Deep fryers and air fryers are both excellent kitchen appliances that can save you time and money when preparing tasty meals for your family or guests.
The difference is that deep fryers require oil for preparing meals, while air fryers only need only water and hot air. However, deep fryers prepare food faster and it’s often crispier because of the oil. If you want the air fried food to be as crispy, usually some oil needs to be sprinkled on top of it, which produces a similar amount of crispiness.
Having said that, the difference in quality between two fryers is more important than the type you’re using. Both can be used to cook an equally delicious meal if they’re of similar quality. Knowing that, we’ve tested multiple deep and air fryers and compared their features. These 9 fryers turned out to be the best when price and overall quality and features were taken into consideration:
1. T-Fal Deep Fryer with Basket
This fryer with its advanced features can potentially put more value for your money whether you use it for home or business use. Apart from giving you uniform and tasty fried food, it is easy to use and easy to clean.
Operating on 1700 watts of power, with 3.5 liters of cooking capacity, it features an immersed heating element inside the cooker. This means lesser heat loss and faster temperature recovery, Hence, it saves both in energy and time.
One great innovation with this appliance is the patented oil filtration system, in which with just a switch of a knob the oil is cooled, filtered and automatically drained into a holding pan at the bottom of the fryer. No need to exert effort to tip the pot over for cleaning and draining.
A slight drawback, however, is the power cord safety quick-unplug feature, which looks a little bit too loose. Other than that, it’s a professional deep fry pan that works well at home too and with a price at around $80 it’s one of the best valued solutions on the market.
2. Dash DMAF360GBAQ02 Air Crisp Pro Electric Air Fryer
Right off the bat, this fryer sounds and looks like an amazing invention. Frying with no oil needed. With its patented Air Crisp technology, it reduces fat by frying your food with very little or no oil at all. All of this while retaining the flavor and smell of fried food.
It comes with an auto shut-off function which prevents overcooking. So simple to use even your kids can do it. It has 8 digital presets for easy air frying, or you can switch to manual if you want. French fries, chicken wings, potato chips, all in a matter of minutes, and nothing gets easier than that. With a 1-year manufacturer warranty, this item also comes with a recipe guide cookbook for more ideas on the food you can create.
The best part of this appliance is the ease and time savings it gives you when you use it. You can air fry French fries within 10 minutes which would normally take longer in a conventional oil fryer. And yes, it also tastes great.
So far, the con on this item is the usual factory defect complaints that the item does not work upon delivery. Otherwise, you can go ahead and enjoy your food without guilt.
3. Cosori Air Fryer
Aside from being portable and lightweight, this air fryer also features a matte finish that won’t stain. It features easy to read indicator lights, and an 11 presets non-slip dial for easy frying. With its 5.8 quart non-stick basket, this item can fry a whole chicken that can serve about 3-5 people. It cooks at 85% less fat which is a little bit more than most Air Fryers can reduce.
Safe and easy to clean, it is FDA compliant, Non-BPA, and ETl listed. It also has an auto-shutoff function for safety. Enjoy 100 recipes from the book that comes along with the Cosori for more cooking ideas.
Among all other positive reviews on this item is its silent operation. It works quietly with no fuss and no muss cooking. Quick, easy, and healthy.
One possible drawback of this brand Cosori, it may have to look into a very slight design flaw on which it is said that the handle was a bit too floppy. But that may have been some time ago, and likely may have been taken cared of already. Overall, with this item, you can eat healthily and enjoy yummy at the same time.
4. Gourmia GAF228 Digital Air Fryer, 2.2 Quarts
A small cooking machine with the state of the art features. It is touch controlled, (yes, just like your android) fully digital, and cooks 30% faster than your conventional oven. This item has a removable tray and pan for easy cleaning.
With the basket at 6.5″ in height and 4″ in diameter, you can cook a considerable amount of food for 2 or 3 persons. Just set to your desired temperature along with the time range of 15- 30 minutes, and voila! crispy fried goodness you’d love to do again and again.
With its Radivection 360 degree technology innovation, the air is circulated at a much faster rate, frying your food faster even without oil. It also comes with a recipe book packed with suggestions on how to put delicious into your everyday meals.
Conversely, there is a possible design flaw that causes at least one of the small rubber tabs on the crisper plate to come off. The user may get caught up trying to put it back every time it comes off.
This item is compact and a space saver as well. The Radivection Technology allows for really quick and hot temperature that makes your food crispy on the outside but still juicy on the inside.
