Best Air Fryers to Stick to Healthy Diet in the UK

'Genius' is a bold claim. From what we know, even the most intelligent air fryers are not necessarily geniuses. That said, among them, the Tefal ActiFry Genius XL AH960040 might be the smartest one. As tacky as the 'genius' part sounds, we can see where the people behind this product were coming from. To get the ball rolling, with the fryer's 9 automatic pre-installed programs, even the least experienced cook can press one button, walk away, and come back to a perfect snack/meal that can serve <8 people. These programs include chips and fries, rolls, wok, breaded snacks, meat and vegetable balls, battered snacks, chicken, desserts, and world food.

Of course, despite these programs being automatic, you can always adjust the cooking time, temperature, and stirring motion, realising different recipes and, at the same time, guaranteeing perfect or, at the very least, unique results. These different recipes, bee tee dubs, can be taken from the free app that Tefal includes (meaning provides access) with this appliance. Including at least 300 recipes, the app should expand even experienced cooks' culinary horizons.

Regardless, the aforementioned preset programs are not the fryer's most defining feature. No, as the name suggests, that title belongs to the ActiFry tech. With this tech, the model spends ~30% less time preparing the same meals you'd get from different air fryers. Different woks are usually ready within 10 minutes, chicken takes as little as ~15, and chips and fries get nice and crispy in 30 minutes flat.

With a power level of 1425 watts, the Philips HD9220 air fryer is a rather potent model that will let you cook food fast and without hustle. What's more, it features a unique Rapid Air technology that not only adds to the speed of cooking but also helps in reducing smells, which is a big plus.

Speaking of operation, with the Philips HD9220 air frier you won't need to slave in the kitchen. It takes only 6 minutes to fry fish fingers and around 10 minutes to roast meat steaks, which is impressively quick. The biggest advantage, however, is that for all that it needs 80% less oil unlike frying food in a conventional oven or frying pan, so you can consume your favourite treats and do no harm to your health and figure.

Turning to capacity, the Philips HD9220 air fryer isn't big. It has a fairly small 0.8-kg tray which will accommodate enough food for 2 people. This makes it a sound choice for couples and those living alone.

Using the fryer is fairly simple. It doesn't have any convoluted dials and there are printed guides on the housing of the device. However, if you do have difficulties figuring out how to set it all right, the manual included in the box will come in helpful.

The Tower T17023 sits in the middle, both on this list and where the company's air fryers are concerned. Towering above its mid-range competition would be a stretch but, at the very least, the model can compete and, in multiple respects, outperform comparable machines in its price bracket.

As always (with these appliances), the starting point is energy use. Drawing and outputting 1000 watts, this is not the greediest machine we've seen before but, consequently, also not the most powerful one. But, despite its middling power, the model's no joke. As compensation (and a sizable one at that), this appliance adopts Tower's VORTX tech. Accelerating air circulation, this technology creates a crisp texture in less time across numerous ingredients, including chips, cakes, chicken, veggies, and more. The tech uses 99% less oil, ensuring that the same ingredients lose the oil and not the flavours that make them appealing in the first place.

Removing this tech from the equation, the Tower T17023 is a respectable contestant but not the one that'd take home gold. Of course, these fryers seldom come without timers but, with this one, the timer's capped at 30 minutes, which is not a huge issue but we're more used to 60 minutes. The good news is that the adjustable thermostat is as good as its competitors', letting you set the temperature anywhere between 80 and 200 degrees Celsius. Also good news is that the model has an automatic switch-off mechanism, turning the machine off when it's not being used.

The Tefal Easy Fry Precision EY401840 is pretty much everything that the name implies. As you can guess, this appliance enables easy frying and, generally speaking, it is quite precise (assuming that precise means consistent in this case since, otherwise, we've no idea what the 'precise' part is supposed to represent).

First things first, this unit draws and, as you would expect, uses 1500 watts, so this is not the most energy-efficient model on the market at the moment but also not the weakest/slowest model, not one bit. On the contrary, with its 3D Air Pulse tech and the 1500-watt output, this appliance is quite excellent at circulating hot air around the food at a very high speed, delivering crispy results in a short timeframe. What's more, besides giving each and every ingredient a nice crispy texture, the machine uses practically no oil, so you can enjoy delicious snacks and meals without feeling guilty about it.

Despite sitting in the company's affordable or, at the very least, mid-range bracket, this appliance looks as expensive as air fryers come. Sure, there's nothing especially interesting about its all-black finish, and the form factor's nothing we've not seen before, but the controls atop this model are a whole different ball game. With the large digital screen and the touch buttons that this screen includes, this frying machine lets you prepare countless scrumptious meals without making any high-effort moves.

And, even though the sophisticated appearance might suggest otherwise, these controls are pretty straightforward, so you should have no problem switching between the model's 8 preset programs, adjusting the temperature between 80 and 200 degrees Celsius, or setting a timer. This timer, by the way, features an audible ready alert, so you'll know that the meal is ready even whilst sitting in a different room.

The Cosori Digital Air Fryer looks almost imposing, which is a little unusual as far as these appliances are concerned, but we're not complaining. There's nothing wrong with the stainless steel parts that this model incorporates, eliminating rust and corrosion from the potential long-term equation. There's also nothing wrong with the sturdy plastic that surrounds these stainless steel parts, preventing deformation chances and letting you use this machine without fearing that you might leave a dent with one wrong move or, worst comes to worst, even break it. Pivoting a little, the imposing part comes not just from the all-black finish but also from the brushed housing that the appliance sports, making quite a stylish impression.

Of course, what sells air fryers is not these machines' style (or lack thereof). What sells them is their cooking capabilities and functionality. Fortunately, the model has you covered on both of these fronts. In fact, in multiple ways, it is more impressive on these fronts than the fryer's more expensive peers. More often than not, these peers do not come equipped with shake reminders or even a keep-warm function, which is a shame. The former will let you know when you ought to shake the contents and the latter can keep the food warm, delaying the treat when that's necessary.