The modern kitchen uses a variety of household appliances. The cook's range of possibilities is extended by equipment such as a deep fryer. It can be used to prepare many interesting snacks and dishes.
Various models of similar equipment are on sale. They differ in functionality, cost and quality. How to choose an air fryer for your home will be discussed in the article.
Working principle
How to choose the right air fryer for your home? First of all, you need to understand the device and the principle of operation of this household appliance. This will help to draw conclusions about the features of fryers.
The equipment consists of a body, a mesh container and a heating element. The first is necessarily equipped with a thermal insulation layer. Therefore, the device always has cold walls, which increases the safety of its operation.
The case can be metal orplastic. The second option is light weight. Stainless steel fryers look more impressive and stronger.
The products that will be processed using the device are put into a metal mesh. An electric heater is similar to the heating element of a kettle. Its operating temperature is between 160 and 190°C.
The system must have a thermostat. It maintains heating at a user-defined level. If it were not in the system, if a short circuit occurred, the equipment could catch fire.
You need to start choosing a deep fryer for your home after reading the recommendations of experts, customer reviews. In this case, the device will be useful. The principle of its work is simple. Oil (fat) is poured into the container to the required mark. It is heated to the desired temperature. Then a metal mesh with products is lowered into the oil. After such heat treatment, they acquire a crispy crust. At the same time, nutrients are stored inside. When the cooking process is completed, the grid rises, fat flows from it. Products are ready to eat.
Capacity
The choice of fryer must begin with determining its required capacity. It depends on the amount of food that needs to be cooked at one time. The smaller the capacity, the more economical the device. But at the same time, you should take into account the amount of food that can be cooked in one heat treatment cycle.
Overwhelmingly for home useApplication enough capacity deep fryer up to 2, 2 liters. The maximum value of this indicator is 5 liters. In restaurants and cafes, such equipment is distinguished by significant dimensions. Here, deep fryers with a capacity of 12-55 liters are used.
Specific application of this equipment in catering establishments and in home kitchen is significantly different. Therefore, you need to know which air fryer is best for your home.
Professional models are designed to work for a long period of time. This allows you to process a significant amount of products at one time. But for home use, you should choose a device that will have a small bowl. The minimum value of this indicator is 0.5-0.7 liters. For home use, this is enough. Such equipment will allow you to cook a small portion of food for 1-2 people. If the fryer is bought for a family of 3, it is better to purchase a model with a volume of 1-1.5 liters.
Professional models may have 2 bowls in the design. But for home use, this is not required.
To choose an economical model, you need to know how much the device consumes oil. The latest generation of fryers can do the cooking with just one tablespoon of oil. These are air fryers that feature a special heat treatment technology.
Other important parameters
When looking at tips on how to choose a home air fryer, there are a few important things to note. One of them is power. For home use, the equipment has a heating element from 800 to 2000 watts. The higher the power, the faster it heats upoil.
Most home cooks buy appliances with a power rating of 1200-1400 watts. In the professional field, fryers with a maximum power of 5 kW are used.
When considering how to choose the right deep fryer, it is worth noting that the type of control is an important factor. It can be electronic or mechanical. The first option is more comfortable to use. The regulator should be smooth, which allows you to control the process of processing products. A digital display is welcome. It helps to correctly set the temperature and operating time of the device. These fryers have an oil change indicator and other additional features.
The inner surface can be made of stainless steel or a special non-stick coating. The second option is preferable. Such deep fryer in the course of work does not emit a smell of heated oil, and also burning. Both versions of the inner surface of the bowl are easy to maintain. They wash well with regular dish detergent.
Filters
Considering which is the best deep fryer for the home, it is worth noting another important nuance that you need to pay attention to when choosing. Previously, such equipment emitted an unpleasant smell of boiling oil during operation. It spread throughout the home, saturating everything with itself. Of course, you could open the window or turn on the hood. However, these methods could not be sufficiently effective. The smell of burnt oil was still present during cooking.
Modern models inin most cases, they do not have this drawback, since filters are provided in their design. They prevent the spread of vapors of boiling oil. The smell remains inside the fryer during the cooking process.
Filters can be of two types:
- oil;
- air.
The second of these options is cartridge (removable) or stationary. They differ in the principle of service. The removable variety is simply removed and then a new cartridge is installed. The stationary filter can be washed. Having cleared the accumulated layer of dirt, it is installed in its original place.
Commercially available air filters can be single or multilayer. This type of cleaner is usually supplied with the deep fryer.
Oil filters must be purchased separately in most cases. When learning how to choose a deep fryer for your home, you need to pay attention to the need to install this type of cleaner. Oil filters are made from a special type of paper. It catches small pieces of breading, products that are in oil and burn, giving the products an unpleasant taste. It is also worth remembering that boiling oil cannot be reused. This leads to he alth problems.
Additional features
When answering the question of which deep fryer to choose for home use, experts recommend paying attention to the presence of additional functions. The most useful options are:
- The presence of a viewingtransparent window. This allows you to visually control the frying process. It is important that it does not fog up. Otherwise, this option will be useless.
