Right away, air fryers grew very popular and large numbers were sold all over the world in their first year on the market. And just like many other gadgets in our homes, they keep getting better and better.
Air fryers are marketed as the oil-less deep fryer
To anyone who refuses or struggles to give up fried food but still
How Does An Air Fryer Work?
The air fryer circulates super hot air using the convection mechanism, this cooks the food. The crispy outer layer is achieved by something called “The Maillard Effect” which is a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars. Because the air fryer is rather small in comparison to a regular oven, it can heat up very quickly.
The texture and taste of air fried food can be tweaked any way you want. By adding ingredients, adjusting time and temperature, you can achieve the results you wish for.
Looking at the more expensive air fryers, you’ll see numbers as high as $350-400. To some of us, that’s way too much for a kitchen appliance. An air fryer for 400 dollars may come with a bunch of features and lots of space, however, one doesn’t have to spend that much money in order to get a good air fryer. There are a bunch of cheaper alternatives that are far better than one would think.
These are the best air fryers for circa $50. Click the product title to go to the product on Amazon.
Dash Compact Air Fryer
The name gives it away, this is a rather small air fryer, coming in at 1.6 Quart. That’s enough space to cook a meal for two people max, or snacks for a couple more. The benefit of having such a small air fryer is the speed and convenience that it can provide. See, with so little room to heat, the air fryer will be cooking in a couple of minutes and your food will come out crispy, brown and delicious in no time. It doesn’t matter if you’re making snacks, appetizers, baked goods or bigger meals, Dash will perform.
This is the best option for small spaces like dorm rooms, RVs, studio apartments etc. It’s both compact, lightweight and effective. The components are non-stick which makes them easy to clean and as an added bonus, they are safe to use in the dishwasher.
Like the GoWISE air fryer, Dash has an auto-shutoff function. I can’t stress the convenience of these functions enough. Multi-tasking while cooking food is risky, in a matter of seconds you may forget that you’re cooking only to return to a burnt meal, that doesn’t happen with the Dash Air Fryer. When the timer goes off, the air fryer stops. This makes it hard to overcook food.
It’s all-aroundness and very affordable price makes it one of the best bangs for your buck. The product seems to receive a lot of positive feedback on Amazon too.
Pros:
- Very affordable price. May vary depending on color.
- Non-stick basket is easy to clean
- Adjustable temperature and timer
- Easy to store
- Dishwasher safe parts
- Cool-to-touch grip
- Very quick
- Good results.
Cons:
- It’s small. Wouldn’t recommend buying it if you’re planning to cook for more than two.
- When unboxing, you may witness a chemical smell at first. The smell goes away quickly.
Chefman 3.6 Quart
Chefman themselves have stated that their products are capable of producing deep-fried flavors in a healthy way, and yes, they have done so successfully, I must say. In addition to how well it cooks, it has a bunch of sweet features that make it very convenient. In order to keep the air fryer small without sacrificing the cooking capacity, Chefman had to implement a flat basket design, increasing the cooking-capacity of the air fryer by 40%.
The 3.6 Quart basket is easy to remove, safe to place in the dishwasher and coated with a non-stick surface. Another thing to note about the Chefman is the adjustable time and temperature, with many other air fryers, the time tops out at 30 minutes, this air fryer can cook for twice the time, and anything in-between.
Just slightly over $50, this is a great addition to your kitchen arsenal. It makes perfect french fries, vegetables and chicken wings. It’s one of the only air fryers I have tried from Chefman but they have earned my trust.
Pros:
- Simple, easy to use and easy to clean.
- Doesn’t take up much space
- Adjustable time (up to 60 minutes) and temperature
- 1-year warranty
- Auto-shutoff function
- Big enough to cook for a small family
- Perfect results, anything coming out has great texture and taste.
Cons:
- Slight learning curve
- The Chefman air fryer is a bit louder than other air fryers I have tried
- Non-stick coating will flake if the basket isn’t handled with care.
