It's been a little while since the Great Air Fryer Hype of 2022, meaning that a question I commonly get asked as Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor is 'how can I upgrade my air fryer?'
It might be that your initial pick of the best air fryers is now just a bit too small, or that its controls are trickier and more time-consuming to use than you'd imagined. Either way, since the air fryer has changed so much in the last few years, right now is an excellent time to invest.
That's because, as new models have launched, some of the most popular air fryers on the market have taken huge price cuts. And if you're not looking to break the bank, we've also included accessories here that you can use to level up your favourite appliance, rather than having to start afresh. Here are all of the possible routes I'd recommend for someone looking to level up.
If you need to size up
It's a common problem to initially buy an air fryer that's too small to use for every mealtime, especially when trying to cater to a family.
If you only have a single-drawer air fryer and find it's just not big enough, my recommendation would be to take a look at the best dual zone air fryers, or even venture to a multi-zone air fryer, to really get the most cooking real estate for your money.
If you didn't know, a dual-zone air fryer features two drawers to double up on space, and works excellently for meals with two components that need different cooking times to be set.
Though they are amazing for space-saving, they can be bulky, which is where newer innovations, like the Ninja Double Stack come in handy, with drawers stacked one on top of the other to declutter your worktop.
Ninja's newest air fryer will cure you of a lack of cooking space and give you precious room back in your kitchen. It also comes with included wire racks, so that you can carve four zones out of the sections, and as with all Ninja air fryers, has a phenomenal amount of power behind it, so that you can shave 60%
If you want an air fryer that can actually fit an entire chicken, or similar, into roast comfortably, then this Breville air fryer has a design quirk to help you. Not only is the middle divider able to be pulled out to create one large zone, but the doors open outwards, so you won't be hampered by the dimensions of whatever you want to cook.
This is our favourite air fryer ever after testing dozens of them, which is high praise indeed. It has a total capacity of 10.4 litres, which is pretty huge, and similarly has a divider that you can pull out in order to cook in one megazone, or within two large drawers. The control panel makes it super easy to use, too, something you can read all about in our Ninja FlexDrawer review.
Buying an entirely new air fryer isn't the only option if you need more space. Wire racks that fit into your air fryer drawer(s) are a genius and inexpensive way to double the amount of room you already have, such as this set for £10.99 on Amazon.
If you want more functionality
If you feel like you rushed into buying your air fryer without exploring your options, you might have found that yours lacks functionality compared to newer models. One great thing about upgrading is that you can pick out an air fryer that has other settings in the same machine, and eliminate other kitchen appliances taking up needless space.
Plenty of excellent air fryers basically cross the line into becoming of the best multi-cookers, with sometimes up to 15 functions on offer for the same price you'll pay for a standalone fryer. These are just a few of our favourite versatile air fryers that we've tried and tested.
Our expert reviewer whizzed up 12 different dishes to showcase the breadth of functionality available with this air fryer in her Ninja Combi review, from a loaf of bread to a fish pie. Not only are there 12 functions available, but you can perform two actions (like air frying and cooking pasta) at the same time, in order to turn out delicious balanced meals in 15 minutes. It's a seriously clever appliance.
This Sage countertop oven is all the rage in the US, and has the capability to replace your current air fryer, toaster and slow cooker. It's got a huge capacity too, and a pull down door that allows you to adequately rearrange the trays inside. Oh, and did we mention it's the air fryer of choice of none other than Stanley Tucci in our Sage Smart Oven air fryer review?
We've been testing out this clever air fryer hybrid at our test centre. It features hundreds of built-in recipes and a temperature probe, working with algorithms to automatically change the temperature and time of whatever is inside so that it ends up optimally cooked. If it's the future of air frying you want, this is a great shout.
Whichever way you choose to upgrade your air fryer, remember that recycling your old appliance or donating it to someone else who might want it is crucial. After all, we don't want air frying to cost the earth.
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