How to Choose an Air Fryer

You want crisp chips and a fast roast without heating the whole oven — and without giving up half your worktop to get there. Whether an air fryer delivers comes down to four things: how much it cooks at once, whether it runs one basket or two, how you control it, and how easily it cleans. Weigh those against your kitchen and your cooking, and the shortlist sorts itself.

Start with capacity and your worktop

Capacity is the first thing to pin down, because it pulls in two directions. A larger basket cooks more in one go — a full batch of chips, or enough for four — but it takes up more worktop in use and more cupboard space when it's put away. In a small kitchen, that footprint matters as much as the litres inside. Be honest about how many you cook for: a compact single drawer suits one or two people and tucks away easily, while a family of four or a batch cook will keep hitting the limit of a small basket. Measure the space on your worktop first, then choose the largest drawer that fits it.

Single basket or dual zone?

Most air fryers run a single basket, which keeps things simple and slim. A dual-zone model splits the space into two drawers you can run at different settings and finish together — chips crisping in one while salmon cooks gently in the other, both ready at once. That's genuinely useful if you plate whole meals straight from the air fryer, but it takes up a wider footprint: two zones need more room than one. If you usually cook a single thing at a time, a one-basket model is the simpler, smaller tool.

Controls — dial, presets, or app

Air fryers control three ways, and none is right for everyone. The simplest is a manual dial: set time and temperature, press start, walk away — less to learn, and less to go wrong. Preset buttons go a step further, matching common foods to a set time and temperature so you don't have to guess. And app control links the fryer to your phone, so you can start it, watch progress and adjust from the sofa — handy if you juggle a few dishes, fiddly if you'd rather never open an app to make dinner. Pick the level of hand-holding you actually want, not the longest feature list.

Cleaning and everyday upkeep

The feature that decides whether an air fryer keeps its place on the worktop is how easily it cleans, because a fryer that's a chore to wash quietly stops getting used. Look for a non-stick basket and crisper plate that lift out and go in the dishwasher — that turns the after-dinner clean-up into a two-minute job. Removable parts also make it easier to reach the grease that collects under the plate. It's the least glamorous line on the box and the one you'll be grateful for every single night.

When an air fryer is the wrong tool

An air fryer isn't right for every kitchen, and saying so narrows your list fast. Skip a large or dual-zone model if your worktop is tight — the footprint will frustrate you daily, and a compact single drawer will serve you better. Skip the app entirely if you'd rather press one dial and forget it; smart features add nothing if you never open them. And if you mostly cook big roasting-tin dinners for a crowd, a full oven still does that job better — an air fryer shines at fast, crisp, smaller batches, not everything.

Ready to choose

Once you know how much you cook at once, how you like to control it, and how much worktop you can spare, you can judge any model on what matters: capacity, basket layout, controls and cleaning. When you want the specific recommendation — our top pick for a small kitchen, plus the alternatives for app-controlled cooking, no-fuss dial cooking and more capacity, and who each one is wrong for — see our best air fryer for small kitchens decision, and read how we test to see exactly what our picks rest on.