I’ve used so many dif ferent air fryers over the years, starting with the original Philips Air Fryer, then a Power Air Fryer XL, the Ninja Foodi, a Proscenic Air Fryer and the Ninja Foodi Dual. For that, though, you get an impressive range of features. It acts as a grill, flat plate and air fryer and can roast, bake, dehydrate and reheat – a total of seven cooking functions. This review will focus on its air frying capabilities, for obvious reasons, but it’s worth noting that the Foodi MAX PRO comes with a digital cooking probe for perfectly cooked steaks, burgers, and skewers. Given its size, you could easily roast a whole joint of meat in there. Whether you want to upgrade to a newer model, or your air-fryer has reached the end of its life, knowing how and where to dispose of your appliance is important to avoid creating more e-waste. Large Capacity: With a 5.5 litre capacity, this air fryer is perfect for family parties or Christmas gatherings Customers have praised the DIDO Air Fryer for its excellent performance and versatility. Many have raved about the crispy results it delivers without the need for excessive oil. The convenience of the timer and temperature control has also been a standout feature, allowing users to achieve perfectly cooked meals every time. Overall Value

It may look a little like a spaceship (and take up just as much workspace), but this Tefal air fryer performed best in my tests. It heats up in minutes; chips were crisp on the outside and fluffy in the middle with just a small amount of oil (from a pre-portioned scoop), sausages and fish fingers were perfectly cooked, and even my “roasted” vegetables were fairly tasty. They almost always come with a basket or drawer to hold the food you’re cooking, a timer and pre-programmed settings for different foods. Depending on your budget, they’ll be controlled with either manual buttons or a touchscreen display. It’s down to two factors: size and time. Air fryers are considerably smaller than conventional ovens. They generally range from around two to eight litres in volume (although models as large as 24 litres do exist). The less air there is, the less energy is required to heat it up. The basket automatically rotates inside the fryer, so you get even results, and it has a clear lid so you can see the progress of your food as it cooks. It’s controlled via a semi-smart LED timer. Once finished, the removable bowl is easy to clean and dishwasher safe. The digital control panel is easy to navigate. I like the simple dial allowing me to adjust time and temperature settings, from an accurate 49℃ to 205℃. There’s a good range of pre-set cooking modes for air frying, dehydrating, roasting, baking and grilling.

The Ultimate Air Fryer Experience: DIDO 5.5L Air Fryer with Rapid Air Circulation

The reason it’s not further up this list is because it’s actually a little overwhelming. If you’ve got a small kitchen and no oven (trust me, it happens), the Ninja Speedi would be the best buy ever. But personally, I’d always rather bake in an oven and grill on the hob or my George Foreman. It’s also quite difficult to get used to what you can put where. Though the Speedi does come with a recipe book, it’s limited and after a few goes you’re left to your own devices. It doesn’t have a separate pre-set for fish, but with a manual mode it’s easy to tailor the temperature to suit whatever you’re cooking, using the + and - signs. The range goes from 60°C to 200°C, which gives you a lot of scope to bake or dehydrate foods at a lower temperature, or blast them at a more powerful heat to create that delicious crispy, fried finish. The controls are spelt out on the display, so you won’t need to refer to the instructions too much and there’s also a handy ‘keep warm’ mode. I like the convenient pre-set mode that makes it easy to blast the air fryer with heat for a few minutes before loading food. (Pre-heating is something all seasoned air fryer fans swear by for best results.)

Programmes: air fryer, Speedi meals, steam bake, steam, grill, steam air fry, bake/roast, dehydrate, sear/sauté, slow cook Not only does the DIDO Air Fryer promote healthier cooking, but it also offers a range of features and benefits that make it a standout in the market. Let’s explore them further. Features and Benefits Rapid Air CirculationMini oven’ types: these models use convection or fan technology to cook food on flat, slide-in trays. As well as roasting, their extra air-frying functions circulate hot air around the food for more efficient crisping. These took up the space of an average-sized microwave. Some may also include rotisserie elements. We recommend no fewer than four Ninja air fryers and, in some ways, that would be enough to cover the whole market. They are very much the dominant brand. First up is the AF100UK, Ninja’s bestselling air fryer and one of the simplest to use on this list. Healthier Cooking: Dido Air Fryer allows you to enjoy guilt-free fried food with 85% less fat than traditional deep frying methods It has a 1.2kg capacity, so there’s space for six portions of food. The noise while it’s operating is similar to that of a hairdryer, so I don’t think it could be described as ‘quiet’; but in relative terms, it was again best in test.

Anything from a few sprays to two tablespoons of oil is perfectly adequate for air fryer cooking, though the latter is only necessary for breaded or battered foods. Excess oil in an air fryer will drop through the grate onto the bottom of the air fryer, burn, and smoke. Some recipes may even need no oil at all, but it’s always worth a few light sprays to prevent food from drying. Are air fryers toxic? Manufacturers make bold promises about being 75 per cent healthier than conventional fried food, and in my tests I never used more than one or two teaspoons of oil. For some dishes, I needed none at all. How much oil do I need to add in an air fryer? We call them air fryers, but what it’s really a small convection oven,” says Darren McGrady, former personal chef to The Queen and Princess Diana and now the owner of catering company the Royal Chef. He’s a confirmed fan of air fryers.

Cut the Calories, Not the Flavor

Yes. “Air fryers require less oil compared to deep fat frying or pan frying and so help reduce the calorie content of the overall meal; it’s definitely a healthier way to cook whilst preserving taste and texture,” confirms nutritionist Jenna Hope. It’s also markedly less messy than regular frying. The aluminium and plastic Cosori Lite comes ‘truffle grey’ and a ‘milk white’, both with a stylish orange trim. The overall feel is premium. It has rounded corners and its basket opens and closes smoothly, without sliding out too fast like some air fryers can. I really enjoyed using this fryer as the 5.7L basket is deep and gives you enough room for up to six portions. The drawer pulls out a little swiftly, so you’ll need to be mindful when taking food out, but I can tell the design is made from quality materials and built to last.

What we wanted to know is whether they actually work – because, for every air-fryer super fan, there is a critic who says they cook unevenly, have a small capacity and produce dry, slightly rubbery results. The DIDO Air Fryer provides an excellent alternative to traditional deep frying methods. By using rapid air circulation, it significantly reduces the need for oil while still delivering the same deliciously crunchy results. You can now enjoy your favorite fried foods guilt-free, knowing that they contain less fat. Versatile Meal Preparation That’s why I like the Cuisinart. It just looks like an oven, with nothing scarier than four dials on the front. The first three select temperature, cooking time and cooking mode (air fry, bake, roast, grill or keep warm). With heating elements at the top and bottom, the Cuisinart can be used as a giant toaster. The fourth dial controls how brown you want your crumpets to be. Deliciously Crunchy: This air fryer delivers the same crunchy taste as fried food, but with little to no oil

Efficient and Easy to Use

While the capacity is a lot lower than your standard air fryer, the basket is round and deep and can fit a surprising amount inside. It’s capable of cooking about 450g of chips, which is enough for two and I was impressed at how evenly it cooked a homemade batch in under 18 minutes – a simple shake mid-way through ensured the chips were evenly coated. ClearCook here denotes a viewing window, a scarce feature in the air fryer world but one that comes in very handy. It lets you see when your sausages are starting to brown and need a turn, or if your chips need a good shake to evenly coat them in oil. It’s also great for baking cakes: my air-fried banana bread rose really nicely inside.