The most overrated 2020 trend? Why consumer experts say you SHOULDN’T buy a Kmart air fryer in 2021 – despite thousands swearing by the gadget
- CHOICE experts have weighed in on the wildly popular air fryer from Kmart
- They claimed it’s not worth buying after it scored the lowest rating of 64 per cent
- Air fryers have become a popular kitchen gadget across Australian households
- The small benchtop appliance circulates hot, dry air to produce crispy food
Consumer experts from CHOICE have weighed in on the wildly popular air fryer from Kmart after putting dozens of products to the test.
Just like a fan-forced oven, air fryers are a small ‘bulky’ benchtop appliance that circulates hot, dry air to produce crispy, golden food with little to no oil.
But despite nearly 400,000 Australian shoppers swearing by the $69 gadget in a Facebook group dedicated to air fryers, the experts claimed the device was not worth buying.
Of the 18 air fryers tested in the lab, the budget retailer’s 3.2 litre model scored the lowest rating of 64 per cent.
Australian consumer experts from CHOICE have weighed in on the wildly popular air fryer from Kmart after putting dozens of products to the test
The experts said while the air fryer is significantly cheaper than most brands on the market, the model featured similar functions a traditional oven already offers.
‘Not only did it receive a low score in our testing, but the Kmart air fryer is also fairly large and heavy, and not very easy to use,’ kitchen expert Fiona Mair said.
Last year, Ms Mair explained why air fryers were not her favourite appliance.
‘You might want one if you don’t have an oven or if you have teenagers that want to easily cook themselves hot snacks. But they’re very basic appliances and they can be very expensive while also taking up a lot of space,’ she said.
‘If you want to cook “healthier” homemade or frozen chips, you can just toss in oil and bake in your oven – you don’t need a special appliance.’
Despite the low score, a Kmart spokeswoman previously told Daily Mail Australia: ‘Our $69 Air Fryer is also one of our most popular appliances. It has a five-star customer rating and a dedicated fan page on Facebook.
‘We love seeing the clever and creative recipes our Kmart communities share on Facebook and are so pleased that our customers love our $69 Air Fryer as much as we do,’ she added.
The 1500W air fryer features seven pre-set functions, LED control panel and a removable drying basket.
Of the 18 air fryers tested in the lab, the budget retailer’s 3.2 litre model scored the lowest rating of 64 per cent
Just like a fan-forced oven, air fryers are a small ‘bulky’ benchtop appliance that circulates hot, dry air to produce crispy, golden food with little to no oil (picture of a home cook’s chicken mozzarella wrapped in bacon after baking in an air fryer)
In August, Sydney dietitian Lyndi Cohen – who owns a Kmart air fryer – pointed out that swapping deep-fried ‘comfort’ foods for air-fried foods doesn’t necessarily mean it’s ‘healthy’.
‘If you’re still cooking your favourite comfort foods like pork bellies or brownies in an air fryer, they’re not going to be significantly healthier,’ she told Daily Mail Australia.
‘I do think that air fryers encourage people to cook more but cooking unhealthy foods in the air fryer are still going to be unhealthy.
‘Ideally you should use air fryers to make healthy foods as opposed to unhealthy comfort foods. Comfort foods [cooked in an air fryer] should be saved for an occasion and not every day.’
In 2020, consumer review website Canstar Blue asked more than 500 Australian shoppers to rate their favourite air fryers based on cooking performance, design, ease of use and cleaning, functions and features, value and overall satisfaction.
Kmart proved to be a clear winner after scoring a clean five-star sweep across all categories, beating 2019’s best rated air fryer brand Philips.
Other brands voted the best included Breville and Kogan.
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