Are you looking for a good recipe for a gift that will be a hit under the tree? Think air fryer! The “famous oil-free fryers” that the French are snapping up (one million sales in 2023) are likely to see their immense success confirmed again this year. And the prices already observed during Black Friday 2024 are likely to convince many gourmets. Peel the potatoes and take them out of the freezer, 20 Minutes gives you some tips for choosing the right device!
Up to 55% off during Black Friday
Because in these lean times, we must first talk about budget… The price of air fryers in physical and online stores is currently in free fall. Less 55% on the Philips HDF9200 air fryer at Boulanger (i.e. 49 euros instead of 109 euros); less 50% on the Easy Fry Max air fryer (EZ245B20) from Moulinex at Darty (i.e. 69 euros instead of 139 euros); or even less 23% on the Ninja Double Stack XL (SL400EU), sold for 209 euros instead of 269 euros on Amazon. Thank you Black Friday!
With one or two vats depending on appetite
The opportunity to equip yourself (or prepare a gift while sparing your budget) is here. Before rushing to the store or clicking on “Buy”, some advice is in order.
Because inviting an air fryer to your table means first of all installing a device in the kitchen that takes up space. Like the microwave oven, the air fryer is not one of those small household appliances that you put away after each use. So remember to check the size of the device you are considering by taking a look at its technical characteristics.
This is where the question of a “single” or “dual basket” air fryer arises, either with one or two tanks. The first models (which only allow you to cook one dish at a time) are not too invasive: approximately 20 cm wide. Among them, we find some devices with a bowl separator, such as the clever Moulinex Air Fry & Grill XXL for cooking two recipes at the same time.
But when it comes to double-tank air fryers, space is necessary: around forty centimeters wide on a work surface or piece of furniture! With its Double Stack XL, the manufacturer Ninja, however, had a good idea by offering an air fryer whose two tanks are no longer side by side but superimposed. Its 9.5 liters of cooking capacity takes up little more space than the 4 liters of a classic air fryer…
How many people to feed?
Underlying this obviously arises the question of the number of people to feed. Single or in a relationship? A small air fryer may be enough (3.5 l). As a family with children? Better to opt for a model with a more generous tank, from 6 liters. Or, indeed, target a double tank which allows, with its two timers and independent heating systems, to prepare meat or fish on one side, and vegetables on the other. Or two generous baskets of fries!
Presets or connected recipes
As for recipes, you don’t need to have participated in Top Chef to cook. All air fryers have presets for cooking homemade or frozen fries, more or less thick, but also meat, fish and desserts. And for defrosting too, a function which this type of appliance performs particularly well!
Some manufacturers, like Ninja, also provide a small book to get some ideas for dishes. Other brands, such as Moulinex and Ufesa, offer recipes through a smartphone application. Philips, however, goes further with its HomeID application, several hundred recipes of which can be transmitted to the air fryer (like with a Thermomix). Cooking times and temperatures are thus set automatically and the appliance runs.
End of the kitchen nightmare?
Know that cooking with an air fryer can be learned! Experience requires, we must agree that the slightly too golden fries and the dried salmon steak are part of the initiatory journey of any new user. But with use, the air fryer quickly becomes indispensable due to its extremely practical side.
All our purchasing advice for household appliances
The dietary aspect is definitely there, with cooking almost without oil. But some dieticians, like Caroline Seguin, warn by explaining that it is perhaps better to eat fries in oil from time to time, rather than fries in an air fryer more often…
Finally, be careful: operating on the basis of pulsed hot air, the air fryer is a relatively noisy device, the noise level of which can end up being annoying in the context of a recipe that takes a long time to prepare.
