Fritaire Self-Cleaning Air Fryer review – stylish but lacking in substance

The Fritaire Self-Cleaning Air Fryer is on a mission to become one of best non-toxic air fryers on the market – and it has generated a real buzz.

Compared to bog-standard air fryer designs, the Fritaire certainly stuns. I loved its retro charm and glass bowl, which allows you to watch your food crisp as it cooks. The promise of a 'self-cleaning function' also intrigued me. I love the ease and health benefits of air-frying, but I do think cleaning after every use can be irritating. I was eager to see if Fritaire could offer a solution.

I put the Fritaire Self-Cleaning Air Fryer through its paces, testing a variety of dishes like French fries, chicken, and roasted vegetables – as well as the cleaning features, durability and value for money. The results? Fritaire's fryer is undeniably cute, but its performance left me hungry, frustrated, and stacked with washing up.

Fritaire Self-Cleaning Air Fryer: First Impressions

The Fritaire Self-Cleaning Air Fryer has bags of nostalgic charm. It's available in retro orange and blue, as well as classic black or white. A friend saw it in my kitchen and immediately had compliments to pay. The standout feature is the glass bowl, which allows you to watch your food cook and crisp up (more on this below, it's a truly amazing experience).

It's also very lightweight, easy to move around the countertop, and a good size for storing in the cupboard. However, the plastic materials were flimsier than expected for such a high price tag. The box also included five accessories – a rotisserie skewer, French tumbler, attachable spinning motor, air stand, and grabber. These were less stylish, with a similarly flimsy and cheap feel. Awkwardly shaped too, they could clog up an entire drawer by themselves.

Cooking Performance

The best air fryers on our list can cook chips, chicken wings and veggies to perfection – crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. The Fritaire had huge promise. I watched the process through the glass bowl – amazed – as food turned golden brown and crispy before my very eyes. But how did it perform in the taste tests?

Test 1: French fries

The first test we put air fryers through is frozen French fries. The Fritaire air fryer comes with a metal French tumbler, which rotates and tosses the fries, so that hot air can reach every side. This is supposed to result in extra crispy chips.

I found it awkward to get the fries into the tumbler opening. I'm used to tossing fries into my air fryer basket straight from the bag. The easy part was selecting the 'fries' recipe preset on the sleek touchscreen, then waiting 22 minutes for them to cook (no flipping or shaking needed, thanks to the tumbler).

Unfortunately, my fries turned out pale and dry. I think the recipe preset was inaccurate. I tried again with a shorter cooking time and a generous spritz of cooking oil (this wasn't recommended by the recipe booklet, but this is standard practice and the fries were calling out for it). This resulted in a slightly better taste and texture, but still lacking in the crispy department.

Test 2: Chicken

Next, I tried chicken thighs, placing them on the wire rack and selecting the preset. This was much easier than fiddling with the tumbler accessory. The chicken skin turned out perfectly crispy and delicious, but the meat inside was overcooked and tough. Again, a sign that the preset cooking times are too aggressive.

Test 3: Roasted vegetables

I'm happy to report, that the veggies I made in the Fritaire were tasty. I didn't bother with the tumbler, placing some broccoli, olive oil and a sprinkle of salt on the rack instead.

I then watched like a hawk through the glass bowl. This is where the visibility was actually helpful, rather than just a fun gimmick. I could see when my veggies were starting to char, which prompted me to remove them.

When you're cooking meats and fish, you're more reliant on accurate timings rather than external looks, to make sure your food is safely cooked and tender inside. For vegetables, you can be much more flexible, which is why this test was more successful. It still didn't beat the market-leading Ninja however – their FlexiFoodbasket is top of our list for making the best-ever roasted vegetables.

Capacity

5-quart air fryers are usually large enough to feed a family, but the bowl shape of the Fritaire Self-Cleaning Air Fryer is quite limiting. The French tumbler can just about make enough fries for two people (although my partner thoroughly disagrees, as he was still hungry after dinner).

The Fritaire comes with a rotisserie spit accessory, so I bought a chicken to roast, but it ended up being way too big to fit inside the small glass bowl. This air fryer can only handle very small chickens. I'm not convinced it's suitable for families or hungry couples.

Ease of use

The best thing about cooking with an air fryer is the convenience. The Fritaire Self-Cleaning Air Fryer embraces a user-friendly design with a sleek, 'one-touch' display panel. The touchscreen and glass bowl light up, making it easy to use at night. I loved the glow it gave my kitchen.

