We’ve all heard at some point about air fryers. Air fryers have become a new popular addition to many households around the world. But what exactly is an air fryer? Why should I get one? Well, air frying works by cooking the food with the use of heat from a heating element and fans to circulate the hot air around the food.
An air fryer generally has a shorter cooking time when compared to your typical non-convection oven. There are some additional benefits to using an air fryer.
Air fryers use little no oil in the cooking process and as such is better for general health. Furthermore, most other methods of cooking such as an oven use the Maillard effect which is the browning effect you see on most cooked meats, the air fryer is also able to do it.
When it comes to choosing the best air fryer for your household, there are some factors that are important to consider. In this article, we shall be looking at those factors, followed by our top recommendations, and lastly some frequently asked questions. We hope that this article can help you in your journey on choosing the best air fryer.
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Things to Look out for When Buying an Air Fryer in Malaysia
As mentioned above, when looking to buy an air fryer (Malaysia), we need to consider some important factors to ensure that we are purchasing the best device possible.
The type of air fryer
There are 3 main types of air fryers available in the current Malaysian market, we will be going over the types of air fryers in Malaysia briefly in this section of the article.
Pull-Out Drawer
This is possibly the most common type of air fryer that you will see in most Malaysian households. Pull-out drawer air fryers are more troublesome than the other 2 as you are required to manually shake the basket every 5 minutes or so to ensure that the food is cooked evenly.
What makes it worse is the fact that most of these pull-out drawer air fryers tend to not have a timer, meaning you will have to manually time when you have to shake the basket. Despite all this, this type of air fryer is most popular for foods that are normally shallow fried.
Rotating basket
Perhaps the most versatile type of air fryer, the basket within it will rotate automatically, providing even cooking. These air fryers normally come with other functions such as slow cooking, roasting, and grilling.
Stirrer
These are self stirring air fryers. The paddles inside the basket slowly stir the food in the basket as it cooks. This is similar to the rotating basket where you don’t have to manually stir/ shake the food inside, making it a worry free option.
Though the machine itself does provide some level of automatic stirring, it should be noted that it’s always a good idea to check on the progress as it cooks for the best results. This is the best air fryer type for cooking food that is typically shallow fried, deep fried ,or baked.
Capacity
When looking for an air fryer (Malaysia), it’s important to consider the capacity of the air fryer you are buying. Most manufacturers do not accurately state the actual cooking capacity of the air fryer.
So when looking for an air fryer, try not to pay too much attention to the capacity stated by the manufacturer as they sometimes only provide the total internal volume of the air fryer, but not the actual amount of food it is able to cook in the basket.
Cleaning
Cleaning is perhaps the least enjoyable part of cooking, but it is a step necessary to ensure the cooking area is pest free. Similarly, it is important to clean an air fryer after each use to ensure the longevity of the cooking appliance as well as overall hygiene of the food you prepare.
Most air fryers have baskets and other parts that are dishwasher safe. Others are easy to clean as they have a non-stick coating. These features make the air fryer relatively easy to clean.
Controls
When we look at air fryers in Malaysia, they typically come with 2 types of controls: analog or digital. Analog controls are not as accurate but they are the most basic and intuitive. They normally consist of a temperature dial and a timer dial. Digital controls on the other hand are more accurate and they tend to come with a touch display. They also come with different preset programs that can help make the cooking process easier. Digital controls might not be the most intuitive to use, but they can be if you choose a product that comes with easy to understand icons and alarms.
Top Recommendations for Air Fryers (Malaysia) in 2023
Now that we have gone through the things to look for when buying an air fryer (Malaysia), we can start looking at our top recommendations for the best air fryers in the malaysian market. This list is made from products that our team has tested and can be found on Lazada and Shopee.
1. Tefal Fry Delight FX1000
Tefal is a brand well known for their new concepts and innovations in the kitchen appliances. Being established in 1956 and one of the original innovators of the non-stick pan, they have been churning out products of astounding quality and functionality. As such, we have decided to start our list of the best air fryers in Malaysia with a product from them.
