An air fryer is a good choice for everyday meals if you mainly cook portions that fit in its basket and want to avoid deep-frying in oil. It can reduce frying smells, but won’t eliminate them. Two drawers are useful for cooking two dishes at once, as long as each fits in its compartment. Keep your oven for larger dishes and choose a deep fryer if deep-frying is still your priority. Also check how much space you have, how noisy the fan is and which parts need cleaning.
In an open-plan or poorly ventilated kitchen, avoiding a bath of hot oil may matter more than recreating traditional deep-frying. UFC-Que Choisir lists reduced smells as one of the benefits of an air fryer, but doesn’t promise an odour-free kitchen.
An appliance with two cooking zones can help you prepare a main and a side dish using different settings. Before choosing this style, check that each compartment will hold your usual portions. UFC-Que Choisir also includes simultaneous cooking in its testing protocol.
An extra appliance is only practical if it fits on your worktop, with the clearance specified in the manual. It’s also worth considering fan noise in a small room, as UFC-Que Choisir points out.
When choosing between an air fryer, a deep fryer and an oven, start with the dishes you cook most often. The number of portions, available space and cleaning requirements will help you decide between appliances.
Choose this if: you usually cook one recipe at a time, in a quantity that fits the basket.
Bear in mind: large dishes or multiple preparations may need to be cooked in separate batches.
Choose this if: you regularly cook two foods with different cooking times or temperatures and want to serve them together.
Bear in mind: the total capacity is split between the drawers, so a large dish needs to fit in one of them.
Choose this if: deep-frying in oil is still your priority.
Bear in mind: handling hot oil, frying smells and the associated cleaning are all part of the process.
Stick with it if: you mainly cook large dishes or rarely use the functions you’re considering an air fryer for.
Consider: don’t assume another appliance will use less energy for your meals without comparing like-for-like cooking.
| What matters to you | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Smells and handling oil | Check whether your recipes are suitable for hot-air cooking and find out which parts need cleaning afterwards. An air fryer avoids a bath of oil, but not all cooking smells. | In an open-plan kitchen, I want to make crispy food without dealing with a bath of oil or having the same frying smells linger. Around 33% of consumers prioritise this. |
| Portions and cooking two dishes at once | Compare the shape and capacity of each drawer with the foods you usually cook. Check whether it has a synchronisation function if that matters to you. | To serve a main and a side dish together, I need enough room for a suitable portion in each zone. This is the top priority for around 27% of consumers. |
| Recipes and cooking results | Look for tests covering the foods you cook and quantities similar to yours. Check that the basket can hold the dishes you use. | I cook more than just chips and want to know whether the appliance is also suitable for vegetables, poultry or baking. Around 20% of consumers put this versatility first. |
| Noise, space and electricity use | Measure the space available and the clearances specified in the manual. Check any available noise measurements, and compare kWh for the same recipe, quantities and cooking steps. | In a small home, I don’t want to add an awkward appliance or choose one based on an energy-saving claim that isn’t like-for-like. This is the main concern for around 20% of consumers. |
Hot-air cooking avoids a bath of oil, but fatty foods or food residue can still produce smells. UFC-Que Choisir refers to reduced smells, not their complete elimination.
Choose an air fryer to reduce the inconvenience of deep-frying in oil, and clean the basket, rack and any splashes after use.
Two compartments may let you cook two dishes at once, but neither may have enough room for your main dish.
Compare the internal dimensions and capacity of each drawer with the foods you actually prepare.
The rated power doesn’t show how much energy is used over the course of a whole cooking cycle. UFC-Que Choisir’s testing protocol records the energy used for each dish tested.
Compare kWh measured for the same recipe and quantity, with a similar cooking result, including preheating where applicable.
Fan noise can matter in an open-plan kitchen, and the appliance also needs to be positioned in line with its manual.
Check the dimensions, the space required around the appliance and any available noise measurements while it’s running.
The Easy Fry range includes single- and dual-drawer appliances. Moulinex also offers models designed to cook two foods at once.
Philips offers different two-zone designs, including a basket with a removable divider and a model with stacked baskets.
The Oleo Clean FR804015 deep fryer is for anyone who wants to continue cooking by deep-frying in oil.
These models cook with hot air rather than a bath of oil. Some have a single basket, while others have two zones for preparing foods at the same time. Choose based on your portions and recipes first, then check the size and cleaning requirements of the model you’re considering.
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Worth considering if you want to cook two foods at once without a bath of oil. The stated total capacity is 9 L. Compare the space in each basket with your portions, and check the noise level if you have an open-plan kitchen.
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Consider it for hot-air cooking if you prefer a single-drawer appliance. Its stated capacity is 7.6 L. Check the dimensions and noise level while it’s running to make sure it suits the space you have in mind.
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Worth considering if you usually cook smaller portions without a bath of oil. Compare the stated 3.2 L capacity with your usual portions. The product information specifies a minimum clearance of 100 mm on all sides, so allow for this where you plan to place it.
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Its vertical, two-zone design may suit households that cook two foods for the same meal. The stated 12 L capacity is the total, so check the space in each zone, the external dimensions and which parts are dishwasher-safe before choosing.
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Worth considering if you want to cook two dishes at once with independent temperature settings. The title lists a total capacity of 9 L and a rated power of 2,400 W, but that figure alone won’t tell you how much energy a cooking cycle uses. Check the basket dimensions too.
No. It avoids a bath of oil and can reduce frying smells, but it can’t guarantee an odour-free kitchen. UFC-Que Choisir describes a reduction in smells, not their complete elimination. Fatty foods and food residue can still produce smells while cooking.
Compare the energy measured in kWh for the same recipe and quantity of food, with a similar cooking result. Include the number of batches and any preheating. UFC-Que Choisir measures energy use per cooking cycle in its air fryer tests; ADEME’s annual data on ovens doesn’t, on its own, provide a recipe-by-recipe comparison.
No. The total capacity may be split between two compartments that are too small for one of your dishes. Check the shape and capacity of each drawer. As examples for two specific models, Moulinex lists capacities of 5.2 L + 3.1 L and 6.5 L + 4.5 L.
Yes. In France, the legal guarantee of conformity also covers refurbished goods sold by a business to an individual, according to the Ministry of the Economy. It also applies to new and second-hand goods and is separate from any commercial guarantee offered by the seller.
Take it to a collection point for electrical equipment rather than putting it in household waste. The ministry responsible for ecological transition lists collection points, recycling centres and retail outlets. ecosystem explains that when you buy an equivalent new appliance, the retailer must offer to take back the old one free of charge, including for distance sales.