Posted by I was thinking about getting an air fryer for Christmas this year. I knew nothing about air fryers, so I first had to decide on what features I wanted. I thought it would be good to be able to see the food as it was cooking. This narrowed down the selection as only a few have this feature. I decided on the Cuisinart Air Fryer, 6-Quart, model AIR-200. This model is listed for $120 with 83% 5-star reviews on Amazon. I found several for less money on Ebay. Models from lesser-known manufacturers can be found for under $100.
Next, I read all the reviews and watched a few air fryer videos. I found out that the viewing window on the AIR-200 can get water droplets trapped between the window when the cooking drawer is washed. Others complained about the beeping noise when you press a button and no way to turn the fryer off, unless you unplug it from the wall. These are mostly inconveniences that you can live with. Air fryers are fairly simple devices with a heating element, a fan, a cooking basket, and a control panel.
I then asked myself if I really needed one. I was under the impression that air fryers cooked much faster than a conventional oven. From what I could see in the video demonstrations, that isn’t the case. The AIR-200 is rated at 1800 watts. That is more power than some of the other fryers I looked at. I really don’t need another high energy device in my home. My electric usage is already above the average household in my neighborhood. And finally, like most air fryers, the AIR-200 is 12″ wide and 16″ deep. With a toaster, a blender, a slow cooker, a Foreman grill and multiple canisters on my counter, there is no room for another appliance.
In the end I decided that it wasn’t worth buying an air fryer. There are currently over 100 used air fryers on shopgoodwill.com. That tells me that people are getting rid of their old air fryers for one reason or another. Air fryers come in all shapes and sizes, and most are low quality products from China. The only reason I could see where it makes sense to get one is if you don’t like using your oven or microwave. I also don’t want to overlook the fact that you don’t need to use cooking oil with an air fryer. That is probably the biggest plus. A gallon of vegetable oil costs about $13. You can get 10 gallons of oil (a 10-year supply) for the price of an air fryer. But if your doctor tells you to stop eating deep fried foods… that might be your best reason to get an air fryer.