An air fryer can complement your oven if you often cook small portions in a basket and want to avoid heating up its large cavity. Choose a mini oven if you mainly use oven dishes, tins and racks. If your current oven already meets those needs without any real inconvenience, a second appliance could be redundant. UFC-Que Choisir also recommends considering this before buying an air fryer.
If you regularly use your full-size oven for a single meal or side dish, compare the usable surface area and height of smaller appliances with the size of your portions. The stated capacity in litres alone won’t tell you what will fit in the basket.
For quiches, gratins, cakes or leftovers kept in a dish, a mini oven with racks may fit your routine better than a basket-style air fryer. Be sure to check the dimensions of your dish and the accessories supplied with the model you’re considering.
If your oven handles your usual cooking, consider which small-scale dishes would regularly justify another appliance, as well as the space it would take up and the cleaning it would need. UFC-Que Choisir points out that an air fryer can perform similar functions to an oven.
Consider it: for frequent small-scale roasting or grilling, if a basket suits the foods you cook.
Bear in mind: the basket shape limits the oven dishes and tins you can use, and larger models can take up more space.
Consider it: if you want to keep cooking small quiches, gratins or bakes in dishes, on a rack or on a tray.
Bear in mind: its interior and accessories need cleaning, and it may duplicate what your existing oven can do.
Keep using it: if it already accommodates your dishes and portions without major inconvenience, especially when you cook several portions at once.
Bear in mind: its large cavity may be impractical if you often cook very small amounts.
| What matters to you | What to check | What consumers say |
|---|---|---|
| Avoiding duplication | Make a note of the small dishes you usually cook and what, specifically, you find inconvenient about your current oven. | If my oven already cooks these dishes without any difficulty, I need a specific reason to add another appliance. Around 27% of consumers would make avoiding duplication their main concern. |
| Cooking small quantities | Compare the surface area of the basket or rack, the available height and the quantity recommended in the instructions. | For the small dishes I cook often, I want to know whether a portion will fit without cooking it in several batches. Around 33% of consumers would put this need at the heart of their decision. |
| Keeping your usual dishes and tins | Check the internal dimensions and the racks or trays included, rather than relying on the stated capacity in litres alone. | I often cook a quiche or gratin in its dish and want to carry on doing so. This would be the priority for around 20% of consumers. |
| Reducing cleaning and clutter | Measure the space needed to open the appliance and check the instructions for clearance requirements and how to clean its parts. | With my worktop already occupied, I don’t want to add an appliance that’s awkward to place or clean. Around 20% of consumers would prioritise this practical consideration above all. |
Your oven may already let you cook, roast or grill. UFC-Que Choisir warns against adding an appliance that offers the same functions without meeting a regular need.
Think about the small dishes you actually cook and the inconvenience a new appliance would solve.
An extra appliance also takes up storage or worktop space and needs cleaning of its own.
A cooking chamber might have the capacity you’re looking for but still not fit the shape of your quiche, tin or food arranged in a single layer.
Check the internal surface area and height, along with the dimensions of compatible dishes and accessories.
Philips’ cleaning instructions explain that the inside of its Airfryers and the heating element also need attention, even when some removable parts are dishwasher-safe.
Check the instructions for your model to identify which parts are covered. Let the appliance cool before cleaning, and avoid abrasive cleaners on non-stick coatings.
You’ll need room to open a drawer or door, and the appliance must be set up with the clearances specified for your chosen model.
Measure your worktop and the space in front of the appliance, then check the instructions before deciding where to put it.
If you have to move the appliance every time you use it, that’s another step to add to meal preparation.
These ranges showcase different ways to cook. The brand alone won’t tell you the usable capacity or how much space you’ll need at home.
The range includes Easy Fry basket-style air fryers and Optimo mini ovens: two formats worth comparing against the dishes you cook.
The Airfryer range includes basket-style models in different capacities, including the NA120/00, which Philips lists at 4.2 L.
The Actifry range offers a different hot-air cooking format from the basket of a traditional air fryer or the rack of a mini oven.
These Joybuy models are countertop air fryers. Compare their format with your portions and dishes: they won’t automatically replace a mini oven or your current oven.
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Worth considering for small portions cooked in a basket rather than an oven dish.
The stated capacity is 3.2 L. Check the basket’s internal dimensions and the clearances specified in the instructions before choosing where to put it.
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The 2 L basket is worth considering if you usually cook small portions.
The product name lists a 60-minute timer and a non-stick basket that’s dishwasher-safe. Check its usable surface area and external dimensions before placing it on your worktop.
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Compare it with your portion sizes if you’re looking for a basket advertised for one or two people.
The product name lists 2,000 W and a non-stick basket. The 4.7 L capacity alone won’t tell you how the food will fit or how much room you’ll need to open the basket.
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Worth considering if its containers suit the dishes you cook better than a traditional basket.
Before choosing, check the containers’ internal dimensions, what foods they can hold and the instructions for handling hot components.
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Worth considering for hot-air cooking, provided its basket suits the portions you usually make.
Check the model documentation for the usable surface area, external dimensions, accessories supplied and cleaning instructions.
Choose based on the space your food can actually use, not just the capacity in litres. Compare the surface area and height of the basket or rack with your portions, then check the quantity recommended in the instructions. A capacity advertised for several people doesn’t guarantee that your recipe will fit in the arrangement you want.
An air fryer could be redundant if your oven already handles your small-scale cooking without any inconvenience that matters to you. Think about the dishes you make regularly: a basket may suit some small portions that you want to roast or grill, while dishes, tins and gratins may mean you’re better off keeping your oven or considering a mini oven. UFC-Que Choisir points out that an air fryer shares some functions with an oven.
It can cut down on hand-washing that part, but you’ll still need to clean the rest of the appliance. Philips’ instructions, for example, include cleaning the inside and heating element of its Airfryers. Check the guidance for your model and let the appliance cool before you start.
Leave enough room to open the drawer or door fully, and follow the clearance requirements in the instructions for the exact model. Measure the space before you buy: the cooking capacity won’t tell you the appliance’s external dimensions or installation requirements.