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Over the last few years, we've become a nation obsessed with air fryers. And it's no surprise, they offer a neat and simple solution to preparing quick, healthy and delicious meals with a minimum of fuss and washing up. Air fryers can be great for small spaces, they can cater for families, and there's not much they can't cook.
As their popularity continues to surge, kitchen appliance brands are investing heavily into perfecting their air fryers, adding new technologies and features, so it's a good idea to keep on top of the latest launches, and staying ahead of all the new developments.
Consumer technology writer Gareth Butterfield has tried, tested and lived with dozens of air fryers over the years, and he's picked out a handful in this guide, aiming to cater for a variety of requirements.
Whether you need to feed a big family, save space on your counter top, or if you just want to find a great air fryer for a budget price, our run-down of the latest and greatest air fryers will hopefully help you make a choice.
Best price: £179.99, available from Ninja
If you really want the absolute best, this is it. Ninja is such a dependable brand when it comes to kitchen tech, and the Foodi Max has almost become iconic, thanks to its capability and performance.
I used the Dual Zone AF400UK for a few weeks, cooking a variety of meals, and it was incredibly easy to get to know. Its dual-drawer design is incredibly useful, because you can prepare portions in separate temperatures, or over separate durations, and the Ninja's touchpad and LED display will help you match it all up to make sure it's all ready at the right time.
Some people will find it quite bulky. Its 9.5-litre capacity does mean it takes up quite a lot of space and, of course, it is very expensive compared to some of its close rivals. But the build quality is just superb, and Ninja really does know how to make reliable appliances. So it will most probably be the last air fryer you'll ever buy.
It's worth noting a smaller version, costing £30 less, is available, with a capacity of 7.3 litres.
Best price: £119.99, available from JD Williams
If you want the features of a Ninja Foodi Max, but can't quite run to £200, this Salter air fryer can be had for nearly half the price of Ninja's top-spec AF400UK. And it's by no means half the device, either. The capacity is slightly smaller, at eight litres, there are fewer presets, but it still has a clever dual zone layout and I've spotted one at JD Williams for £119.99.
Not only is it cheaper than the Ninja Foodi Max, however, the Salter Fuzion has a very clever drawer divider, which can be removed to leave you with one large cooking space, or slotted in to give you that handy dual drawer system.
This means, unlike with the Ninja, you could fit in a whole chicken with the divider out, or you could cook up some chips and nuggets at different temperatures with the drawer in.
I found this to be a really useful feature, adding a bit of versatility to your air fryer, and I used the divider a lot, because I do like to try and vary what I'm cooking as much as possible. I also loved the windows on the front of the drawer - another feature Ninja hasn't added yet, as it gives you a clear view of how your food is doing. This is great if, like me, you don't rely on the presets too much and you like to crisp up your chips to perfection.
Best price: £44.99, available from towerhousewares.co.uk
Not all of us are blessed with huge kitchens and, for many of us, space on our work surfaces is at a premium. Thankfully there's a profusion of small air fryers on the market now, which offer a fairly decent cooking capacity without taking up too much room.
This Tower Vortx was my favourite small air fryer because it packs in most of the features you'd want from a premium appliance, and offers a generous five-litre capacity, but it has a much smaller footprint than most other air fryers. And it's really rather cheap, too.
While it's not exactly an attractive air fryer, its square shape means it makes efficient use of its overall size, with a deep chamber and an easy-to-use control panel. It does lack some of the features of the more expensive appliances, but you might argue these are often gimmicks.
In use, I found the Tower Vortx to cook consistently well every time, and it really does punch above its weight. Polishing off a portion of frozen fries is an absolute doddle, and it copes well with large loads. It's really hard not to recommend it as a great little all-rounder
Best price: £169.99 (including voucher), available from Amazon
If size isn't a concern, and you need to feed a famished family in a hurry, you'll be in the market for something with a decent capacity. How does 22 litres sound? You might not have heard of HYSapientia, but I've reviewed a few of their air fryers and they've been seriously impressive.
This air fryer, admittedly, is basically a complete oven that sits on your counter-top, but it can do so much more than a conventional kitchen oven. It can fry, grill, toast, bake and even dehydrate foods, and it's all controlled through a touch-screen panel with a variety of presets.
There is also a suite of accessories included, to help you get the best out of your culinary adventures. My favourite might be the rotisserie stick, which serves up a very quick and easy way to roast a whole chicken. It's also big enough to bake a 10" pizza, or you could use all the drawers and the divider to simultaneously cook six separate portions in one go.
The multitude of cooking options might make it one of the most versatile options out there, but it's a tricky thing to clean and, obviously, it takes up a lot of space. So check the measurements before you take the plunge. But it's such a competent all-rounder, and perhaps a great way to consolidate a variety of appliances into one.
Best price: £23.94 (including 15% discount), available from Amazon
If you don't fancy spending hundreds of pounds on an air fryer, there's still plenty of choice out there. Happily, as air fryers have become more popular, the prices have been tumbling. And I can't believe how cheap this marvellous little device is. If you make use of a 15% discount voucher on Amazon at the moment, you could buy this Bella air fryer for just under £23. And that's such a bargain.
Its 2.7-litre capacity is enough for cooking single meals at a time, but it's surprising how many chips or chicken drumsticks you could fit it, and the controls are manual, rather than digital. But personally I don't mind that, it gives you a bit more precision sometimes.
Buyers who have left reviews on Amazon generally seemed to be really pleased with their purchase, with many managing to quickly whip up a meal for two, and praising its compact size and ease of use. A lack of temperature control seemed to be the only real bugbear, but at this price it's hard to pick too many faults.
Best price: £50, from Hughes.co.uk
After testing so many air fryers for so many years, I've had to settle on my favourite. And, while it's not the best all-rounder, the one that's stayed in my kitchen the longest is the Salter Aerogrill Pro. Quite unusually, it has a large, flat bed and a top-mounted lid, and it's that flat bed that makes it stand out for me, because it's perfect for cooking steaks on.
Pork, beef, venison, whatever you fancy, can just be laid onto the grill, close the lid, set a timer, and sit tight for 10 minutes while the machine works its magic. Out comes a steak that is chargrilled to perfection, just the way you like it, and even with those lovely lines across the surface, as if you'd been out and barbecued it.
It's not as if it's a one-trick pony, either, the accessories it comes with makes it perfect for cooking chips, and it'll even fit a small chicken. There are 16 presets, many of which I haven't found myself using. As with all air fryers, you get to know your appliance and start to rely on timers and temperatures to manually make the perfect portion.
It's worth noting that, although the shape makes it easy to cook larger items or bigger quantities, this is still only a 3.8-litre air fryer - and it does take up a lot more space than most conventionally-shaped appliances with that sort of capacity.
But as a versatile kitchen workhorse that will perform most of the functions of an air fryer, with that marvellous chargrilling trick up its sleeve, it's an absolutely joyous thing to use.