How to upgrade your air fryer – answers to every cooking conundrum you might have

It's been a little while since the Great Air Fryer Hype of 2022, meaning that a question I commonly get asked as Ideal Home's Kitchen Appliances Editor is 'how can I upgrade my air fryer?'

It might be that your initial pick of the best air fryers is now just a bit too small, or that its controls are trickier and more time-consuming to use than you'd imagined. Either way, since the air fryer has changed so much in the last few years, right now is an excellent time to invest.

That's because, as new models have launched, some of the most popular air fryers on the market have taken huge price cuts. And if you're not looking to break the bank, we've also included accessories here that you can use to level up your favourite appliance, rather than having to start afresh. Here are all of the possible routes I'd recommend for someone looking to level up.

If you need to size up

It's a common problem to initially buy an air fryer that's too small to use for every mealtime, especially when trying to cater to a family.

If you only have a single-drawer air fryer and find it's just not big enough, my recommendation would be to take a look at the best dual zone air fryers, or even venture to a multi-zone air fryer, to really get the most cooking real estate for your money.

If you didn't know, a dual-zone air fryer features two drawers to double up on space, and works excellently for meals with two components that need different cooking times to be set.

Though they are amazing for space-saving, they can be bulky, which is where newer innovations, like the Ninja Double Stack come in handy, with drawers stacked one on top of the other to declutter your worktop.

Buying an entirely new air fryer isn't the only option if you need more space. Wire racks that fit into your air fryer drawer(s) are a genius and inexpensive way to double the amount of room you already have, such as this set for £10.99 on Amazon.

If you want more functionality

If you feel like you rushed into buying your air fryer without exploring your options, you might have found that yours lacks functionality compared to newer models. One great thing about upgrading is that you can pick out an air fryer that has other settings in the same machine, and eliminate other kitchen appliances taking up needless space.

Plenty of excellent air fryers basically cross the line into becoming of the best multi-cookers, with sometimes up to 15 functions on offer for the same price you'll pay for a standalone fryer. These are just a few of our favourite versatile air fryers that we've tried and tested.

Whichever way you choose to upgrade your air fryer, remember that recycling your old appliance or donating it to someone else who might want it is crucial. After all, we don't want air frying to cost the earth.