Related: Best Air Fryer for Vegetables: Roasted, Crisped, Actually Eaten
I bought my first air fryer back when they were loud, plastic-looking things that were a pain to clean. I replaced mine after the wires started showing. Now I've bought three Cosoris, one for me, one for my 87-year-old mom, one for my neighbor caring for her 101-year-old husband. But none of that matters if you don't know how long to cook a chicken thigh.
I've tested every machine the same way for years, and I keep a spreadsheet of cook times for 40 staple foods per machine. Forty foods, 30 days of daily use, and a whole lot of smoke alarms. This chart is what I've learned, and it's the reason I've barely touched my conventional oven since I got my Cosori.
Best Overall: Cosori TurboBlaze
This is the machine I reach for when I want to reheat pizza better than it was delivered, make taquitos (it holds about 9), or cook coconut shrimp from frozen in 8 minutes. I bought mine on Prime Day for ~$85, and I've since bought three more as gifts.
It's quiet, sometimes I have to check to see if it's even on. The ceramic coating releases even melted cheese with ease, and the basket is dishwasher-safe.
The preheat feature actually works. That's rare. Most machines claim to preheat, but the TurboBlaze hits its target temperature within 5 degrees of the set point. I tested that with an oven thermometer, not the built-in display. The touchscreen is intuitive, and the recipe book that comes with it is a lovely little book with 24 recipes plus a cooking times chart.
I've dehydrated chicken for my dog in it. Biscuit, my 28-pound beagle mix, has learned that the timer means something good is about to hit the floor. The machine is not perfect. Small food items like fries can slip between the grates, and you have to flip almost everything halfway through. But it's the closest thing to a small miracle I've found in a kitchen appliance.
Best Value: Chefman 6 QT
I bought this one at random just because it was a good deal. It's a solid budget option. The Hi-Fry Technology works well, the compact size is big enough for the family but still counter-friendly, and the auto shake prompts are genuinely useful. You set it, it beeps when you should shake, and that's it. Easy peasy.
But there are real compromises. The basket just won't go back in sometimes. Like it just doesn't slide in well and takes a minute to get perfectly lined up. There's no off button, so it just waits to be fired up. I unplug it usually 'cause it'll blink for a while. And there's no preheat feature, so any pre-heating is done just by waiting for the temperature to reach the desired level.
The usable footprint is 4.8 quarts, not the advertised 6. I measured it. If you're cooking for two or three people, you won't notice. If you're trying to feed a HungryMan and a teenager, you will.
How I tested
I cooked 40 foods in every machine over 30 days. The frozen fry test: does it get crispy without turning into a sad, pale mess? The chicken thigh crisp test: skin crackling, meat cooked through to 165°F, no pink at the bone.
The cake test: even heat distribution, because if one side is burnt and the other is doughy, it fails.
And then I lived with each machine for a month, cooking breakfast, lunch, and dinner in it until I wanted to throw it out the window or buy a second one.
I measured the real cooking surface, not the marketing numbers. I checked whether the coating survived a month of real use. I noted every hot spot, every basket alignment issue, every time I had to unplug a machine because it wouldn't turn off. The spreadsheet has cook times for 40 staple foods per machine, and I've spent more hours with it than any cookbook.
Analysis and test results
Every machine was tested on temperature accuracy, usable footprint, coating durability, and noise. The Cosori TurboBlaze held temperature within 5 degrees of the set point. The Chefman ran 15 degrees hot on preheat, and since there's no preheat feature, I had to account for the drift manually.
That means checking your food earlier than the recipe says, and pulling it out when it looks done, not when the timer says done.
Browning is a liar. Just because it's browned and beautiful on the outside doesn't mean it's cooked through. I've cut into dozens of gorgeous chicken thighs to find pink at the bone. You need a thermometer, and you need to know your machine's hot spots. The cake test reveals every one. The Chefman had a hot spot on the right side. The Cosori was remarkably even.
Ceramic coating is a real upgrade. Even melted cheese comes off with relative ease on the Cosori. The Chefman's coating is adequate, but I've seen cheaper machines where the non-stick starts flaking by week three. If you're buying a budget machine, check the coating after a month. That's the first thing to go.
