Best Air Cookers for Oil-free Cooking – Are they worth it?
Air Fryer, Oil-Less Cooker or Air Cooker?
Though the names are used interchangeably, we think “Air Cooker” is the most descriptive term because these oil-less cookers don’t only “fry” foods… nor are they only “oil less”. They also cook foods similar to a roaster depending on the recipe and the settings you use.
Whatever name you prefer, these are all the rage in today’s kitchen.
Do Air Cookers Work?
But do they really work to make foods taste like your favorite fried foods, while making it a whole lot healthier…? That’s what we wanted to know, so we’ve done some deep research to share with you here.
We can’t yet buy and test them all, though so if you have one you love—or hate and anything in between—please let us know and we’ll add your review to the list below.
The bottom line? Yes, they work. Are they better than your oven…? Well that depends. After scouring hundreds of reviews, we’ve come to our own conclusion at the end. There’s no one answer, because it depends on your circumstance and interests.
If you love kitchen gadgets and appliances, you’ll want to scroll through these top rated air cookers below, including the pros and cons. If you want to cut to the chase to see if an air cooker is for you, you can scroll to our conclusion at the end.
Our goal is to find and report the facts and not to favor any one company or air cooker.
What is an Air Cooker?
An air cooker is an innovative kitchen appliance which uses superheated air to cook food. It’s a relatively new innovation first launched to the world by Philips, a Dutch technology company well established in high efficiency electronics. For more on that, you may enjoy this article.[1]https://www.mytrainerfitness.com/oil-less-fryer/
If you love fried foods but also care about your health and want to eat healthier, you’re in luck! Oil-less deep fryers” are changing the way we fry, and consequently improving our health! However, the air cooker may—or may not be—your best solution, depending on several factors which we cover here.
If you want to lose weight or just improve your health and lifestyle but love fried foods, this revolutionary technology offers healthier, tasty, “fried foods” with little to no oil. However, there are other ways to achieve the same goal. Bottom line: avoid deep fried foods however you can![2]https://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20170622/how-bad-for-you-are-fried-foods
Air cookers are the next popular kitchen appliance to follow the popularity of the “Instant Pot”.
How an Air Cooker Works
These air fryers make use of Rapid Air Technology to prepare your favorite foods safely. Air cookers basically circulate hot air generated by a heating element. Air fryer temperatures can reach up to 390 ℉, and it is this evenly circulating hot air that essentially “fries” foods such as turkey breasts, French fries, chicken, fish and more.
Imagine enjoying your finger-licking good dish, perfectly browned, crunchy and with up to 80% less fat! You can enjoy every bite without the guilt of consuming considerably large amounts of unhealthy fats. Now we’re all for that!
Air fryers are significantly healthier and easier to use that deep fryers. Since the air cooker requires little to no oil, it’s a lot less messy as well.
Air cookers are less messy than deep fryers.
Air Cooker Issues
Now even the best air cookers have some significant “complaints” in terms of machine quality and cooked results. Our take is that some manufacturing runs can be better than others and hopefully companies will take heed to the reviews and work to improve all issues.
We think some of the disappointments in the recipe outcomes are about equally user error, with people not following directions exactly. But it’s always best to also check the reviews yourself before you buy, and to make the decision based on what makes sense to you. That’s what we’ve done here to share our best picks in air cookers.
When you read the reviews, be sure to sort the by most current dates as well to get a sense of how that company’s products are currently doing. There are a number of occasions where the manufacturer has improved upon the issues reported in earlier reviews.
Manufacturing Issues
The other major issue in manufacturing today in general, is that as the majority of manufacturing has been outsourced overseas, we’re all seeing a decline in the quality of goods overall. We have a foreign made refrigerator that’s giving out that’s just 12 years old. It’s Whirlpool but made in China. We have an old second refrigerator in our pantry that’s over 30 years old, made in the USA. While our old Kenmore is on its last leg, it is still working better than the “newer” foreign made model that’s less than half the age.
