An air fryer is essentially a small convection oven, circulating hot air around the food to get that crispy outer layer and fluffy or moist inside. It is also more energy-efficient due to its size and power, compared to heating your kitchen oven. But with the Ninja, you can tell where that extra money is spent in the feel of its operation and although there's little to divide these two on the results of the food, the price difference will bother some. If you can afford it, go for the Ninja. I'd say it clinches it by a whisker. But, even if you can afford the premium, don't overlook the Salter. Its array of functions is hard to beat, and it does seem to have a slight edge on cooking times and crispiness of chips.

Air frying certainly makes a great alternative to the traditional deep fat fryer and a healthier way to cook fried foods.More expensive air fryers can cook faster and more evenly, but for the price, the Salter Aerogrill is hard to beat, adding versatility with its grill. We decided to try air frying roast potato wedges; we simply sliced up our spuds before popping them in the fryer and pressing the correct setting. Using the included booklet for the times made it super easy.

There’s another catch that’s more specific to this fryer. While the Ninja Foodi Dual Zone goes up to 240℃ in its Max Crisp mode, the Dual Air tops out at a rather modest 200℃. That’s plenty for many dishes but, as my tests confirmed, it’s a little gutless for getting the best browning on chips and other items that need a really good crisping or searing. Air fryers are one of the biggest selling kitchen appliances on the market due to their compact size and speedy cooking times. While there might be an overwhelming number of models out there, the best air fryer not only cuts down on cooking time and on oil, it can also save you money. Air fryers are far more energy efficient than ovens and require less time to heat up, allowing you to cook your favourite oven foods, vegetables and more, in record time. Kitchen countertop space is a precious commodity, so if you’re considering the Salter Dual Air Fryer, be aware of how much space it takes up. It measures 40cm in length, 36.1cm in width, and 32cm in height – that is bigger than your average four-slice toaster. If you already have a microwave, kettle, toaster and perhaps a food blender, you may have to think about where your air fryer will go, or do you have cupboard space for it? Currently, my kitchen has the space, but if I were to move to somewhere smaller, I would need to factor in how important my air fryer is compared to other appliances, which is a bit of a problem, but because it only needs a plug to work, it makes the Salter Dual Air Fryer portable. The ability to use different modes in each basket – for example, grilling bacon in one drawer while air frying hash browns in the other – gives the Instant Vortex Plus a real edge for people seeking to make whole meals in their air fryer.Despite being a budget-friendly option, the T17023 was no slouch in testing, cooking oven classics such as spring rolls and hash browns to a commendable crispness and performing solidly when tasked with more delicate items like meat and vegetables. And since cooking time is reduced, the nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and all-important flavours are retained when grilled. We run these tests on both the manual cooking settings and any automatic presets they might have for common ingredients or dishes. Some air fryers also come with additional functions, such as baking and roasting. In these cases, we use a similar testing method, looking for speedy, even results. Some other foods were less impressive. I couldn’t get frozen hash browns to crisp up quite as much as I wanted, for example. Doubtless the limited top temperature is partly to blame here, but I did get perfect results from the Proscenic T22, which only goes 5℃ hotter. And while corn on the cob was fine, it wasn’t browned evenly and as deliciously caramelised as you might get from a grill. Still, it did a good job when cooking Quorn sausages from frozen.

However, many of the traditionally deep-fried foods you would put in an air fryer are not the healthiest options so you should consider what you’re choosing to eat and ensure it’s part of a balanced diet with plenty of nutrient-rich fruit and vegetables. Where to buy an air fryer

Salter air fryer reviews: quick summary

I decided to keep things simple and tried some home-made air-fried chips, which turned out to be very crispy and the kids didn’t complain. As well as observing how well they cook a single portion of potatoes and vegetables, or single pieces of protein such as fish and steak, we also fill each air fryer to its advertised capacity. This shows us how consistently each appliance cooks across the board, to ensure that four-portion air fryer really is big enough for a family dinner.