Best Versatile Air Fryer for Home Office Kitchen
Air fryers are quickly becoming a kitchen favorite.
Why not? With many people wanting to get healthy and still eat well, air fryers are now kitchen essentials.
But what if you have a compact kitchen space and need one that can be used daily, such as in an office setting? No worries, there are a ton of these kitchen essentials that can serve you well, you just have to do the right picking. And lucky for you, we have made this list!
Top 8 Picks: Our Favorite Air Fryers
Small space, but in dire need of home-cooked meals? These kitchen solutions will ease your hunger and cravings without eating a lot of space in your dainty kitchen.
Dash Compact
For small households and a cute kitchen, you need an air fryer that won’t take up much space. And if you are just jumping from the frying pan and to a healthier method of frying your meats, it is a good idea to go for the more affordable option first.
This is one of ‘em cuter air fryers with a 2 quart capacity, thus perfect for curating healthy single serve meals. Despite the small size, this can be quite convenient, especially for newbies. This also has a useful safety feature if you are multitasking and need to do the laundry at the same time. You can have peace of mind that your chicken will still come out perfectly crisp and not burnt.
It has an automatic shut-off system, so you’re best sure that you won’t accidentally over-brown your meat. And even if the air fryer is cooking at a higher temperature, the outer chassis remains cool to the touch. There is no risk of burning yourself if you accidentally bump into the machine.
It is also very easy to use, and you just need to run the manual knob to cook your crispy chicken wings for the game. It also gives off a nice retro vibe and can instantly stand out in a boring office kitchen.
This is also a good all around air fryer for general purpose. It is easy to use, safe, and while it may appear mediocre when compared to air fryers with a higher capacity, you can whip yourself up a hearty meal, so mission accomplished.
Dreo Aircrisp Pro
This air fryer has a 3.5 liter capacity, enough to make a meal for 2 people or three souls that are on a diet. Kidding aside, this can be a multipurpose kitchen equipment, and you can use the extra space on top of the air fryer. Though be mindful that you do have to remove whatever it is once you use the machine.
This is one of our favorites when it comes to fast air frying with even and crispy crusts. Think crispy chicken wings, cooked perfectly to the brim. Even with veggies like broccoli, it does a wonderful job making sure that all the parts of the veggies are properly and evenly cooked.
The caveats? Not so much in the performance, but it has something to do with the design and the material of the air fryer. We did not like that the crisping tray’s rubber feet came off easily.
Also, it has a unique feature that not all air fryers of this size have. The dehydrating feature can be useful for making healthy yet yummy snacks. You can easily make beef jerky and crisp veggies or fruit bits whenever you fancy. These can serve as delectable yet simple appetizers that can warm the palate.
Lakeland Slimline
Capacity-wise, we’re going to go a bit higher, but not at the expense of the overall size of the air fryer. This is still a compact and cute unit for a small kitchen countertop space. The nice thing is that it can be used to create a meal for a small family. For its price, it has a capacity and doesn’t need much power to operate, thus it is pretty economical.
We also love that it has a clear window where you can check the progress of your dinner. Not a lot of compact air fryers are equipped with a simple yet seemingly fancy feature. It has an internal light so you can really see what’s happening in the kitchen, so to speak.
Snacks like chips, fries, and veggies are crisped perfectly and evenly. The middle part is still fluffy and soft, as compared to being dehydrated and all dried out.
Ninja DoubleStack XL
If you need an air fryer that can cook more food at the same time, you need to get your hands on this. It has four individual drawers, so that means that you will be able to prepare and cook four different viands at the same time.
The drawers are independent, so if you are cooking fish in one drawer and the meat in the other, that won’t be a problem. It will cook according to how it is supposed to. Each drawer has 5-quart compartments, so pretty big and great for a group of friends preparing their meals at the same time.
Albeit being a bit heavier and larger than our first few air fryers above, you don’t need a very roomy countertop space to keep it. The vertical stacking ensures that it retains a smaller profile despite the large capacity of each drawer.
This also comes with six functions. So this is an upgrade and an artery that can help you curate more than just the basic meals.
The caveats is that if you are using the drawers at the same time, it might require a learning curve on how to be able to successfully cook everything. But once you get past that, you will love the utter convenience. And since it has a guide and sample recipes, you might be able to get how it operates in time.
