Best Air Fryer
From a $45 Kmart mini basket to a $500 dual-zone Ninja - capacity and basket design matter more than the brand badge. Here's the honest breakdown for 2026.
What actually matters when you're buying an air fryer
Air fryers went from trend to kitchen staple fast, and the market now ranges from a $45 mini basket at Kmart to $500-plus double-oven setups. Here's what separates a good buy from an expensive way to reheat chips.
- Capacity: a 2-3L basket suits one or two people cooking small portions. A family of four or more generally wants 5-7L or a dual-basket model, otherwise you're cooking in batches for every meal, which defeats a lot of the convenience.
- Basket vs oven-style: basket air fryers are compact and cook fast with strong air circulation, but a single basket limits you to one food at a time (or one flavour, since smells mix). Oven-style air fryers (drawers, shelves, or a flip-up door) fit more food and often more shapes - a whole tray of vegetables, for instance - at the cost of bench space and sometimes slightly slower preheat.
- Dual-zone / FlexDoor designs: Ninja's dual-basket approach lets you cook two different foods, at two different temperatures, finishing at the same time - genuinely useful for a protein-and-veg dinner without dirtying two appliances or extending cook time.
- Ease of cleaning: non-stick coating quality varies a lot between budget and premium baskets, and dishwasher-safe parts save real time. Cheap non-stick coatings degrade faster with steel utensils or abrasive sponges, so check what's actually removable and washable before buying.
- Wattage and power draw: higher wattage generally means faster preheat and more even cooking, but also higher running cost per use. For most households the difference in power bill is small since air fryers are efficient compared to a full oven, but it's worth checking if you're running one daily.
Ninja dual-basket / FlexDoor range
Ninja's dual-zone air fryers (roughly $200-$600 depending on capacity and features) are the standout pick for households cooking for more than two people regularly. Two independently controlled baskets means a genuine two-dish dinner without juggling batches, and the "match cook" feature that syncs finish times is a small thing that saves real hassle on a weeknight.
Philips Airfryer range
Philips essentially invented the modern air fryer category and still makes some of the more refined single-basket models, spanning smaller 4.2L options up to larger stacked twin-basket units around the $499 mark. Build quality and even cooking are consistently strong, making this the safer premium pick if you want a single reliable basket rather than a dual-zone model.
Kmart Anko air fryers
Kmart's Anko range spans a genuinely tiny 1.2L model at around $45 up to a 24L oven-style unit near $155, and reviews are consistently solid for the price. These are the right call if you want to try the category without committing serious money, or need a compact second unit - just expect the non-stick coating and overall build to wear faster than a Philips or Ninja over a couple of years of regular use.
Instant Pot / multi-function air fryer combos
Combo units that add air fry as one function of a broader multi-cooker (pressure cook, slow cook, air fry) suit households that are tight on bench space and want fewer appliances rather than a dedicated air fryer. You give up some air-fry-specific performance - basket size and airflow are rarely as good as a purpose-built model - in exchange for versatility.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Buying on litres alone: a large-capacity basket that's shallow and wide cooks very differently to a tall narrow one. Check actual dimensions against what you plan to cook - a whole chicken needs height, chips need surface area.
- Overcrowding the basket: the single most common reason people are disappointed with an air fryer is piling food in instead of cooking in a single layer with airflow around it. A bigger basket often solves this problem better than a "better" small one.
- Skipping the accessories: a rack, skewers, or a silicone liner can expand what a basket-style air fryer handles well. Check what's included versus sold separately before assuming a cheap unit does everything a pricier one does.
- Ignoring noise and preheat time: some budget units are notably louder and slower to come up to temperature. Not a dealbreaker, but worth knowing before it becomes a daily annoyance.
Ready to compare air fryer prices?
Twisti tracks live NZ pricing across Noel Leeming, JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, The Warehouse and Kmart, with an honest verdict on whether now's a good time to buy.
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