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Cooking For Thanksgiving (Or Friendsgiving)? These Large-Capacity Air Fryers Are Game-Changers
For crispy food without all the grease, air fryers work wonders. This handy appliance acts like an oven, only it circulate hot air more quickly, allowing it to fry, bake, cook, or roast food faster. No oil is used in the cooking process, creating a healthier alternative to deep frying. When shopping for the best large-capacity air fryers, counter space, family size, and functionality are key things to consider.
Large-capacity air fryers are those that feed four or more people in a single use. Keep in mind, these bigger, more family-sized appliances often take up more counter space, but are a convenient way to cook entire meals. For smaller kitchens, a 5-quart fryer with a compact design may be ideal because it can still handle enough food to feed multiple mouths.
Some air fryers also have built-in extras, including dehydrators, rotisseries, and even toaster ovens. While these tend to be on the more pricey side, they allow for even more versatility. When looking for an air fryer, there's also accessories to consider. Among the most useful for cooking are detachable baskets, skewers, or rotisserie shafts, all giving you a more well-equipped kitchen.
Air fryers come in a range of sizes, but for groups of four or more, you'll want to look for a large-capacity air fryer that's at least 5.8 quarts. The models listed below start there and go all the way up to 10.6 quarts.
1The Best Overall Large-Capacity Air Fryer
Capacity: 5.8 quarts
This digital air fryer from COSORI has maintained a 4.7-star rating across more than 3,200 Amazon reviewers because of its outstanding features. Its square design allows for more usable cooking space, and the non-stick, BPA-free basket detaches easily from the base, allowing you to move it to where you need to do prep work or load into the dishwasher when you're done. The 11 preset buttons (plus one for preheating) take the guesswork out of trying to figure out ideal time and temperature settings. The "shake reminder" function is handy because it lets you know when to shake the basket for even cooking.
Users also report that the 100 recipes included with the fryer have also ensured cooking success: "I would be lost without the cookbook," writes one. There's a preheat function, and the temperature range starts at 170 degrees (lower than most fryers) allowing for food to be easily reheated or kept warm. With multiple colors to choose from, this air fryer is a great addition to any kitchen.
With slightly smaller dimensions than the others listed here, this air fryer takes up less counter space, giving you extra room for prepping food.
What fans say: "I've had this about a week. I've made cake, sweet potato fries, wings and chicken thighs. I love how amazingly crisp and juicy everything is! The presets are extremely accurate and is a great size for 4 good-sized thighs or 12 wings."
2The Best Large-Capacity Fryer Under $100
Capacity: 5.8 quarts
Consumer reports awards this GoWISE air fryer the title of "best buy" because it offers an easy-to-use interface and very quiet noise output at an excellent price point. The touchscreen display comes with eight presets and offers the ability to pause a cooking cycle just in case you need to adjust the time and/or temperature. There's also an alarm that will remind you when it's an optimal time to shake or turn your food for even cooking. It comes in black or white.
One drawback to this air fryer is that some reviewers mention that the cool-touch handle, which also serves as the locking mechanism, on the basket can be tricky to open and close. But at such a great price, it still has all the basics to air fry just about anything.
What fans say: "BEST BEST BEST item ever!! I can't believe how much I love this kitchen counter top appliance. I use this on average once a day, maybe more. It cooks beautifully and you can pretty much put anything in there."
3The Best No-Frills Air Fryer
Capacity: 6 quarts
If you prefer something a little more straightforward, this air fryer from Dash is "so simple, even your kids can use it!" There are only two rotating dials to maneuver (one for time and one for temperature), making it a cinch to program. Plus, the auto shut-off function helps prevent overcooking. Many reviewers boast about this air fryer's ease of use when it comes to cleaning, too. All surfaces are non-stick and the detachable basket is dishwasher safe. It comes in a range of colors to complement any kitchen, and a companion cookbook contains 16 useful recipes to help get you started.
Sure, this air fryer doesn't have any of the same bells and whistles as our other picks, but for an air fryer that does what it's supposed to — and looks good while doing it— this is a great choice.
What fans say: "I have used this air fryer several times and everything I have made comes out perfect. Fully cooked on the inside and crispy on the outside. It comes apart easily and clean up is a snap."
4A Hybrid Air Fryer Oven (That's Also A Rotisserie & A Dehydrator)
Capacity: 10.6 quarts
This may be the most expensive pick on our list, but it comes with the most versatility. In addition to air frying, this Innsky device also has the built-in functionality to be a rotisserie, a toaster oven, a pizza grill, and a dehydrator. With a 10.6-quart capacity, this machine is extra large, making it spacious enough to prepare large meals (users report being able to fit a whole chicken up to 3.5 pounds) or, using trays, to cook a number of different items at the same time.
One of the features Amazon users rave about is the see-through glass window, which makes it easy to see cooking progress. Above the door is an LED touchscreen display has nine presets. Thanks to the included accessories, you'll have everything you need to use the the appliance to its full potential — there's mesh racks, skewers, a drip tray, rotisserie basket, and a rotisserie shaft. All removable parts and accessories are also dishwasher safe.
What fans say: "I am super impressed with this air fryer oven. I have tried air frying fish sticks, sweet potato fries, chicken wings and they all come out amazing."
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