Is an air fryer worth it?
An air fryer is a small, powerful fan oven in a drawer. Because the cooking space is tiny and the fan sits right above the food, it heats up in a few minutes and crisps chips, chicken thighs, sausages and roast vegetables faster than a full-size oven. For most households the real benefit is convenience: weeknight dinners without heating a 60-litre oven for one tray of food. It will not replace your oven for a Sunday roast for six, a large batch of baking or a full tray of roast potatoes, and that is the main thing to keep in mind when choosing a size.
Below are our catalog pick (a dual-drawer model), a set of well-known alternatives including single-basket options, a running-cost comparison at Irish electricity prices, and the buying points that actually make a difference day to day.
Our picks
Ninja Foodi Dual Zone Digital Air Fryer 7.6L – 2 Drawers, 4-in-1, Black (AF200UK)
Best for: Families of three or four who cook a main and a side together.
The Ninja Foodi Dual Zone AF200UK is the simpler, four-function version of Ninja’s two-drawer air fryer. It has two independent 3.8-litre drawers (7.6 litres in total), each with its own time and temperature, and it can time them so both finish together: chicken in one side, chips or roast veg in the other. Ninja says each drawer takes up to 1kg of chips or a 1.6kg chicken. Max Crisp, Air Fry, Roast and Reheat cover most weeknight cooking, the drawers and crisper plates are dishwasher-safe, and the guarantee runs for two years when you register with Ninja. Measure your worktop first: it is 38cm wide.
Pros
- Two independent 3.8-litre drawers, each with its own time and temperature
- Both drawers can be set to finish together, so a main and a side come out hot at once
- Each drawer takes up to 1kg of chips or a 1.6kg chicken, according to Ninja
- Dishwasher-safe drawers and crisper plates, with a two-year guarantee on registration
Cons
- Four functions only: no Bake or Dehydrate (those come on the 6-in-1 AF300UK)
- 38cm wide and 8.2kg, so it needs a good stretch of worktop
- A big batch of one food has to be split across the two smaller drawers
Strong alternatives worth considering
Links open an Amazon.ie search filtered to items sold & dispatched by Amazon.ie. Availability changes.
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Ninja Air Fryer Max XL AF160UK
Single 5.2-litre basket with six functions, including Bake and Dehydrate; one large basket is simpler if you mostly cook one thing at a time. Whether it is sold by Amazon.ie itself varies, so check the seller before buying.
- Search Amazon.ie
Ninja Foodi Dual Zone 6-in-1 (AF300UK) / MAX Dual Zone (AF400UK)
The 6-in-1 versions of our pick add Bake and Dehydrate; the AF300UK keeps the 7.6-litre capacity, while the AF400UK goes up to 9.5 litres for bigger families.
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Ninja Double Stack XL (SL400UK)
Two drawers stacked vertically rather than side by side, giving dual-zone cooking with a narrower footprint than most dual-drawer models.
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Cosori Pro LE / Cosori Dual Blaze
Cosori makes compact single-basket models and the Dual Blaze, which has heating elements above and below the food, reducing the need to shake or flip.
- Search Amazon.ie
Tower Vortx dual basket
Tower’s dual-basket range is a lower-cost route to two-zone cooking; check the capacity and wattage of the specific model before buying.
If a new air fryer is about to take over part of your counter, it can be worth reclaiming cupboard space elsewhere. Stackable cookware with removable handles, such as the Tefal Ingenio Expertise set, nests into roughly one cupboard shelf. It is not an air fryer, but it pairs well with one in a small kitchen.
