Hailed as a versatile kitchen appliance that’s easy to use, the air fryer is riding a long-lasting wave of popularity.
It’s favoured by many fervent fans as a handy helper at mealtimes, with the ability to produce delicious and fast results for a wide range of foods.
But even though there are plenty of high-flying fryers on the market, we’ve uncovered some subpar units that you should steer clear of.
These big-brand air fryers disappointed our experts in our latest tests, so if you’re looking to up your kitchen game, give these models a miss.
What to look for when buying an air fryer
“When buying an air fryer, it’s important that you choose one with comprehensive instructions, including cooking guidelines and recipes,” says CHOICE kitchen expert Fiona Mair.
“It’s especially important if you’ve never used an air fryer before – otherwise it can be very difficult to figure out how to use them properly.
“Digital controls give better accuracy, and pre-programmed settings take the guesswork out of choosing a temperature and cooking time, and may also give you a reminder to shake the food to ensure even cooking.”
Kitchen Couture Dual View Stainless Steel Air Fryer Silver
The Dual View doesn’t deliver, despite its high price tag.
CHOICE Expert Rating: 67%
Performance score: 70%
RRP: $200
This isn’t Kitchen Couture’s first appearance in our list of air fryers to avoid: its black 3.4L model was ranked second-lowest in our last test.
The 3.4L model has since been discontinued, but the company’s latest offering isn’t much better – though this one has a much larger capacity, it’s still one we would avoid.
The first Kitchen Couture air fryer we tested achieved a CHOICE Expert Rating of just 66% (which our experts rate as just “OK”), acing our hot chips test but bombing out on pretty much everything else.
So how does this Kitchen Couture fryer fare? Like its predecessor, it turned out crispy chips, and it also did a nice job of cooking marinated chicken wings.
But sadly that’s the extent of its talents. Chicken nugget lovers would do well to avoid this fryer: our experts scored it just 60% for cooking crumbed chicken. It also did a disappointing job of roast pork. And our experts didn’t exactly find it a joy to cook with, either, rating it 63% for ease of use.
You could buy a yearly CHOICE membership for $98, find out which cheap air fryer is best, and pocket the extra $100 you would’ve spent on this one
Despite being a relatively large unit, it only has a small capacity in each drawer – in fact, the manufacturer recommends you put only 125g of chips in each drawer. That’s not a lot of crunch for your cash!
Considering that several air fryers our experts recommend cost less than $100, you could buy a yearly CHOICE membership for $98, find out which cheap air fryer is best, and pocket the extra $100 you would’ve spent on this one.
Better as a benchtop oven than an air fryer: the Sunbeam Multi Zone Air Fryer.
Sunbeam Multi Zone Air Fryer
CHOICE Expert Rating: 68%
Performance score: 69%
RRP: $299
Another fryer that’s big on capacity but small on performance, this Sunbeam claims to handle 11L, but our experts found it only holds 9L.
That’s because the manufacturer’s claims can sometimes be misleading. We measure each air fryer’s actual usable capacity so you know exactly how much room you’ll have to cook with.
The Sunbeam was the second-best of this sorry bunch at cooking chicken nuggets, but that’s not saying much. And when you consider that it wasn’t much chop when we tested its ability to cook chips and chicken wings, it’s not exactly smashing it out of the park, is it?
There are plenty of other options around this size but cheaper that’ll do a better job
It does double as a benchtop oven, and it works better doing that than as an air fryer. If you’re in the market for a benchtop oven, it’s worth considering, but as an air fryer? Not so much.
Just like its companions on this list, its price doesn’t match its performance. There are plenty of other options around this size but cheaper that will do a much better job of cooking your dinner.
Sunbeam 22L Multi Function Oven + Air Fryer BT7200
(Tested in air fryer mode)
Benchtop ovens with air fryer functionality often don’t perform well in our air fryer testing
CHOICE Expert Rating: 69%
Performance score: 74%
RRP: $299
This is another benchtop oven from Sunbeam with an air fryer function that underwhelms.
While it achieved an excellent performance as a benchtop oven (achieving high scores for cooking roast chicken, grilling toast and reheating pizza), it was less impressive in our air fryer testing.
Its weakest point was cooking crumbed chicken nuggets, which is virtually unforgivable in an air fryer. It scored just 55% on this test.
Its weakest point was cooking crumbed chicken nuggets, which is virtually unforgivable in an air fryer
Fiona says this is a common issue she finds when testing benchtop ovens with air fryer functions.
“The reason benchtop ovens don’t do as well as air fryers for chips or food that requires shaking or turning, like crumbed chicken, is because you need to open the door frequently. This means the heat escapes from the oven and therefore the food won’t crisp and brown evenly,” she says.
“In this particular model, the air fryer basket does not slide into the shelf supports. Rather it sits on a tray, which further blocks hot air from circulating around the food and crisping it up.”
Our experts also noted that this model is difficult to clean, it has no pre-programmed settings and has just two shelf positions. If you’re focused on air-frying capability, there are better options, even at this low price tag.
Yes, you read that correctly: another Sunbeam (and another benchtop oven at that).
This one is $150 cheaper than the 22L model above, but even at half the price it’s no better a buy.
Hot chip lovers, avert your eyes: this one scored just 50% for cooking frozen thick-cut hot chips, making it the worst at that task of all the air fryers in our current review.
Nugget fans, you’re in luck: it’s excellent for cooking crumbed chicken nuggs … However, it’s at the bottom of the heap for ease of use
Nugget fans, you’re in luck: it’s excellent for cooking crumbed chicken nuggs – it’s up there with the best in our test. However, it’s at the bottom of the heap for ease of use: our experts found it hard to set the time and temperature accurately, the lack of an internal light means you can’t check your food, the lack of handles and grip area makes it difficult to lift, and it’s a pain to clean.
It’s also lacking stoppers on the wire shelves, so you could lose your lunch if you accidentally pull the shelves out all the way.
Benchtop ovens typically take up a lot of space and because they’re so big you can’t stash them in a cupboard. But do you really want to give up that much room in your kitchen for an appliance this disappointing?
We don’t think it’s worth the bench space or the money.
Pru Engel is the Audience and Engagement editor at CHOICE. Her job is to ensure as many Australians as possible know about the great work we do at CHOICE.
She works closely with our testers and experts to find the gems of information in our data and research that will resonate with Australian consumers and help them make the best decisions, whether they're purchasing an air fryer, looking for a new mattress or trying to find the cheapest car insurance. She also helps to drive meaningful change for consumers by collaborating with our Campaigns team on content covering issues such as grocery pricing, product safety and scams.
Prior to CHOICE, Pru worked as an editor at many of Australia's leading food and lifestyle titles.
Pru has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Journalism) from the University of Technology, Sydney.
Find Pru on LinkedIn.
Pru Engel is the Audience and Engagement editor at CHOICE. Her job is to ensure as many Australians as possible know about the great work we do at CHOICE.
She works closely with our testers and experts to find the gems of information in our data and research that will resonate with Australian consumers and help them make the best decisions, whether they're purchasing an air fryer, looking for a new mattress or trying to find the cheapest car insurance. She also helps to drive meaningful change for consumers by collaborating with our Campaigns team on content covering issues such as grocery pricing, product safety and scams.
Prior to CHOICE, Pru worked as an editor at many of Australia's leading food and lifestyle titles.
Pru has a Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Journalism) from the University of Technology, Sydney.
Find Pru on LinkedIn.
Alice Richard is a Content creator and marketer. Alice writes on a range of topics, from health insurance to heaters and BBQs to bargain-hunting, always with the aim to help consumers find the best products to buy, and which to avoid.
Alice can take vast amounts of data from CHOICE product tests and turn it into content that is easily digestible and fun for readers.
Alice has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland.
Alice Richard is a Content creator and marketer. Alice writes on a range of topics, from health insurance to heaters and BBQs to bargain-hunting, always with the aim to help consumers find the best products to buy, and which to avoid.
Alice can take vast amounts of data from CHOICE product tests and turn it into content that is easily digestible and fun for readers.
Alice has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland.
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