Whirlpool… Kenmore… Maytag… according to our various appliance service reps, no matter the brand label they’re all sourced overseas. We’d be very much in favor of a return to American made products! But that’s another topic, however the issue is the same: foreign manufacturing, especially from China has become the main source of all American goods because labor is so much cheaper and Americans demand cheaper prices.
So… getting back to air cookers, this means finding the better of the options available. But first, a caution.
Beware of Fake Amazon Reviews!
Over the past couple years, Amazon has been working very hard to clean up the product reviews scams that have plagued the reliability and accuracy of reviews there. However, there are still many fake reviews to be found.
How to Detect Fake Amazon Reviews
When it comes to fake reviews, a good example is this SimpleTaste Multi-Function Electric Air Fryer. The previous listing for this had 91% five star reviews, however, when you read them, most of them are clearly fake, even those that say “verified purchase”.
This newer listing has 78% five star reviews as of this writing, but some are clearly written by foreign users. We all can make grammatical and spelling mistakes, but you can usually spot foreign reviews by the unusual sentence structure.
These days, most reviewers are “verified” buyers, even if it’s not an authentic original reviewer. It’s a fact that some sellers are asking friends, family, associates and professional reviewers to buy the products, and then they will reimburse them for that purchase in exchange for a review. Yet paid reviews or reviews in exchange for free products is against Amazon’s terms of service.
SAMPLE FAKE REVIEW
As writers and editors as well as contractors of writers both foreign and US, we tend to spot these right away. Here’s an example of a suspicious review, though it’s by a verified buyer.
“Verified Purchase: Yessss! I love this, maybe the best investment this year so far. Works great,easy to use, easy to clean,and the best part is food come out great.i put chicken nuggets and fries ,pizza, chicken wing the most.im very enjoy using this air fryer.such a good purchase.”
As you can likely see, based on the sentence structure and manner of speech, English is probably not that writer’s first language. Yet, this was listed as a verified 5-star review. We can empathize with Amazon’s challenge in trying to police reviewers. It’s not easy.
Here’s an article on this topic of fake Amazon reviews if that’s something you’d like to know more about.
Sharing Research
Buying a brand new air fryer can be challenging as they are relatively new and just a few people know much about them. It can be difficult to evaluate and determine which air fryer is the best without extensive testing over a long period of time using many recipes.
There are many companies out there now churning out air fryers. Some are adequate while others could be letdowns. So we’ve taken the time to research the pros and cons of each which we’ve summarized here to save you time. We’ve even included the analysis of the fake review detector sites to help get closer to the truth.
If you have personal experience with any of these and would like to share your experience to help others, we’d be glad to add it here if you’ll send us a note about your purchase experience.
The most common complaints amongst ALL of the air fryer reviews?
“Cheaply made”
“Non-stick coating (or paint) peels, bubbles and comes off”
Poor customer service
BEST AIR COOKERS — 2022 UPDATE
So far, based on the GardensAll contributions from the community, the Ninja brand air cookers are the winners.
Breville Smart Oven Air Fryer Pro, Countertop Convection Oven
Ninja Foodi Air Fryer / Air Cooker Toaster Oven With Flip Up Capacity
When sharing this to our Facebook page, reader, Rhonna Gilmore shared a new appliance that looks awesome. We love that it’s toaster oven and air cooker / fryer in one, AND that it flips up to store vertically for optimal space.
Our old toaster oven is on its last leg, so we’ll be getting one soon! This Ninja air cooker currently has only 5 star reviews too, so that’s noteworthy.
I have the Ninja Foodi Flip. Love how it stores flipped up, more room on the counter. But when they say oil free, not really, you have to use some oil, so there’s that. I use mine mostly as an oven in summer, it heats up and cools down quickly. ~ Rhonna Gilmore
Largest Ninja Air Cooker, 13-in-1 is 15.33 x 20.21 x 8.15 inches
Why do we love the Ninja Foodi 5-in-1 Grill, Air Cooker? Because it does so many things and is easy to clean.