- Case. If the device is used regularly, it can be difficult to care for it. Therefore, it is best to purchase a model without rough surfaces and a dark color. Any protrusions will complicate the process of washing the case.
- Pictograms. They are located on the case and help to properly control the device. In this case, you do not need to read the instructions every time.
- Block. This option will prevent the instrument from turning on when the lid is open. Also, during the frying process, the user will not be able to open the fryer. This feature increases the safety of the device and is simply mandatory if there is a child in the family.
- Timer. Allows you to control the duration of cooking.
- Removable structural elements. Their presence simplifies the procedure for caring for the device.
- Oil drain. This is a useful option that will allow you to safely and easily remove the oil from the tank. To do this, a special crane must be provided in the model.
- Bowls with tilt and rotation. They require less oil in the cooking process.
- Removable cord and storage compartment. This will make it easy to clean the wire, store it properly.
The best fryers for the home have these options.
Feedback on unnecessary features
Considering customer and expert reviews of the best air fryers for the home, one thing should be noted. Not necessarily a large numberadditional functions speaks of the quality and comfort of using the device. There are several options that, according to buyers and experts, are useless. They only increase the cost of the model.
These options, according to users, include the function of the oil change indicator. It is worth noting that the oil cannot be reused, so do not wait until the indicator works. For home use model, this function is useless.
The auto-off provided by some manufacturers will not stop the frying process. The oil cools down slowly. Therefore, it is better that the model has a timer function than an auto-off.
Also, you don't have to choose equipment based only on its appearance. This does not affect the functionality and durability of the device. For the same reason, don't pay attention to packaging design.
Rating
How to choose an air fryer for your home? You need to read the reviews about the presented devices. Based on them, a rating of the best models was compiled. Among the compact devices that are suitable for a small family, buyers name:
- Tefal FF2200 Minifryer – 4.6 thousand rubles
- Steba DF 90 – 3.5 thousand rubles
The best models from 2 liters were named:
- Ariete 4611 – 3.5 thousand rubles
- GFgril GFF-05 – 2.8 thousand rubles
- Sinbo SDF-3827 – 3.5 thousand rubles
Buyers leave the most positive feedback about the presented models. In order to choose household appliances in accordance with your needs, you needconsider them in more detail.
Reviews about the Tefal FF2200 Minifryer
Considering the reviews, which fryer to choose for home use, you should pay attention to the Tefal FF2200 Minifryer model. It ranks first in the ranking of compact devices that are suitable for a small family. The model has very modest dimensions, so there is a place for it even in a small kitchen.
The presented fryer has a rectangular shape, it can easily fit in a regular cabinet. Its body is made of stainless steel, which is noted by users as one of the advantages of the model. This fryer does not emit unpleasant odors during operation.
The power of the model is 1 kW, which is quite enough for home use. So, this deep fryer heats the oil to 190 ° C in just 8 minutes. Electricity, according to user reviews, is consumed sparingly. The bowl has a non-stick coating inside. It holds a liter of oil and 0.6 kg of food.
The manufacturer has provided a removable cover in the design, which greatly simplifies its cleaning after using the device. There is also a transparent viewing window. It allows you to control whether the dish is ready. Among other advantages, buyers name the stability of the structure, economical oil consumption. Also, the bowl is easy to clean from the remnants of fat.
However, this fryer also has a drawback. Draining oil is rather inconvenient.
Reviews about Steba DF 90
Reviewingreviews, how to choose a fryer for the home, you should also pay attention to the statements of users about the Steba DF 90 model. This household appliance is characterized by compact dimensions. It is also used to make fondue. This feature is noted by many buyers as a significant advantage over other models. To do this, the delivery set includes 6 forks made of specially shaped metal. They have multi-colored ends.
Food is cooked over a wide range of temperatures. Uniform heating is carried out at a temperature of 90 ° C, and active frying - at 190 ° C. This allows you to cook a variety of dishes.
The container holds 900 ml of oil and 0.5 kg of food. The power of the presented model is 840 watts. This is quite enough to cook dishes in small portions. Therefore, the presented model is suitable for a family of 2 people.
At the same time, the device heats up the oil to the maximum temperature in 6 minutes. When fully loaded, french fries cook for 10-12 minutes. The manufacturer has provided a removable cover in the model, which facilitates the maintenance procedure. But at the same time, the disadvantage of the model is the non-removable bowl. This may cause some cleaning difficulties.
Among other benefits, users cite high-quality non-stick coating.
Reviews of the Ariete 4611
When considering how to choose a fryer for the home, you should pay attention to the model for a large family. This is the Ariete 4611. This is a fully collapsible design, whichmakes it easy to clean the fryer by hand or in the dishwasher. The power of this model is high - 2 kW. The maximum serving is 700 g. French fries in this case are prepared in just 10 minutes.
The presented model requires oil filling up to 2.5 liters. The lid has a transparent viewing window, which is a positive option for the deep fryer. The case is made of plastic, but it is very high quality, durable. There are no foreign odors during operation. The case does not get hot at all. The model has an effective air filter. The disadvantage is the basket handle that is difficult to remove.
The presented model ranks first in the ranking, as it perfectly combines reasonable cost and high quality. For a family of 3 or more, this is one of the best options.
