An air fryer is one of the best kitchen appliances of this new generation. This appliance helps to bake our foods way faster and in the safest way but many people don’t know that how to choose an air fryer according to their needs.
So, here I am gonna discuss all the important facts about the air fryer which will help you to know that how to choose the right air fryer according to your situation.
How To Choose The Right Air Fryer?
Are you thinking that what to know about air fryers before buying them? Well, I have divided factors that need to consider while buying an air fryer, into the most important & important categories.
In important categories, there are
- Shape & Size
- Temperature control
- Food basket capacity
- Safety features
- Fast Heating
- Dishwasher safe
And in important categories, there are
- Preset programs
- Timer
- Looks
- Fancy features
- Price
- Warranty
- Review
Most Important Factors
1. Airfryer Shape & Size
If you are thinking about how to choose air fryer size then I must say the most common size of the air fryer is 3.5L and it can be used for a family of 3-4 members. If you are staying alone in an apartment then I must suggest going with the smaller ones.
Smaller air fryers will take less space on the kitchen countertop and will be easier to clean also. So, if family members are more, then it is good to go for more than 3L but if you stay alone, go for smaller than 3L.
If we talk about the shape you can go with any shape(circular or rectangle), but I personally prefer rectangular air fryers over circular ones because rectangular ones seem more space-efficient than circular ones. You can choose according to your situation.
2. Temperature
You need a temperature of at least 150°C to bake any simple food and it will need almost 400°C to cook chicken meats.
So, if you are going to buy the air fryer, check out the range of temperature. You should be able to adjust the temperature between 150-400°C.
In some air fryers, you can set temperature and I don’t prefer them. I never will suggest going with those air fryers. They will not be flexible to use.
3. Food Basket Capacity
The capacity of the food basket is not the same as the size of the air fryer. For example, if the size of the air fryer is 4L, the capacity of the food basket can be 2.6L(can be more or less).
So, don’t be fooled by the total size of the air fryer. After all the capacity of the food basket will decide how much food can be cooked at a time.
Obviously, the bigger size means more capacity of food basket but how to compare between the same sized air fryer? Here capacity of the basket to be checked and compared.
4. Airfryer Safety Features
Almost every air fryer has an auto shut off and cool-touch exterior. These are the most needed safety feature which an air fryer should have.
Sometimes air fryers get very hot while cooking, that time auto shut-off feature will shut the air fryer off automatically.
And the cool touch exterior will keep the outer parts cool like the handle, switches, etc. Although every model has a cool-touch exterior but just check it once before buying.
5. Fast Heating
This quality will save so much of your time. If the air fryer gets heated up within 1-1.5 mins then it is very fast. If you don’t get in the description that how much time does that unit takes to get heated up, you can ask them.
6. Dishwasher Safe
Whatever kitchen appliance you buy, its parts should be dishwasher safe. When it comes to the air fryer, its food basket should be dishwasher safe.
This will make the air fryer cleaning easy. You can simply put the basket into the dishwasher and it will be easily cleaned.
Nowadays almost all kitchen appliances are dishwasher safe but check it once before the air fryer.
Some Other Important Factors
1. Timer
The timer is a very important feature which every oven should have. It helps to save your time and it is one of the safety features.
If you are doing any work and forget to switch off the air fryer, it will switch off automatically if you set the timer.
2. Preset Programs
You may not know that how much time and temperature does a particular food takes to be cooked.
So if the model has the preset programmed switches, let’s say for pizza, you just need to click the switch and it will automatically set the temperature and timer for you.
It is very much helpful for beginners who don’t have any idea about the temperature and timer.
3. Looks
As it is a kitchen appliance, it should be complementing the kitchen right? Look wise, I prefer the units with LED displays and touch switches. They look so attractive than the dial switches.
Almost every air fryer comes in black color and I must say black appliances can complement any kitchen. You can use the beautiful air fryers as kitchen decor also.
4. Fancy features
What do I mean by fancy features? Some air fryer comes with LED displays and the color of the light can be attractive.
If we talk about the air fryers with toaster oven combos, they get the interior decorating lights which look so beautiful in the darkroom and also helps to look at foods thru the door.
5. Price
The best air fryer can easily come under $150 or even lesser than this. You don’t need to spend more than this on any air fryer.
If you go for the cheaper models, you may not get as many features as compared to the costlier ones. Or that may not heat faster. I prefer buying COSORI Electric Hot Oven because it costs so little and having amazing features.
6. Warranty
Every air fryer should have at least one year of warranty. If any air fryer is having no warranty, think thrice before buying that product.
And if you are spending more than $100 on the air fryer, it should have at least 2 years of warranty or some extra features than other air fryers.
Warranty shows the durability of the model. So, it should be more.
7. Reviews
This point is important for whatever you are buying online. You always should check out the review of other buyers.
Compare the review counts only if two products were launched at the almost same time. And read the 3-star ratings because 1 and 2-star ratings are mostly for wrong delivery or defective products.
FAQs On Airfryer Buying
Can I return air fryer which is newly bought?
Almost every air fryer you buy from online or e-commerce stores like amazon or anything else, they give the 7 days return and exchange policy. You can check the description of the product before buying them.
Final Words On Air Fryer Buying Guide
I hope now you are cleared that how to choose air fryer and now you can choose the best and right air fryer for yourself.
I must say that spend at least $100 on air fryer to get the best and the most durable piece. And check whether the model has an adjustable temperature feature, timer, preset programmed switches, or not. If the unit has these things, it will be very helpful for you.
If you still have doubts regarding how to choose air fryer, then comment your doubts below. I will try to clear all your doubts.