When you look at the external shell of the device, you can see that this air fryer uses the analog control system. This makes it an intuitive device to use as it simply has the timer knob on the left and the temperature slider on the right. The timer of the air fryer can go up to 30 minutes and the temperature can be adjusted from 150 degrees celsius up to 200 degrees celsius.
This pull-out drawer air fryer comes with a food capacity of 800g. Furthermore, the pan and basket of the Tefal air fryer is dishwasher safe. You can be sure that this air fryer is not hard to clean and it will prove to have a long service life.
When it comes to functionality, the Tefal air fryer comes with 4 functions: fry, bake, grill and roast. The Fry Delight air fryer comes equipped with Tefal’s 3D air pulse technology. This technology, as claimed by Tefal, gives the food an incomparable crispiness outside while keeping the inside soft and tender.
It works by using heating elements and a well optimized air flow. Best part is, it can do all this with little to no oil needed.
Overall, it should go without saying that this product from Tefal is extremely sturdy. The simplistic design and intuitive controls make this device a user friendly yet aesthetically pleasing option to have in the kitchen. From our testing, this air fryer is up to par with the claims of the manufacturer. If you are looking for a simplistic air fryer, this is the perfect option for you.
2. Philips Daily Collection
Royal Philips of the Netherlands, more commonly known as Philps, was established in 1891. They were formerly known for producing quality electronic products but are now focused on the health technology sector. This is not to say that they do not still produce quality products. If they didn’t, you would not be reading the introductory section to this product!
This air fryer is similar to the previous entry on this list as it also features an analog control system. Not only that, the Philips Daily Collection air fryer is a pull-out drawer air fryer. The analog controls include the 30 minute timer knob and an adjustable temperature dial of up to 200 degrees celsius.
Yes we have noticed that the appliance is in a cute shade of blue, but there are other colour options available such as black. The air fryer features an internal capacity of 800g, this is the standard for most air fryers. Philips has designed their air fryer to have a great combination of heat and air circulation which allows them to produce delicious food products with little to no oil needed.
When you pull out the basket of the Philps air fryer, you’ll notice that the bottom of it has a starfish-like design. The starfish design on the bottom of the Philips air fryer is supposed to facilitate better air circulation.This combined with the heat produced by the heating elements in the Philips air fryer makes Philips’ Rapid Air Technology.
This rapid air technology is what gives this air fryer it’s ability to incorporate heat and air circulation to produce perfectly cooked food products. The device also features an auto off function that gives you an audible “ready” sound indicator, as well as tells you when your food is ready.
From our testing of the Philips air fryer, we found that the cooking process of the Philips air fryer is rather simple and it does lack some of the presets that we would like to see in a fryer from a top brand such as Philips. The Rapid Air Technology does appear to produce crispier and more evenly cooked food products, which is a big plus.
Furthermore, the non-stick coated drawer and the food basket of the device is dishwasher safe and is quite easy to clean. Some have even claimed that this is possibly the best air fryer in Malaysia.
3. PerySmith Air Fryer EcoHealth 2 Series
When looking for an air fryer in Malaysia, you’re bound to run into the kitchen appliance company PerySmith. This brand is well known for making affordable kitchen appliances that are both durable and reliable. This is no different when it comes to making air fryers.
We have decided to include this product from them as the reviews for it on Lazada are too overwhelming to ignore. It has accrued over 1200 ratings with an average of 4.9 out of 5 stars, not to mention the incredible 4.9k units sold on Shopee. With these numbers, there is no doubt that we must include it in this list of the best air fryers in Malaysia.
The exterior of the device itself is incredibly aesthetically pleasing with the black body and the hues of gold. This air fryer from PerySmith comes with an analog control system. Both of the temperature and timer knobs can be found on the top of the air fryer. It features a 30 minute timer and has an adjustable temperature from 80 degrees celsius up to 200 degrees celsius.
