The most recent kitchen must-have has stepped it up a gear, with air fryers now the king of multi-tasking, according to experts.
Consumer advocacy group CHOICE tested a range of newly-released air fryers, as manufacturers respond to the appliances popularity.
CHOICE kitchen expert Fiona Mair said the recent testing showed more air fryers were morphing into multicookers.
“Air fryers have changed a lot since we first started reviewing them, and these days we’re seeing more models that include multiple cooking functions in addition to air frying, such as grilling, roasting and steaming, and even dehydrating, pressure cooking, rice cooking and slow cooking,” Ms Mair said.
For those considering a purchase, she said that instead of buying a small and basic single-function air fryer, it was worth making the most of your kitchen bench space and looking at either a multi-functional air fryer or a multicooker with an air fryer function.
“Choose one that has features you’ll actually use and, preferably, could replace some appliances you already own, like a slow cooker or pressure cooker. This is a great way to save space and broaden your cooking repertoire,” she said.
Ms Mair said prices were reasonable with some of the models recommended costing less than $250.
“Our top scorer is actually one of the cheapest models.”
“If you’re after an air fryer that verges more into multi-cooker territory, or one that has more sophisticated features, you’re likely looking at a price tag of $300–$400 or more,” she said.
Ms Mair said the reviewers found a number of trends emerging in the latest products, with air fryers boasting twin baskets becoming more common, as were air fryers with viewing windows.
She said while many air fryers have auto-cook/pre-programmed settings for the like of chips, chicken or reheating, they were now also seeing lots of new cooking modes and functions.
“One function we’ve seen in more models this year is dehydrating, a form of food preservation that uses a low temperature and airflow to remove moisture from foods. It’s a great feature to help you make healthier snacks such as dried kale chips, beef jerky or dried apple crisps.”
