If you don’t want to compromise on your family’s health, maybe it’s time to switch to an air fryer. The following guide will review the 10 best air fryers for 2021 based on their functionality and features.
The technology has completely transformed an air fryer’s concept by incorporating additional features like a convection oven, a convection toaster, and a dehydrator.
Not only that, but it also comes with preset cooking options to guide you through the cooking process. In this way, you don’t have to worry about temperature or time settings.
An air fryer reduces your food’s fat content, thus reducing the overall calorie count.
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- Top 10 Best Air Fryers Consumer Reports for 2021 Reviews by Consumer Reports
- #1. COSORI Air Fryer Max XL
- #2. Ninja Air Fryer that Cooks, Crisps, and Dehydrates
- #3. GoWISE USA 8-in-1 Programmable Digital Air Fryer
- #4. Instant Vortex Plus 6 in 1 Air Fryer
- #5. Ultrean Air Fryer
- #6. Philips Kitchen Appliances Digital Twin TurboStar Airfryer XXL 3 Lbs
- #7. MILIN Air Fryer
- #8. Breville Smart Oven Air Convection and Air Fry Countertop Oven
- #9. Cuisinart TOA-60 Convection Toaster Oven Airfryer
- #10. COSORI 12-in-1 Air Fryer Toaster Oven Combo, Countertop Dehydrator
- How to Choose the Right Air Fryer
- Conclusion
Top 10 Best Air Fryers Consumer Reports for 2021 Reviews by Consumer Reports
To help you find the best model for your needs, here’s a list of the 10 best air fryers for 2021.
#1. COSORI Air Fryer Max XL
The COSORI Air Fryer Max XL 5.8 QT comes with rapid 360-degree air circulation to cook delicious healthy meals with a crispy texture on the outside. The best thing is that you can cook fried food with 75 percent fewer calories than the standard deep frying method.
It comes with a 5.8-quart square capacity with a removable non-stick round basket. You can quickly cook five to six pounds of a whole chicken to serve three to five people.
By the way, you can easily clean the basket in a dishwasher. Moreover, it’s made with PFOA-free and BPA-free material keeping in view the consumers’ safety standards.
An air fryer reduces 85 percent fat than the traditional deep-frying methods and still delivers crunchy fried food.
This multi-functional air fryer comes with 11 functions – steak, seafood, poultry, bacon, shrimp, frozen food, vegetables, french fries, root vegetables, desserts, bread, and preheat.
It includes 100 easy recipes to facilitate the cooking process.
Besides the available cooking options, you can easily set a temperature between 170F and 400F degrees.
This reliable fryer comes with a two-year warranty with 90-days money-back guarantee.
Pros
- Extra-large capacity
- 11 functions
- Removable non-stick basket
- Includes recipes
- Two-year warranty
- Money-back guarantee
Cons
- Occupies sufficient kitchen counter space
- Requires more time to reach the desired temperature
#2. Ninja Air Fryer that Cooks, Crisps, and Dehydrates
As the name indicates, the Ninja Air Fryer that Cooks, Crisps, and Dehydrates 4 QT comes with a four-quart capacity, enough to cook two pounds of fries.
In addition to the four programmable functions, it comes with adjustable temperature and time settings. In this way, you can set the desired temperature anywhere between 105F and 450F degrees to cook your recipes.
All the components are dishwasher safe to ensure convenient cleaning.
It comes with multiple cooking functions such as air fry, broil, roast, bake, reheat, max crips, and dehydrate.
This featureful air fryer allows you to reheat your leftover food, thus replacing the need for an oven.
The Ninja air fryer comes with Tendercrisp Technology to pressure cook the food to lock the essential juices inside. The next step is to give a crispy golden texture on the outside.
Additional features include the auto shut off technology so that you don’t have to monitor the cooking process.
The ceramic coating adds to the overall durability and performance.
Pros
- Four programmable cooking functions
- A broader range of temperature
- Auto shut off
- Large capacity
- One-touch control panel
Cons
- Comes with a broader footprint
- Quite heavy
- Unpleasant odor when first used
#3. GoWISE USA 8-in-1 Programmable Digital Air Fryer
As the name suggests, the GoWISE USA 8-in-1 Programmable Digital Air Fryer 5.8 QT comes with eight cooking options – warm-up, chips, shrimp, chicken, steak, cake, meat, and fish.
This 1700 watt appliance offers a wide temperature range of 180F to 400F degrees.
It comes with a detachable basket and a pan, which can easily be removed for convenient cleaning. All you need is to press a button and lift the basket up. By the way, this push button comes with a guard to prevent children from removing it.
The non-stick material of the basket and pan doesn’t let the food stick on them.
This smart air fryer features an alarm timer to notify you to shake the food. You can easily set the alarm for five, 10, or 15 minutes.
Additionally, it also comes with a timer of 30 minutes, saving you from continuous monitoring.
The GoWiSE USA air fryer comes with cool-touch handles to protect your hands from burning.
It comes with a recipe book containing 50 simple recipes, ideal for beginners.
