It’s basket-style (as opposed to a few models on this list that look like toaster ovens), which means she can “fit way more than a skillet” and “just shake things up” instead of tediously flipping them over on a sheet tray. Cookbook author Julia Turshen (who has the same model but without the see-through window) also appreciates the space. “It just has the perfect ratio of height to width,” he says. The Vortex, however, has a large square footage on the bottom, meaning you can lay everything in a single layer and avoid overcrowding. Bruce Weinstein, co-author of multiple air frying cookbooks, explains that while some models are very tall, which accounts for their overall capacity and ability to fit, say, a big pile of French fries, that setup won’t allow air to flow around as easily and result in the crispy texture you’re after. The Instant Vortex comes recommended by three experts.

If you do in fact think an air fryer might fit yours, read on for recommendations sourced from Mims and 11 other experts. It’s just about if it fits your cooking lifestyle.” You either take to it or you don’t (I have friends who love it, whereas I prefer to braise in a pot in the oven for four hours). I think of it as similar to the Instant Pot. “I was never on board with the air fryer fully replacing everything in your kitchen. “I use it as a kitchen helper,” Mims says. This is, of course, beneficial if you’re in a rush to eat, but also if you live in a small space and don’t want to make your kitchen unbearably warm, or want to pull together a quick snack, or reheat leftovers without a fuss. They cook foods way faster than a regular oven with very minimal preheating time, if any at all, to boot. Besides, with an air fryer, you’re taking ”that quality and putting it in a really small contraption, which magnifies it times ten,” says Ben Mims, a Los Angeles Times cooking columnist and author of a cookbook devoted to the appliance.Īir fryers can also be incredibly convenient. That’s because they’re essentially small convection ovens, meaning they have a fan and exhaust system that blows hot air all around your food for more even cooking and browning. But it turns out they also work magic on vegetables, proteins, baked goods, and toast. Yes, the classic snack-y, crunchy foods were what people talked about most when air fryers started rising in popularity several years ago (“it’s akin to deep frying without all the oil” is what I heard over and over again). But now, many interviews for this piece later (and testing one out myself), I more wholeheartedly understand their appeal. I used to be an air-fryer skeptic, believing them to be unnecessary, flashy appliances that were meant to make healthier versions of french fries, mozzarella sticks, and wings - and not useful for much else.

Keurig duo essentials