The best air fryer

Cosori's air fryer is a winner for a variety of reasons.

Our favorite aspect of this fryer is the smudge-free touch screen with 12 functions for frying various types of foods. When you think of an air fryer, you're probably thinking about more basic dishes like frozen foods and french fries, so yep, you can count on a button for each of those.

As for more complex dishes you might not have expected for a fryer, there are buttons for those too, including steak, seafood, bacon, bread, and desserts.

There's a button for so many more yummy dishes than you might've thought possible. If you feel overwhelmed by all the options, find comfort in Cosori's cookbook with 100 to die for recipes!

More features we find helpful are the "Shake" and "Keep Warm" functions, the former of which provides helpful reminders of when it times to shake your food for optimal cooking.

Key Features

• One-touch LED display
• Nonstick 5.8 qt basket
• PFOA- and BPA-free detachable inner basket
• Temperature ranging from 170° F to 400°F

<strong>Brand</strong>: COSORI | <strong>Dimensions</strong>: 11.8 in x 12.6 in x 11.7 in | <strong>Weight</strong>: 16.85 lbs | <strong>Wattage</strong>: 1700

The Ninja air fryer has it all: a simple display, diverse range of cooking options, a recipe book, and even more.

Our favorite aspect of this air fryer is that it has four primary functions, all labeled on the LED display: fry, roast, reheat, and dehydrate. These four functions illustrate what air fryers are capable of. Because the Ninja air fryer breaks them down by button, you'll spend less time fiddling around with settings.

If you're not the biggest fan of cooking, this fryer is a dream come true because it can make meals and reheat them.

As for how the air fryer actually operates, there's a multilayer rack that increases dehydration capacity. You can dehydrate scrumptious snacks like apple slices or beef strips.

Another feature we love is the ceramic-coated crisper plate that allows hot air to get under food during the cooking process. For you, that means 360-degree crispiness.

An added bonus for the non-cookers in the house is a recipe book with 20 recipes, all of which you can make possible with your dream come true air fryer.

Key Features

• 4 qt nonstick ceramic coated basket
• Heat ranges from 105°F to 400°F
• Crisper plate for total crunchiness

<strong>Brand</strong>: SharkNinja | <strong>Dimensions</strong>: 13.6 in x 11 in x 13.3 in | <strong>Weight</strong>: 4.9 lbs | <strong>Wattage</strong>: 1550

With Ultrean's air fryer, what you see is what you get. There are five buttons in all: one power button, two temperature buttons, and two time buttons. Ultrean's fryer is designed with simplicity and efficiency in mind, so you won't find an abundance—or any—automated presets here.

This fryer is a good option if you have a bit of cooking experience under your belt already and are comfortable relying on temperature and time for getting your meal cooked.

The fryer has a nonstick pan with a heat-resistant handle so it's easy to clean and it's even dishwasher safe. Thirty minutes after using the fryer, it'll switch off on its own.

Have fun with this fryer and get creative—after all, you can grill, roast, and bake the yummiest foods with it!

Key Features

• LCD display with manual temperature and time buttons
• Dishwasher-safe 4.2 qt basket
• Cookbook included

<strong>Brand</strong>: Ultrean | <strong>Dimensions</strong>: 14.2 in x 13.2 in x 13 in | <strong>Weight</strong>: 10.05 lbs | <strong>Wattage</strong>: 1500

GoWISE USA's 8-in-1 air fryer is a great option for larger families needing to cook more food at once. The touchscreen display allows you to easily use presets for regularly made foods, or enter temperature and time manually. This unit will heat food anywhere from 180°F to 400°F and comes equipped with a "Start/Stop" button if you need to change the temperature during the cooking cycle.

The system has a built-in alarm reminder to shake or flip your food for optimal even cooking. One thing we love about this fryer is the eight presets for various types of foods, including staple meals like fries or chips to more fancy dishes like cake!

Key Features

• Nonstick 5.8 qt basket
• Built-in alarm reminder to shake/flip food in five minute increments
• Recipe book

<strong>Brand</strong>: GoWISE USA | <strong>Dimensions</strong>: 13.5 in x 12.5 in x 11.5 in | <strong>Shipping Weight</strong>: 15.3 lbs | <strong>Wattage</strong>: 1700

Since this air fryer is compact, user-friendly, and dishwasher safe, we get why a beloved member of the CinemaBlend team has her own. She works for us full-time and is also a personal trainer and diet coach on the side. She loves her Farberware air fryer.

"This air fryer has completely replaced our toaster, toaster oven, and is used over our oven and microwave in most cases. It’s our daily go-to for warming up leftovers, making crispy chicken wings, healthy and flavorful pork tenderloin and potato dinners, and even crisping the kids’ PopTarts," she said.

This air fryer is the smallest on our list carrying just 3.2 qts, so this unit maybe isn't the best option for large families.

Key Features

• 3.2 qt nonstick basket fits up to 2 lbs of food
• Temperature control between 175°F and 400°F
• Timer up to 30 minutes

<strong>Brand</strong>: Farberware | <strong>Dimensions</strong>: 14.2 in x 14.2 in x 16 in | <strong>Weight</strong>: 13.5 lbs | <strong>Wattage</strong>: 1400

From size to construction to added features, there's a lot of variety between air fryers. That's why we're about to break down a few factors to consider before buying your own fryer! Buckle in, friends.

Heat vents

Heat vents ensure the unit doesn't overheat while cooking. Air fryers can heat up to 400°F which needs to go somewhere. Remember that these can put out a significant amount of heat, so ensure you have plenty of clearance around the unit while it is in use and that there is nothing that can melt near this vent like plastic.

Size

It is important to consider two different sizes when making your purchase: counter space needed and the internal basket capacity. You will want to purchase a fryer that has enough capacity to feed your household in as few batches as possible while limiting the amount of coveted counter space it will take up when in use, or shelf space when in storage. Larger fryers are great for larger families but also come with a larger product that will need somewhere to live. Fryers generally range between just under four quarts to nearly ten.

Basket material

Most air fryers on the market today come with a nonstick basket, however not all nonstick options are created equally. If possible, opt for a nonstick ceramic basket over more common nonstick coatings. While some products claim their nonstick coatings are dishwasher safe, this can be risky as most will peel in the long run. For that reason, we recommend washing your air fryer basket by hand just to be safe!