Pros
- Large capacity
- Easy to clean
- Quiet operation
- Digital controls
- One-year warranty
Cons
- The exterior can get hot
- Pans aren’t dishwasher safe
#4. Instant Vortex Plus 6 in 1 Air Fryer
The Instant Vortex Plus, 6 in 1 Air Fryer 6 QT, comes with a six-quart basket that can easily hold two pounds of fries or four chicken pounds. It’s an ideal air fryer for a family of four members.
As the name suggests, it’s a six in one multi-functional air fryer that can air fry, roast, reheat, broil, and dehydrate. You may find the cooking presets quite limited compared to the COSORI Air Fryer Max with 11 functions.
This high-tech air fryer comes with Even Crisp technology to ensure tenderness inside and crispier texture on the outside.
Not only that, it uses 95 percent less oil to cook a healthy version of the traditional fried food.
The best thing about the air fryer is the ease of cleaning. You can easily wipe the grease and sticky finger residue from the stainless steel exterior with a damp clean cloth.
You can find all the functions right on the digital display. All you need is to select the desired cooking setting and press start.
In addition to the available cooking presets, you can also select the time and temperature with a knob.
By the way, you can easily download the free instant pot recipe app with hundreds of easy and simple recipes.
Pros
- Six-quart large capacity
- Easy switching between cooking modes
- Consumes 95% less oil; ensures healthy food
- Convenient cleaning
Con
- Limited six cooking functions
#5. Ultrean Air Fryer
The Ultrean Air Fryer 4.2 QT runs at 1500 watts power to air fry food in its 4.2-quart capacity. It comes with state-of-the-art Rapid Air technology to cut off the fat levels from your food.
Unlike the previously discussed air fryers, it comes with only four cooking options: bake, fry, roast, and grill. You may find it as a drawback; however, it’s an ideal choice for a small family.
It doesn’t include any preset buttons like the air fryers reviewed above. Just select the time and temperature and press the start button.
You can select the time between zero to 30 minutes and the temperature between 180F to 400F degrees.
The LCD is available on the top to display the selected time and temperature settings.
This compact air fryer comes with a flat basket design and a non-stick frying pot. You can easily remove the basket and wash it in a dishwasher.
Pros
- Ensures splatter-free cooking
- Compact design
- 1500 watts power
- Detachable and non-stick cooking pot
- Easy cleaning
- Variable temperature
Cons
- Not for large families
- Only four cooking options
#6. Philips Kitchen Appliances Digital Twin TurboStar Airfryer XXL 3 Lbs
As the name suggests, the Philips Kitchen Appliances Digital Twin TurboStar Airfryer XXL 3 Lbs comes with an extra-large capacity to make up to six portions.
Philips released its first-ever air fryer in 2010, and since then, they have been incorporating advanced technology such as TwinTurbo and rapid air technology.
This smart air fryer comes with TwinTurbo technology to continually circulate the hot air to extract excess fat from food. It captures all the grease in the bottom, which can easily be cleaned after use.
It features a cooking pot with a starfish design to keep the food lifted off from the bottom, allowing more hot air to penetrate.
The rapid air technology circulates hot air more quickly to guarantee an even and thorough air frying.
This multi-purpose air fryer comes with seven cooking functions- air fry, bake, grill, toast, roast, dehydrate, and reheat food.
You can quickly air fry an entire three pounds chicken or two bags of fries.
Philips claims to reduce fat up to 90 percent than the standard air fryers, which reduce up to 75 percent of the fat.
You can conveniently remove the basket and other parts to clean in a dishwasher. To clean the outer body, you can use an antimicrobial wipe to wipe the stains.
Pros
- Easy to clean
- Recommended for large families
- Wide temperature range of 17F to 400F degrees
- Versatile design
- Modern look
Cons
- Pricey
- Comes with a broader footprint
- Doesn’t include all the accessories
#7. MILIN Air Fryer
The MILIN Air Fryer 5.8 Quart comes with an extra-large capacity featuring a non-stick basket, 1700 watt power, and LED digital display.
This compact air fryer comes with a smart LED-backlit touch control panel. Unlike the air fryers discussed above, the control panel is available right on the top.
You can find the preset touch buttons on the top row, including french fries, steak, drumstick, cake, shrimp, pizza, and fish.
For your convenience and understanding, the MILIN air fryer displays the required temperature for these presets.
The LED display is available right in the middle of the touch buttons. You can select the temperature and time by using the up and down buttons.
It features a wide range of temperatures starting from 180F to 400F degrees.
The best thing about this air fryer is you don’t have to preheat it. Consequently, it prepares food in half the time as compared to a standard conventional oven.
When you purchase this multi-functional air fryer, you also get a recipe book with hundreds of easy recipes.
Pros
- Auto shut-off
- Extra-large capacity
- Easy cleaning
- Doesn’t require pre-heating
- 1700 watts power
Cons
- Limited seven cooking functions
#8. Breville Smart Oven Air Convection and Air Fry Countertop Oven
As the name suggests, the Breville Smart Oven Air Convection and Air Fry Countertop Oven is a multi-purpose air fryer with additional convection settings to serve as an oven.
