Many people don't want to hear it, but you must clean your air fryer after every use. Even if you haven't added oil — but especially if you have — the basket, trays and element can collect grease and get gummy, start to smell or, most critically, put the machine at risk of smoking. Air frying uses significantly less oil than deep frying and pan frying, so it can provide a lower-calorie and lower-fat alternative that still delivers a crisp texture," says Stefani Sassos, M.S., R.D.N., C.D.N."But air fryers are only as healthy as the foods you chose to cook in them. They won’t magically remove saturated and trans fats from your meals.”

As air fryers are designed with additional functions, such as baking and roasting, cookbooks are written to include recipes using those functions. If your air fryer only air fries, make sure to choose a book with recipes that focus on that. Lastly, it’s worth thinking about clean-up – most of the fryers on our list have dishwasher-proof baskets and accessories, while the two oven air fryers we’ve featured have removable doors to help you keep your machine as clean as possible. How we test air fryersP rice: Digital air fryers tend to cost more than mechanical air fryers, as do stainless steel options versus plastic. And models that provide more functions, like steam cooking or slow cooking, will also cost more than those that are focused on air frying. We have not scored based on baked goods like cake because cake and most other desserts benefit from an even distribution of gentle heat, and most air fryers don't have heating elements on the bottom in addition to on the top (though fruit crumbles and air fryer donuts come out great!). Air fryers from Instant, the same brand that makes Instant Pot multicookers, have been on our list of the best air fryers since we started testing them. All the Instant air fryers we've tested, including this one, are easy to program and high-performing. This model — a steal when on sale but a great value even at full price — particularly stands out for its see-through window design, which allows you to peer inside without pulling out the basket. It also has a light inside that turns on automatically right before the timer goes off — and you can turn it on manually whenever you want to see what's going on in there.

We've tested more than 40 air fryers in the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances Lab, including traditional basket-style air fryers, air fryer ovens, air fryer toaster ovens and even several microwaves and multicookers with air fry capabilities. We also cook with them quite regularly in the Lab and at home and have developed countless air fryer recipes. Use a damp cloth or paper towel to wipe down the fixed parts of the interior as well as the outside of the machine. Dry well before plugging in and using again. Pressure cookers with air frying capability can also provide a slew of cooking functions beyond air frying and pressure cooking, including rice, slow cook, sauté and even yogurt or dehydrate.This cookbook is the perfect marriage of two very timely health and cooking trends: the keto diet and air fryer technology. Penned by Hey Keto Mama's Sam Dillard, this collection includes 175 easy-to-make recipes that span everything from breakfast to side dishes to dessert, so there is something for everyone and every occasion. For those new to either air frying or the keto diet, there is a helpful introduction section on the fundamentals of air fryer cooking, the ingredients called for are easy to find at any grocery store, and the recipes are broken down in a user-friendly fashion.

If there's a drip tray, empty any oil (but do not flush it down the sink; empty it into a sealable can, jar or bag that you can toss when it's full). If you need a larger capacity model, consider the Ninja Foodi 6-in-1 Two-Basket Air Fryer. It performs just as well as the Air Fryer Max XL with even more versatility. The two baskets total 8 quarts in capacity, and you can cook the same food in each or two different foods at two different temperatures. It's also the one we turn to the most for one-person meals since each individual basket is smaller and takes up less room in the dishwasher. The content of this book includes an introduction about air fryers with tips such as not overcrowding your food, begin air-frying your food within minutes of tossing in the oil (I've been letting potatoes, for example, "marinate" in oil and spices for sometimes a half hour), converting a regular recipe into an air fryer recipe (reduce the the temperature by 25F), cleaning your air fryer, etc. Basket-style air fryers have a pull-out basket and are good for small quantities and foods that are easy to shake, like fries and veggies. Nicole Papantoniou is the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab. She has worked at kitchen appliance companies, where she helped develop some popular air fryers as well as many recipes for them. Since joining Good Housekeeping, she has had her hands on all of the new air fryers that come through the Lab (whether testing herself or overseeing testing) and has tasted food that was made in almost all of them. She's an avid air fryer user at home, too, where she has about six to choose from.

Size: How many people are you cooking for at one time? A compact size (around 2 quarts) is good for one to two people, while a bigger size works better for three or more. You should also consider what kinds of foods you cook. Do you need room for a dozen egg rolls, or do you just want to cook a piece of salmon for yourself? So when it came to rounding up our favorite air-fryer cookbooks, we took the task very seriously. Since air-fryer models are constantly being refined and updated, the recipes and cookbooks you use should reflect that. Each of the following cookbooks contain recipes that are not only rigorously tested, but also include plenty of tips on how you can get restaurant-quality results at home. Because we definitely believe you shouldn't have to leave your house to get a hot, fresh donut. Gord and I received an air fryer as a Christmas gift in December. We liked it so much that we bought a second one. Since then, I've been looking for fun things to cook in it. The air fryer cooking guide was handy. I liked that cooking times and nutrition (calories. amount of fat, protein, carbs, etc.) were provided. Basket-style air fryers have one or two drawers where you place your food for cooking. Those with two drawers are particularly handy if you want to cook different foods at the same time, but they can take up a lot more room in the kitchen than their more compact counterparts.