How we test - Air fryers

One of the popular dishes for preparation in an air fryer. Photo: iStockphoto

Air fryers have recently become very popular in kitchens all around. Particularly a smaller household benefits from the quicker and more energy-efficient meal preparation compared to traditional hot air ovens.

For testing air fryers, we use e.g. the independent laboratory Eurofins ATS in France. A test includes the following parts:

Published: 30 Lok, 2023
  • Documentation of technical characteristics such as dimensions, weight, functions and accessories.
  • Assessment of instruction manual and user friendliness.
  • Assessment of how easy it is to clean the appliance on the outside and inside (in the oven compartment itself).
  • Endurance test of handle and locking mechanism for the separate inner basket. The tests are carried out with a load of five kilograms in the container and in 20 rounds.
  • Dishwasher durability test, where the container with the handle and any separate inner basket is run in the dishwasher's standard program ten times with a subsequent visual inspection for rust or other damage.
  • General assessment of quality and durability in construction and details.
  • Measurement of average sound level during the execution of a standard program (cooking french fries).

 

sound level
Measurement of sound level during a standard program. Photo: Eurofins

 

  • Measurement of energy consumption when cooking a certain amount of french fries and chicken nuggets according to the corresponding program on the respective airfryer.
energy
Measurement of energy consumption. Photo: Eurofins

 

  • Measurement of the temperature of details and surfaces that the user comes into contact with during use – the handle, the outer casing inside the handle, the connection between the handle and the outer casing and the button that releases the inner basket.
temp
Measurement of the temperature of various surfaces that the user comes into contact with. Photo: Eurofins

 

  • Panel assessment of the results for cooking French fries and chicken drumsticks, where four trained specialists from the laboratory test and judge the color, texture, degree of cooking (done) and taste of french fries and chicken drumsticks. In the test, the same amount of French fries (200 g) and the same number of chicken drumsticks (2 pieces) are used for all tested air fryers. The test is based on the standard program and instructions for cooking each dish. Before the final cooking, a test run was made to find the best cooking time for the different air fryers.
  • The assessment of the cooking result is made in comparison with French fries and chicken drumsticks cooked in a traditional oven.

Interpretation and grading of the results from the test is done in consultation with the laboratory. The rating goes from 1 to 10, where 10 is the best. Ratings below 6.0 are only given for results that are judged to be poor or significantly worse than what can be expected from this type of product.
In the combined result, the various parts are weighted as follows:

Result cooking: 40%
Quality and Endurance: 30%
Ease of use and security: 20%
Energy consumption and noise level: 10%


The reason for the relatively low importance for the results from cooking is the limited number of dishes that have been tested and that over time the user learns to handle the air fryer in the best way based on how he wishes to cook different ingredients.