Aiir Fryer logo
Supermarket selling Tower air fryer range, stocked low on shelf
BY

Are air fryers worth buying

Air frying has become the most reliable and practical way to cook all food in a speedy way, with cooked food often coming out better than oven-cooked food.

The air fryer will soon become your go-to appliance in your kitchen as you'll begin to rely on it to cook practically anything an oven or microwave can, and really will do with incredible results. Money won't be wasted as its sure to last years to come, with the oven used far less than you'd think.

I can't object to the opinion air fryers can be a little on the expensive side for sure, with prices close to the $100 mark not uncommon, and thus an investment you'll need to be absolutely sure won't be a waste of money.

Know that air fryers are extremely reliable with little chance of it breaking down sooner than an oven or microwave will, as all three appliances would have the same life expectancy.

Air fryers are by far my favourite appliance because of ease of use, and how air fried food elevates the quality of food you normally put in the oven or microwave.

I use it regularly to cook fries fresh or from frozen, with additional foods including ready meals if you'd believe it, plus all frozen food dishes which can include meat. Best of all, know an air fryer cook raw meat beautifully; as it cooks faster and thus will likely produce succulent pork and very juicy chicken in legs, thighs to breasts and tenders.

Buy the air fryer that meets your needs, with size and functionality being crucial to a positive air frying experience.

Why you would need an XL air fryer would be to avoid issues with a too small basket that can barely cook for one, let alone cook two food items at the same time.

Buy an air fryer knowing it will cook food a third less when compared to the oven, yet will maintain a crispy texture if need be when cooking food to a horrible soggy texture in the microwave.

If you have a big family then a large air fryer will be needed, even if its just you, or you and your partner. I will never recommend buying a small air fryer as it restricts how few things you can cook at one time.

Best appliance in a long time

While it wasn't me who bought the first air fryer when I experienced air fried food - and it was chunky French fries if you want to know - it was my brother who actually got me hooked on air fryers, and all things air fried.

I can say now with probably 4 years or so experience of cooking with an air fryer, its probably the best appliance I have in the kitchen.

Its the most used for cooking all kinds of foods, along with warming up food or a quick snack with pastries or breaded items.

If you decide to buy an air fryer, and I really hope that you do, then expect to spend under $100, with brands to look for in air fryers including: Ninja, Tower, Instant Pot, Nuwave, Cosori, Chefman, and Philips to name a few top quality air fryer brands.

Don't expect to heat the simplest of foods out of your freeze or refrigerator, when you can experiment with all kinds of chilled or frozen foods, with generally breaded food being the best, along with fries to onion rings as sides.

Cook fresh, cook ready meals or reheat

People will often mistake an air fryer for an appliance to only cook the basics - like French fries, onion rings to chicken nuggets - when they all can do so much more.

In fact you'll find an extra large size air fryer that provide a big enough basket to insert food in, will allow you to cook multiple foods at the same time.

With that you'd be better off finding out what air fryer matches your needs before purchasing, with the big choice of a small, medium or XL air fryer - of which you'll find you'll be better off with an extra large air fryer every time.

Which means you could possibly cook a whole meal for one or two people.

In time you'll get a little more confident while using your air fryer and will want to experiment with food that normally goes in the oven or microwave which can now be heated up faster in the air fryer.

Example could be fresh or frozen ready meals like Italian, Chinese or Mexican dishes, which will all be placed in the air fryer to cook at a third of its recommended oven cooking time.

In addition, you can reheat any food imaginable like pizza to even chicken. With reheating you can keep food warm or quickly heat-through a panini, burger buns, cook toast if you have too, and even warm up a plate if it'll fit in the basket.

Expense on second air fryer expected

One big downer about air fryers is that if they aren't looked after, you'll find yourself buying a second or third air fryer in no time at all.

You see an air fryer will be used on a daily basis, sometimes three or four times in one day, of which the basket will quickly deteriorate.

Fortunately expense on a second air fryer can be avoided if you focus your efforts in preserving the basket in its original condition.

Which will mean using foil to line the air fryer basket to avoid sitting grease and fat, with an option to use parchment paper with other, but less greasy food items.

Thankfully I haven't experienced a electrical fault with all three air fryers I've owned, and thus an air fryer is worth buying as they're tough, reliable and practical for everyday use, with no food that can't be cooked or heated.

Summary

I've had no regrets with my air fryers and certainly money wasn't wasted in spite of going through three air fryer models over the last several years.

Issue wasn't a faulty or broken down air fryer but more so upgrading from a manual air fryer to a far better digital model. Along with that, my third upgrade was simply going for an extra large air fryer, which is now suitable for the whole family.

Admittedly, I wish I spent more time cleaning the air fryer basket thoroughly after every use to extend its quality - which you'll only find out with months and months of use - but I now know to clean my air fryer regularly to by sure I don't ruin the basket.

I have bought a new basket if I'm honest which is good to know because you'll always have the option to buy a new part, as oppose to buying a whole new air fryer.

Air fryers are worth buying for sure because they will practically cook or heat up anything imaginable, including cooking fresh meals or quickly reheating leftover food.

By far my air fryer is the most used appliance in my kitchen with it used several times in one day to cook for everyone at different times, or to heat up food anytime in the day.

Share this article: