Dual, double, twin, double-drawer: whatever you call them, the number of these super-sized air fryers on the market is multiplying.
Single-drawer air fryers can be somewhat limited in that you can only cook at one temperature for a specific period of time, which is fine if you’re bashing out a serve of chicken nuggets for a hungry horde. But what happens if you want to cook nuggets and chips at the same time?
You’ll either have to cook them one at a time and keep the other warm, or start with the chips and calculate when to put your nuggets in so they’re ready at the same time – or face the wrath of cranky children who want their hot chips hot and crispy, not lukewarm and limp.
But with dual air fryers, you can set each basket to cook at different temperatures and times. Many also allow you to sync the cooking times so they finish cooking simultaneously (thus avoiding the hot-nuggets-cold-chips scenario).
With dual air fryers, you can set each basket to cook at different temperatures and times
You’ll also have dinner on the table faster since you’ll be cooking everything at once, rather than doing it in batches.
Here’s what you need to know about double air fryers. Plus, exclusively for CHOICE members, we’ll reveal which ones are worth the money.
If you want to find out which dual air fryers top our tests, join CHOICE to get instant access to all of our expert, independent reviews.
Cheap as (air fried) chips: the $119 Kmart Anko model.
The Kmart model is considerably cheaper than others on the market though, so if you’re considering another brand, expect to pay at least $200.
The twin air fryers recommended by our experts sit at the higher end of the price spectrum, starting from around $400.
However, in our 60 years of testing products, CHOICE has found plenty of cheaper products that outperform more expensive ones, so don’t assume that springing for a pricey model will guarantee you air-fry perfection.
If you’re looking at double-frying, there are a few options in terms of configuration:
Side-by-side
A double-drawer air fryer has two separate baskets.
Also called dual-drawer or double-drawer air fryers, these are the OG style of twin air fryers. As the name suggests, they have two separate drawers or baskets.
Some models will let you sync up the timing so both drawers will finish cooking simultaneously, even if they have different cooking times and temperatures.
With others, you may need to calculate when to start cooking in the second basket, which can be a bit of a pain – but it still gives you more options than a single-drawer model.
Flexible drawer
A flexible drawer converts a single-zoned air fryer to a dual-zone version.
These give you the best of both worlds: the ability to cook two different foods at once in separate drawers, or one single drawer if you just want to make an extra-large batch of one type of food.
With the divider in place, you can set the two different zones to different times and temperatures, just like a double-drawer air fryer.
Stacked drawers
This Ninja double air fryer is tall rather than wide.
One recently released double air fryer gives you the option of two drawers but has a smaller footprint.
The Ninja DoubleStack turns the traditional dual-basket design on its head, with the drawers one on top of the other instead of side by side.
It’ll take up less space on your bench but it’s quite tall so it could be tricky to store in a cupboard if you want to put it away when you’re not using it.
If you’re thinking of upsizing to a double air fryer, we suggest you use the Goldilocks principle: not too big, not too small, but just right. There are a few factors to consider.
Capacity:
You can’t always believe what you read, and that’s the case with air fryers generally – and especially for double air fryers.
Manufacturers may claim that their product can hold a certain amount of food, but our experts don’t take that figure at face value.
They measure up each air fryer to see how much of the space inside it is actually usable – and it can often be quite different to what the advertising says.
For instance, one air fryer claims to hold 11L but our experts found that only 9L of that is usable space.
One air fryer claims to hold 11L but our experts found that only 9L of that is usable space
If you’re buying a twin air fryer so you can cook more food in one go, you’d feel pretty ripped off to find out that you can’t fit in as much as you’d hoped.
Our detailed reviews list both the claimed capacity and measured usable capacity of each model, so you can check whether the air fryer you’re eyeing off will actually be up to the task of feeding your household.
We’ve also started measuring air fryer capacity using a different (but very important) metric: how many chicken nuggets they can fit in a single layer.
“We started using the chicken nugget measurement because air fryers work best when food is spread out in a single layer for better air circulation,” says CHOICE kitchen expert Fiona Mair.
“If food is piled up, it won’t cook evenly or get crispy, especially if the food you’re cooking can’t be shaken or easily manipulated.
“Using chicken nuggets as a reference shows you how much food you can fit when cooking in one layer, how many servings you can realistically cook at once, and it’s a helpful way to visualise an air fryer’s capacity so you can compare models more easily.”
This is a recent addition to our testing process so we don’t have numbers for every air fryer in our review but for newer models on the market, we list this alongside the actual usable capacity.
Footprint
It makes sense that if you want more cooking space you’ll need to sacrifice more bench space – and double air fryers take up quite a bit of room.
If you don’t have much bench space to spare, you might be inclined to store your air fryer in a cupboard when you’re not using it – but double air fryers are pretty hefty.
The lightest twin air fryer in our review, the Kitchen Couture Dual View, weighs 7.4kg, while the heavyweight Ninja DoubleStack XXXL is a whopping 10.2kg.
You might appreciate the upper body workout but double air fryers’ bulk means they’re not easy to carry.
Basket size
This Ninja may be named XXXL, but its baskets are medium-sized at best.
While you’ll get twice as many cooking zones in a double air fryer than a single one, those zones can be smaller.
So while you might be able to fit a whole chicken or pork fillet in a single air fryer, you could be limited to only being able to cook smaller items in a dual-drawer model, since each basket will be smaller.
Dual air fryers with flexible configurations are more versatile – you can use the divider to give you two separate cooking zones, or take it out so you have one large zone.
We independently test and review dozens of new air fryers each year in our onsite kitchen lab, and our experts know exactly what to look for to help you find the best product.
Our detailed air fryer testing data is available exclusively for CHOICE members. If you’re not yet a member, join CHOICE to get instant access to all of our product reviews, from fridges and freezers, toasters and TVs, and more.
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. 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. LinkedIn
For more than 60 years, we've been making a difference for Australian consumers. In that time, we've never taken ads or sponsorship.
Instead we're funded by members who value expert reviews and independent product testing.
With no self-interest behind our advice, you don't just buy smarter, you get the answers that you need.
You know without hesitation what's safe for you and your family. And our recent sunscreens test showed just how important it is to keep business claims in check.
So you'll never be alone when something goes wrong or a business treats you unfairly.
