We’re asking more and more from our kitchen appliances these days. With space, time and money in short supply, any new kitchen gadget needs to meet a range of needs for us to justify the expense and bench space.
Enter the steam air fryer: a two-in-one machine that can handle a range of tasks, from the crispiest chicken nugget through to the greenest tender broccolini. You can also use it to crisp up your dinner after you’ve steamed it – hello roast potatoes and pan-fried dumplings!
“Having both air fry and steam modes in one appliance makes it far more versatile because you get the best of both cooking methods,” says CHOICE home economist Fiona Mair.
Here, we look at the ins and outs of steam air fryers, and share our expert’s tips for making the most of yours.
Plus, exclusively for CHOICE members, we’ll reveal the top three steam air fryers from our tests.
If you just want to get straight to the products to look for, you can jump to the results now.
What can you cook in a steam air fryer?
While the obvious choices for steaming are green veggies like broccoli, asparagus and green beans, there are plenty of other foods that you can steam in your air fryer. Here are some examples:
Don’t just limit yourself to steamed foods: you can harness the power of your air fryer to steam foods first, then crisp them up, ensuring they retain their moisture on the inside. The following foods can benefit from this double-whammy cooking approach.
Roast veggies such as potatoes, pumpkin, carrot, sweet potatoes
On the whole, our experts have been impressed with how well these appliances handle steam cooking.
“The steam function in most air fryers works well. It’s just a matter of getting the cooking time right,” says Fiona.
“It may take some trial and error to find the best combination of steam, time and air frying for what you’re cooking.”
Steam air fryers are perfect for steaming green veggies like beans.
Can you turn your regular air fryer into a steam air fryer?
If you Google this question, you’ll get mixed results. Some people say they regularly add a few tablespoons of water to the bottom of their air fryer to stop food from drying out, while others say it’s risky to put water inside an appliance that’s not designed for steaming.
CHOICE experts say you can – but it depends on your air fryer.
Just add a quarter of a cup of water to steam vegetables. A couple of tablespoons of water will help keep meat moist
Fiona Mair, CHOICE kitchen expert
“It’s best for drawer-type air fryers that cook your food on a perforated plate that’s raised just above the base of the drawer,” says Fiona.
“Just add a quarter of a cup of water to steam vegetables. When cooking meat, a couple of tablespoons of water will help keep the meat moist.
“If you’re reheating food, adding a couple of tablespoons of water will prevent the food from drying out too much.”
Some air fryers come with a steam clean function, which in theory loosens any baked-on bits and residue, making it easier to clean – just wipe the inside over when it’s finished.
CHOICE’s kitchen expert Fiona Mair puts each air fryer through a gruelling series of tests.
“It can also reduce cooking odours,” says Fiona.
It’s not always perfect though, so don’t expect that a steam clean function will do all the cleaning for you. You may still need to soak and scrub particularly stubborn crusty bits.
Don’t have a steam clean function on your air fryer? You can DIY it by putting a bowl of water in the bottom of your air fryer.
Put it on high heat for about 10 minutes, then let it sit so the steam can do its thing.
Open it up (carefully so you don’t get a steam burn!) and give everything a wipe.
How to get the most from a steam air fryer
The key to perfectly cooked steamed but crispy food is getting the moisture right: too much and your food won’t crisp up; too little and the food could end up dry.
“Combining air frying and steam cooking is perfect for keeping foods crispy on the outside and moist inside,” says Fiona.
“Having a combination of the two cooking methods assists in cooking food more evenly without drying it out.”
Should you just buy a multi-cooker instead?
Multi-cookers do exactly what they say on the tin: they cook food in a multitude of ways, including slow cooking, pressure cooking, cooking rice, searing meat, and more.
And some now also work as air fryers, so they can effectively replace multiple appliances in your kitchen.
If you’re thinking of buying an air fryer that has a steam function, you might want to consider a multi-cooker that air fries.
They can be quite a lot more expensive than air fryers, though, and they may not have as much capacity as an air fryer when you’re cooking foods in a single layer (which is what our experts recommend for foods like chicken nuggets).
Make sure you check both our air fryer reviews and our multi-cooker reviews to see how these multi-function appliances perform across a range of cooking tasks.
What are the best steam air fryers from our tests?
We independently test and review dozens of new kitchen appliances each year in our onsite labs, 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 expert, independent reviews, from fridges and freezers, toasters and TVs, kettles and cots, 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
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