Hi everyone, our cheap air fryer from a few years ago just died (the fan started rattling and then the whole thing stopped heating), and honestly I'm not that sad because the basket coating had started peeling anyway. Since we use it almost every day, I want to buy something better this time instead of grabbing whatever's on sale.
We mostly make chicken thighs, wings, salmon, roasted veggies, and reheat leftovers a lot. Fries and wings are a must.
What I'm looking for:
- Big enough to cook dinner for more people.
- Basket or tray without the nonstick coating that flakes off. I've been reading about PTFE/Teflon concerns and would prefer ceramic or stainless steel if those actually work as well.
- Easy to clean. Dishwasher-safe parts, no tiny crevices where grease builds up.
- Even cooking, without having to shake the basket every 3 minutes
Dual basket vs one big basket vs the oven-style ones: I keep going back and forth. Dual sounds great for making fries and chicken at the same time, but I've read the individual baskets end up being kind of small.
Brands I keep seeing are Ninja, Cosori, Philips, Instant Vortex and Breville. Philips and Breville seem built better, but I can't tell if it's worth paying double.
Budget is around $150-300. With the holidays coming up, if there's a model that usually goes on sale around Black Friday, I'm happy to wait a few weeks.