Very easy to use and clean, it does the job. Minimal oil required, best for healthy eating.

No smells, consistent results, easy to use menu and controls, expensive, but great quality

Good air fryer, easy to clean and use, replaced my previous model that lasted 3 years!

Very efficient for quick food preparations, no need open oven for one piece of chicken or some fries. Easy clean and convenient for daily life.

I loved this product, so the frozem vegetables are more flavorful, the hambrgers are crunchy and soft inside, is easy to clean up and silent.
I recommend this product.

I haven’t done much other than cooked frozen items in it , a basket of chips would take about 25mns with constant shaking .

4L is a bit small compared to its size and the space it can take in my kitchen.

I like to use it to bake potatoes / sweet potatoes, it’s way faster than using my oven, and hopefully saved some energy.

Bought this air fryer after reading many reviews.
So easy to use, the food is amazing, easy to clean and the best kitchen appliance I have.
Wish I’d bought it years ago!

Simple & practical design, not take to muck space, done the job + less mess & less work. It’s really worth money spent.

Great airfryer use it all the time, should have purchased a long time ago.

Easy operation and quick cooking for many kinds of food!

Such a life changer, love using it specially when u have kids it’s perfect I will recommend to anyone

After my cheap tower air fryer packing in after a year of constant use I decided to spend a little more money on a new air fryer as I use mines almost every day. I have owned this Phillips air fryer for a few months now and can’t say I’m disappointed. Plenty of preset options to choose from, simple user interface, and lots of space in basket to cook a lot at once. Can cook frozen chips in around 10-14 minutes (portion for 2). The removable basket from oil pan makes easy cleaning and easy dishing out. Everything is perfect but there is no app connectivity which is slightly misleading from instructions. Would buy another one if this breaks.

I was a bit skeptical at first as to how well this would work but it’s proved very versatile. Very quiet when operating and easy to use. It’s really only big enough for two portions but it saves putting on the oven just for one or two items. Cooks quick, around 30% less time than normal and not waiting to warm up. So far we’ve cooked fish fingers, sausages. breaded fish,meatballs and falafels and all came out great!

othing to dislike , its easy to use and so easy to clean , chips and fries not greasy taste so much better love it .

This is brilliant makes life easier cooking! You can cook most things in there. When using it for first few times keep an eye on food as it cooks quite quickly! Love that you can cook a chicken in it! Very tasty and not dry either!!! I replaced my old Philips air fryer with this.. and this is a beast compared to the old one! Its amazing and so easy to use too!

I didn’t think I needed another gadget in the kitchen but this air fryer has been a very welcome addition. It is easy to use and a very clean method of cooking even without the health benefits of cooking with less fat and oil. It is about the size of my bread maker so not overlarge. It is not too heavy so can be moved to a convenient place for storage if necessary. But sadly there is no storage method for the cable and plug.It is useful to have counter space in front of the air fryer when in use to place the basket when it is removed from the fryer. There was a slight smell a bit like a hair dryer when I first began to use it but this has worn off. There is a cooking smell when the fryer is in use but nowhere near as bad as frying in a pan. I would say this would suit a small family as you could probably do 2-3 portions of chips in one batch. I cooked 5 cupcakes at once. It cooks quite well but I will say the first few attempts were a bit hit and miss but I think the more I use it the better I will be at judging cooking times and temperatures.Homemade chicken nuggets worked really well with a crisp coating and tender chicken. There are preset buttons to cook by weight e.g. drumsticks which should take out some of the guess work.
The product loses a star from me because the information supplied with the machine is very scant. There is a basic leaflet with diagrams on how to wash before use and safety instructions etc but in order to find out how to use it to cook things and program it you need to go online to download the user manual. This has guidance on cooking basic food, chips, chops, burgers etc + care instructions and troubleshooting to get you going and should (in my opinion) be included in paper format in the box to be retained for future reference. It also includes information about the presets and a ‘keep warm’ setting which is a very useful feature that I wouldn’t otherwise have known about. It also mentions the safety turn off when the basket is removed during cooking.