GoWISE USA 3.7-Quart GW22638
The GoWISE GW22638 comes with 8 presets, each preset is optimized for different types of food. Cooking with presets is as easy as it sounds, you just click the preset you want and start the air fryer. But don’t worry, you’re not bound to using the presets, the GoWISE air fryer can adjust both temperature and cooking time to suit your needs. The temperature can be changed from 170F to 400F and the cooking time can be changed from 1-30 minutes. That makes this a versatile air fryer capable of doing much more than the 8 programmed presets provide, which comes in handy when you’re cooking your own recipes or experimenting with recipes you’ve found online.
To ensure that the air fryer causes no damage to your house, your food or your loved ones, GoWISE programmed the air fryer to turn off once the basket is removed or the timer is done. It’s a great feature for safety reasons but it also prevents your food from overcooking.
The food coming out of this air fryer tastes great every time. Both the texture and taste live up to the promise. Crispy on the outside, moist on the inside. However, one may have to use a little bit of oil to make it even crispier.
On Amazon, the product has received close to 2000 reviews, 70% of those are 5 stars. I think those stats speak for themselves.
Pros:
- The very affordable price, of course.
- Performance wise, the air fryer makes very good, crispy food.
- Easy to use (With 8 programmed presets)
- Very easy to clean
- Adjustable temperature and timer
- Includes a cool-to-touch handgrip so you don’t burn your hands when removing the basket
- It’s big enough to cook for more than two (Can make snacks for 5 persons, but it’s too small to cook for 5).
Cons:
- The 30-day warranty.
- If not taken care of properly, the coating on the basket may come off easily.
- The manufacturer didn’t provide the support I was hoping for.
GoWISE USA 3.7-Quart GW22611
And here’s another model from
As someone who has used both, I can’t say which one I like the most. Both produced good results at a very affordable price. For me, the 8th preset isn’t very important as I usually experiment with my own temperatures and times. If you like the extra feature offered by the 222638, then I guess the extra dollars can be justified. Other than that, it’s a great air fryer for such a low price.
Pros: (Here we go again – The same benefits, except for the 8th preset)
- The very affordable price, of course.
- Performance wise, the air fryer makes very good, crispy food.
- Easy to use (With 7 programmed presets)
- Very easy to clean
- Adjustable temperature and timer
- Includes a cool-to-touch handgrip so you don’t burn your hands when removing the basket
- It’s big enough to cook for more than two (Can make snacks for 5 persons, but it’s too small to cook for 5).
Cons:
- The 30-day warranty.
- If not taken care of properly, the coating on the basket may come off easily.
- The manufacturer didn’t provide the support I was hoping for.
YongTong Air Fryer 3.8 Quart
Having never heard of
The purchase includes a fry basket and a grill rack, which can be used separately, so when you want to cook larger amounts of food, you just remove the basket and place the grill rack in the air fryer. Many air fryers use digital controllers, which may look better in a modern kitchen, however, the issue with digital controllers is that they don’t have the same lifespan that mechanical controllers have, while it is not the biggest issue in the world,
It performs very well. The first two attempts didn’t yield the exact results I was looking for but after tweaking the cooking times and opening the air fryer halfway through to check on my food, I was able to achieve the perfect crisp.
Pros:
- Great customer service
- It comes with basket and grill rack
- Silicone resin non-stick makes it easy to clean
- It’s rapid and powerful
- At 3.8 Quartz, it’s the perfect fit for a family.
- Performs very well.
Cons:
- There’s a learning curve to the air fryer in order to get the most out of it
- Had to use oil to get the crispy results I wanted
- The mechanical dials are hard to read.
Conclusion
I’m amazed by these machines, and how inexpensive they are in comparison to some of the bigger brands. There are differences between a 50 dollar air fryer and an air fryer for 350 dollars, of course. But for $50, these air fryers are really impressive and they would make a great addition in any kitchen. You can rely on your little helper when frying, baking, roasting, grilling or whatever it may be.