Glass air fryers are the newest kitchen appliance on the block and if you’re short on space, you’ll want to know all about them. Not only do these smaller versions of the best air fryers have the benefit of being non-toxic, but some also give flexibility to those who want to cook and store foods in the same container to save space and time.
If you’re a meal prep obsessive, then you’ve probably heard about the Ninja Crispi already – which I awarded five stars to in my review – but if you’ve found it a little out of your price range, with an RRP of £149.99, then I have good news for you.
There is a range of glass air fryers hitting the market right now, all with modular designs. Here’s how they work and three reasons why you might want to take part in this new batch cooking trend.
This is the OG glass air fryer, the product that sparked the whole trend, and comes in multiple colourways as well as a larger size with the new Ninja Crispi Pro, which I recently tried.
Salter
Crisp & Go Portable Air Fryer
This more affordable glass air fryer also features the removable containers that make meal prep so much easier and save on washing up. It comes with a 4 and 1.5 litre container.
Dreame
Tasti 5-In-1 Portable Glass Air Fryer
Dreame’s Tasti is more similar in looks to the Crispi and features a sleek touch panel too. It also has a water chamber built into the base.
1. The benefits of glass for cooking
The Ninja Crispi was a viral hit when it launched thanks to the fact that its glass material makes for perfect social media clips (like this one via Ninja’s Instagram).
Whether you want to watch a block of cheese melt in quick time or see what it looks like when a frozen croissant springs into life, the 360 vantage of the Crispi certainly makes for an interactive cooking experience. But when I tried it, I found there’s plenty of practical reasons for opting for glass over the usual air fryer basket when it comes to cooking too.
If you, like me, hate getting to the end of a work day and being stuck for what to make for dinner, then meal prep is the answer. The fact that you can cook meals in the Crispi and then pop them straight in the fridge is a winner for this, especially in the larger 5.7 litre size as it allows for more than one portion.
The ‘take the shelf out’ hack that I learned from Jamie Oliver is perfect for this too. You can cook an entire lasagne, pasta bake or a batch of brownies directly into the glass and then store your leftovers without any dish transferring.
If you like the sound of that effort-free cooking but you’re on a budget then Salter’s new Crisp & Go, which is strikingly similar to the Crispi, is a lot more affordable and so far has only gleaned 5 star reviews, both via Amazon and Salter’s website.
I got a first look at it recently at Salter’s unveiling of it and I was impressed by its size and versatility, though the control panel is not quite as sleek as Ninja’s. For the price however, I think it’s going to be a hit.
2. Ease of cleaning
If you’re the designated washing-upper or dishwasher-loader in your house, then glass has many benefits over your usual air fryer basket, too. In my testing, I’ve found it’s a much easier surface to keep from getting grimy long-term, and day-to-day is much easier to wash by hand too. I’ve also become obsessed with using Fairy’s Skip the Soak Spray (£3.86 at Amazon), too, which easily lifts anything that might be troublesome off the glass surface.
All of the portable, glass air fryers featured above have dishwasher-safe glass containers, which is a real treat. Compared to how gross air fryer baskets can get after a long time (even with frequent cleaning), switching to glass has been a revelation in terms of cleanliness for me.
3. Ease of storage
There’s always a debate as to whether an air fryer deserves a place on a kitchen worktop. While I think an air fryer is arguably the most useful kitchen appliance out there, I understand people’s desire to find ways to hide their air fryer.
With these modular glass air fryers the ability to stack and store the parts is built in. When not in use the smaller container can slot into the larger one and the air fryer lid can be stored alongside it. It’s small enough that it’ll fit into a compartment of standard kitchen cupboards with ease.
While this air fryer is marketed as portable, I personally don’t think it’s the kind of thing you’ll want to carry around in your bag with you. But I do think it’s the air fryer to opt for if hiding it for most of the time is high on your priority list.
So if you want something that’s tailor-made for making lunches and dinners for the week ahead easier as well as an appliance that’s easy to stash away, I think one of these glass buys will do a wonderful job.
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