Tefal Ingenio Expertise 13-Piece Non-Stick Induction Cookware Set with Removable Handles
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Single drawer vs dual drawer at a glance
| Ninja Foodi Dual Zone AF200UK (our pick) | Single drawer (e.g. Ninja Max XL) | Stacked dual (e.g. Ninja Double Stack) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total capacity | 7.6 litres (two 3.8-litre drawers) | Typically 4–6 litres (Max XL: 5.2 litres) | Around 9.5 litres across two stacked drawers |
| Cook two foods at once | Yes, each drawer with its own time and temperature | No | Yes, at different settings |
| Functions | Four: Max Crisp, Air Fry, Roast, Reheat | Varies (Max XL: six, including Bake and Dehydrate) | Varies by model |
| Worktop footprint | Wide (38cm) | Medium | Narrower but taller |
| Largest single item | Up to a 1.6kg chicken per drawer (Ninja’s figure) | One large basket takes a whole chicken | Each drawer is shallower |
| Best for | Families cooking a main and a side | 1–3 people, one main item | Families with limited width under cupboards |
Running costs: air fryer vs fan oven
Most of the saving comes from two things: a much smaller space to heat, and a shorter preheat. Neither appliance draws its full rated power the whole time, because the thermostat cycles the element on and off once it reaches temperature. That means the figures below are upper bounds worked out from rated power, not measurements. We have used an electricity price of around 32c per kWh including VAT, which was roughly the average standard urban unit rate in Ireland at the time of writing; your tariff may be higher or lower.
| Appliance | Assumed power | Time incl. preheat | Max energy | Max cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air fryer (typical single basket) | 1.75 kW | 3 min preheat + 20 min | About 0.67 kWh | About 21c |
| Electric fan oven | 2.5 kW | 12 min preheat + 30 min | About 1.75 kWh | About 56c |
On those assumptions the air fryer uses roughly a third of the energy for a typical portion. Cooking that kind of meal four times a week, the difference works out at up to about €70 a year at 32c/kWh. The gap narrows if you have to cook in two batches because the basket is too small, which is why sizing matters more than any single feature. Running both drawers of a dual-zone model draws more power than running one, but it replaces a second batch or a side dish in the oven. If you are on a smart or night-rate tariff, check your unit rates with your supplier: cooking happens at peak times for most households, and peak rates can be well above the average.
What to look for when buying
- Size it to your household. Around 4–5.5 litres suits one to three people; for a family of four or more cooking full dinners, a 7.6–9.5 litre dual-drawer model avoids cooking in batches. Very small 2–3 litre baskets suit students and single people with limited space.
- Single vs dual drawer. Dual-drawer models are useful when you regularly cook a main and a side together (chicken and chips, salmon and vegetables). The trade-off is that each drawer is smaller than one big basket, so a large chicken or joint may not fit in one drawer; check the per-drawer figures the manufacturer gives.
- Measure the space under your wall cupboards. Air fryers vent hot air, usually from the back. Leave the clearance the manual recommends, and avoid pushing the unit right under an overhanging cupboard while it is running.
- Basket coating and cleaning. Check whether the basket and crisper plate are dishwasher-safe. Use silicone or wooden utensils, and avoid aerosol oil sprays, which can leave a sticky residue on non-stick coatings; a pump spray or a brush works better.
- Controls you will actually use. Air Fry, Roast and Reheat cover most cooking. Dehydrate is handy for dried fruit or jerky but slow. Dual-drawer Sync functions are genuinely useful; app connectivity rarely is.
- Noise. All air fryers have a fan, and some are noticeably louder than others. In an open-plan kitchen or small apartment, owner feedback on noise is worth reading before you buy.
- Plug and warranty. Choose a model with an Irish/UK three-pin plug rather than relying on an adaptor for a high-wattage appliance, and register the product with the manufacturer if that extends or activates the guarantee.
Everything on this page is limited to stock sold and dispatched by Amazon.ie, which ships from within the EU so there are no import charges at the door; we explain why we only list Amazon.ie stock separately. For more kitchen ideas, see the Home & Kitchen category or our coffee machine guide.
Keeping an air fryer in good shape
- Empty and wash the basket and crisper plate after each use; grease left to bake on builds up quickly and starts to smoke at high temperatures.
- Every few weeks, unplug the unit once cool and wipe the heating element area with a damp cloth to remove spatter.
- Do not use metal scourers or abrasive pads on the non-stick surfaces.
- Liners and parchment can reduce cleaning, but never preheat with an empty liner in the basket: it can lift into the element.