Best Air Fryers for 2022, and What to Avoid

The Ninja Foodi is a very popular line of air fryers but the Foodi 6-in-1 (DZ201) is the only model that has dual zones allowing you to cook 2 different foods in the same machine using 2 different cooking methods. The sleek Matte Gray finish looks great compared to other models which are generally plastic or stainless steel.  With the Foodi 6-in-1 DualZone, you'll have 6 cooking functions in your quiver: Air Fry, Air Broil, Roast, Bake, Reheat, and Dehydrate.  This should cover quite a few recipes you may already be cooking in your oven with the benefit of decreased cook time, decreased dishes, and decreased fat & oil. 

In addition to DualZones, arguably this Foodi's party trick is the Smart Finish feature.  Smart Finish allows you cook 2 different foods on 2 different cook settings and have them complete at the same time.  This is ideal for dishes that may have a component that takes significantly longer to cook than the other.  For example, you might air fry Italian Chicken Legs for 50 minutes in one basket and Pesto Potatoes for 25 minutes in the other basket but the potatoes will hold until the chicken legs are 25 minutes in.  You can also change the cook setting for something like Chicken Fajitas with Spicy Potatoes where the chicken is roasted and the potatoes are air fried.

The DualZone has the drawback of being larger and heavier than most air fryers, but if you have the space the convenience and practicality of knowing everything will be hot and ready once it's time to plate it up.  You may need a few iterations with the Foodi 6-in-1 DualZone Air Fryer to get a handle on cooking times, when to pause and shake the baskets, and which foods work best on which setting.  Some have reported that Ninja's cooking times are a bit overstated so rounding down might be the way to achieve your desired taste and texture.  You can find the Air Fry Cooking Chart here.

The Ninja Foodi 6-in-1 DualZone comes with a Quickstart Guide that includes 15 recipes so you can hit the ground running.  The recipes are fairly basic but cover some common and popular dishes:

Overall, the Foodi 6-in-1 Air Fryer with DualZone Technology is a great air fryer for families and short order cooks.  Not only does the Air Fryer work incredibly well, but the ability to have everything ready at the exact time will make even beginner cooks look like a pro.

While you can certainly pick up the Foodi 6-in-1 Air Fryer at Macy's for $223.99, and Best Buy at $179.99, but the real deal is direct from Ninja at $159.99.  Currently they have a $20 off coupon code: enter SAVE20 at checkout.

The Ninja Air Fryer Max XL holds several similarities to it's larger DualZone counterpart with a wide range of cook modes and excellent performance both with traditional chicken and potato recipes to more varied recipes involving vegetables, cakes, and dehydrated fruit and jerky.  The Max XL is an upgrade to Ninja's original 4-qt air fryer and the extra volume boosts the usability in this latest iteration.  Like many multifunction air fryers with high temperature capability like the Air Fryer Max XL, you may need to run it through several dummy batches to purge the machine of plastic residue and oder.  Once seasoned, the Air Fryer Max XL is a great offering from Ninja and the highest single-basket performer in the test. Amazon currently has price of $139.99 on the Air Fryer Max XL as well as buying direct from Ninja for $139.99 with coupon code SAVE20.

Size is paramount.  What use is a giant 7 seater SUV if your parking garage has a 6' max height limit?  What use is long and elegant Maxi dress when you are 5'1"?  What use is an 6-burner oven when you can touch both walls of your kitchen at once?  7-Quart KitchenAid mixers look great on Instagram, but does it fit under your cabinets? For those achieving great things but currently have space limitations, the Dash Compact is your ticket that states in bold letters, ADMIT ONE. Out of all the compact air fryers, or compact cookery for that matter, this will be a good show. [Dim lights]

Performance: Dash has 2 versions of the 2-Quart capacity model, analog and digital.  The digital will cost more but the analog keeps right up with its tech savvy sibling in terms of performance. It's also a great deal with prices on PriceX typically ranging from $45-59.  The Dash Compact Air Fryer, despite it's size, does reasonably well with traditional fried items with less dishes & cleanup and more importantly, a lower caloric count.  Potatoes, chicken, fish, shrimp, turkey is where it shines.  The Dash Compact can struggle with "fried" cheeses (think havarti or mozzarella sticks) and vegetables but only the most discerning pallets will complain.

On the Go: The Dash Compact Air Fryer can also be used in RV's and Boats depending on your hookups and voltages.  The smaller size takes less power to run and cleanup requires much less water than a traditional oven.

Take Away: You might be looking at your take-out bill thinking it's a required COVID cost, but if you are like me, delivery service is slow and prices are expensive.  What if you could make your own, using better ingredients custom suited for your needs, and served up fresh and hot with little cleanup?  Just grab the Dash Compact in any of the 5 colors and pocket the tip for yourself.

Cuisinart is a behemoth in small kitchen appliances.  If you had one, it's likely you still have one.  They do their homework, run it through multiple iterations of real life testers and unsurprisingly, come out with a great product.  An air fryer isn't exactly 'traditional' but Cuisinart is noticing the demand for air fryers is substantial and they need a hat in the ring.  The Cuisinart TOB, a countertop Toaster Oven Broiler has been a kitchen staple for years.  Rather than reinvent a new product, the engineers at Cuisinart decided to add the air frying feature to their most popular product. It's an interesting move from the iconic brand that is now owned by ConAir.  Yup, your hair dryer and food processor have the same DNA, who knew? 

In contrast to other machines in this review, the ConAir Cuisinart presents a tried and true Toaster/Oven/Broiler with a bonus feature being the air fryer.  One of our favorite video reviews is here: https://www.pricex.io/p/cuisinart-toa-60-air-fryer-toaster-oven-silver, as PriceX has an algorithm to support the most informed videos for any product but Cuisinart does a great job on how to use this device effectively.

Cosori isn't a name you likely have in your kitchen quiver nor a staple brand that your mother also used.  In fact, we had never heard of Cosori before it came time to review the their Max XL.  On paper, it's a 5.8 quart air fryer, costs around $119.  It looks similar to it's Chinese based older sister, Ninja but at the time of writing, only appears in US Big Box stores and eBay.

When the makers of the Instapot decided to throw their hat in the Air Fryer ring, you knew something special would be the result.  Their top of the line release is the Vortex Plus, a 10 quart offering with one of the largest capacities in the test, outdone by only machines targeted for commercial use.  The Vortex Plus is extremely capable for large families or parties, it's worth noting that its size is also reflected on the countertop.  Make sure you have plenty of real-estate for Instant's mothership.  The outside dimensions of the Vortex Plus is 
13.2x13.2x14.4" and if you want to stow the Vortex Plus, it's worth noting that it's a 19lb lift which is a shade under a 5-Quart KitchenAid Artisan if you are familiar with that effort.

The major concern with this model is the plastic smell which generally subsides 20 minutes after your initial use, but the toxic small can return or linger due to overheating when using the bake or rotisserie functions at temperatures above 325°F.  If your primary use is for the air fryer function for family and gatherings, you will likely love the Instant Vortex Plus and its 10 quart capacity. But for stating what it can do and failure to deliver on the bake and rotisserie functions, we're giving the Instapot family and the Instant Vortex Plus a slap on the wrist.