As far as the air fryer goes, you really have to keep an eye on it and rotate things. It takes patience, its not just a dump it in there and in 20 minutes you have sweet potato chips. Things aren’t quite as “crunchy”, but they are still very good. I’ve learned to air fry to a point and then just turn it over to dehydrate setting when I can’t keep as close of an eye on things as needed. ~Jean Janeri
BEST AIR COOKERS 2020
Be aware that none of the air cookers on the market below (as of 2020) have A+ rankings.
#1 – 3.7 Qt. Air Fryer by Cozyna
As seen on Buzzfeed and Hungry Girl, this Air Fryer by Cozyna is a great choice for first time users. Offering the perfect marriage of price and function, it’s not a surprise why this particular model is currently topping the air fryer bestselling list on Amazon.
This Cozyna Air Fryer has plenty of excellent features to offer. The Cozyna’s temperature adjusts up to 392 degrees F with 1500-watt ultrasonic power, a convenient timer, and cool-to-the-touch easy grip handle with Stormic Air Flow technology. Newbies to air frying will quickly get the hang of things with this impressive user-friendly cooker.
Cozyna is Quieter
As will all air fryers, you can fry, grill, bake, and roast with little to no oil. Beyond that, the Cozyna fryer is quieter than other models and is dishwasher-safe so cleaning is always a breeze.
With the economical and user-friendly Cozyna Air Fryer, you can start enjoying your favorite fried foods without the guilt. And best part? You don’t have to compromise full flavors just to start eating healthy.
But as with other new kitchen gadgets, expect a trial and error period. You may need to play around with the temperature settings to get it right for certain foods. This Air Fryer by Cozyna is also not recommended for big batch frying. If you want to fry fries for a party, do it in smaller batches or you may end up with soggy fries.
Add about $10 to the current price tag and you can get the Air Fryer Touchscreen by Cozyna. It features digital controls instead of the less convenient analog controls.
PROS:
Cooks fast and evenly
Quieter operation
Heats up quickly
Easy to use timer
Cool to touch with easy grip handle
Dishwasher-safe for easy clean-up
CONS:
Takes up a lot of kitchen space
May be prone to rusting
Small cooking area, 13 x 11.5 x 12.2 inches
ADJUSTED REVIEWS from FakeSpot & ReviewMeta
FakeSpot Reviews Product Grade B / Company Grade B
We can thank Philips for inventing the Airfryer technology that allows us to ditch the oil and cook food with air instead. This new and inventive method is said to reduce as much as 75% fat as compared to frying.
If you’re making the big change to preparing foods in healthier ways, this Philips The Original XL Air Fryer is the real deal. Celebrity chef, Gordon Ramsay, recommends this brand, touting it as “the original and the very best” in the market today. However, while this Philips has lots of good reviews, it also has its share of 1, 2, and 3 star reviews.
How to Assess Reviews
When you look at the product, click on the review stars next to (or under) the product name. That will open a drop-down menu where you can see which stars have which percentage of reviews to help you decide.
I didn’t know about that feature until just recently, and it’s very helpful, because you can also quickly and easily click on any of the star results to read the reviews under that number.
But again, it’s also important to realize that some of the reviews may not be real, so don’t take them at surface value. To know for sure, you have to dive into them and see if they read the way most normal people would write about them.
If a review sounds like a sales promotion, it’s probably not real.
Philips 2.56 lb. Capacity
Featuring a larger 2.56 lbs. capacity, this particular Philips air fryer is double the capacity of other models. The XL Air Fryer can accommodate about two bags of French fries instead of the usual one bag.
With digital interface and smart preset button, this device is more convenient to use all around. To save time this fryer memorizes your preferred settings for different foods making cooking time even more efficient.