However, the Fritaire is let down by a poorly written instruction manual – surprising for an appliance at this price point. Having tested the best luxury kitchen appliances on the market, I'm accustomed to comprehensive guides that include detailed cooking times, recipe ideas, and even smart app integration. Unfortunately, Fritaire's booklet is confusing and lacks key information, such as the need to add batteries to the motor.

I actually got a tad frustrated with the motor and accessories, which were tricky to attach and use. They also became extremely hot after cooking, as did the glass bowl, which didn't feel very family-friendly. I struggled to get my fries out of the locked metal cage, which was scalding hot and needed to be handled with the grabber. I accidentally burnt myself in the process, which is embarrassing to admit, but worth it if you learn from my cautionary tale!

I find traditional drawer-style air fryers like the Philips Essential far more convenient – you toss in the food, close the drawer, and easily tip out your meal when it’s done. As the saying goes: if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it.

Clean-up

One of Fritaire’s main selling points is the self-cleaning function. This requires you to fill the glass bowl with soapy water, set the timer and temperature, then allow the hot air to create a cleaning whirlpool for about 10 minutes. The water and steam capture most of the grease and crumbs at the bottom of the bowl, which you can then pour down the sink.

However, you're instructed to fill the bowl up with a moderate amount of water, which means the whirlpool doesn’t reach the top of the bowl, where cooking fat often splashes. This means you'll probably still need to clean manually. That said, the naturally non-stick glass allows residue to wipe off easily. All in all, the self-cleaning performance is not much more effective than the standard practice of cleaning an air fryer – soaking the air fryer basket in the sink.

Once the bowl is clean, you'll need to scrub the metal accessories, as they're not dishwasher-safe. These mesh attachments are like sieves – infamous in professional kitchens for being troublesome to clean. You'll need a fine brush and some patience to clean the crumbs or grease away.

Durability

The Fritaire Self-Cleaning Air Fryer is Teflon-free, using naturally non-stick materials like glass, instead. This means it's less likely to get damaged by cleaning or utensils, and you can rest easy without fearing the release of toxic chemicals into your food.

While I always appreciate non-toxic materials, the overall build quality doesn't inspire confidence in durability. The motor hinges off the side of the machine and mine needed a little propping up to keep it sturdy and fixed (see below). This was probably just an individual defect, but the overall design felt far from luxurious or reliable. I’ve sensed this is a running theme in customer reviews, too.

Customer Reviews

I’ve seen some great reviews from health-conscious customers, praising the non-toxic materials and health benefits of the Fritaire Self-Cleaning Air Fryer.

People love the visibility of the glass bowl, saying it’s fun and prevents their food from burning. I’ve also seen some good customer feedback on the cooking performance, which I personally don’t agree with, but then again, I'm a trained cook with experience testing the best air fryers in the world, so I do have exacting standards.

Some customers were also disappointed with the self-cleaning bowl, saying ‘The bowl doesn't detach so it's also awkward to clean it manually. None of the attachments are dishwasher-safe and feel very cheap.’ I’ve also seen some customers return the appliance, complaining about faulty parts and plastic taste in their food. All in all, the reviews are a mixed bag.

How does it compare?

When it comes to bold and eye-catching designs, the Fritaire Self-Cleaning Air Fryer certainly stands out in the crowd. Few air fryers on the market can match its vibrant, funky appearance. The only notable competitor in terms of design is Drew Barrymore's Beautiful collection, with its soft lines and bold color options.

Fritaire's glass window design is super impressive, but it's not the only brand with this feature. Instant's Vortex Plus Air Fryer is a better option if you want a viewing window. It boasts a larger 10-quart capacity and a built-in rotisserie function, so you can cook an entire chicken to crispy perfection.

When it comes to cooking performance, the Fritaire can't stand up to the competition. For me, Ninja wins every time, offering similar non-toxic credentials and price points, but with the added benefit of consistently crispy and reliably delicious food. Plus, Ninja is usually compatible with dishwasher-safe accessories, making clean-up a breeze. We've rounded up our favorite Ninja air fryers, if you are looking for a model I would really recommend.

Our Verdict

The Fritaire Self-Cleaning Air Fryer stands out with its retro design, toxin-free materials, and the delightful ability to watch your food crisp in real time. However, the poor cooking performance, fiddly accessories, and cleaning features left me disappointed. Given the relatively high price point, it feels like an impractical purchase.

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