If you’re worried about not knowing which setting to leave the air fryer on when cooking, fret not as you can simply refer to the 6 settings shown on the front of the device. Furthermore, this appliance from PerySmith also comes with an automatic shut-off feature, a multi layer cool to the touch body, and smart overheat protection. These features add an extra layer of safety.
Pulling out the tray of the device you will first notice the PFOA food grade diamond coated pan and food basket. These non-stick components make the PerySmith air fryer one of the easiest air fryers to clean as well as maintain.
Coming in with a weight of 5kg with dimensions 33 x 33 x 38cm (L x W x H), this machine is neither too big nor too small and is a medium sized air fryer. In terms of cooking performance, the 9 blades technology along with the 3D airflow heating system provides even heat distribution during cooking, and as a result, perfectly cooked food.
This is perhaps one of the best air fryers in Malaysia if you’re looking for one on a budget. For a device of this quality, we have to say that it’s a great value for money air fryer and we would highly recommend it.
Our testing has shown that the cooking technology implemented in the device is only slightly better than other air fryers that are not on this list, but we did not expect much as we got the product for a price of less than RM250.
4. Khind Air Fryer ARF3000
Similar to PerySmith, Khind is another brand that is well known in Malaysia and is typically associated with high quality products that come at an affordable price. Since its establishment in 1961, they have been producing innovative home appliances. Given their rich involvement in the Malaysian home appliance market, we were glad to find out that they have a line of air fryer products. The fourth entry on this list is the Khind air fryer ARF3000.
For the first time on this list, we have a product that features a digital display. Digital displays are generally more accurate when it comes to temperature setting and timing. This makes this product one of the best products on this list when it comes to accuracy in the cooking process. Similar to all the other products on this list thus far, this device is a pull-out drawer air fryer.
The device itself comes in at 6kg and has different capacities depending on which attachment you choose to use. The inner basket has dimensions of 19 x 20 x 8.5cm (L x W x H) while the cake basket has dimensions 16 x 6cm (diameter x height). When it comes to overall capacity, this product also has 2 measurements depending on which basket you choose to use.
The frying basket has a max capacity of 3-liters and the cake basket has a max capacity of 1.3-liters. Besides the cake basket, this air fryer also comes with tongs and a recipe book.
As for cooking features, the air fryer comes with 8 preset programs that you can choose by touching the respective touch sensors on the digital display.
The air fryer however does have a preheat time of about 3 mins to reach a temperature of 190 degrees celsius. This isn’t long but it does seem worth mentioning. The food products produced by the air fryer are cooked to perfection due to the technology that Khind has implemented in the air fryer.
To summarize our opinion on this air fryer, we think that it is one of the best value for money options that come with a digital display. The only concern we have is regarding the materials used in the basket.
The manufacturer has claimed that it is non-stick but we did experience some trouble during cleaning. But aside from this minor setback, you can rest assured knowing this air fryer will get the job done.
5. Russell Taylors Air Fryer
The next product on our list is this air fryer from Russell Taylors. The Russell Taylors Air Fryer AF-14 has received over 12000 ratings on Lazada with the average rating being 4.9 out of 5 stars. The customers who have purchased this product have also left positive comments regarding the performance of it. As such we decided to purchase a unit and test it for ourselves.
When we first got the product, we looked at it as it seemed rather large coming in with dimensions 23 x 29 x 30cm (L x W x H). We also noticed that the product features an analog style control system which is always the easiest to use.
The body of the air fryer did not feel as sturdy as we had anticipated and the basket itself was a little small when compared to the size of the appliance itself. However we have to say that we appreciate the basket being made from a non-stick dishwasher safe material. This made cleaning the mess after a lot easier.
In terms of cooking, it comes with precise temperature control that can be adjusted from 80 degrees celsius up to 200 degrees celsius. The timer knob can be set for up to 30 minutes. It also comes with some presets which was surprising given the price of the unit.
