Air fryer recommendations

[Rawhide99]

My wife and I have a small Ninja air fryer that recently we've been using more frequently to mostly reheat and she said she'd like a larger one. We think we would also get good use out of toaster oven. So I started browsing toaster/air fryers. The top reviews go to the Breville which is $399. We have about $200 in rewards at Williams Sonoma that could go towards the purchase. Best Buy has the Ninja XL Pro on sale for $249.

Any experience or recommendations for these or others is appreciated.

 

[Fueling Around]

No personal experience with an air fryer.
Watching America Test Kitchen and they recommend a bucket style versus the oven style.
Friends have the Ninja flip toaster oven air fryer. I don't think they use it very often

 

[dward51]

Our prior one finally died after about 7 years. We bought a similar model made by InstaPot. Oddly enough the "basket" from the old one fits the new one which did not come with that accessory (both were front load door type). I think it was $90 on Amazon around Christmas of 2025.

This is the one we recently bought. It shows $159 today though: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VM28XTR

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

Ninja XL Pro

I have the Ninja XL Pro. My only complaint is it takes longer than my others to preheat. It beeps in a couple minutes but it really takes about ten minutes for mine to get to temp. Other than that it works good. Has several cooking options where the fan runs different speeds. I have had the Breville and it is good but not any better than others. My favorite was the Nuwave Bravo Air Fryer Toaster Smart Oven. They have good sales on amazon. The only reason got rid of it was in need of a good cleaning and I have a lot of Ninja stuff and got Ninja for a good price.

 

[LanceR]

When we decided to get an air fryer we weren't in a rush. Based on the recommendation of America's Test Kitchen we put a preferred price on Camelcamelcamel.com (an Amazon price tracker) and bought an Instant Pot Vortex Plus 6qt Air Fryer with Odor Erase Technology when there was a steep price drop.

It's a long name for a darn good appliance that we've used a lot both at home and in the RV where we travel 10 or more weeks a year. i can't speak to other models but can say that I doubt you'll be disappointed with one.

 

[normanaj]

My only experience is with the Ninja products.Currently we have the Foodi 10qt XL (original model) which has two 5qt drawers.It's not the toaster-oven style but it air fries,bakes,roasts,broils,reheats and dehydrates.Both drawers can "match" cook or can work independently of each other. Great product that I can say nothing negative about.

 

[Rawhide99]

I appreciate the input. Choosing the right one for us isn't urgent, so we'll keep researching. I'm beginning to think that a good air fryer will do what we want at significantly less cost than the oven/fryer.

 

[SMOKEOCD]

I vote for the French door style. High capacity, air fry ( really important for reheating pizza), toaster, dehydrator. I have the Kaloric but think they’re all from the same factory. I think I’m on year three with this one.
Had a couple drawer types before this one. Much happier, but you do lose countertop space kind of permanently.

 

[LanceR]

As @SMOKEOCD relates, the All-in-One ovens have their attractions but need some dedicated space to live on. We have a skinny 18" slice of counter between the range and the dining room door that is ideal for the drawer style air fryer. But that space wouldn't work for even a small oven style air fryer as the side of it would be too close to the high output range burners which get used a lot, especially for stir fries with a large wok.

And an oven style air fryer would be less useful in our RV which is pretty large and has a lot of storage space but which has comparatively little counter space.

 

[mr_whipple]

No personal experience with an air fryer.
Watching America Test Kitchen and they recommend a bucket style versus the oven style.

This. I bought a kinda pricey Cuisinart all in one and was less than impressed with the air fryer performance. Toaster oven yes, but not at that price

 

[normanaj]

This. I bought a kinda pricey Cuisinart all in one and was less than impressed with the air fryer performance. Toaster oven yes, but not at that price

Our first airfryer was a Cuisinart that we won in a contest. It was pretty lacking in performance and that's how we ended up with the Ninja.

 

[checkdude]

Few months ago (over my objection) we purchased the ninja model with 2 baskets. Sounded ideal. When using 1 no problems at all. Try using both and it will trip the brake in less than a minute. Tested it with 2 other appliances and no problem there. So heads up. Mabey make sure your outlet can handle the load. In my case the one I have is really useless and unfortunately the single basket unit we had before have been donated forward so I'm stuck for now.

