Air Fryer Buying Guide: Capacity, Watts and What Actually Matters

Air fryer marketing is a numbers war: twelve presets, sixteen presets, twenty. In testing, preset count has almost no relationship to food quality.

What does matter: basket capacity relative to your household, wattage (1,500W and up preheats fast and browns evenly), and whether the basket and crisper plate are dishwasher safe. The third one determines whether you use it twice a week or twice a year.

For two to five people, an 8-quart basket is the sweet spot. Smaller and you're cooking in batches; larger and you're heating empty air.