Air fryer fail: 6 common mistakes people make when buying an air fryer

Air frying can be a fast and efficient way to prepare meals as it can cut conventional oven cooking times in half and, in turn, save you time and money off your energy bills.

With an air fryer you can enjoy a host of new meal ideas and healthier fried food options, and the speed at which you can cook delicious suppers is great when you’re pressed for time, “hangry” or just want a decent meal asap. 

You’ll find a wide range of air fryers available online to suit both large and small households. Choosing a design that’s right for you can be a daunting prospect but we’re here to help as we run through six common mistakes people make when buying an air fryer.

If you’re after a particular model you may also want to read our in-depth air fryer buying guide.

Air fryers come in different shapes and sizes and some can be quite bulky in design, so measure up carefully before you buy.

Unlike a countertop appliance such as a blender or juicer, they won’t easily fit in a standard kitchen unit, so unless you’re buying an air fryer that is particularly small you’ll need to make sure you have the space to house it on display.

Storing your air fryer might seem like a good idea, but if it’s not out on your worktop then you probably won’t get the most use out of it.

Air frying can be an excellent solution if you’re bored of cooking the same old meals. They offer a healthy alternative to deep-fat frying with little to no oil needed to give you similarly crispy results.

Using one of the latest air fryers can also open you up to a new way of cooking and encourage you to experiment with new ingredients and flavours.

This includes a simple portion of home-made chips to a complete roast dinner with all the trimmings. 

But while air frying is versatile, it’s worth noting that you won’t be able to use it to cook everything.

Clare Andrews, author of The Ultimate Air Fryer Cookbook and The Ultimate Slow Cooker Cookbook, says she has a simple rule to see if something can be cooked in an air fryer.

“Whatever you can cook in an oven, you can most definitely cook in an air fryer,” she says.

Anything that can be baked, roasted or fried will do well in an air fryer, but anything with a sauce or battered food won’t be ideal as it’s likely to slip through the basket. 

Weighing up an air fryer or a slow cooker? If you prefer sauced-based dishes, you’ll be better off with the latter.

Not all air fryers are made equal, so before buying an air fryer, make sure you do your research and buy the right style and model for your lifestyle.

These have one or two basket-style drawers that you can pull out to reveal the cooking zone. They often have a mini grill at the base of the basket that drains away any excess oils from the food.

The drawers are convenient for pulling out to shake chips halfway through the cooking cycle to ensure they are evenly cooked.

Air fryers from the likes of Tefal come with a circular interior tray and a stirring paddle that automatically stirs the food for you while it’s cooking to ensure even results.

This means you won’t need to stop the cooking cycle to open up the air fryer and shake the food yourself. 

There are air fryer designs that look like a mini-microwave and come with extras such as a rotisserie feature, ideal for a whole chicken.

You can also buy air fryers that double up as health grills and come with a convenient-to-lift lid and griddle plates inside. These work particularly well for fish suppers and steaks with chips on the side.

Some multi-cookers come with an air fryer setting so you can make use of multiple cooking functions in one compact design. 

All good air fryers should come with an easy to understand control panel with variable heat and temperature settings so you can tailor the food to your taste.

Pre-sets for meat, fish, vegetables, desserts and more also come in useful, but take a look at the control panel before you buy to check how it illustrates its functions. You won’t want to be reaching for the instruction manual every time you use your air fryer to work out the controls, after all. 

Also consider how the control panel is built. Will touchscreen work for you or do you prefer standard control dials and push buttons? The more high-tech solution doesn’t necessarily mean the easiest to use.

That said, you can also consider smart control. The Philips Essential XL – that we’ve reviewed in detail here, for example – can be controlled manually and also remotely via an app on your smartphone.

If you have a large number of people to cook for or want a design that can handle more than a small portion of chips, you should ideally be buying an air fryer with ample capacity. 

“I would look at the size and capacity of the basket, and just make sure it is the right size for your family,” says Claire.

And while some multi-functional air fryers can match conventional ovens in terms of functionality, they fall short when it comes to cooking capacity.

If the quantity of food you need to cook doesn’t fit in the air fryer cooking basket, you may need to run more than one cooking cycle and that can defeat any time and energy-saving benefits of an air fryer.

While convenience may trump cleaning when buying an air fryer, ease of maintenance is crucial for long-term satisfaction. Ensure parts and accessories are dishwasher-safe, minimising tedious hand scrubbing. Check the care instructions before buying to avoid cleaning headaches.

Examine the interior and exterior for potential dirt traps, hard-to-clean crevices, and susceptibility to fingerprint marks. Glossy surfaces often attract smears, so be prepared for regular cleaning to maintain your air fryer.

And once you’ve bought and used your machine, follow our step-by-step guide on how to clean an air fryer to keep it looking box fresh.

Some air fryers work like mini-ovens and can do so much more than simply air fry. If you want a versatile air fryer, look for one with extra cooking modes for baking, reheating, toasting, dehydrating, roasting and more.

To find out what you can cook in an air fryer and help you decide how versatile a design you’d like, you can search online for air fryer recipes. Alternatively, join one of the many air fryer Facebook groups that feature avid fans posting and discussing air fryer recipe ideas, hints and tips online.