Salter EK5196 Dual Air Pro – 7.6 L Digital Air Fryer, Sync & Match Cook Function, Oil Free Fryer, Sensor Touch Display, 10 Cooking Functions, 60 Min Timer, Non-Stick Cooking, Stainless Steel, 1700 W

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Air fryers work by convection, meaning they circulate hot air around your food, ensuring every bit of surface area is exposed to the oil and heat. You simply need to spray or pour a little oil onto whatever you’re cooking before switching on the appliance – although you don’t always have to use oil if you don’t want to. Add just a dash, however, and a clever chemical process called the Maillard reaction creates a crispy result with far less fat – up to 99% in some cases. 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.

If you were cooking meats, you would do exactly the same but insert the temperature probe once done - which will tell you how cooked it is in the middle. We think the Salter air fryer is perfect if you are a solo household, family or have little one's that just can't wait. The price tag puts the Salter into the upper end of the market but as it does multiple ways of cooking this can be more beneficial than buying multiple cooking devices. An air fryer is essentially a small convection oven. It circulates 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.I started with simply air frying some wedges for with me and my sons lunch and here is the impressive app screen you can play with The 360-degree stirring paddle is incredibly handy and ensures food is evenly and consistently cooked without the need for shaking your food mid-cooking cycle. Nine automatic cooking functions take most of the guesswork out of air frying but there’s still an option to manually set the time and temperature if need be. What’s more, if you’re using these presets, the Genius+ (and every other Genius model in the range) automatically adjusts the temperature and stirring paddle during cooking so your food isn’t overcooked.

In use, this fryer is reasonably versatile, producing decent results across a range of foods. I used it first to cook frozen chips and Quorn nuggets. The latter were perfect, but the former could have done with more crisping, despite having had 20 minutes at the maximum 200℃. As I couldn’t raise the temperature, I cooked further batches a little longer, and was rewarded with better results. READ NEXT: The best electric grills you can buy Salter Dual Digital Air Fryer review: Should you buy it? One of the most popular foods to air fry is potatoes with different options for chips, potato wedges and roast potatoes.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. I was sceptical about the health benefits of air frying but my mind has been opened up to the many options available - particularly the child-friendly meals that could be created from scratch with fresh ingredients but a crispy, fried finish to keep the kids happy. Good models will come with dishwasher-safe removable parts and a pull-out loading tray that slots into the machine. For easy cooking from the get-go, look out for models with preset functions for popular dishes too. These work out the timings and temperatures for you. Grilling foods has always been a healthier alternative to frying as it uses less oil and melts the fat from meat. In the long run grilling meats, fish and veggies is a lighter option that helps prevent heart diseases and is better for the body.