I don’t understand the hype around air fryers.
That may sound like blasphemy, given the popularity of the energy-saving appliance (approximately 45% of UK households now owns one). But back in the depths of the pandemic, I first tried my hand at air frying, and it's safe to say I wasn’t wowed.
Online reviews and mouthwatering TikToks had prepared me for super crunchy fried dishes and restaurant-quality chips. Perhaps I’d set my expectations too high, but I got crispy-in-places potato wedges and vegetables that looked a little dehydrated – not quite what I was after. My air fryer quickly got handed over to my parents and that was that.
Fast forward to the present day and, despite the fact I spend my working hours hunting out the newest innovations in air frying and writing up our expert testers' glowing reviews, I’m still not convinced they're for me.
My usual go-to for cooking evening meals is the hob. I rarely use my oven, except for pizza, chips, or grilling cheese on the top of a traybake; instead, you'll find me whipping up the likes of a tasty bolognese in my frying pan while I boil pasta in the pan next door.
At Good Housekeeping HQ, my stance came as a shock to many. I was met with choruses of “I love my air fryer,” and “I couldn’t live without mine”. And my colleagues aren't alone; according to Lakeland’s 2023 Trends Report, almost a fifth of air fryer owners use theirs daily, with 80% using it at least twice a week.
All this got me thinking that I needed to give air frying another chance. So, I challenged myself to ditch my hob and oven for the week and turn to an air fryer for all my evening meals.
So in the epic battle of air fryer versus oven, here’s what happened.
For this challenge, I used Breville's Halo Flexi Air Fryer which boasts a huge 11 litre capacity. The appliance is split into two drawers but the divider can be removed to create one large compartment (with enough space for a whole roast chicken).
The air fryer was easy to use thanks to the clear display and touchscreen controls and I loved the audio reminder to flip your food halfway through cooking.
My food was a little tricky to get out of the drawers if I tried to tip the basket using the detachable handle but using tongs is a quick fix.
Day One: Pork and pineapple stir fry with rice
I was determined not to turn straight to the classic air-fried chicken and chips combo. Instead, I opted for diced pork, peppers, onions, and pineapple in a sweet and sour sauce as my first meal.
Cooking was simple: air fry the pork for a few minutes before adding the vegetables and sauce to the basket and setting the timer to 15 minutes.
Normally, I’d be tending to my pan and hovering by the stove top (probably over-stirring too), so it was lovely to sit and relax while my food cooked out of sight in the air fryer.
So, how did it turn out? I was pleasantly surprised by the crunchy veg and evenly cooked pork. The sweet and sticky sauce was delicious too but had reduced too much in the air fryer; with a little extra sauce, it could have easily rivalled my normal hob-cooked stir fry. Not a bad start.
Day Two: Egg fried rice
While my first air fryer attempt didn’t win me over entirely, I was still optimistic about the rest of the week. On the menu for day two was the GH cookery team’s easy egg fried rice.
This is usually a quick, midweek meal that's simple to make on the hob. I get home, pop some rice on to boil, prep my vegetables (as well as some garlic and ginger), and then fry everything together with the eggs.
This time, I preheated the air fryer for around five minutes, so the basket drawer was hot when I cracked the eggs into the bottom.
I must admit, it felt a little odd to put egg straight into the drawer but I’m glad I trusted the process. In just a few minutes, the edges of the egg had turned crispy, creating that lovely texture you usually get with a takeaway.
Next, I stirred the egg to break it into pieces, added some frozen and fresh vegetables, a packet of microwave rice (remember, my hob is still banned), as well as sesame oil and soy sauce, before shutting the drawer for another five minutes.
The result was simply delicious – not only was the egg crispy but the rice had a lovely texture too – well cooked and fluffy in places, but also crispy in others. Who knew that you could make a fakeaway in an air fryer? Well, a lot of you, I guess.
Day Three: Homemade ham and mushroom pizza
On day three I tried to mix it up, opting for an Italian feast rather than flexing my Asian-inspired culinary skills. It was time for pizza (which I normally cook in the oven).
I made the dough from scratch, combining a thick, Greek yoghurt with plain flour and a little salt, before shaping it into a pizza base. Then I popped it into the air fryer for a few minutes while I prepared the tomato base using tomato purée, a little sugar, and fresh basil and oregano.
In those few minutes, the base had started crisping, and the edges were already turning a golden colour in places. It was looking promising.
I loaded on my pizza sauce and added ham, mushrooms, red onion, and chunks of mozzarella before popping it back in.
To say I was impressed by this particular air fryer dinner is an understatement. In fact, it was probably the best meal I’d cooked in months. Sure, it wasn’t quite restaurant quality, but it was crispy on the edges, well cooked in the middle, and smelt incredible.
I’d have liked more golden spots on the mozzarella but that’s hard to achieve without the high heats of a pizza oven. The cheese had still melted well, and the pizza overall was incredible.
Day Four: Lentil curry with rice
Off the back of my pizza success, I was starting to enjoy my air fryer. I’d got the hang of the controls, most things just used one pot or baking tray, so clean up was a breeze, and all my meals cooked quicker than expected.
On day four, I decided on a red lentil curry, using a recipe I’ve tweaked and adjusted over the years. I’d thought my hob version was pretty much perfect, but I was wrong – it needed to be cooked in an air fryer.
I followed all my usual steps (just in the air fryer this time), and the result was the smoothest, silkiest, and most flavoursome curry I’ve ever cooked.
