How To Clean Air Fryer Heating Element

Air fryers, or 'health fryers' have gained significant popularity over recent years and for good reason. They're a smarter, healthier and safer alternative to deep-fat fryers and won't leave your warm dinner in a oily, greasy puddle.

Using just hot air to cook your food — chips, for example, taste far better when cooked in an air fryer — it means you can cook your favourite foods without relying on larger quantities of oil. What's more, there's some handy science behind the world's best air fryers. They work using a small amount of oil and hot air – not unlike a conventional oven, just a smaller version that'll cook anything from curries, burgers, chips, eggs, steaks and much more. Depending on the model, temperatures can reach upwards of 230°C (445 °F), helping cut cooking times by up to 20 per cent.

It can help slice calories too, if that's your goal — as bypassing large amounts of cooking oil can drop the total calorie count of your meal, helping you stick to your goals without sacrificing great-tasting grub.

In short, a decent air fryer could be your most valuable ally when it comes to meal prep, helping cut time without cutting nutritional corners. With an air fryer, you can have your steak and eat it — so, below, we've hand-picked seven air fryers, alongside a handful of recipes, that we're currently bookmarking to make 2020 meal prep an absolute breeze.

Best Air Fryer on a Budget: Tower Air Fryer with Rapid Air Circulation and VORTX Frying Tech

Tower Air Fryer with Rapid Air Circulation System, VORTX Frying Technology

Tower amazon.co.uk

£30.46

Tower's Air Fryer, available here on Amazon, offers a low-calorie alternative to frying. The air fryer comes with adjustable dial ranges between 80 and 200°C, to help you cook almost any food, from vegetables to chips and chicken to cake.

It's compact, too — the air fryer can be stored away easily, but provides enough space to cook warm and healthy food. The draw and basket can be removed and washed by hand and, after the cooking cycle is finished, the air fryer automatically switches off. All of which makes for a very handy air fryer, so get yours here.

Best Air Fryer for Safety: Pro Breeze 4.2L Air Fryer with Digital Display

Pro Breeze 4.2L Air Fryer 1400W with Digital Display, Timer and Adjustable Temperature Control

Pro Breeze amazon.co.uk

£64.74

This no-oil air fryer — or 'health fryer', to some — comes with seven preset cooking modes and a digital-led display for easy temperature control. Intuitive cooking timers on an easy-to-use display make mealtimes a breeze, helping you cook pork, shrimp, steak, fish, chicken, chips and much more. The family-size basket is fully detachable, too — so cleaning it on the regular isn't a stress.

Best Air Fryer for Perfect Cooking: Ninja AF100 Air Fryer

Ninja AF100UK Air Fryer, Grey

Ninja johnlewis.com

£119.00

Do you want an air fryer called 'Ninja' to help you with your culinary exploits? Of course you do. Not only does this air fryer — currently £89 here at John Lewis, the cheapest deal we've found — look seriously cool, but it comes with an array of cooking and preparation options, including air frying, roasting, re-heating and even dehydrating, using approximately 75 per cent less fat than regular frying methods. The re-heating and dehydrating options are particularly attractive, helping you re-heat takeaway pizzas (if that's your thing) or dehydrating fruit for a healthy snack. The Ninja AF100, as its name suggests, is engineered for accuracy, helping you cook your food perfectly. A very sound investment if healthy eating is your schtick in 2020.

Touchscreen Air Fryer 2.6L

Lakeland lakeland.co.uk

£79.99

Best Air Fryer for Ease of Use: Lakeland Touchscreen Air Fryer 2.6L

Because buttons are so 2019, Lakeland's touchscreen air fryer is perfect for those looking for an appliance that's as sleek as it is easy to use. Its digital LED touchscreen control panel helps the user keep things simple, with heat settings from 80 to 200°C to suit a variety of ingredients. Handily, it comes with a cooking guide to help you nail your meal prep and healthy meals from the get-go. Excess moisture drains into a tank at the base, while the non-stick pan and frying basket are all dishwasher-friendly. Get it on next-day delivery right here.

ActiFry Genius XL 2in1 Healthy Air Fryer

Tefal idealworld.tv

£199.99

Best Air Fryer for Quantity: Tefal ActiFry Genius XL

Even though it looks like the death star, this other-worldly air fryer is perfect if you're making larger batches of food on the regular. Housing dual motion tech (a fusion of hot air circulation and automatic stirring), Tefal's ActiFry air fryer comes with two cooking 'zones', a bowl and top tray, helping you keep food separate while still cooking simultaneously.

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Conveniently, you can adjust the time and temperature manually while using the stirring function for a quick, easy and healthy meal. Temperatures range from 70°C to 220°C — slightly more than the others on the list — with a 1.7kg capacity for approximately eight portions of healthy food. Lastly, with access to over 300 recipes in the My ActiFry app, you'll never be shy of inspiration for your next healthy meal. Match winner.

Philips HD9650/99 Viva Collection Airfryer

Philips amazon.co.uk

£249.99

Best Air Fryer for Big Budgets: Philips HD9650 Viva Collection Air Fryer XXL

Don't be put off by the price tag, because this air fryer can bake, grill, roast and, obviously, air-fry your go-to ingredients with ease. It's a hefty unit, too — it can cook up to eight portions of chips with minimal oil.

One of its defining features, however, is its 'turbostar' tech, which provides constant circulatory heat to avoid the need to stir your food every few minutes. Temperatures range from 70°C to 220°C, it's dishwasher safe and comes with a recipe book of 200 breakfasts, lunches and dinners to keep your meal prep game inspired in 2020.

Tefal Easy Fry Compact EY301840 Air Fryer - Black

Best Air Fryer for Small Spaces: Tefal Easy Fry Compact Air Fryer

Another culinary headliner from Tefal, this easy fry compact air fryer does everything it says on the tin, with a sleek and small surface area. It has a relatively small food capacity of 0.6kg — for comparison, other air fryers in this list go up to almost 3kg — and uses 'air pulse' tech to circulate heat equally around the cooking drum, promising even results. The controls are touch-based and it's easy to wash for efficient cooking and cleaning.

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Edward Cooper Ed Cooper is the Deputy Digital Editor at Men's Health UK, writing and editing about anything you want to know about — from tech to fitness, mental health to style, food and so much more.

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