Before it arrives: check the plug
On a European brand, read “Voltage” in the listing’s detail table. Some air fryers reach Amazon.com with their 220–240 V specification unchanged; on a 120-volt outlet they will not reach temperature, and a plug adapter does not change that. A US air fryer draws up to about 1,800 W — give it its own outlet rather than a power strip shared with a kettle.
Where it goes
Not against a wall, and not under a low cabinet. The exhaust is upward and out of the back, and the manual publishes a minimum clearance. Get that right once and the appliance behaves for years — see clearance above and behind.
The first habit: single layer
An air fryer cooks by moving hot air past food. A basket packed two deep does not cook faster — it cooks unevenly, and the bottom layer steams. This is why the usable flat area of a basket matters more than its quart count, and why a maker that publishes a load in food — “17.6 oz of fries”, “six drumsticks” — tells you more than one that publishes only quarts. More in why a single layer matters.
The second habit: nothing loose
A sheet of parchment in an empty basket will lift into the fan and the element. Every manufacturer publishes guidance on liners; follow the one that came with your machine, and weigh paper down with the food.
An air fryer, or an air-fry toaster oven
An air-fry toaster oven does the same job on a flat tray, with room for a sheet pan and a 9-inch pizza. On this site the BLACK+DECKER 5-in-1 and the Hamilton Beach air fry toaster oven are both sold for 120 V. A drawer air fryer is faster and smaller; a toaster oven is the one to choose if the counter can take only one box.
Accessories, in order of usefulness
A stackable rack if the drawer is square and you cook two things — measure the basket floor, not the top opening, because drawers taper. Then perforated liners if you use paper. Then an instant-read thermometer. Then nothing else for six months.
Cleaning
Whatever the maker declares dishwasher-safe, and by hand for anything else. Coatings die from abrasives and aerosol cooking spray, not from use — see nonstick coatings, and what kills them.
What readers want to know
Does it need to be run empty first?
Manufacturers publish their own first-use instructions and they differ; the manual with your unit is the authority. Many ask for a short empty run to burn off manufacturing residue — a smell the first time is normal. What is consistent across makers is the clearance requirement above and behind the appliance.
Can parchment paper go in?
That depends on the machine, and every maker publishes instructions about liners. What is universal is that loose paper in an empty basket lifts in the airflow, touches the heating element and can scorch. Put paper in only with food on top of it, and use perforated air fryer liners rather than a full sheet.
How do I know the food is done?
By its inside temperature, not by the timer. Air fryers brown the outside fast, which makes a chicken thigh look done before it is. An instant-read thermometer settles it in seconds — the ThermoMonster HT09 publishes 0.5 seconds and ±0.5 °F — and the safe internal temperatures are in the [USDA chart](https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/safe-temperature-chart).
Last reviewed 17 October 2026