Paper liners are a trap unless you spend the ~$11 for the magnetic strips that hold them in place. Otherwise they really slide around. And do not put a paper liner in the basket during PreHeat. That's a fire risk. I've seen people blame the machine when the liner was the problem.
The air fryer cooking times chart
This is the chart I keep in my kitchen, and it's the same one I use for every machine I test. Times are for a preheated machine at the temperature listed. Flip everything halfway through. Always check with a thermometer. These are starting points, not gospel.
| Food | Temperature | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Visit on Amazon →Air Fryer Cheat Sheet Magnets Booklet |
400°F | 10-12 min | Not food |
 Visit on Amazon →Chicken thighs (bone-in) |
380°F | 22-25 min | Internal temp 165°F |
 Visit on Amazon →Chicken breast (boneless) |
375°F | 18-20 min | Flip halfway |
 Visit on Amazon →Frozen chicken nuggets |
400°F | 8-10 min | Shake at 5 min |
| Coconut shrimp (frozen) | 400°F | 8 min |  Visit on Amazon →Sea-Pak package times work |
| Salmon fillet | 390°F | 10-12 min | Skin side down first |
 Visit on Amazon →Hard-boiled eggs |
250°F | 16 min | Then ice bath |
| Whole baked potato | 400°F | 40-45 min |  Visit on Amazon →Poke with fork first |
| Tater wedges | 380°F | 15-18 min |  Visit on Amazon →Microwave 3 min first |
| Reheat pizza | 350°F | 3-4 min |  Visit on Amazon →Better than delivered |
 Visit on Amazon →Reheat fried chicken |
375°F | 5-6 min | Better than fresh |
| Taquitos | 390°F | 8-10 min | Holds about 9 |
 Visit on Amazon →Grilled ham and cheese |
350°F | 6-8 min | Flip at 4 min |
 Visit on Amazon →Dehydrated chicken (dog) |
180°F | 3-4 hours | For Biscuit |
| The key is the flip. Almost everything needs to be flipped during cooking, and machines that remind you are worth their weight in gold. The Chefman's auto shake prompts are genuinely useful. The Cosori doesn't remind you, but you'll learn to set your own timer. |
Ninja DZ201 Foodi 8 Quart 6-in-1 DualZone
The DualZone is the storage king. It's two baskets in one machine, which means you can cook a protein in one side and taters in the other, both at different temperatures, and finish them at the same time.
That's genuinely clever. But it's big, it's loud, and the usable footprint of each basket is smaller than you'd think.
If you're cooking for one or two, the Cosori does the job with less counter space. If you're feeding a family with different preferences, the DualZone earns its spot.
Toaster-oven style air fryers
Mine burns everything, and its interior space is cramped. Drawer style is superior. I've said it before and I'll say it again. The toaster-oven style looks like it should do more, but it doesn't. You're better off with a dedicated air fryer drawer.
Should you buy the Cosori TurboBlaze?
Yes. It's ~$85 on Prime Day, it's quiet enough that I have to check if it's even on, and the ceramic coating releases melted cheese with ease. I've bought three as gifts. My 87-year-old mom made salmon cakes on day one. My neighbor's 101-year-old husband uses his himself. That's the test. If someone who has never touched an air fryer can make salmon cakes on day one, the machine is designed well.
The handle button took a bit of getting used to. Small food items can slip between the grates. You have to flip almost everything. None of that matters when you're reheating fried chicken better than it was fresh, or making coconut shrimp from frozen in 8 minutes. It's the closest thing to a small miracle I've found in a kitchen appliance. God Bless the person who invented this thing.
Should you buy the Chefman 6 QT?
It's a good deal, but you get what you pay for. The basket alignment issue is real, the missing off button is annoying, and the lack of a preheat feature means you're guessing at cook times. If you're on a tight budget and you're willing to unplug it after every use, it'll make you decent taters.
But if you can stretch to the Cosori, do that instead. The ~$20 difference is worth it for the preheat feature alone.