Teaming up with Gordon Ramsay, this Philips Airfryer includes a recipe book featuring a collection of fast and tasty dishes you can try. You may also want to download the free app that goes with this machine to access over 150 more recipes.
Even if this Philip’s XL Airfryer is on the pricier side, you’re likely to get the most bang for your buck. Especially if you’ve tried air frying before and you’re looking for something more reliable for your family.
PROS:
Convenient digital interface
Smart preset button for even more convenience
Longer timer up to 60 minutes
Larger cooking area
Top rack dishwasher-safe for easy clean-up
CONS:
Relatively more expensive
Non-stick coating may chip off easily
Takes up a lot of counter space, 15.2 x 15.2 x 15.2 in
ADJUSTED REVIEWS from FakeSpot & ReviewMeta
FakeSpot Reviews Product Grade B / Company Grade B
Less space-consuming, smaller and also cheaper, this T-fal FZ7002 ActiFry Low-Fat Healthy AirFryer is highly recommended for college students or young professionals living solo.
Like other air fryers, this appliance from T-fal is designed to offer consumers a healthier alternative to traditional frying. Instead of a cupful of oil, you may need none or only need a tablespoon of oil for most recipes.
Stirring Paddle and Heat Pulse Features
But what really makes this model special is the stirring paddle and the patented heat pulse system for more even cooking. The paddle makes sure the oil is well distributed and the patented technology ensures even hot air circulation. The clear viewing window, which other air fryers do not have, is another plus so you can keep an eye on your food.
Incredibly easy to use, this handy multi-cooker features a large LCD screen with automatic timer and automatic lid. All you really have to do is prep your food, drizzle with oil and let the air fryer do the rest. The alarm will sound off once your food is ready.
Smaller Unit
Smaller than other models, this is not ideal for larger preparations or food items. In terms of efficiency, it may not cook as fast as other models. But other than these few downsides, this is a budget-friendly investment perfect for college students, singles or couples.
PROS:
Patented heat pulse system for even cooking
Easy to use
Quality stainless steel construction
Dishwasher-safe for easy clean-up
Drain and oil storage feature
FakeSpot Reviews Product Grade B / Company Grade A
CONS:
Smaller capacity
Messier
Not as fast as other models
Shallow 19.1 x 11.8 x 15.6 inches
ADJUSTED REVIEWS from FakeSpot & ReviewMeta
FakeSpot Reviews Product Grade B / Company Grade A
This NuWave 36001 Brio Air Fryer is another best-selling model you might want to check out. Key features include digital controls, auto pre-heat function and advanced safety. The fryer won’t operate unless the basket is properly in place. Which means even your pre-teen can use this without any trouble.
Whether you want to fry, bake, grill or roast, this air fryer can adequately do them all. Using a combo of hot hair with high speed air circulation, cooking your favorite fried foods with minimal oil is more convenient than ever. This device is also handy for reheating.
NuWave 36001 – Smaller Capacity
This NuWave 36001 Brio Air Fryer has a smaller capacity than other options. Cooking is not consistently even as well. If you’re going to cook larger items, you might need to keep it to one to ensure even cooking. But it’s good to experiment and increase quantities and adjust as needed.
All around, this NuWave air fryer is smaller and may not be as durable as higher-end options, but it’s an excellent choice if you’re not an everyday fryer with heavy usage needs.
PROS:
Digital LED controls for convenience and accuracy
Easy to use
Advanced safety feature
Retractable cord for easy storage
FakeSpot Reviews Product Grade A / Company Grade A
CONS:
Longer cooking time than other models
Small pan
Not that easy to clean
ADJUSTED REVIEWS from FakeSpot & ReviewMeta
FakeSpot Reviews Product Grade A / Company Grade A
Review Meta Adjusted rating: 4.1 stars
Warning: high percentage of suspicious negative reviews detected, which could be competition posting fake reviews; another dirty-tricks trade secrets that are known to happen in the ecommerce space amongst competition.