My guesses are that the high heat and good air circulation in the appliance made the spices more fragrant and the cornstarch slurry helped thicken the sauce even more than normal. Granted, it didn't look that impressive, but it was certainly tasty.
If you have a basket or air fryer liner without holes, so your sauce can't leak through, I’d highly recommend cooking a curry in an air fryer. I’ll certainly be doing so from now on...
Day Five: One pot savoury rice, lentils, and veggies
I’ll be the first one to hold my hands up and admit that this dinner was boring, but the air fryer meant it was quick, easy, and healthy.
All my ingredients went into the one basket (with plenty of herbs and spices) and emerged well-cooked with a crispy top layer.
I’m not convinced this tasted better than my hob-cooked version (I can still achieve crispiness in my frying pan), but the air fryer was faster and allowed me to get on with other tasks while it cooked away.
Day Six: Chicken, sage and onion, roast bake
This air fried treat satisfied my roast dinner craving without having to slog away for hours, so that was already a win for me.
I started by adding chunks of chicken to a preheated drawer before chucking in onions, salt, pepper, and a good handful of sage after the meat was mostly cooked.
For the final five minutes, I topped the mixture with a drizzle of chicken gravy, torn-up, crunchy bread, and some generous dollops of butter.
My bake emerged sizzling and golden. The butter had melted and added a touch of sweetness to the bread as well as helping it achieve that moreish golden colour.
I would normally cook a dish like this one in the oven, demanding more time and energy to both heat up and cook my food. From preheat to plate-up, dinner took me just 25 minutes in the air fryer, instead of a minimum of 40 minutes.
I don’t think I’d say the meal was better taste-wise, but in terms of efficiency, this gets a thumbs up from me.
Day Seven: Burger and chips
While I wanted to try a range of meals beyond the classics in my air fryer tests, it didn’t feel right to judge one without cooking chips.
I used your average frozen French fries, preheated my air fryer for ten minutes, and then used a crisper tray to cook the chips for another ten minutes.
Now, I’m sorry to the air fryer obsessed, but I wasn’t convinced. Were they well cooked? Yes. Were they crispy? Yes. But where they outstandingly better than when cooked in my oven? Not really.
Alongside my air fried burger, the meal was tasty, but I wouldn’t have known it was cooked in an air fryer if you hadn’t told me.
The air fryer vs. oven verdict
Overall, my week with an air fryer was a mixed bag. If I’m being perfectly honest then, yes, I like my air fryer, but do I love it? Not totally.
Air fryers can definitely save you time in the kitchen and help cut the cost of your energy bill. Every recipe I tried cooked faster than on the hob or in the oven, reducing energy consumption, which would save money over time.
However, for the rice that featured in my meals, I used pre-cooked packets that I could add straight to my basket. These cost more than the bags of rice I would usually use to cook on the hob, so it's worth considering whether the air fryer is the most cost-effective option for some dishes.
You also need to consider the complexity of your meals and capacity. I think air fryers come in handy if you live alone or with a partner. For me (currently renting in a house share), I’m normally just cooking for myself, and turning my oven on to cook one serving of chips or chicken goujons is certainly not the most efficient method.
For a family though, you’ll need a much larger air fryer (we’d recommend a double drawer option like our GHI winner, the Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone fryer). While this does have a lot of room and can handle different meal components at once, if you're cooking for a large group, you could run out of space, and if you're making several courses, it's better to use the oven than running your air fryer multiple times.
Another point to consider is how often you shallow or deep fry food. An air fryer can help create healthier versions of your favourite fried recipes, so it could be a savvy buy if you love your crispy French fries.
But, of course, they're not just about fried food. These mini super ovens offer a lot more versatility than I’d given them credit for (my next challenge is to bake a cake).
So, how do I feel about them now? Overall, I'm impressed but not completely won over. I plan to continue using mine (and bragging about that egg fried rice to anyone who will listen), but will I be ditching my oven any time soon? Absolutely not.
Want to be the judge yourself? Shop the GHI's tried and tested air fryers below.
Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Air Fryer MAX
Score: 95/100
Our joint winning Ninja’s two drawers have a combined 9.5L capacity and delivered perfectly cooked chicken Kyivs in just 25 minutes on test. There are six cooking modes, as well as a handy sync programme that ensures both drawers finish cooking at the same time.
Score: 95/100
Smaller, but no less mighty is Breville’s steam fryer. In under an hour, it steamed and cooked an entire chicken that was deliciously tasty. Our chips were evenly golden and crispy too – a sign of a good air fryer.
Score: 95/100
Well risen cupcakes, golden chicken, and well cooked chips are easy to whip up with Haier’s model. Testers also liked the feature that reminds you to shake your food mid-cooking, ensuring perfectly consistent results.
Score: 86/100
If you’re looking to dip your toe into the world of air-frying, this is a great budget buy. It’s easy to use with clear controls, and its cooking performance was difficult to fault in testing. At only 4.5L, it’s fairly small but still offers plenty of cooking space for one or two people.
Megan is the Good Housekeeping Institute’s senior homes and lifestyle writer. She loves diving into the latest product releases to find the very best buys on the market and has written hundreds of product reviews on everything from the best vacuum cleaners and coffee machines to the best ice cream makers and robot window cleaners.
When she’s not writing about the newest gadgets and gizmos for your home and garden, you’ll find her running every distance from 5km to 100km or relaxing at home with her cat – there really is no in between.
Megan has an MA in Magazine Journalism and has previously written for Stylist, Glamour, Women's Health, TimeOut, SquareMeal, and YOU magazine. You can find Megan on Instagram @meganlouisegeall.
