If you already have an oven in a small kitchen, a single-drawer air fryer is worth considering if you often cook small portions and have a suitable place to use it. A dual-drawer model is better suited to regularly cooking two foods at the same time. If your usual meals fit comfortably in the oven and another appliance would take up too much room, sticking with the oven avoids duplication: Que Choisir points out that the two appliances have overlapping functions.
How often you cook small batches and how much space you have matter more than the number of programmes alone.
If you usually cook one portion or a side dish, compare the usable drawer size with the food and containers you tend to use. Also make sure you have room to use and store the appliance: Que Choisir recommends considering its footprint, noise and cleaning requirements.
A dual-drawer model meets a specific need when you want to cook a main and a side dish at the same time. Que Choisir highlights the option to coordinate two dishes; check that you would use it often enough to justify the space it takes up.
If your oven covers your usual cooking, think about which small batches you would genuinely use an air fryer for. Que Choisir points out that their functions overlap and that adding an appliance alongside an oven takes up space.
Start with the dishes you cook most often, then measure the space you’ll need while cooking, with the drawer open.
Consider it: for frequent small portions that fit in a single basket.
Keep in mind: even a compact appliance needs a suitable surface and enough clearance for its drawer and ventilation.
Consider it: if you regularly cook two foods to serve together and want to coordinate their cooking times.
Keep in mind: this feature alone won’t save space in a small kitchen.
Consider it: if you mostly use large dishes, wide tins or cook batches that already fit in your oven.
Keep in mind: you won’t have a second appliance for making a small portion while the oven is in use.
| Criteria | What to check | What I need |
|---|---|---|
| Portions and containers | Compare the usable area and shape of the drawer with your portions, tins and dishes. Check whether a meal fits in one batch: capacity in litres alone won’t tell you. | I mostly cook small amounts; an extra drawer only appeals if my usual meals fit in it. |
| Space and positioning | Measure the appliance, the drawer clearance and the gaps specified in its manual. Allow for a flat, stable, heat-resistant surface; Moulinex advises keeping it away from walls and water sources. | My worktop needs to remain usable, even when the drawer is open and the appliance is running. |
| Cooking two dishes | Check whether both zones can run with the settings you need and whether their sizes suit each part of the meal. Que Choisir notes that some dual-drawer appliances can coordinate cooking. | I often serve a main and a side dish together; I want to be able to cook them at the same time. |
| Cleaning and noise | Check which parts are dishwasher-safe and follow the cleaning instructions for the exact model. Also consider the noise if the appliance will run near your dining area: Que Choisir includes it among its test criteria. | For frequent use, I’d like to know what needs cleaning and whether the noise will be acceptable at home. |
| How you use your oven | Compare the same recipes and quantities before drawing conclusions about electricity use. Que Choisir’s tests show that results vary depending on the dish and the model. | My oven already handles my usual meals; I’d only add an air fryer if it had a sufficiently different use. |
An appliance that’s easy to store may need more room when it’s running and the drawer is open. Que Choisir also highlights the footprint of air fryers.
Measure the available surface, drawer clearance and the gaps specified in the manual before comparing capacities.
As Que Choisir explains, coordinating two dishes is useful if it suits the way you eat; it won’t automatically reduce the space you need.
Make a note of how often you actually cook two foods together, then compare that need with a single drawer that suits your portions.
In Que Choisir’s tests, results varied depending on the recipe and model; some of the air fryers tested used more electricity for chicken drumsticks.
To assess this, look for comparisons using a similar dish and quantity, and an appliance close to the one you have.
Capacity doesn’t tell you which parts are washable or how to clean the basket after repeated use.
Check the care instructions and spare parts for the exact model, and keep a note of its full model number.
These models give you specific configurations to compare; a feature of one model won’t necessarily apply to an entire brand.
The Easy Fry range gives you a single-drawer option to consider when space is a key factor.
The NA120/00 and NA352/24 models illustrate a single-drawer and a dual-drawer configuration respectively.
Ninja’s dual-zone models are worth comparing if you regularly cook two dishes at the same time.
These two dual-drawer models are best suited to people who regularly cook two parts of a meal at the same time. They’re no substitute for comparing them with a single-drawer model or the oven you already own.
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Worth considering if you regularly cook two foods at the same time. The model name lists a total capacity of 7,6 L and six functions; check that each drawer fits your portions, then measure the space needed to open the drawers and ventilate the appliance.
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Worth a look if you often cook two foods at once as part of a meal. The model name lists a total capacity of 9 L, a power rating of 2400 W and eight programmes; check that you have enough room with the drawers open, and follow the ventilation and care instructions.
Compare the dishes you cook most often, their quantities and the containers you use: an air fryer is most worth the space if you’ll regularly use it for small batches. Que Choisir points out that its functions overlap with an oven’s; if your usual meals already fit in your oven, think about where you’d use and store the new appliance.
Not unless you regularly cook two foods that need to be coordinated. Que Choisir describes this use for dual-drawer appliances; if you only cook one portion or one side dish at a time, first compare a single-drawer model with the space you have.
Follow the clearance instructions in the manual for your chosen model, and measure the space needed when the drawer is open. Moulinex recommends a flat, stable, heat-resistant surface, away from walls and water sources; its guide suggests leaving 10 to 15 cm of clear space at the back and sides, subject to the instructions for the appliance itself.
No: you need to compare the same dish in similar quantities. In its tests, Que Choisir found that the air fryers tested performed favourably against a mini oven for a small quiche, but also found that some models used more electricity for chicken drumsticks. These results don’t apply to every recipe or every oven.
Not necessarily: choose according to your reheating, defrosting and cooking needs, as well as the dishes your current appliance can accommodate. An ADEME–INC study comparing four combination ovens with ten convection ovens found no clear advantage for the former; it doesn’t show that a combination oven will be better suited to the dishes you usually cook.