A friend just told us about this air cooker, which is his favorite. It’s currently the #5 best selling air cooker on Amazon, with mostly good ratings.
GoWise Pros
Currently over 93% positive and the majority of those seem to be legitimate reviews.
Available in multiple colors
GoWise Air Fryer Cons
a loose or faulty handle
poor customer service
Heat vents from bottom, can cause issues
Some units arrived defective
#6 – Cook’s Essentials 5.3-qt Digital Air Fryer with Divider
This air cooker is the favorite cooker featured on QVC though only one review on Amazon as of this writing. Once again, as with ALL cookers, they all seem to have an issue with quality of make and materials.
Many people love it and use it every day. Others say the coating is peeling (a common complaint amongst all brands), or the handle came off.
We suspect this is much like the some of the other oil-less fryers: adequate but not great, and with definite issues with peeling paint, (note the 152 one-star reviews on QVC as of this writing).
Air Fryers come in different sizes, so be careful to assess the size that will be large enough for your needs.
Small capacity air cookers are often appropriate for two or three servings, so great for individuals and couples.
Large Capacity air fryers cost more and naturally take up a little bit more counter space but are better suited to families.
Air Fryer Accessories
We recommend that you start using your air fryer as it is first, before buying additional air fryer accessories. Once you’ve gotten some successful dishes under your belt, you may enjoy getting more creative with additional accessories.
The most common air fryer accessories:
pie pans
air fryer rack
silicone trivet
cake pan
skewers
So depending on your needs and how adventurous you’re feeling, there are a number of options. Just be sure to confirm that the accessories you want to try out are compatible with your cooker.
To kick off your healthy lifestyle, here’s a crowd-pleasing favorite that’s actually relatively easy.
Recipes for Air Fryers
Below are a few crowd pleasing favorite recipes and lots more for air fryers here.
The oil less cookers have been around for about seven years. Consequently, recipes for air fryers are still relatively new.
You can look for all kinds of new air fryer recipes, but the bottom line is that most of your favorite recipes can be cooked using your hot air fryer. You’ll just need to follow the air fryer instructions for cooking that item after you’ve prepared the recipe.
Most of your favorite recipes can be cooked in your air cooker.
Handy Resources
This handy air fryer calculator can help as well. It converts celsius to fahrenheit and includes an estimated cooking time and temperature sheet.
For important information on best oils to use for air frying, this is a helpful article.
Making Fried Favorites Healthier!
It’s one thing to enjoy that favorite mouth-watering crispy fried chicken, but it’s easy to overlook the fact that it was first literally swimming in oil. Yuk!!
Once we grasp how detrimental some of our old favorite fried foods are to our health, it’s hard to enjoy them in the same way we used to. We can no longer ignore the fact that “juicy fried chicken” is actually not so much “juice” as it is cell-damaging, free-radical inducing, fried oil. Sorry to be the messenger if you hadn’t yet heard that ?
You already eat healthy vegetables from your garden. Might as well take it to the next level and preserve that garden fresh goodness in how you prepare your food. Air fryers usher kitchens to an entirely new era of exciting cooking possibilities.
The results aren’t always perfect and the reviews are mixed, but it’s an evolving technology that should keep on getting better. So if you love fried foods but you care about your health, you may enjoy trying out this exciting new method of making some of your favorite foods.
Our Air Cooker Conclusion
These make great gifts for:
Students or young adults starting out
Singles, couples or small families
Seniors, living alone
Kitchen gadget lovers
The cook who has everything
If you love kitchen gadgets, fried—but healthy—foods and have the space, this may be fun for you. These also make great gifts for the cook who has everything with counter space to spare.
SINGLE? Our friend loves his and he’s a single guy in a studio apartment with just a hot plate and an air cooker and he uses it all the time.
FAMILY? Try the oven frying instead.
