Air fryers are great cooking appliances, perfect for those who want to eat fried foods but also want to escape the adverse effect of deep-fried foods on their cholesterol levels. Now, before shopping for an air fryer for family use, it is best to decide just how large or how small your air fryer would be, considering questions such as; would you want an air fryer that is larger than what you need because of when more family members come around? Or would you want a smaller air fryer that’s focused on just you and your spouse and kids?
Another thing to consider would be some determinants of getting the right air fryer, such as the cooking capacity of the air fryer and the size of the air fryer, and then trying to find a perfect match between them, that is, getting a product that covers your cooking needs at the right size, and for the right price.
If this all seems overwhelming, don’t worry, you’ve come to the right place. We will guide you on making this decision, our aim being you and your family’s satisfaction.
What size of Air Fryer is Good for a Family?
To get an answer to this question, you have to see whether there are 2 people, 4 people or 5 people in your family. In determining this, it is an obvious part of the decision to take into cognizance the size of the family. What would be the right purchase choice for a family of 2 may not, and most likely will not be the right purchase choice for a family of 4.
So, it’s not just about the size of the fryer, but the size of the family and their eating habits and needs. But before we get to the size of your family and how that affects what would be a good buy for you with regards to an air fryer, let’s first talk about the sizes of air fryers that are available.
Air Fryer Sizes and Different Capacity Comparisons
There are quite a number of air fryer sizes available, and these sizes are determined by the amount of food the air fryer basket can hold in one cooking cycle. The general measurements are done in quarts, pounds or liters, each depending on the manufacturer and/or the region it would be used for. For example, American air fryers are measured in quarts whilst international models measure their air fryers in liters. This is a pointer to the fact that the measurements are merely guidelines and the quantity of food is what determines the measurements of the fryers.
We will be dividing the sizes of air fryers into four categories to help simplify things for you.
Category one: These are generally the smallest size air fryers, generally suitable for frying snacks and catering to the cooking needs of one person, or at most two. They range between 1.0-2.0 quarts.
Category two: These are the medium-sized air fryers, and they are well suited to be used to serve between 2-5 people. Alongside serving a diverse range of cooking needs, they can probably be used to serve a maximum of 6 people, but that depends on the model you’re getting. They range between 3.0- 5.0 quarts.
Category three: They are the large air fryers, suited to cooking a whole chicken weighing between three to four pounds without breaking the backbone. They also generally have a number of cooking compartments, chief of which are baking cages. They are the 5.5-5.8 quarts sized air fryers.
Category four: These are the extra-large air fryers. They are split into two ranges, according to their sizes; 6.5-10.5 quarts sized air fryers and 16.0 sized air fryers.
The 6.5-10.5 quarts sized fryers are useful for cooking whole chicken that is heavier than 4 pounds. Who knows, you might even be able to stuff your Thanksgiving turkey in there! They are also very versatile culinary wise and can handle casseroles, pizzas, and grilling, alongside baking.
The 16.0 quarts sized fryers are the largest of them all and are tailor-made for bulk cooking. So if you have a large family gathering coming up, this might be your fryer of choice.
How Big of an Air Fryer do I need with limited Kitchen Space?
As previously stated, getting an air fryer for your family is based on the size of your family, the size of the kitchen space available to use the fryer and most importantly, the amount of money available.
If the kitchen space available for your fryer isn’t so much, there’s a way around it. You may want to get 3.0 quarts sized fryer. It would represent the best value for money whilst also maximizing the space you have to use the appliance. Either that or 4 quarts sized air fryer. Yes, they are ever so slightly bigger but they wouldn’t take up a much bigger space. But if you don’t have the space to spare, going for a 3.0 quarts fryer is totally fine and totally worth it.
As a family, especially one with kids, there is a high tendency to make baked foods and fried foods. Also, depending on the family cook’s culinary in versatility, the best air fryer would be a large one, say a size 5.5. This is because it has diverse cooking applications and you don’t have to worry about counter space because there is a very high chance that it will replace a good number of the appliances you currently use there, even leaving you space for other handy kitchen tools, such as a cutlery rack.
Having explained this here’s are three-pointers on how to pick an air fryer when you’re ready to buy;
1) You can pick an LCD digital screen display or the manual controls, depending on what you want in your air fryer.
2) Be sure that the number of the cooking compartment in the fryer you want to pick corresponds with your needs.
3) Be certain that the air fryer model you want to purchase has all the temperature settings and wet/dry cooking modes that you desire.
Air fryers are wonderful kitchen appliances, and we believe that we have enlightened you on what size of the fryer to buy and how to buy it, regardless of the size of your family. We hope you enjoy your new appliance.