 

[chopsaw]

I always look at the wattage when buying counter top appliances for the kitchen .
Most air fryers run on average around 1500 watts and up . My Ninja 6 + 1 is 1750 watts .
That means a 15 amp circuit with nothhing else on it .
Weak or faulty breakers can be an issue as well .

Just got to thinking , and checked my recptacles in the kitchen that service the counter and island . 20 amp . I believe that's code for most places for kitchens .

 

[normanaj]

My dual basket Ninja is 1690watts.No issues tripping a breaker after all these years but it is all by itself.

 

[thoey1963]

We started with a Ninja, decided we needed more space. The dual basket sounded like a good idea to cook two different items. Read the reviews and finally decided to go with the Breville. We dehydrate veggies, air fry, toast, reheat in it several times a week. I also bought a baking steel to put on the bottom rack, and have been turning out some decent pizzas.

 

[Rawhide99]

I always look at the wattage when buying counter top appliances for the kitchen .
Most air fryers run on average around 1500 watts and up . My Ninja 6 + 1 is 1750 watts .
That means a 15 amp circuit with nothhing else on it .
Weak or faulty breakers can be an issue as well .

Just got to thinking , and checked my recptacles in the kitchen that service the counter and island . 20 amp . I believe that's code for most places for kitchens .

Good to know. I'll check the breakers at home.

 

[voyager 663rd]

It's funny: I'm starting to read more and more about people moving on from air fryers into something else: like a steam/convection type counter top unit or even not replacing it.

One excellent comment I found on a chef website:

people are forgetting HOW to cook, what with these machines doing all the thinking for them.

Like that old chestnut: he/she can't even boil water.

What will you do if it breaks/powers off and you have to re-learn HOW something is made, not just push a button and it'll cook for you.

Convience is great but really, you need to know how/why something is done (ie how to cook) before relying on tech.

Just something to think about.

 

[chopsaw]

I'm not an Electrician , but been around enough Jobsites that I know some of the specs .
Kitchen , Bathrooms and Dining rooms should have 20 amp circuit availible , depending on the age of your home .

 

[fxsales1959]

My wife and I have a small Ninja air fryer that recently we've been using more frequently to mostly reheat and she said she'd like a larger one. We think we would also get good use out of toaster oven. So I started browsing toaster/air fryers. The top reviews go to the Breville which is $399. We have about $200 in rewards at Williams Sonoma that could go towards the purchase. Best Buy has the Ninja XL Pro on sale for $249.

Any experience or recommendations for these or others is appreciated.

about 3 years ago Mama bought me one of those with a pull out drawer. it didn't take long to figure out that we wanted more space. I went out and bought a Cuisinart single door analog version. and haven't looked back. The thing is a workhorse or about 3 years now, being used almost daily. We use it for wings, chicken thigh, brats and the usual fare. Model linked holds about 8 full size uncut chicken wings, 4 thighs or chops, and a buttload of cheese sticks, eggrolls and the typical appetizer stuff. It seemed expensive at the time, but I'd do it again if it ever dies.
bout three years old and used almost daily or something or other.

Just my humble opinion.

https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-Convection-Toaster-Options-Stainless/dp/B09HSWBTN4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2BVWZZSGM3IDG&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.6U1KLMf9peAe-abS13Xhct34fCAaOjs21jXKfHt_NZJiJtoEv4hgW0ATxndmWy1TMRsKasJySEToVHfF7fBZPLcGDMAwNseoN5tKUVQjvZmw8lHqjGjIO6V6gxNj1c_2IXdsW1Q4zEK8_-xOs-M61hLIuQriqsX3e_5oRQCryC34UES_LdDLwU4evcC0YuM2RqFA3OsUJbwaw-fpr8rTrTB8_on2xIN_uP28xy4BoKs.zAJ50MrLre2ZkFRnoS_vrFQE6fKycloKZHRz3W2p2YQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=cuisinart%2Bair%2Bfryer&qid=1770289163&sprefix=cuisinart%2Bair%2Bfryer%2Caps%2C186&sr=8-1&th=1

 

[chopsaw]

Just my humble opinion.

and always respected ,,
I'm with you . We used ours almost daily , but bought a range that has the air fry setting and basket . So it gets the call alot these days . Still use the counter top one , and wouldn't be without one .