How to choose an air fryer for a senior in 2024
An Aussie woman wants to help make her mother in law’s life easier now she’s living alone.
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Welcome to Hello checkout, news.com.au’s weekly column that aims to advise you on getting the most bang for your buck. This week, our resident appliance expert Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito helps someone pick out the right air fryer to buy for their mother in law who’s now living alone.
QUESTION
My father in law is about to go into aged care and I’d like to buy my mother in law an air fryer to make life easier. I want her to be able to prepare quick, easy meals for herself now she’s cooking for one. There’s been a lot of change for her recently and it’s important she’s feels comforted and not overwhelmed.
- Renee, NSW
ANSWER
I’m sorry to hear you’re all going through so much change at the moment Renee and I hope my advice can help in some way.
An airfryer is a great idea. It’s a nice, practical gift and it should really help your mother in law prepare quick and easy meals. Many food brands are also now including air fryer specific instructions on their packaging, which helps make choosing timer and temperature settings less of a guessing game.
Air fryers are fantastic for frying foods without using vast amounts of oil, they don’t use a lot of electricity to run and they don’t heat up the kitchen in the same way an oven does, which is particularly great for the warmer months.
Before buying an airfryer you may want to consider:
• How much benchspace your mother in law has available
• How much capacity she needs (e.g. does she usually make small meals-for-one or regularly make lunch and snacks for the grandkids and other family members)
• Ease of operation – including the size of the menu icons, how easy the buttons are to press, and whether she would prefer dial controls over buttons (or vice versa, or both)
• Easy to clean
• Weight – ideally the air fryer would be left on the bench, but you can find small and light portable air fryers that can be moved around and easily stored.
Thinking about all of this, I recommend looking at the Instant Vortex range, which is available through retailers like Amazon Australia and Myer so you can get it delivered quickly if it’s not available in store.
This range is great for simplicity as they have a few functions, but not too many.
For me, the clear viewing windows and internal lighting on the small 5.7L Instant Pot Vortex Plus ClearCook Air Fryer (on sale for $225.42, down from $329) make it a particularly great option (if my 88 year-old grandma is anything to go by, at least).
The six-in-one benchtop appliance is very straightforward to use, all the preset menus are clearly worded at the front of the appliance, and there’s a dial to adjust the timer and temperature settings to keep the user interface gentle on the hands. Plus, there’s no need to use an app to access any of the functionalities.
If you’re not taken by the Instant Vortex air fryers, Ninja is also worth checking out. They’re actually one of my favourite brands because, in my experience, their products are typically reliable and good value for money.
My top pick would be the 3.8L Ninja AF100 Air Fryer. It’s compact, simple with just four presets (air fry, roast, dehydrate and reheat), has dishwasher safe parts and is relatively wallet friendly at $149 RRP. And despite the basic menu option, this model has a slightly wider temperature range (40C - 210C) than some other air fryers which can make it quite versatile.
If you want more options, you can read our top picks for air fryers to buy here.
We’ve also listed a few more notable mentions below.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
Ninja Foodi FlexDrawer Air Fryer, $397 at Amazon Australia
This dual zone air fryer is one of my favourite appliances I’ve tested and it’s now what I use daily. (My grandma has also used it many times over the past few months and loves it.) You can cook two different things at the same time, the results are consistent, settings are clearly worded, buttons are easy to press, the basket is easy to clean and there’s a timing guide to help with timer and temperature suggestions when you’re feeling stuck. The ability to convert the air fryer from a dual basket air fryer to a single is also incredibly helpful, and only involves sliding the removable divider out.
And if you’re curious about online reviews, this grandma approved model has more than 11,000 five-star ratings from Amazon customers.
Philips 5000S Connected Air Fryer, $381.65 at Myer
This 7.2L Philips air fryer is what my grandma is using right now. It’s super easy and she loves how I can help control the settings remotely via my smartphone, making it handy for when she forgets which settings to pick or doesn’t know what to do (aside from turning it on and loading the food). The icons are also very bright.
Sunbeam Copper Infused DuraCeramic Air Fryer, $152.15 (down from $179) at Myer
If your mother in law prefers an air fryer with just dials, this Sunbeam air fryer is a basic budget friendly option worth considering. The 3L capacity is perfect for snacks and meals for one, while the compact size means it doesn’t take up much space and not overly heavy to clean.
Tahnee-Jae Lopez-Vito, news.com.au checkout Shopping Writer
Tahnee-Jae has years of reviewing experience, specialising in all the appliances and products that can help improve your home and life. From finding the best budget sheets to the mattresses that can help you get a better night’s sleep, she does all of the research to save you time and money.
She previously worked as a content producer for one of Australia’s top comparison sites Canstar Blue, where she spent her days learning what Australian shoppers really think by translating detailed national survey data into hundreds of highly respected consumer ratings – helping shed light on how well brands offer value for money and more. Armed with a Bachelor of Journalism and Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the Queensland University of Technology, she knows that detail matters and is dedicated to creating in-depth shopping guides to help you find the right products.
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