It seems to me that the cleaning time must be considered when buying a new appliance. When toasting a sandwich in an air fryer, does it then require a simple wipe down or rinse in the sink, as one would do with a cast iron skillet?
I agree, Thompson, it sounds like my convection oven is a form of air fryer, so I looked it up (I might as well use that subscription to Consumer Reports to tackle this question).
How Do Air Fryers Work? Here’s the funny thing: Air fryers don’t technically fry food. They’re called air fryers because of their ability to crisp up food and reproduce the kinds of fried-food textures you know and love. Inside, a fan circulates hot air to cook the food and crisp up its exterior. It’s basically convection baking — but the small space of the air fryer and the concentration of the hot air make it especially effective at thoroughly and uniformly crisping up the exterior of whatever you’re cooking.
Over the past decade, the appliance’s functionality has evolved. Once considered a great kitchen gadget for making fries, nuggets, and wings, the air fryer has proved capable of doing so much more. In particular, it reheats food in a fraction of the time it would take your oven or cooktop stove, offering a convenient solution for daily meals or heating up leftovers.
CR tests them based upon controls, noise, and cleaning (convenience). I use the convection toaster oven and microwave oven most often of the various cooking appliances in the kitchen (along with the electric kettle that is only for hot water.)
Where toaster ovens shine is in their size and layout: They can accommodate larger batches of food than most air fryers. You may also find it easier to open a toaster oven door and slide a tray inside, compared with handling things in a deep air fryer basket. And though air fryers can cook things more quickly, they may also crisp up the exterior of foods before the interior is fully cooked. Toaster ovens perform similarly to full-sized ovens, which might be more familiar and predictable for many cooks.
It’s worth noting that some air fryer models now are designed more like toaster ovens, with doors that open outward and racks inside. That puts them in more direct competition with toaster ovens, but they lose some of the perks of basket-style air fryers.
Skipping to the bottom where the recommendations are co-mingled (types of fryers are Basket Air Fryers, Tray Air Fryers, and Toaster Ovens with Air-Fryer Modes). Scores are numbered from 81 downward
81 - Dash Tasti-Crisp DCAF260 (from $70) (5 for noise) 81 - Crux 17796 ($100) (5 for noise) 79 - Instant Vortex plus 140-3079-10 ($110) 79 - Tabitha Brown for Target 8 Qt. Digital ($70) (5 for easiest cleaning) 79 - Chefman Accurfry RJ38-SQPF-5T2P-W ($100) (5 for noise) 79 - Instant Vortex plus 140-3089-01 ($123) 79 - Cosori Dual Blaze CAF-P583S-KUS Smart ($180) 79 - Cosori Lite CAF-LI211 ($50) (5 for noise) 78 - Pioneer Woman PW6136170192004 ($80) (5 for noise & easiest cleaning)
There are several more on the CR Recommended list, two that get a 3 for controls but 5 for noise and cleaning are 77 - Typhur Dome AF03 $380) 75 - Dash Tasti-Crisp Ceramic DCAF26CM ($60) (I listed this since Thompson said the inside material was important)
The recommended Ninja AF101 gets a 71 and 5 on controls, 3 for noise, 4 for cleaning. The unrecommended Ninja Foodi DZ550 ($170) gets 4 on controls and cleaning, 3 on noise. There's a Ninja 2-food-basket version, similar ratings and price.
You can probably set up a free membership to America's Test Kitchen and see which they recommend over there.