When my husband first toured the house that we would eventually buy, he rhapsodized about how great it was while underplaying the tiny kitchen. And it truly was small: a galley kitchen with doors that led into the yard, basement, hallway and dining room, and very little wall space left for cupboards or counters. But we loved the house anyway. It wasn’t the first tiny kitchen I’d cooked in, and eventually we took down a wall and moved some doors. But the lessons of small spaces stay with you. Pare down, keep it simple and only add what you must.As a result, I’ve never been a big fan of single-use kitchen gadgets. Despite making a career in food, I’m probably the last person to adopt innovative cooking tools, especially anything that takes up a lot of space. But I do spend a lot of time wondering about them. Who wouldn’t be curious about things that claim they’ll make cooking better and easier?
I was excited to have the opportunity to test out some air fryers and see what all the fuss was about—while only temporarily committing the necessary counter space. My family doesn’t deep fry all that often, but we are fans of crispy oven-baked and shallow-fried foods. Air fryers promise to make these treats easier, and healthier, too, using continuously blown hot air over the food (not unlike a convection oven) to get a crispy, fried-like result with only a few teaspoons of oil. Would an air fryer give me a better result?
I tested two different types of air fryers: the windowless basket type (which my kids thought looked like a cute robot), and the countertop convection oven version, with a price range of low, med-high and high. And we kept it simple by cooking frozen french fries in all of them to see how they worked.
The Dash Digital Air Fryer is ideal for cooking single-serving meals faster than other air fryers and occupies minimal space. The Dash Digital Air Fryer was the best of the three compact Dash air fryers I tested.
Dash Compact Air Fryer
First up was the Dash DCAF150 Compact Air Fryer. At $100, this basket-style appliance has a plastic exterior and comes in a few colours (and looks especially retro in the turquoise version we tried). Using it is incredibly straightforward: put food in the basket and turn the dials for time and temperature. Since these were oven fries, I didn’t add any oil. I couldn’t find any information on how much food the basket would ideally hold, but it seemed like 12 oz of fries(about four servings) fit nicely, so that’s what I used. You do need to stir the fries partway through cooking, but after 20 min at 400F, the fries were evenly cooked. The one annoyance is that once you’re finished, you can’t just tip the basket on your plate to remove the food, which feels counterintuitive. It has a false bottom that collects excess cooking oil; tipping it would pour the oil back onto your food. Overall though, I was actually surprised by how good a job this air fryer did. It may not be able to handle main-type dishes at its size, but can cook sides and vegetables quickly and efficiently.
Cuisinart AirFryer Toaster Oven
Next up was the Cuisinart AirFryer Toaster Oven ($399). This is a big machine! It definitely took up more counter space than we had to spare, but it’s stainless steel, nicely designed and still very easy to use, which is what you’d hope for with a kitchen appliance like this. Think of it as more like an impressively multi-functional countertop oven: You can definitely roast a whole small chicken in it, or bake a round 9” cake (like the Easy-bake oven of my dreams), and the fact that it also has convection and air fryer settings is pretty cool. The instruction booklet comes with a wide range of recipes to give you a sense of its capabilities—like roasting, broiling, toasting—but for the purpose of our experiment I only made fries. This oven can cook up to 2 lbs of french fries at a time, and I found that at the recommended 450 F it only took 12-15 minutes to get crispy fries.
Which Air Fryer is Best? 2023 Air Fryer Buying Guide | Watch this Before You Buy Your Next Air Fryer
FAQ
Are there air fryers that don’t take up too much space?
Do air fryers take up a lot of counter space?
Why are people getting rid of air fryers?
How much clearance space do you need for an air fryer?
What is the best small air fryer for small spaces?
The Chefman is the best small air fryer for small spaces because it balances its small footprint — the second-smallest unit we tested — with a decent food capacity. Since it’s so small, though, it’s best for people eating alone and single servings.
How many Quarts is a small air fryer?
The small air fryers on our list have a capacity between two quarts and four quarts. They’re great for two people or one person. They take up less counter space as well and we find them easier to clean since the baskets are smaller. ✔️ Style: Like average-sized air fryers, small air fryers come in basket-styles or toaster oven-style.
Where can I buy a small air fryer?
Get the GoWise USA small air fryer at Amazon or The Home Depot. The Chefman small air fryer has a two-in-one tank and flat-basket design that provides a capacity of more than 3.5 quarts in a small footprint (10 inches long by 12.9 inches wide by 11.875 inches tall). The Chefman can fry, roast, cook, or bake.
What is the smallest air fryer?
This Cosori Lite 2.1-Quart Mini Air Fryer is the smallest on our list – perfect if you’re just looking to air fry snacks, apps, and sides rather than full meals. Cosori mentions the size is ideal for individuals or as a backup appliance for families. Though it’s small, it still offers the same functionality as many larger air fryers.