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I'm looking to get an air fryer to make stuff that is usually deep-fried, like falafel, chicken nuggets or spring rolls, hopefully with less oily taste and without having to buy and dispose of considerable amounts of oil.

Prices vary wildly, here's one for 42 USD and here's one for 174 USD. Both have about 1400 W and about 4 liters capacity.

Is the difference of 130 USD really just about having a shiny digital display or are there other differences that I should take into account?

AndreKR
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  • I don't think the kind of controls matter. I would personally go for one with a removable basket, since these are easier to use and because the container underneath will collect any excess oil or liquids that come from the food, so your food isn't sitting in all that gloop. – Billy Kerr Mar 05 '23 at 23:13
  • A UL listing (or other nationally recognized testing laboratory) is a high priority. Random cheap goods from various web sites are often not listed items. – Jon Custer Mar 07 '23 at 16:53

1 Answers1

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There’s nothing fundamental which would differentiate two separate ‘classes’ of air fryer. The main difference that’s obvious from the product description is that the cheaper air fryer does not have a separately removable wire basket. This would make removing food while keeping the fat behind somewhat more difficult, and likely reduces the effectiveness of convective heating.

Beyond that, it’s presumably just a matter of one or more of:

  • Name recognition; Phillips invented the air fryer, and are known for making good ones, so they can charge more and people will pay it.
  • Standard differences in materials and manufacturing quality; perhaps the cheaper one uses thinner metal, a poorly built motor, or the circuit board is poorly soldered.
Sneftel
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