Air fryers
Every air fryer here crisps. What separates them in a small kitchen is footprint, the clearance the manual demands above the unit, and whether the drawer holds a meal or a portion — and only one of the three publishes its own dimensions.
The Midea MAF20P0BPK is first here and nowhere else. Two liters, 1,150 W, 80–200 °C (176 to 392 °F) on two dials, and a body small enough to live in a drawer. It is a single-portion machine and Midea does not pretend otherwise.
The catch is that Midea publishes no external dimensions — on the one appliance in this family bought specifically for its size.
The Philips Airfryer 2000 is the pick if the drawer has to feed two. It is the only air fryer here that publishes a usable load rather than only liters: 500 g (17.6 oz) of chips, six drumsticks, 500 g (17.6 oz) of vegetables in a 4.2-liter basket. Nine presets and manual control mean a setting can be repeated exactly.
It publishes neither wattage nor temperature range, which is the trade.
The Ninja FlexDrawer is here for one reason: it is the only maker of the four to publish 32.7 × 31.6 × 49.6 cm (12.9 × 12.4 × 19.5 in). That depth — nearly 50 cm (19.7 in) — is the figure to measure before anything else, and it is also what buys two independent 5.2-liter zones that finish together.
Buy on liters alone. The Russell Hobbs Satisfry in this family holds 8.3 liters in one drawer, which is more than any of these — and it publishes no external dimensions either. On a small countertop, an unmeasured appliance is a gamble.
What these machines do best, and the use that gets them out every day. No preheating, no big oven for two portions.
The original use. Basket shape and how much you can spread out matter more than the quoted wattage.
Possible, but here capacity bites: crowding the basket steams instead of browning.
Cakes and gratins go in only if a dish fits. On a compact model, that is far from certain.
| Your situation | What to look for | What it costs you |
|---|---|---|
| Very little countertop | A tall narrow model | A smaller basket area |
| One or two people | A compact basket | No family batches |
| Under a wall unit | Check the open height | A more limited choice |
| Frequent baking | A basket that takes a dish | More bulk |
An air fryer is maintained through its basket and its element. Grease vaporizes and settles on the fan and the heating element above, and that is what creates the smell of burning that appears after a few months.
A very hot appliance that ejects steam at the front.
2 L · 1,150 W · 80–200 °C (176 to 392 °F)
The smallest air fryer on this site, and the one whose controls are two dials rather than a screen. Midea publishes 2 liters, 1,150 W and a range of 80 to 200 °C (176 to 392 °F) with a timer to 60 minutes; the basket and the removable crisper plate are non-stick and declared dishwasher-safe.
Best for: One person, a small countertop, and a cook who would rather turn a dial than read a screen.
4.2 L · 13-in-1 · touchscreen, 9 presets
The Airfryer 2000 Series, and the model Philips publishes a usable-load figure for rather than only a liter count: 500 g (17.6 oz) of chips, six drumsticks or 500 g (17.6 oz) of vegetables in a 4.2-liter basket. Touchscreen with nine presets, RapidAir with the StarPlate, non-stick surfaces declared dishwasher-safe.
Best for: Two people who want the same result twice, and a listing that says what actually fits.
2 × 5.2 L · MegaZone 10.4 L · 7 functions
The FlexDrawer, and the only air fryer here that can cook two things two ways at once. Ninja publishes two independent 5.2-liter zones that join into a single 10.4-liter MegaZone, a stated load of 2 kg (4.4 lb) of chicken or 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) of chips per zone, seven functions, and — unusually for this family — the external dimensions.
Best for: A household cooking a main and a side at the same time, on a countertop with 50 cm (19.7 in) of depth.
More than its footprint. Air fryers exhaust upward and manufacturers publish a minimum clearance above the unit — usually in the manual rather than the listing. Of the four air fryers on this site, only Ninja publishes external dimensions at all: 32.7 × 31.6 × 49.6 cm (12.9 × 12.4 × 19.5 in).
Only roughly. The stated capacity counts the drawer to its rim; what decides even cooking is the flat area food can sit on in a single layer. Philips is the one maker here that publishes what actually fits — 500 g (17.6 oz) of chips, six drumsticks, or 500 g (17.6 oz) of vegetables.
For small quantities and quick cooks, largely. For a big roast, a batch of bread or several trays at once, no: capacity is the limit, not the principle.
It heats a much smaller volume, which helps on short cooks and small quantities. On a long cook filling an oven, the advantage shrinks.
Most models reach temperature very fast, so preheating matters far less than on an oven. Recipes that call for it are usually adapted from oven instructions.
Almost always because the basket is too full. Air has to move around each piece; one layer, spread out, changes everything.
Only weighted down by food and never during preheating: the fan will otherwise lift it against the element.
Often yes, but repeated hot cycles wear non-stick coatings faster than hand washing. On the part you use daily, that matters.
Fits: One person, a small countertop, and a cook who would rather turn a dial than read a screen.
Main asset: Two mechanical dials — temperature and time — with nothing to learn and nothing to fail
Main drawback: 2 liters is a single-portion drawer: the usable flat area is a fraction of the 8.3-liter Russell Hobbs
Fits: Two people who want the same result twice, and a listing that says what actually fits.
Main asset: Philips publishes what fits — 500 g (17.6 oz) of chips, 6 drumsticks, 500 g (17.6 oz) of vegetables — rather than only a liter figure
Main drawback: A 220-volt European model, shown as unavailable on Amazon.com
Fits: A household cooking a main and a side at the same time, on a countertop with 50 cm (19.7 in) of depth.
Main asset: Two independent zones that finish together, or one 10.4-liter MegaZone — no other model here does both
Main drawback: The deepest appliance here at 49.6 cm (19.5 in) — measure the countertop before the basket
Baskets, liners and spares from the same aisle, at the price we recorded. Check they fit the appliance you pick before ordering: it depends on the capacity and the part number, which the product page states.
Two appliances compared directly, where that page already exists in this guide or this aisle.
The appliances here are from the catalog of this site. Specifications are what the maker publishes and what the Amazon listing shows; prices are the Keepa figure on the date below, and both change. Ranking uses declared specifications, the balance of stated strengths and stated limits, and price. Nothing on this site has been cooked with, and no page here says otherwise.
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Prices quoted in these summaries are dated readings. The live price is shown next to each product.
Stand mixers and air fryers swing by fifty dollars or more across the year, and the biggest "discounts" often land at prices the same model sold for six weeks earlier. UniverTrack tracks the real price history across retailers, spots fake reductions, and alerts you when it is genuinely the moment to buy.