Instant Pot Vortex Plus 6-in-1
This is an easy-to-use and more intuitive air fryer. This is a smaller version of the beloved Vortex Plus Air Fryer Oven. So if you love how that works but need a more petite version, you can never go wrong with this one. The setup is easy, there are a lot of guide and instructions so you won’t get lost.
It can quickly air fry food. You can toss in frozen chicken wings and fries, and it will still come up crispy and evenly cooked. This eliminates the time needed to thaw food, thus saving time, which is an utter convenient option for busy people. It also has presets for dehydrating food and a convection oven.
It heats fast and cooks evenly. We also loved how it was designed with a window so you would be able to see the action in the kitchen. It is our favorite air fryer for veggies and reheating deep-fried take-out food.
The downside is that it gives off an initial plastic smell, but it does dissipate quickly.
Cosori Turboblaze 6.0-Quart Smart
If crispiness is the name of the game, we might as well have a winner here. A lot of our handpicked air fryers produce crispy and evenly cooked food. This is one of our favorite brands when it comes to this.
It can produce the crispiest bit in less time. This air fryer also has an intuitive design and is very straightforward to use. You simply press the specific time and temperature on the digital interface, and you are good to go.
We reckon that the superior crispiness has something to do with the air fryer having more space between the crisper plate and the bottom of the basket.
This enables better air circulation, rendering food very crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. With the innovative TurboBlaze technology and the high-speed fans, you can quickly make onion rings and fries for that quick brekkie before your Zoom meeting.
This is one of ‘em more powerful and versatile air fryers that you can use for your home office kitchen.
Beautiful by Drew Barrymore
This compact and sleek-looking air fryer does have a lot going for it. It can render food crispier and evenly packed. It can render food with a crispy exterior and a tender, soft interior.
It is very posh and stylish, an eye candy to be exact, you can have this sitting on top of your kitchen countertop, and it will surely stand out.
When it comes to cleaning, this won’t bother you that much. This is very easy to clean, so you are ready for the next quick meal.
And for the price, it performs rather well and has a bunch of features that you can use for a myriad of recipes.
The disadvantage is that the touch controls are a bit finicky to use. But we think that once you get the hang of it, you’re going to do pretty well with it. We highly recommend this one if you’re on the hunt for a versatile and affordable air fryer for a myriad of recipes.
Ninja Crispi
At first glance, this is really regal and has glass chambers instead of the usual material. You will be able to see the entire content of the air fryer as things are being cooked.
It’s very easy and intuitive to use. We were able to make crispy fries that are juicy on the inside rather quickly.
If you need to whip up a quick lunch or snack, you need a more powerful air fryer that can speed cook. And this is not at the expense of having dried-out and dehydrated food. Each bit comes out crisp on the outside and great to nibble on the edges while being tender on the inside.
The glass chambers are very easy to clean too. We felt like this is one of the air fryers we have in this list that will require the least amount of time and effort in cleaning.
The caveat is that the cooking features are a bit limited.
Buying Guide: What We Went For
Air Fryers are healthier cooking alternatives. If you want that crisp but are hating on the oil, it’s time to make the jump. But we dare not settle for less. As such, here are the key features that we looked for.
Crispy, yes, but not dehydrated
We wanted to eat healthy but still be able to savor that great flavor. The rate at which air fryers can crisp a food is one of the primary considerations, yes. But we wanted the inside part of the food, such as chicken wings, meat, and fries, to be still soft and chewy on the inside. We could have settled for just a dehydrator to do that if not for this wanting.
So we are careful to include only air fryers that can do just that. Crispy bits on the edges that are nice to nibble and gnaw at, but the interior part should still be moist, juicy, and chewy, just as it is supposed to be.
Added features
While a smaller and more compact air fryer might necessarily have limited features, we wanted more from it. Size must not be a deterrent to a more versatile air fryer.
We wanted units that can do more than just the basics.Though we still have a handful of more affordable and entry-level air fryers with limited options, we also picked a handful of units that can feel like an upgrade despite their more compact size.
Easy to use and cooks fast
Since we are looking for air fryers for home office use,these must be able to cook fast and must be easy to use. That will make it possible to make a hearty yet quick lunch so you can come back in time for your meeting. But speed and ease of use should not be at the expense of taste and texture.
Quick and Healthy Food Despite the Smaller Space
Instead of takeouts and having food delivered, why not make your meals at home? Even with a tiny home office kitchen, you can get an air fryer that can help you make healthy, fast, and tasty meals at the same time.
And since we have also picked air fryers that can have tons of cooking options, your meals need not be the boring same thing every single day.