5. Hamilton Beach Deep Fryer
For delicious oil-fried food, this appliance suited for both business and family use. With its 12-cup capacity that is large enough to hold 3.2 quarts of oil, makes for restaurant-quality frying that you can have right at home. Being dishwasher safe, it features parts that are easy to remove and easy to assemble.
The frying basket which is chrome plated features a hook for easy draining. You can check your food as it cooks through a view window built into the cover. All of that, while smoke and heat come out of the cover vent. This fryer is also fitted with a digital timer that makes a sound whenever the food is ready.
As an added safety feature, a break-away power cord is fitted into the back just in case the cord is tripped, preventing the cooker from tipping over.
Most of the rave about this fryer is, it’s never messy to use, doesn’t splatter, and is very easy to take apart and clean. One chief complaint, however, is that the breakaway cord breaks away too easily.
6. Presto 05420 Fry Daddy
The Presto Fry Daddy is one of the good examples of what a low-price great value item is, in and out of this review. It cooks the same delicious fried recipes as other higher priced air fryers do by selling at a really affordable price.
It is a no-frills plug-and-fry device. That’s right, there are not many buttons to push, no timer to set, just plug it in and cook. With a 4-cup oil capacity, it can deliver 4 hefty servings of your favorite fritter.
Just wait for a few minutes for the oil to heat up then you are ready to fry. Wrapped in non-stick Teflon, the Fry daddy is very easy to clean and store.
There are at least two drawbacks though, it splatters easily and the Teflon might prematurely peel. Overall, the Presto Fry Daddy is a quick, cheap, no-frills frying solution for your fritter cravings.
7. Fereol Air Fryer 5.8 Quarts
With its sleek black design, this air fryer looks compact but is actually a big-sized appliance for family meals. At a 5.5 liter capacity, 30-minute timer, and a maximum of 400 degrees Fahrenheit, this device will surely satisfy your kid’s cravings for crispy and juicy food the healthy way.
And of course, it comes with a free cookbook for great ideas on a variety of fried recipes. With a 60-day guarantee or your money back offer, it gives you all the more reason to try this item out. It comes with an easy clean basket, as well as a non-stick Teflon mesh that you can put safely in a dishwasher.
The Fereol Air Fryer is perfect for a family of 4, You can do crispy fried food with or without oil perfectly, each and every time. Its sleek design makes it look good on your kitchen counter.
The con on this item however is the reported Teflon peeling. However, it does depend on how and what you use to clean it with. Overall, if you need a fryer to handle a large volume of food with consistent results, this fryer is for you.
8. Hamilton Beach 2.6 Quart Digital Air Fryer
This air fryer requires no preheating. Just go ahead and select a preprogrammed setting and you are good to fry. It features one-touch preset cooking settings, and it does it all for you.
It’s awesome for cooking chicken, fries, or even seafood, You can use any of the 6 settings available. With a medium to large cooking capacity at 2.5 liters, this item is great for a medium-size family.
It also comes with a non-stick basket that is easy to remove and clean. With a powerful airflow, you can be sure to get quick, crispy, and juicy fries each and every time. The downside to this product is the non-stick coating which in some cases can start peeling off sooner than expected.
Overall, if you are looking to use an air fryer with your family in mind this could be a reasonable choice.
9. Simple Living 7Quart Air Fryer
This fryer was designed to look good as well as serve an even larger family. With its sleek stainless steel construction and design, this fryer is stain-resistant and pretty to look at. With its extra-large capacity of 7 quarts, this fryer can serve up to 7 people. Its large square basket is made specifically to accommodate larger food volume compared to the standard round shaped baskets of most air fryers.
Like most higher tier priced fryers, this appliance also features one-touch preset cooking with a maximum temperature of 400 degrees Fahrenheit coupled with a 60-minute timer.
The manufacturer offers a 1-year warranty based out of California. Additionally, the special ergonomic design allows for easy operation and better control access. You can cook a whole chicken with its memory control intelligence, and auto shut-off feature.
You can consider this item the perfect appliance if it wasn’t for the non-stick coating that is said to easily peel off the basket. Otherwise, the Simple Living Air Fryer is pretty much worth the price for the value it delivers.
Final Thoughts: Best Deep Fryers & Air Fryers Reviewed
These are the best fryers on the market in 2020. I can say that with confidence after testing all nine of these and ten more that didn’t make it on our list because they had less quality features or their price was too high for what they were offering.
So whether you’re preparing food for your family or in a restaurant environment I’m confident you will find a good fryer in this selection. Hope this helps!
Not sure if you should get a deep fryer or air fryer? This video shows the differences in more -depth:
