Air fryers: Experts reveal why size doesn't always matter and how you don't have to break the bank (even if Harrods is selling one for £659)

Air fryers are the latest kitchen gadget to take Britain by storm, with an estimated 12 million households owning one.

The device uses hot air instead of hot oil to prepare food and offers a fast and healthy alternative to deep fryers.

However, with so many brands, models and accessories, it can be difficult to know where to start and how to get the most out of your new kitchen aid.

The questions that often cross the minds of air fryer buyers are: how big should the fryer be, how much food can it cook, and how much money should I actually spend?

Luckily, experts and air fryer enthusiasts have revealed the answers to all these questions, and below we break them down into bite-sized chunks.

Does the size of your air fryer matter?

The experts spoke as part of Channel 5's new documentary, 'Air Fryers: Do You Know What You're Missing?', which aired on Wednesday, hosted by Alexis Conran.

The program started by answering the key question: does size matter when it comes to an air fryer?

With an overwhelming amount of options, gadget expert Jon Bentley tried to find out.

He revealed: 'It's amazing how much diversity is available.

'As the air fryer gets bigger, manufacturers are adding extra cooking capacity, suitable for large families, as well as a lot of new gadgets.'

There are options with two drawers, paddles, turntables, and even digital cooking probes that tell you when the food is ready.

However, when it comes to size, the experts explain: 'In fact, size doesn't matter, they all do the same thing, just in increasingly larger cans.

'That means there is an air fryer for every consumer.'

How much should you spend on an air fryer and how much does it cost to run?

Arguably the number one question consumers want to know is how much to spend on an air fryer.

Presenter Conran explains: 'The general rule with air fryers is: the more you pay, the more they do.

'Moreover, a basic model is often just as affective as the variants with bells and whistles.'

Aggie Mackenzie, from the popular show How Clean is Your House?, advises: 'I've found that often the cheaper product isn't necessarily worse than the more expensive end of the market.'

The program highlighted that air fryers cover a very wide price range, from just under £20, all the way to over £600 for a colorful Sage model sold by Harrods.

The Sage model costs £659 and has a capacity of 22 litres. The settings include toast, crumpets, baking, roasting, grilling, pizza, air frying, reheating, warm and slow cooking.

Although they can get expensive, the program shared that the consumer service's advice is to spend 'around £60 if you're looking for a simple but good model'.

The presenter added: 'The other great thing about air fryers in the midst of the ongoing cost of living crisis is that not only are they easy on the wallet when you first buy them, but they have proven to be superstars when it comes to the household budget.

'While an electric cooker costs around £109 annually, the annual cost of a basic model air fryer is £31.18'.

Jon Bentley agreed: “There is something very wasteful about an oven heating up for ten to fifteen minutes before you put something in it and then using a large space to often heat something that is very small.”

Do not overfill your air fryer and use a rack

Once you get your hands on the right gadget that suits your family's needs, you need to know how to use it properly.

One thing experts in the program have warned about is that you need to be careful not to overfill your air fryer.

Actor and comedian Shazia Mirza advised: 'Don't overcrowd your air fryers – don't think you can make a fat chicken and a bag of fries and a bag of peas and a bag of carrots in the same basket.

“That's not going to happen, you're blowing up the air fryer.”

Conran explains that in addition to not overcrowding the appliance, you also don't have to buy a large appliance and overcrowd your countertop space.

He said, 'If you don't have room for a two-compartment fryer and you need to choose a smaller fryer, don't worry.

'There is always a gadget you can add to increase cooking capacity. For example, adding a rack to your air fryer basket doubles the cooking space.

Clare Andrews, author of the Ultimate Air Fryer Cook Book, added: 'Be very careful about what you stack and how you remove the food.

The stacking bins also ensure that your basket does not become too full. You can use it to separate the food, which makes it much faster and gives you a crispier result.'

Protect the basket from scratches and abrasions

Expert and author Andrews continues: 'One of my top tips is not to use metal tongs or spoons as they can really damage the non-stick coating.'

Most air fryer baskets are covered with a nonstick coating, similar to a frying pan, so to ensure your appliance lasts as long as possible, you don't want to scratch it.

Andrews suggests, “Always choose a wooden spatula or wooden spoon when stirring your air fryer.”

Make use of your baking dishes

The experts add that you can get more out of your air fryer with certain accessories, such as silicone molds.

Conran says, 'But if you don't want to spend a lot of money on brand new liners or molds, any reliable oven-safe dish will do.

To which Andrews agrees: ''You can even use ceramic dishes or Pyrex dishes that fit in a normal conventional oven. They also keep it clean.

'Certain foods such as fish and chicken work perfectly in silicone baking tins, but also for baking cakes or muffins or even making Yorkshire puddings.'

Avoid baking in old food and dirt

Moving on to the part that everyone hates, we discuss how to keep your device clean.

Conran explains: 'They are quite easy to clean. If you don't do it right, that's one of the main reasons why these gadgets disappear prematurely.”

Cleaning expert Aggie Mackenzie intervenes with: 'You don't want any leftovers or food scraps left behind, because those residues burn over and over again, start to smoke and are more difficult to remove.'

Meanwhile, Shazia Mirza added, “There's nothing sticking to the tray if you use parchment paper like I do, so there's actually nothing sticky on the tray, so I just use hot soap and water, it's great.”

If you read 'Air Fryers: Do You Know What You're Missing?' want to view, go to My5 from channel 5 to find out all about the nation's new favorite kitchen appliances.