending on the model you select, you can also have a rotisserie function, toasting capabilities and a dehydrator. Air fryers can easily fit on your counter and can be tucked away when not in use.
What Can You Cook in an Air Fryer?
There isn’t much you can’t cook in an air fryer. If you are not a fan of cooking, but have people to feed, this is a great appliance for you! Most food cooks in a shorter timeframe vs. oven-baked recipes and there’s no preheating required with most air fryers. And if you rely on frozen food or pre-cooked food for getting dinner on the table fast, then this countertop gadget will make your life even easier. You will find that French fries are more delicious when prepared in an air fryer, as are air fryer chicken wings. And you can easily heat up (and toast) food if you have an air fryer toaster oven, verses the bucket style.
Features To Consider When Selecting an Air Fryer
If you haven’t purchased an air fryer yet, consider which features and functions are most important for you in order to know which model to buy. If you have minimal counter space, opt for a bucket version. If you want a more robust set of feature—such as toasting or dehydrating—opt for a toaster oven style. Whichever route you go, these air fryers will totally change your frying game in the kitchen! Here at Parade.com, we’re all about sharing products we love with our audience. When you make a purchase on an item seen on this page, we may earn a commission, however all picks are independently chosen unless otherwise mentioned.
Best Air Fryers of 2021
Best Overall Fryer:Cosori Air Fryer Max XL Best Family-Friendly Fryer:Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven Best Small Space Fryer:Dash Deluxe Electric Air Fryer + Oven Cooker Best Fryer For Family of 4: GoWISE USA 8-in-1 Air Fryer Best Air Fryer Accessory: Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid Best Large Capacity Air Fryer: Gourmia 7-qt. Stainless Steel Digital Air Fryer Best Heating Air Fryer: Philips Premium Air Fryer XXL
Best Overall Fryer:Cosori Air Fryer Max XL
In our opinion, the best overall air fryer is the COSORIAir Fryer Max XL. This appliance would make a great purchase for your kitchen. It’s not as big or offer as many functions, but you will find that it’s great in so many ways for those new to air fryers. The compact size makes it an excellent purchase for new air fryer users and it has a lot of easy-to-use preset buttons. Compared with a 4-quart round basket or even smaller one, this COSORI air fryer’s 5.8-quart square nonstick basket can fit a 5-6 lb whole chicken, while a small round basket can’t. Plus, it’s dishwasher safe and includes 100 recipes to make. $120, cosori.com
Best Family-Friendly Fryer:Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven
This Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven is a combination of convection, conventional and air-frying power that easily replaces your toaster, broiler oven and more. It’s a great size for a family, so you can prepare enough food in one batch, and it has a powerful 1,800 watts of power, seven functions and a 3-lb. capacity that increases its utility. This model includes an oven rack, baking pan and an air fryer rack/basket. $250, macys.com
Best Small Space Fryer: Dash Deluxe Electric Air Fryer + Oven Cooker
This cute little appliance will add a splash of aqua color to your kitchen and store away easily when you’re done cooking, thanks to its compact size. The Dash Deluxe Electric Air Fryer + Oven Cooker offers temperature control as a feature and a nonstick basket. You’ll also like the cool touch technology, which makes it safe for your kids to cook with too. $60, Dash Deluxe Electric Air Fryer + Oven Cooker
Best Fryer For Family of 4: GoWISE USA 8-in-1 Air Fryer
The GoWISE USA 8-in-1 Air Fryer is 5.48 Liters. 6 accessories come with this appliance, giving you options to cook foods from fries, pork, shrimp, cake, chicken, steak, fish to pizza. This model has a new feature - a Start/Stop button to change time and temperature in the middle of a cook cycle. It’ll prompt you to shake or flip your food with the new built-in alarm function that reminds you to shake your ingredients in 5, 10, 15-minute increments. Perfect for putting together dinner for a family of 4 quickly! $104, wayfair.com
Best Air Fryer Accessory: Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid
Instant Pot is well known for its pressure cookers because they are well made, have several models and are super useful in cooking so many different dishes. If you’re interested in the air fryer, but have one appliance too many, you can purchase the Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid that transforms your existing pot into a fryer too. You can fry, roast, bake and broil with this handy attachment, so even though it’s technically not an air fryer, we feel it’s innovative enough to add to the list. Plus, think of the time you’ll save not having to find room for another bulky gadget! Just be sure to see if your IP model is compatible. $80, Instant Pot Air Fryer Lid
Best Large Capacity Air Fryer: Gourmia 7-qt. Stainless Steel Digital Air Fryer
You can cook up a batch of veggies, potatoes or reheating your favorite snacks in this square basket that boasts roasting, grilling, baking and frying all kinds foods up to 30% faster than your stovetop or oven. This Stainless Steel 7 Qt Digital Air Fryer has a LCD display that allows for easy adjustment of temperature and offers eight preset options for cooking with a sleek stainless steel exterior. And you can easily clean the removable parts in the dishwasher for hassle-free cleanup. $120, Kohls.com
Best Heating Air Fryer: Philips Premium Air Fryer XXL
Buyers of this Premium Airfryer XXL give high ratings to this appliance and say it’s well worth the investment because it consistently delivers crisp results. It’s the only air fryer that heats in a way that offers fat removal; equipped with technology that reduces and captures excess fat, it’s up for keeping your foods prepared as healthy as it can. With a 3 pounds/4qt capacity, it’s easy to make delicious meals for up to six people every day. The air fryer is instantly hot and ready to go in seconds, so you won’t have to preheat the oven, saving you needed functionality so you can save time and start cooking right away. Air fry, bake, grill, roast, reheat, dehydrate and toast—all in the same device. Cleaning is simple with dishwasher-safe removable parts and a quick-clean basket to save you time. $260, Philips Premium Air Fryer XXL
