You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t enjoy french fries or fried chicken, but nobody is fond of how unhealthy they are. Fried foods are submerged in oil as they cook, so they’re not the healthiest foods.
An air fryer offers a healthier cooking method for making tasty foods without excessive oil, and Chefman is a top kitchen appliance brand to consider when shopping for one. Its most impressive model, the Chefman Air Fryer Toaster Oven XL, boasts nine preset cooking modes and is ideal for large families.
Air fryers use rapidly moving hot air to cook food, known as convection heating. Convection heating has a similar effect to frying, but instead of adding oil, it uses the liquid from the food to cook it. However, although it’s unnecessary, a light layer of oil gives foods a crispier texture and a tasty flavor.
An air fryer can be used for more than just making fried foods. In addition to chicken wings, french fries, mozzarella sticks and fried chicken, you can cook fish, vegetables and pizza. Most air fryers let you toast bread and reheat leftovers much faster than the stove.
Before purchasing an air fryer, consider your kitchen size and countertop space. A compact model with a cylindrical build is ideal if you have a small kitchen or don’t want your air fryer to take up too much space.
If your household has fewer than four people, an air fryer with a 2- or 3-quart capacity should suffice. An air fryer with at least a 4.5-quart cooking capacity for households with four or more people is ideal, as it lets you make a bigger batch of food per cooking cycle.
Instead of guessing how long you have to cook your food, you can use the preset cooking function on some models to kick back while the air fryer works its magic. The most common preset cooking modes on a Chefman air fryer include broil, bake, roast and toast. High-end air fryers also have dehydrating and rotisserie functions.
A traditional air fryer won’t cut it if you want the freedom to make large dishes such as pizza. You’ll need a toaster-oven air fryer, which often has one or two racks, and a glass door that lets you monitor your food. Toaster-oven air fryers can fit various pans for baking things such as muffins and pies, and because they have a larger capacity, they’re best suited for larger households.
Air fryers have digital or analog controls for adjusting the cooking temperature and time. An air fryer with a broader range of heating temperatures offers more cooking diversity, but generally, one with a 200- to 400-degree range is ideal. Also, most models have a 60-minute timer that beeps or rings when the time is up, letting you know your food is ready.
You can get a compact air fryer for $30-$70, but if you want a larger toaster-oven air fryer, expect to spend up to $140.
A. An air fryer can produce foods with a fat content up to 75% lower than the same food cooked by traditional frying methods. Also, an air fryer can cut calories by up to 80%.
A. Toaster-oven air fryers are large enough that you can cook small quantities of two or three foods at once. However, traditional air fryers only let you cook one at a time unless the basket has a divider that lets you cook two.
Chefman Air Fryer Toaster Oven XL
What you need to know: This toaster-oven air fryer is ideal for large households and kitchen countertops with enough room.
What you’ll love: It has nine versatile preset cooking functions, including bake, broil, toast and convection bake, and automatically transitions between them for precise cooking. It has a 20-liter capacity that’s large enough to cook four bread slices, a 10-inch pizza or a whole chicken.
What you should consider: The lowest toaster setting leaves bread slices medium-dark, and there are some reports of the lightbulb burning out after only a few months of use.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
What you need to know: This works fast and is excellent for households with fewer than four people.
What you’ll love: It has a compact design that won’t take up too much space on your countertop and offers manual temperature control with a range of 200-400 degrees. It has a built-in 60-minute timer and a removable 2-quart air fryer basket and tray.
What you should consider: It doesn’t have any preset cooking times, and the finish gets scratched easily.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
What you need to know: This is suitable for small-to-medium-sized households and has a compact design for easy storage.
What you’ll love: It has presets for french fries, chicken, meat and fish, and a knob control for adjusting the cooking time and temperature. It’s dishwasher-safe, and an LED shake reminder lets you know when to turn food over to ensure even cooking.
What you should consider: It takes longer to cook food than other models and doesn’t come with any cooking instructions.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Kevin Luna writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
