If you regularly cook for one or two people, a single-basket air fryer is worth considering if one cooking zone is enough and you can genuinely find room for it in your kitchen. A dual-drawer model is better suited to cooking two dishes at the same time; a mini-oven-style model is only worthwhile if its shelves and accessories offer uses your current oven doesn’t already cover. If your oven works well for the dishes you usually make, keeping it avoids adding another appliance, as UFC-Que Choisir recommends in its buying guide.
The size of your meals and how you prepare them matter more than the stated capacity alone.
If you mostly cook small portions and are short on space, start by looking at single-basket models. UFC-Que Choisir suggests 3 to 4 L as a guide for one or two people; still, check that your usual dishes fit in the basket without needing to be stacked.
A dual-drawer model lets you programme two dishes separately, according to Moulinex’s documentation. Check the capacity of each drawer, rather than just adding the two volumes together, to see whether the main dish will fit.
If your oven can accommodate the dishes and quantities you cook regularly, consider which smaller meals you’d genuinely make in a second appliance. If you wouldn’t use it often and don’t have space, keeping your oven may be the simplest choice; UFC-Que Choisir advises against buying more appliances than you need.
Start with the meals you usually make, then compare their size, the number of dishes you prepare and the space available with each format.
Consider it: for frequent small portions when cooking one thing at a time is enough.
Limitation: foods that need different settings may have to be cooked in two batches.
Consider it: if you want to cook a main and a side separately as part of the same meal.
Limitation: each dish needs to fit in its own compartment, even if the total capacity seems sufficient.
Consider it: if you’ll regularly use trays or multiple shelves that your current set-up can’t accommodate in the way you’d like.
Limitation: you’ll need to make room for it and clean its accessories, while its functions overlap with those of an oven.
Keep it: if it already suits the dishes you make and you’d rarely cook small portions separately.
Worth weighing up: UFC-Que Choisir’s tests found differences in energy use for some small dishes, but didn’t establish an advantage that applies to every recipe and appliance.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Usable capacity | Compare the inside shape with the dishes you plan to cook and check the recommended load in the instruction manual. UFC-Que Choisir suggests 3 to 4 L as a guide for one or two people; its capacity test fills the basket to two-thirds. | I want to cook my usual portions without making several batches or setting aside space for an unnecessarily large basket. |
| Available space | Measure the space, how far the drawer or door opens and the clearance needed around the appliance. Check the positioning instructions in the manual for the model you choose. | I need to keep my worktop usable and be able to remove the basket without moving other things. |
| Cooking two dishes at once | With a dual-drawer model, compare the capacity and shape of each basket. Check that the model allows separate settings and, if you need it, synchronised cooking times. | My main and side sometimes need different cooking times, so I’d rather avoid a second batch, provided both fit in their own drawers. |
| How you use your oven | Think about the dishes your oven already accommodates and what you’d cook in an air fryer. UFC-Que Choisir highlights the overlap between their functions; its energy-use results for small recipes vary depending on the dish and model. | If my oven meets my usual cooking needs, I don’t need another appliance for occasional use. |
| Cleaning and cooking performance | Check the manual to see which parts can be washed and how to care for the appliance. Also look at test results for the foods you cook: UFC-Que Choisir found that cooking performance varies between models and measures noise as part of its testing. | Easy cleaning and results that suit my portions matter if I use the appliance several times a week. |
A large stated capacity doesn’t guarantee that a dish will fit in the basket or in each drawer. Overfilling it may also mean cooking another batch or getting less even results.
Compare the internal dimensions and quantities listed in the manual with the dishes you make regularly. For a dual-drawer model, check each basket separately.
An extra appliance takes up space on your worktop or in storage, and means more accessories to clean. UFC-Que Choisir points out that an air fryer can perform the same functions as an oven.
Before choosing this format, identify the trays, shelves or types of dish you’d use regularly.
In tests published in 2024, UFC-Que Choisir found that air fryers used less energy than a mini oven for some small dishes, but the results weren’t consistent across recipes and models.
Choose based first on the size and frequency of your cooking; don’t base your purchase on an energy-saving claim that applies to every use.
An appliance that fits on your worktop isn’t necessarily positioned safely. Moulinex’s instructions call for a flat, stable, heat-resistant surface, away from walls and water sources.
Check the manual for the exact model’s placement and clearance requirements, then make sure you can remove and clean its parts after use.
These single-basket and dual-drawer models offer two different ways to prepare everyday meals. Compare them with the space you have and the portions you cook; this selection doesn’t mean you should replace your oven if it already meets your needs.
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Worth considering if you regularly cook two parts of a meal at the same time. The stated capacity is 7,6 L in total; check that each drawer can hold its dish and that the appliance will fit on your worktop. The product name indicates that the baskets are dishwasher-safe.
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This dual-drawer model may suit meals with two separate dishes. Its 9,5 L is the stated total capacity: check the usable space in each drawer and the appliance’s footprint before choosing this format for a small kitchen. The baskets are described as dishwasher-safe.
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The two baskets suit meals where the different dishes need to be cooked separately. The 9 L is the total capacity: check the size of each basket for your main and side, as well as the space needed to use the appliance.
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A single-basket model is worth considering if you cook one dish at a time. At 4 L, its capacity is within UFC-Que Choisir’s suggested 3 to 4 L range for one or two people, although that doesn’t guarantee all your dishes will fit. The model name indicates eight pre-set programmes and a 60-minute timer; check the manual for cleaning instructions.
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This 2 L single basket is designed for small dishes, provided your portions fit. Its capacity is below the 3 to 4 L range UFC-Que Choisir suggests for one or two people, so compare it with your usual dishes before expecting to cook them in one batch. The product name indicates a non-stick, dishwasher-safe basket; also measure the space you have for the appliance.
Not necessarily: their cooking uses overlap, as UFC-Que Choisir points out. An air fryer may be handy for cooking small portions regularly, but if you often prepare large dishes or already use your oven for all your meals, keeping it means you won’t need another appliance.
UFC-Que Choisir suggests 3 to 4 L as a guide for a single basket intended for one or two people. Then check the shape of the basket and the load specified in the manual: the stated capacity alone doesn’t tell you whether your usual dishes will fit.
It can be useful if you often cook a main and a side that need different settings. Moulinex’s documentation describes compartments that can be programmed separately; to assess a particular model, compare the capacity of each drawer with your dishes and measure the space needed to open both.
Follow the quantities recommended in the manual for your model and arrange the food without assuming you can fill the entire basket. Moulinex advises against overfilling and recommends shaking some foods halfway through cooking; follow the instructions for the food you’re preparing, then clean the parts as directed once they’ve cooled.