A recipe app has been created to assist with inspiration (NutriU) but I found it very American in style and ingredients. I was surprised at the variety of recipe types, not just typically fried food, so I have tried a few cake and scone recipes which were quite successful although a bit dry and saved some for future use. You have to be online to use the app which is another thing I don’t like so while you can bookmark recipes you cannot save them for offline viewing.

So overall to cook for 2-3 people it is a welcome addition, easy and clean to use.It can be used for a range of recipes but is lacking in usage information without going online and should have the user manual included in the box.

PROS:

1) COOKS FOOD VERY WELL AND QUICKLY!
2) EASY TO CLEAN
3) LOOKS SWISH AND FUTURISTIC
4) MULTIPLE PRESET PROGRAMMES
5) ACCOMPANYING APP WITH CAORIE CONTROLLED RECIPES
6) WIPE CLEAN TOUCH SCREEN INTERFACE

CONS:

1) APPALLING INSTRUCTIONS!
2) RELATIVELY EXPENSIVE
3) NOT VERY INTUITIVE CONSIDERING A LACK OF INSTRUCTIONS
4) TECHNICALLY A SMALL FAN ASSISTED OVEN!
5) AIR DOESN’T CIRCULATE AROUND LARGE ITEMS LIKE CHICKEN PIECES

This Philips Air Fryer is a great tool to help you live a healthier lifestyle. However, let’s not kid ourselves, this isn’t really a fryer at all since there is no immersion in hot oil. Where it scores is that it is very quick to heat up and maintains the temperature very well.

I have never tried to make Unlucky Fried Kitten ((OK don’t be offended, it’s called humour)… just a note to explain to the permanent web surfers keeping our internet safe from anyone with a different opinion.) I decided to put this fryer to the test, and in fairness it scored 8/10. It actually lost 2 marks because due to appalling instructions (more on that later) because of operator error. In other words, it was my fault, however, in my defence, the marketing pictures show food stacked on top of each other. The time I spent making my UFK and carefully coating my chicken in 151 herbs and spices (much better than that fake Colonel’s) was sort of wasted. The pieces that were on top of one another, didn’t crisp up in the spots where they were in contact with each other.

This happened because the air does not circulate and encompass each and every part of whatever you’re cooking. The solution to this is to not stack food, only put one layer. Doing chips will be slightly better, because the chips have a larger surface area to volume ratio, which means more of the chip is contacted by the air. However, I believe you will have similar problems with chips unless you randomise the layers. What I mean by that is if the chips are all in a line on top of one another, the air won’t circulate. However, if you want the best result, I suggest that you create a cross pattern by laying one row/layer of chips horizontally then the next layer should be placed vertically on top so they are perpendicular to layer below. Repeat this with all your chips and there should be enough room for the air to circulate. Once you have finished doing that, your husband will come back from the chippy saying don’t bother! If you persist, you will probably produce some chips that look like the marketing hyped ones on the box.

The UFK (chicken I cooked) went in at 180 deg and 20 minutes which was the preset showing for chicken. It was a matter of touching the chicken drumstick icon and letting the machine cook the chicken. The chicken, as you can see from the plate and the basket photos came out succulent and juicy. The coating where open to the air was crispy (but not as appetising (in terms of looks) as chicken that’s been nuked in 180 DegC oil.
I believe this is down to two reasons. Firstly, the chicken I used was skinless breast. Chicken skin has a layer of fat below it and this would have made the coating look more “shiny” as opposed to looking dry. Where the chicken had been in contact with other pieces, the coating was cooked, but soggy. However, in fairness, the chicken was very succulent, juicy, and due to my superb culinary skills, very tasty. The second problem of the soggy batter/coating was down to firstly, me not having any instructions and secondly to me believing the BS hype. What I mean by that, as an experienced domestic cook, common sense would have told me that that would happen. If there was some form of rotation in the basket, this wouldn’t have happened. However, if there was some form of agitator or rotation, since there was no immersion in oil, the batter would come off. Thus the simple solution to this is do not put chicken breasts on top of one another. Just put one layer. Given that this is a small version of the Philips air fryer, I would say that this sized fryer would be suitable for two adults or two adults and two young children. Once the kids are heading towards their teens, this would not be big enough to fuel their insatiable appetites for eating you out of house and home.

