Air Fryer Sizes - What Size Air Fryer Do I Need?
Within the last several years, air fryers have become the craze of the kitchen appliances. They allow for enough kitchen space on a countertop and is a pleasure over a pressure cooker or typical instant pot, which are more limited than an air fryer. They take up much less space than a convection oven and not much more than a toaster oven, if at all. It is not surprising when you think about it. Air fryers make delicious foods that cook rapidly using hot air, to perfection with a scrumptious crunchy exterior that captivates you from the onset of your first bite while keeping the inside juicy and tender, leaving your mouth watering for more. You can even place frozen foods in the air fryer.
Air fryers have a ton of benefits besides conveniently cooking awesome foods. Some examples of amazing foods that can be cooked in an air fryer are; chicken wings, chicken breasts, chicken tenders, french fries and basically a large assortment of foods. They are affordable, easy to use, simple to clean, and they don’t take up much countertop space. Air fryers also provide plenty of health benefits. Air fryers have a massive reduction of carcinogenic additives and calories that are typically found in deep fried foods but not air fried foods cooked via a deep fryer. One of the reasons air fryer models are so much healthier is because they do not require your food to be cooked with oil. This leaves many benefits as mentioned over something like a convection oven or a deep fryer. Yet the cook from an air fryer oven leaves a delicious crispy taste without any dehydrate of the food to cause dryness when eating.. You can also reheat food in the air fryer. Air fryers are dishwasher safe (please refer to your models manual for specific instructions).
There are a plethora of types of air fryers available with many features for all air fryer cooks. You can purchase a digital air fryer, non-stick air fryer, rotisserie features, preheat settings, air fryer basket and different quart capacities to mention a few. Please review a list of air fryer reviews, blogs and air fryer recipes.
There is an air fryer for everyone depending on the number of people you are cooking for. Air fryers come in a variety of sizes typically ranging from 4QT to 12QT, but you can find smaller or larger too, even extra large air fryers. Regardless of your party size, you should be able to find the right air fryer size that fits your needs. There are the best air fryers available. And they’re stylish, coming in an assortment of colors to choose from which can add some flavor to your kitchen décor as well as your food. If you have found this article, you’re probably in the market for an air fryer and need to know what size will work for you. Or perhaps you already own one but realized later that it’s the wrong size. My buying guide will help you figure out what air fryer capacity will be perfect for you and for your kitchen. Let’s break it down.
3.7 QT Air Fryers
For a family of 2 or a single person, a 3.7 QT (quart air fryer) is the perfect size. Some may consider this as a small air fryer, however it’s large enough to cook your chicken and vegetables for dinner, yet a smaller air fryer that it will cook your food fast with a perfect finish. This size air fryer works great for making any meal from breakfast to dinner and all of your favorite frozen and non-frozen snacks.
You may find the smallest air fryer capacity around 1QT when shopping, but if you’re cooking for 2 people, or even for 1, you should not consider anything under a 3.7 QT capacity. First, it’s too small, even for one person and it surely won’t be enough for 2 people either. If you want to have enough food for leftovers, if you’re very hungry, or if you want to have a guest, you’re going to need a slightly larger air fryer.
For a small group of 1 to 2 people, you also don’t want too large of an air fryer. It’s overkill to put a couple pieces of chicken onto a large air fryer with tons of extra space in the chamber while cooking. This will most likely increase the amount of time needed to cook the food within its cooking chamber. A larger air fryer will still get the job done and is ok to get if you sometimes want to cook for more people, but you will get the most efficient and rapid cook from using the correct size that fits your needs.
5.8 QT Air Fryers
The 5.8 QT air fryer (quart air fryer) is a good size air fryer for a family of 3. You will easily be able to cook a full-sized dinner for 3 people with extra food in case someone is a little extra hungry or you want to save some for leftovers. This size capacity also lets you cook an enormous amount of side dishes, like frozen French fries or whatever your favorite veggies are. This makes it very popular for a family of 4 who may like to use their air fryer for side dishes, snacks, or smaller meals. This is a very good size air fryer for the average household. There is a 6-quart air fryer available as well.
12.7 QT Air Fryers
When cooking for a family of 6, you will need a larger 12.7 QT air fryer. This large capacity air fryer will get the job done in a jiffy when your kids are hungry, and you don’t have much time to prepare a fancy meal. The amount of time saved from preparing meals is one of the key benefits for busy working families. You set the food in the cooking chamber, set the timer, and let the machine do the work . No need to check the food, flip the food, or marinade it with juices. The air fryer does it all. But you want to make sure you have the right size air fryer for your family, and this is it. It’s large enough to cook a whole chicken, and small enough to leave out on your kitchen counter without sacrificing counter space.
This may also be a very good choice for smaller groups who will often host guests or a community house of college roommates. Even though it’s a larger air fryer, you will still get all the benefits even when cooking for a couple of people.
24 QT Air Fryers
Some families are blessed and plentiful. For a large family, I strongly suggest considering the largest size air fryer available. With a bigger air fryer which still allows for enough space, a 24 QT air fryer, you can cook for a lot of people. At this size, these air fryers are usually combo appliances that will let you toast, roast, bake, grill, and air fry with ease. Whether you’re popping in a couple slices of bread to toast with your breakfast, baking a pizza, or making a brisket, this air fryer is perfect.
Size is important for making snacks for a large family. Air fryers are known to have amazing recipes for just about every type of food, meal, or snack. A great example of air fryer snacks is baking cookies, which is a very popular thing to make in air fryers. But who eats only one cookie? You need a larger air fryer that will accommodate your family’s food habits and these are all things to consider.
If you feel you need the biggest size air fryer, this is the one. It can probably cook for an entire baseball team.
It is important to get a reliable and efficient machine that will give you longevity. Be cautious of lower quality brands that market the “largest capacity” or “smallest” air fryers as they may be compensating for missing features and quality.
An air fryer is an exciting thing to own. It makes your favorite foods with ease, saves you a ton of time from food preparation and reduced cooking time. It is just important that you choose the right capacity model for you and your family. My guide should be helpful for you to sort out exactly what you need, and for those like myself who like to visualize things, you can use this air fryer capacity guide below.
Quart Size | Cooks For |
1 QT – 2 QT | Up to 1 person or snacks for 2 |
3 QT - 4 QT | Up to 2 people |
5 QT - 6 QT | Up to 3 people |
7 QT | Up to 4 people |
10 QT | Up to 6 people |
12 QT | Up to 8 people |
24 QT | Up to 16 people |