Overall, this device from Russell Taylors does not really have any of the flashy features that some of the air fryers on this list have. For a price of less than RM200 at the time of writing this, you will get a reliable air fryer that has all the basic necessities nailed down.
6. Electrova Mini Air Fryer Ecowell Series
If you are looking for a low budget, compact air fryer, then this is the product for you. This air fryer from Electrova is perhaps one of the smallest ones we have included in this list. This air fryer from Electrova has dimensions of 24.5 x 24.5 x 30.2cm (L x W x H), weighs about 2.4kg, and comes with a capacity of 3-liters.
This mini air fryer comes with analog controls with a 30 minute timer knob on the front of the device and the temperature adjustment knob located on the top of it. The appliance can achieve temperatures from 80 degrees celsius up to 200 degrees celsius.
For a device that cost RM125, we can’t complain as it comes with some additional features such as overheat protection, a multilayer cool to touch body, and a smart heating system
The Electrova Mini Air Fryer Ecowell Series ET-300 is definitely one to buy if you’re on a budget as it is one of the cheapest air fryers you can buy in the current market in Malaysia. The cleaning process was surprisingly easy as the basket did not seem to be made from a good quality non-stick material. For a price that low we were caught off guard by this.
7. Khind Air Fryer ARF26
The seventh entry on this list is another entry from Khind. You can tell that we here love products from Khind given their great reputation as a company in the Malaysian home appliance market. Unlike the previous entry from Khind, this air fryer does not have a digital display but instead features a more traditional analog display.
Coming in at about 4kg per unit and having dimensions of 30.7 x 30.7 x 35.8cm (L x W x H), this air fryer is a simpler product when compared to the previous Khind entry and comes with a capacity of 2.6-liters.
It comes with high speed air circulation technology that helps distribute heat throughout the air fryer, giving the food inside an even cook. You can rest easy knowing that the air fryer comes equipped with additional safety features such as an automatic shutdown function.
When we were testing this product, we found no major issues with the operation of it but felt like Khind could have included some preset programs to make the cooking experience easier and less of a guessing game.
But overall, for a product so simple, it performed phenomenally. Though we must say it’s not the best air fryer in Malaysia, it still has a place on this list as it is a viable option for someone on a budget.
8. Giselle KEA0208 Air Fryer
The final entry on this list is a product from Giselle. This brand is one that we are not too familiar with but the ratings on Lazada gives us the confidence to give this air fryer a shot.
This air fryer from Giselle comes with digital controls which is always nice to have as it is more accurate when compared to the analog controls. You can see that this product comes with a pull-out drawer design much like the other products on this list.
The product itself weighs about 4.4kg and dimensions of 31 x 31 x 35cm (L x W x H). This large air fryer comes with a capacity of about 5.8-liters, making it one of the bigger entries on this list.
The included digital controls come with a LCD display that is surrounded by several touch sensors to access the various preset programs available on the airfryer. Preset programs on an air fryer is always great as you can worry less about getting the heat and time setting right and simply cook a perfect meal with a press of a button.
As for the cleaning process, you can rest easy knowing that the materials used to make the basket are non-stick and dishwasher friendly.
Overall this product is one that you can rely on. During our testing, it has shown little to no issues when it came to the cooking process and we can take pride in putting it here on our list of the best air fryers in the Malaysian market.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are air fryers healthier than deep frying?
Yes! Air fryers are generally healthier than deep frying as it only uses a fraction of the oil needed to cook the food. But we should advise that eai
Can I use aluminium foil in the air fryer?
Yes you can if you take the necessary precautions. Make sure you do not put the aluminium foil at the bottom of the basket as this could affect the overall cooking process.
Can I put liquid in an air fryer?
When it comes to adding liquid, you can add some liquid in moderation. What if you’re cooking marinated food? Well these marinating juices typically do not cause any issues during the cooking process.