This smart oven and air fryer comes with 13 pre-programmed settings, LCD, air fry, and dehydrate presets.
It comes with Element IQ technology that incorporates Breville sensing and PID temperature control features.
The six independent quartz heating elements circulate the hot air above and below the food.
It comes with all the required accessories – 13 inches pizza pan, 9 x 13 inches broil rack and enamel roasting pan, two oven racks, and a mesh basket rack.
The LCD is quite intuitive with a user-friendly interface.
You can find an integrated oven light, which can be manually switched on. Moreover, it automatically turns on at the end of the cooking cycle.
The internal capacity is enough to hold nine slices of bread, 12 cup muffin tray, or 14 pounds turkey.
Pros
- 13 cooking functions
- Two-year warranty
- Extra-large cooking space
- Quick preheat
- Element IQ
Cons
- Heavy-weight
- Requires more wattage
#9. Cuisinart TOA-60 Convection Toaster Oven Airfryer
The Cuisinart TOA-60 Convection Toaster Oven Airfryer features seven cooking functions: air fry, convection bake, convection broil, bake, broil, warm, and roast.
You can easily remove both the oven rack and fryer basket and wash them in a dishwasher. Both the tray and shelf are made with stainless steel to withstand corrosion.
The interior comprises double layer racks to cook two types of food at the same time.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t come with touchscreen features, rather old-school knobs, available at the top. These knobs allow you to control the temperature, time, cooking functions, and mode switching to the air fryer.
This versatile air fryer offers a wide range of temperatures between 250F to 450F degrees.
You can also set the timer anywhere between five minutes and 60 minutes.
It features an extra-large capacity to roast four pounds of chicken or bake 12 inches of pizza.
Pros
- Versatile design with seven functions
- Automatic shut off
- Recommended for large families
Cons
- Lacks touchscreen
- Comes with a broader footprint
#10. COSORI 12-in-1 Air Fryer Toaster Oven Combo, Countertop Dehydrator
The COSORI 12-in-1 Air Fryer Toaster Oven Combo, Countertop Dehydrator features a stainless steel exterior with a double-layer glass and wide bar handle.
You can find a digital screen on the left with preset buttons and knobs.
This advanced air fryer features four heating elements to distribute the hot air around the food to ensure consistent cooking.
You can easily remove and reposition the metal cooking racks to fit large items like a bone-in rotisserie chicken.
It features 12 basic cooking presets – toast, bagel, bake, broil, air fry, roast, keep warm, pizza, cookies, rotisserie, ferment, and dehydrate.
In addition to the above settings, you can also select the time and temperature depending upon your cooking requirements.
It includes all the accessories, including a cookbook, crumb tray, food tray, wire rack, fry basket, and rotisserie attachments.
Pros
- 12 preset options
- Four heating elements
- Includes the required accessories
- Even cooking
- Fast preheat
Cons
- Flimsy preset buttons
- Longer cooking time for bagel and toast
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How to Choose the Right Air Fryer
After the above review, you must be tempted to get an air fryer for yourself. But wait, how do you know which air fryer suits your needs?
The following buyer’s guide will help you choose an apt air fryer for your household.
Size
The size of an air fryer is directly proportional to your daily cooking requirements. Not only that, but it also corresponds to the size of your family.
If you have a big family or if you like to invite your friends over dinner every weekend, it’s better to go for a large-capacity air fryer.
However, if you occasionally air fry fried food for your small family, you can easily opt for a little air fryer with lesser cooking options.
Cleaning
One of the biggest challenges you face in the kitchen is cleaning the appliances. The first preference always goes to the dishwasher safe components.
A majority of the air fryers discussed above come with baskets and racks, which can easily be washed in the dishwasher. Rest; you can easily wipe off the exterior with a damp clean cloth.
Price
It’s one of the main factors, which influences your air fryer selection.
You can go for a less expensive air fryer with fewer features and capabilities.
Furthermore, going for a cheaper air fryer doesn’t necessarily mean to compromise on the quality.
Therefore, you can choose from the above affordable air fryers that can easily fit your limited budget.
Cooking Presets
We have seen in this review that the cooking presets range from four up to 13 options. It’s entirely up to select a basic air fryer with lesser options or go big with a multifunctional air fryer.
If you are a beginner, the cooking presets help you to cook meals hassle-free.
Accessories
Yes, always look at whether the required components are available in the package or not.
For instance, the Philips Kitchen Appliances Digital Twin TurboStar Airfryer doesn’t come with any accessories.
Conclusion
Modern technology influences our daily lifestyle and eating habits more positively.
The modern hot air circulation technology incorporated in the air fryer reduces the fat present in the food and reduces the oil usage.
If you want to enjoy your fried foods like french fries or nuggets guilt-free, buy the best air fryer Consumer Reports right now. You and your family can thank us later.
Happy air frying!
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