Air Fryers. Which one to get?

[AtlantaGuy]

Anyone using an air fryer? Was wondering which one is best to purchase.

 

[Morgana]

I happen to have been searching on a related topic (instant pot) recently and I noticed that there are some good comments on air fryers already, so you might want to search the archives.

Definitely also worth creating a separate and up-to-date thread on this as well.

 

[eDJ_]

There is a lot to this question. Will you be cooking for yourself or will others be dining with you ? (size of appliance) Will you be on the road in your rig or in the sticks & bricks ? Or both ? (what wattage can your rig's house battery or generator support) Then how much are you wanting to spend ? Since reviews of these appliances state that they have a life cycle of five years or less, would a store brand (Family Dollar/'Dollar General) be a less expensive & suitable substitute for an expensive brand name ?

I purchased mine during the holiday sales a few years back at a Family Dollar store for $30 bucks on sale .....$50 originally. I've seen others similar to it for $75+. I use paper liners in it to help keep down the grease build up but they slow down the air circulation and take longer to cook.

Mine is an analog type with built in timer and basically manual. It .has a 2 1/2 quart drawer with a slotted tray where grease or oil drips into the drawer from the tray when cooking. It uses 1500 watts which may be 12+ amps.

Consumer Reports

7 Best Air Fryers of 2025

 

[AtlantaGuy]

WOW eDJ. That's great info. Thank you!

 

[eDJ_]

Thanks.

So, if you are only cooking for yourself the smallest one I've seen has 1 quart capacity. The Bella that I use is made in China (like most of them even if they have an American sounding name) by Gather Co, who also make the CRUX and another series by Drew Barrymore (in designer finish while using a celeb name)

These things aren't a be all end all and do have their limits so I've found. This may be something to consider. There are 1.5 quart Instant Pots too.

An Instant Pot pressure cooker is best for cooking dishes with liquid like soups, stews, and beans quickly, while an air fryer excels at achieving crispy textures on foods like chicken, fries, and vegetables with minimal oil, making them better suited for different types of meals; essentially, an Instant Pot cooks faster using pressure, while an air fryer primarily uses hot air circulation to crisp food.

I own both and have made trips to my Public Library and found books on these subjects and other resources such as cooking time charts & recipes. A Library Card with PIN number can get you into the online books, manuals, and other info too.

 

[Morgana]

Where did you find a 1.5 quart instant pot? the smallest I could find when I looked recently was 3 quarts.

 

[eDJ_]

Hamilton Beach offers one called a "Multi-Cooker". I guess they choose that term to market multiple uses as "Instant Pot" only stresses fast cooking. Most people who cook already know that they're pressure cookers.

Here is a link to

Hamilton Beach 1.5 quart Multi Cooker

 

[maki2]

Look at Amazon reviews. A lot of nomads do not have the solar resources for running electrical kitchen appliances.

 

[Morgana]

In a recent thread on a similar topic, someone linked to a video interview Bob Wells did with a nomad using the 3-quart Instant Pot, which I'm pretty sure has an air fryer thing you can connect to it (though it's not part of the basic package). I can't remember if they talked about air frying in the video. IIRC they did talk about electricity.

Meanwhile,

Hamilton Beach offers one called a "Multi-Cooker". ...
Hamilton Beach 1.5 quart Multi Cooker

Wow, that has a significantly smaller footprint than the 3-quart one I checked out. I didn't search on "multi-cooker" --- you'd think Amazon's algorithm, which can always find you things you don't need at all, could have made that jump LOL. Just goes to show, it's always good to try a search from multiple angles! though in this case it wouldn't have occurred to me that "multi-cooker" was even a thing.

Anyway thanks for the tip.

I now return you to your previously scheduled discussion of air fryers.

 

[vanbrat]

I have 2 air fryers, 1 big one for the S&B and 1 smaller one for the van. I need more practice with both of them to give too much advice on either. So far, I am happy with the potato stuff and the fish sticks and such. I tried to cook some muffins at the last camping trip but only managed to make two really sweet hard hockey pucks. Another time I did make some really good muffins now I just need to figure out why. I am sure with practice I will find more uses for them. Usually that is the advice I give..... just practice and play with them. As far as which brand is best do your own research and let us know what you find. Mine were gifts so I did no research...

 

[maki2]

Anyone using an air fryer? Was wondering which one is best to purchase.

You have not provided enogh information to guide you in a good choice. There is more than one style. Much depends on how much power you have to run one. You might need to search out a low wattage one or you might be able to use one of the higher wattage ones. It also depends on what you want to cook in it. Some are suitable for baking things like cornbread or baked chicken or potatoes or even a small pizza as well as heating up fried foods.. Some are small with a small basket and pretty much just going to crisp up some frozen foods.

I suppose if I was shopping for one I myself would be looking for one of the toaster oven styles for the versatility of what it could do.