A dual-drawer air fryer is a good choice if you often prepare a main course and a side dish with different settings and want to serve them together. Look for two independent cooking zones and a function that synchronises the finish times. Check the capacity of each drawer, the space you’ll need and how easy it is to clean. For a large dish or several trays, a mini oven or your existing oven may be a better fit.
If your main course and side dish need different cooking times or temperatures, two programmable zones and a synchronisation function can help ensure one dish isn’t left waiting for the other. UFC-Que Choisir assesses this feature in its tests of dual-zone appliances.
If you want to cook two things at once without installing a very wide appliance, compare side-by-side and stacked designs. Also measure the available height and the space needed to open the drawers.
If you alternate between two separate dishes and recipes that need one continuous cooking surface, look at models with a removable divider and consider what your oven can already do. Philips, for example, describes this set-up for its NA156/60.
Consider it: for two dishes with different settings that you want to serve together.
Bear in mind: there are two compartments to clean, and a large dish may not fit in either one.
Consider it: if you mainly cook one dish at a time or can stagger serving times.
Bear in mind: two foods in the same drawer can’t have independent programmes.
Consider it: if using racks or trays matters more than having two separate compartments.
Bear in mind: check how you can arrange dishes that need different settings.
Keep using it: if you cook large dishes or several trays already suit the meals you usually make.
Bear in mind: check how to stagger two cooking times when the settings differ.
To compare these options, start with the meals you make most often, then check how much space the appliance and its drawers will take up in your kitchen.
| Factor | What to check | What matters to shoppers |
|---|---|---|
| Both dishes finishing together | Two independent programmes and a function that coordinates their finish times in the modes you use. | I want to serve the main course and side dish hot, even if they need different settings. Around 36% of shoppers put this coordination first. |
| Dish size and shape | The capacity of each drawer, its internal dimensions and whether it has a removable divider. | My portions aren’t always the same size, and sometimes I cook a dish that needs one large cooking zone. This flexibility is the top priority for around 29% of shoppers. |
| Space and cleaning | Dimensions with the drawers open, dishwasher-safe parts and measured noise levels if you have an open-plan kitchen. | An extra appliance needs to be easy to position, open and clean every day. Around 21% of shoppers prioritise these practical considerations. |
| Energy use | Measurements taken with a recipe and quantity comparable to what you cook. | For smaller dishes, I want to compare electricity use without assuming that the difference will apply to every meal. This is the main concern for around 14% of shoppers. |
The two baskets may be different sizes. Moulinex, for example, lists capacities of 5.2 L and 3.1 L for its Easy Fry Dual 8.3 L, so the smaller basket may not suit your second dish.
Compare your usual portions with the capacity of each basket. For larger dishes, check the internal dimensions or whether there’s a removable divider.
Synchronisation is designed to make two programmes finish at the same time; it doesn’t guarantee that food will cook just as well in both zones. UFC-Que Choisir assesses this feature separately from cooking results.
Check how the function works in the modes you’re interested in, and read the test results for the model you’re considering.
An appliance added alongside your oven can take up worktop space permanently, as UFC-Que Choisir points out. A stacked design also needs enough height and clearance to access the baskets.
Measure the width, depth and height of the space you have available, with the drawers open.
Results vary depending on the recipe, quantity and appliances being compared. For a small quiche, UFC-Que Choisir measured an average of 36% less electricity used by the air fryers it tested than by a mini oven. This result doesn’t apply to every meal.
If energy use matters to you, look for an independent measurement based on a dish similar to the ones you make.
Its range includes dual-drawer models in different sizes. Compare them based on how you divide up your portions and the space you have available.
Its range includes modular baskets and stacked baskets to suit dishes with different space requirements.
The range includes DualZone models with two drawers and FlexDrawer models with a modular cooking compartment.
These models with two baskets, or designed for preparing two parts of a meal, are worth comparing based on your portions, the settings you need and the space available. If finishing both dishes at the same time is essential, check how this feature works on the model you choose.
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For a main course and a side dish, compare the space in each basket rather than looking only at the total capacity of 9 L.
If both dishes need to finish at the same time, check which modes support synchronisation. Also allow enough space to open the baskets.
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If you’re splitting two dishes between the drawers, check the space each one needs; 9.5 L is the listed total capacity.
For serving both dishes at the same time, check the synchronisation function on this model. Also measure the clearance needed for the drawers.
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For two parts of a meal, compare the size of each drawer with your portions; the listed total capacity is 7.6 L.
Check the synchronisation function if you want to serve both dishes together, and make sure there’s enough space to open the drawers.
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If you alternate between two recipes and a larger dish, check how the cooking compartment can be divided and used in each set-up. Its listed capacity is 10 L.
For dishes that need different settings, check how each zone can be programmed and whether their finish times can be synchronised. Also read the cleaning instructions.
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If you’re dividing two dishes between the baskets, check the capacity of each one rather than relying on the listed total of 9 L. The model designation lists a power rating of 2,400 W and 8 programmes.
If having both dishes finish at the same time is essential, check exactly what the Sync function does. Measure the appliance and check the basket cleaning instructions.
It’s useful when two dishes need different settings but must be ready at the same time. In its 2026 test protocol, UFC-Que Choisir used this feature on dual-zone appliances, cooking chips in one basket and chicken drumsticks in the other. Check that the modes you need support this coordination.
No. How the space is divided between the drawers and the shape of your dishes also matter. Moulinex lists capacities of 5.2 L and 3.1 L for its Easy Fry Dual 8.3 L, while Philips describes the NA156/60 as having two 3.55 L compartments that can be turned into one 7.1 L zone.
No. The difference depends on factors such as the recipe, quantity and appliances being compared. The result published by UFC-Que Choisir for a small quiche compared tested air fryers with a mini oven; it can’t predict how every model will compare with your oven.
Check the instructions for each model to see whether the drawers, racks and accessories you plan to use are dishwasher-safe. Moulinex lists dishwasher-safe parts for some Easy Fry models, but the instructions must match the exact model you choose.