Our winning air fryer was the first model we’ve tested that delivers on its promise to offer an extra-large capacity. Though it’s only a foot tall, this drawer-style model was large enough to fit four chicken cutlets or two 15-ounce bags of frozen french fries, cooking everything to crispy, golden perfection. We were even able to cook a whole 4-pound chicken in it. A quick 2-minute preheat ensured that the interior was hot when we added food. The wide drawer-style basket was easy to remove and insert—and our hands were safeguarded from the heating element—and its sturdy handle allowed us to shake its contents for easy redistribution. Intuitive digital controls (including a simple knob to set the time and temperature) were brightly lit and easy to operate. This fryer is a great option for a family of four or anyone who is looking for more cooking space without adding much bulk. Our one gripe is that the basket liner occasionally fell out when we inverted the basket. We solved this by using tongs to remove food or being more careful when pouring.
Why We Love Air Fryers
After spending months testing different models and developing recipes in them, we can't help but love them.
This model has the same spacious interior, convenient preheating cycle, and stellar cooking ability as its predecessor. But for a bit more money, it includes a few bells and whistles that we particularly appreciated. It’s quieter than most of the other models in the lineup, and its viewing window allowed us to monitor cooking progress without losing heat. The only smells we detected were from the food we were cooking, and we found the control panel even easier to use than that of our winner. And the basket liner rarely came loose when we inverted it, another improvement over the winner. In sum, it performs well and is well worth paying a bit extra.
While this air fryer’s digital controls weren’t quite as intuitive as those of our favorite models, it was still easy to set the time and temperature once we got the hang of the multiple buttons. It cooked foods quickly, and its display was bright, large, and easy to read. Its drawer and automatic shutoff were a boon to safety, and its nonstick interior was easy to clean. Its small capacity wouldn’t work for a crowd, but it cooked our recipes for two and small batches of frozen fries without issue.
This roomy, relatively affordable air-fryer toaster oven performed beautifully on most tasks, air frying, roasting, and broiling well. Rack positions for each cooking mode were indicated on the oven door, making it easy to cook properly. We liked that the cooking countdown paused when we opened the door to flip food. But like many of the machines we’ve tested, it seemed underpowered when it came to toasting, producing very light toast even when we’d selected the darkest setting. Its digital interface was a bit of a pain to navigate and took up nearly a third of the machine’s front, leaving a smaller window for us to monitor our food’s progress. Despite having a big control panel, the time and temperature display was so small that time and temperature didn’t both fit on it at the same time; instead, the display alternates between the two readings as food cooks, a minor inconvenience.
Our top pick had intuitive controls and consistently made the best food in the bunch. We liked its clearly labeled knobs and digital interface that displayed the time, temperature, and cooking setting. It made excellent toast (it has adjustable settings that you can customize depending on your slice of bread); produced tender, browned broiled asparagus; yielded roasted chicken that was golden all over; and made air-fryer french fries and chicken Parmesan on par with recipes made in our favorite traditional air fryer. Because it's such a large enclosed space, and the air-fryer basket is made from uncoated metal, the oven can be a bit of a pain to clean, especially after roasting chicken or doing anything with melted cheese. This model can also accommodate more food than our favorite air fryer, which is helpful if you frequently cook for more than two people.
This model has a similar capacity to our winner, though its external footprint is about 10 percent larger. It offers an array of functions, including air frying, broiling, and toasting. Its digital controls are intuitive and straightforward, with a display that lights up to clearly show the time elapsed. Its air-fried food was as good as the food made in our winning air fryer, and it also excelled at toasting bread to different doneness levels, broiling asparagus, and roasting chicken. Like all the air-fryer toaster ovens we tested, it was a bit hard to clean. Though it’s a tad larger than our winner, we still recommend this model for those who have room in their kitchens and are looking for a great multipurpose appliance that will maximize their cooking capabilities.
The newest instant-read thermometer by ThermoWorks is the best we’ve tested yet. It has all the features we loved in our previous favorite: a large, grippy handle; a rotating screen with large, highly legible numbers; and a backlight that goes on when viewing conditions are dim. It’s waterproof to a water depth of 39 inches for 30 minutes, it goes to sleep when not in use, and the display wakes up automatically when you pick up the entire unit. The ONE improves on its predecessor, though: As its name indicates, it takes just 1 second to measure a temperature. The backlight is brighter, and you can now use the thermometer when cooking on induction burners—the engineers at ThermoWorks have taken measures to eliminate the electromagnetic interference that sometimes occurs when you use digital thermometers with induction cooktops.
We liked that these disposable liners were truly nonstick, and we loved the convenience of not having to clean them—or the air-fryer basket. They were sturdy enough to hold hefty burgers and salmon fillets as we transferred them from the air fryer but were thin enough for heat to penetrate the food. Their sides were also low enough to allow heat to flow around food efficiently. Best of all, they were compatible with the size and shape of our winning air fryer and didn’t waste an inch of cooking space.
This set includes three different designs of silicone liners; we chose to test the model that’s intended for use with most foods. The best design trait of this liner was the sides, which were short enough to allow circulating air to reach food yet tall enough to effectively contain grease. The superthin silicone design conducted heat better than thicker models, and its network of short raised bumps elevated food so that air could flow under it. These factors kept cooking times quick. The liner was also effectively nonstick and easy to clean. Two downsides: This liner wasn’t quite large enough to cover the entire cooking surface of the basket, causing fries to occasionally spill over its edges, which then required a quick wipe-down of the basket after use. The liner’s low sides also made it a bit difficult to remove from the basket when it was hot; we recommend removing cooked food and then letting the liner cool down before folding in the corners and lifting it out.
This product looks like the classic blue sponge we've all used, but its plastic-based scrubbing side has ripples. These ripples added texture, which helped nudge off cooked-on food. This sponge was absorbent and durable, and it looked surprisingly clean at the end of testing. It was also our preferred size: thick enough to hold comfortably but small enough to maneuver in tight spaces.
Our favorite pot holders are fashioned as pockets with a sheet of silicone on one side, a panel of cotton fabric on the back, and soft cotton lining in between. The silicone layer offered excellent protection from the heat. Our hands never became too hot during kitchen tests and we were able to hold a 350-degree cast-iron skillet comfortably for 23 seconds. They were also flexible, which allowed testers to feel like they had control when maneuvering hot pans. Although both the silicone and cotton fabric remained stained after our durability tests, it didn't shrink or warp. We liked that it is machine-washable.
