Should you buy a toaster or an air fryer? I've found the products that mean you don't need to compromise

Are you stuck for inspiration, wondering 'should I buy a toaster or an air fryer?', you're not alone, as while it's not the first question people usually ask me as Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor, it is one that's worth asking if you're struggling with budget or space.

After all, worktops in most kitchens comes at a premium. So, if you've been eyeing one of the best air fryers for a while and think that booting your pick of the best toasters from your home might be the way to find space, then you might be onto something. Here's my verdict on opting for an air fryer over a toaster (and vice versa) and a third option that means you don't have to compromise at all.

Should I buy a toaster or an air fryer?

If you want to get to the product side of things fast, then here are my three recomendationns that incorporate toasting, air frying and in two cases, toasting and air frying.

Picking a toaster instead of an air fryer

Picking a a toaster over an air fryer is the option that leaves you with the least to work with on this list. While a toaster and kettle set has long been the given appliance configuration, a toaster lacks the functionality that new multi-faceted products can offer.

Most toasters just have the ability to, well, toast. Beyond that, you'll need another appliance and therefore end up losing both space and money. The only situation that I'd recommend investing in a toaster over an air fryer altogether? If you don't cook using a conventional oven and do actually just eat a lot of toast, then buy a bog standard toaster. If not, there are better options out there for you (which I'll get onto).

Picking an air fryer over a toaster

Picking an air fryer over a toaster opens up far more culinary possibilities for your kitchen and will save you untold amounts of money and time long-term. I've been testing air fryers since 2020 and every iteration of air fryer I've tried has shaved at least a third off cooking times.

To use one product as an example, I recently reviewed and loved the Our Place Wonder Oven - so much so I've kept using for months past the end of the testing process. One of the reasons for that is its functionality, which spans air fry, bake, roast, grill, reheat, and crucially: toast.

Its small size and many settings mean that it's the most space effective air fryer I've found for my kitchen yet, and perfect for catering to two people. If you're tossing up between an air fryer and a toaster it's probably in part due to space, which is where a product like this excels.

The toast function on this air fryer is perfectly fine, and improved by the steam inlet which allows you to add extra moisture into your bread. It's not that comparable to the usual experience of using a toaster however, which is where some might want to opt for a third, more dedicated toasting air fryer.

The best option if you can't decide between a toaster and air fryer

If you want the full capabilitiy of a toaster combined with the useful innovation of an air fryer, then there is a way to avoid compromise. A new generation of pizza-sized air fryers have hit the market, and as well as being perfect for everyone's favourite Italian food, they are perfect for toast.

One example from Ideal Home's favourite air fryer brand Ninja is the Ninja Foodi 8-in-1 Flip Mini Oven (£219.99 from Ninja). Due to its small size, its air frying function is 50% faster than a conventional oven, and it has a dedicated toast and bagel function that's closer to your toaster than you'd think.

And if it's space you're concerned about, you'll love the fact that this product can be flipped up for storage, so you don't need to give it a permanent space on your worktop.

While we haven't reviewed this exact product just yet, it's on our list for testing, so once that's done we can let you know all about how this toaster hybrid performs. Until then, the choice is yours between toaster, air fryer and a toasting air frying hybrid, though our preference remains firmly on the side of opting for more functionality.