If you don’t have the extra space and/or want to save money, we recommend trying baked or oven roasted versions of your favorite fried foods first. Our favorite: oven roasted potatoes with rosemary, salt and pepper.
TIP: If you have a convection oven and a larger family to feed, convection ovens at high temps are a close second to an air cooker.
Healthy Oven “Fries” Recipe
Preheat oven to 475℉, (convection if your oven has it).
Scrub and chop potatoes of choice into bite sizes of potato wedges, string potatoes, etc.)*
Toss with olive oil, fresh rosemary, salt and pepper, (or any seasoning of your choice)**
Cook on high heat for approx. 45 minutes, tossing potatoes once or twice, until tender on the inside and crispy on the outside.
* We use organic red or russet potatoes and leave the skin on for extra flavor and nutrition.
**Our favorites oven fries seasonings are Mexican fries using Mexican spices, Indian fries using curry or garam masala, and balsamic vinegar fries with olive oil, salt and pepper.
The main difference in the outcome between an air cooker and using the oven is that it takes more energy to heat up the entire oven. However, if you have a big family, that’s going to be your best bet.
If you’d like to share your air fryer experience and preferences, and/or air cooker recipes with us, we’d be delighted to publish them here. You can send us an email.
Healthy Potato Chips
Now… if you want to make healthy potato chips, our son, Nikolai, enjoys this gadget he got for Christmas a couple years ago.
They come out very tasty in the microwave, and it’s fast and healthy because not deep fried, but it does take a lot of sessions to get a bowl full, especially if you’re eating them as you go, like Nikolai does!
Heather Collins-Dudas: Love how it cooks. I love that I can use little to no oil. I love the short time it takes to cook, and the easy clean up. This 5.3 q. 1700 watt air fryer did great things to a vegan grilled cheese, and a frozen burrito.
[However]… The non-stick coating filled every room with a toxic chemical smell that gave me a headache. Already knew Teflon was bad, and ditched it long ago. Couldn’t find info. on the fryer basket for this model. I bought it hoping it was stainless. No. Decided to use it anyway. Never had it on longer than 10 minutes. Did some research. A woman claims hers was on for 1 hour and it killed her four birds. Also found out that Teflon and copper coatings eventually peel and flake off into food. Makes since with all that hot air blowing around. All of the more affordable and aesthetically pleasing (to me) air fryers are coated.
When I can get a glass or stainless air fryer at a decent price, I’ll be all over it. Until then I’ll do without, and this is going back to store.
Bella Air Cooker Reviews
The Bella 5.3QT has 81% mostly positive reviews as of 2/7/20.
Summary of most common pros and cons reviews:
PROS:
Cooks both vegetables and meats well
Makes delicious, crisp, oil-free fries
CONS:
Faulty basket design
Teflon coated that smells and fumes when cooking; possibly toxic
Faulty timer
Possible limited and expensive returns if not on Amazon Prime
I’m LeAura Alderson, a garden, herb and plant enthusiast with a passion for discovering the many edible and medicinal benefits of the plants all around us, including the weeds! I’m a writer, editor and media publisher for our family of websites.
While I was certified in fitness and life coaching, I am NOT a health practitioner. However, I’m a lifelong health enthusiast, with a keen interest in healthy, organic foods and making home remedies and the content we share is from our own experience and usage as well as that extracted from scientific research so that you can explore further on your own.
Always seek the advice and guidance of your health practitioners first and foremost.
As a family we’re steadily expanding our gardening, experimentation and knowledge around all things gardening, edible landscaping, fresh organic foods and self sustainability with farming in our future. I also own and manage iCreateDaily.com, a site all about transformation through creation, and the power of positivity, optimism and mindset.
The information on this website has not been evaluated by the Food & Drug Administration or any other medical body. We do not aim to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any illness or disease. Information is shared for educational purposes only. You must consult your doctor before acting on any content on this website, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition.
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