Despite its name, an air fryer doesn’t fry your food. These countertop appliances are essentially small convection ovens with powerful fans that circulate hot air around food to approximate the crisp and juicy results of deep frying. Much like toaster ovens, air fryers are also marketed as smaller and more convenient alternatives to conventional ovens; they generally cook food quicker, shaving off 5 to 10 minutes from most recipes. They need to be preheated for only a few minutes, if at all, and they won’t heat up your entire kitchen.
We tested our lineup by making recipes we’ve developed specifically for air frying, including french fries, chicken Parmesan, and pork tenderloin. A few things set our favorite models apart from the others. First, the amount of available cooking space. Since air-fried foods cook best in one layer,
