To be honest, this function was one of the bigger draws for me. I’ve been wanting a dehydrator for a while, but don’t have the storage space for a large machine and don’t want to dedicate that much counter space to it. Also, I’m not sure I’ll actually use it enough to purchase one as a single use appliance. The one place the roast function does have the advantage is that it works with the rotisserie spit. You can air fry a whole chicken or a leg of lamb, or even try your hand at spit roasted chicken shawarma.
The square-shaped design of this model gives you more room to fit food in the cooking basket compared to smaller fryers with rounded baskets. Our product tester noted the basket shape helps spread food out a bit more versus piling it on top of each other, which can lead to less crisp cooking results. In tests, this air fryer heated quickly, cooked evenly, and was extremely efficient.
All Smart Program cooking times and temperatures are restored to the factory default setting. DO NOT attempt to repair, replace or modify components of the appliance, as this may cause electric shock or another personal injury, fire, and/or property damage, and will void the warranty. If needed, spray food lightly with non-stick cooking spray. Using cooking oil could result in personal injury and/or property damage. While cooking, the internal temperature of the appliance reaches several hundred degrees.
Things that heat relatively well in the microwave do really well at the suggested 280º setting. Items like leftover pizza or french fries reheat really well at 375º. Accompanied with my oven safe, glass storage containers I see myself using this reheat function often.
Designed with families in mind, the Instant Vortex cranks out 4 to 6 servings in one cooking cycle. Its large footprint makes it best for people with a decent amount of real estate on their kitchen counter. Its easy-to-use interface makes it great for recent air-fryer converts or parents who enjoy cooking with their pint-sized sous chefs. Amina covers all of the best products you should buy across home, beauty, fashion, and lifestyle categories for Meredith Corporation. When she’s not writing, you can find her sipping on coffee, dancing to work out, or reading a good book. You didn’t mention anything about the toxic smell it emits.
These parts are also easily cleaned by hand with warm, soapy water and a non-abrasive sponge. If there’s any particularly difficult to remove grease or stuck-on food, let the parts soak in hot, soapy water first. The Philips Premium Airfryer XXL HD9650 and Instant Vortex Plus 7-in-1 Air Fryer Oven are our top picks because both are well-designed, easy to use, and versatile. Plus, they performed exceptionally well in all of our cooking tests. If you want something a little smaller and more affordable, go with the Chefman 3.7-Quart TurboFry Air Fryer, which is also quieter than most options on this list. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select.
We tested 11 of the top air fryer models in our Lab by seeing how French fries, chicken tenders, and carrots fared in each machine. If possible, we also baked cornbread and roasted a small chicken. The testers cleaned each machine repeatedly and placed any dishwasher-safe parts through a few instant pot duo nova washing cycles. All of our reviewers evaluated the air fryers on ease of use, performance, performance, versatility, cleaning, and overall value. The lack of a preheat preset and a timer is another downside. It was a bit of a guessing game to know when it’s ready to cook, and when it’s done.