My wife enjoyed my UFK recipe, which I will share with you now. It makes the chicken coating spicy. Make sure you use skinned chicken, personally I prefer legs and thighs, than breasts… I’m talking about chicken, behave! Legs and thighs will also allow you to arrange the chicken in a way that offers the least contact between the pieces. Obviously, if you are on a health drive, do skinless, but since you’re baking your chicken rather than deep frying, I have authorised your indulgence, so it’s ok!

Recipe:
Plain flour for dusting and coating (quantity by sight… about 200g for the coating, and some to dip the chicken in).
One egg for the egg wash
Coating:
200g of plain flour
1/2 teaspoon of chilli powder
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon of coriander powder
1/2 teaspoon of Garam masala
2 teaspoons of garlic salt
1 teaspoon of ground coarse black pepper
1/2 teaspoon of table salt
Olive oil spray

Method:
1) dip the chicken pieces first into plain flour (to give the egg something to stick to) make sure all areas of the chicken are covered in flour.
2) Dip into the egg (which you beat with a fork…. after removing the shell (info for the easily offended types)also no actual physical violence was used, it’s a culinary term). Make sure you coat all the chicken surface.
3) Having put all the coating ingredients into a large bowl, mix them with a fork so thoroughly mixed.
4) Dip the egg coated chicken into the coating mixture, covering all areas and pressing the coating on the chicken. Put chicken to one side on a RACK rather than a tray (which would remove the coating underneath the chicken).
5) Using a 1 cal olive oil spray (or like I did, fill up a pump spray bottle with olive oil) and spray the air fryer cooking basket on all sides, and spray the individual pieces of chicken covering as much as possible with oil spray.
6) Stick them in the air fryer and check for “doneness” by skewering the thickest part of the chicken and look for clear juices. If there is any pinkness, keep the chicken in longer.

Cleaning was pretty easy as the basket and holder is coated with good quality Teflon non-stick surface. I washed them because the dishwasher was already on, and they cleaned up easily using just a plastic dish brush. There is one slight problem in the design when it comes to cleaning. The gaps between in the tray/holder and in the basket between the handle and basket could become clogged with food. A mechanism to separate the handle from the basket would be a better design for hygiene purposes.

The Philip’s Air Fryer comes with what can only be described as the most inadequate and disgraceful set of instructions ever. Of course, the warnings are clear, and that is required by law. However, the infographics type instructions (used to save money in translating into different languages) are the worst I have ever seen.
For a good example, have a look at the last photo which shows which methods you can use to clean the basket and holder. In Column 3, is some indeterminate and unidentified item that I have seriously only just figured out because I zoomed the photo whilst writing this. It’s a Brillo (wire wool) scouring pad!! I feel like I have just won the lottery jackpot!!! Unbelievable, how terrible these instructions are. I had no idea whether I should preheat it, burn off the manufacturing chemicals at high temperature or wash it before first use. I did all three, just to make sure. I would have cleaned and burned off the manufacturing residual chemicals anyway, but pre-heating was an idea of mine, due to no instructions. Now let me tell you something, Mr. Philips of Eindhoven, I have presented engineering papers at an academic conference up the road from you in Enschede. I was recognised as an expert in process modelling and mapping by the UK NHS and the Indian Government’s Health Ministry. I completed a PhD in manufacturing strategies and I have worked on some massive applied research projects……AND I couldn’t understand what your colleagues thought would pass for instructions! Perhaps, I needed some of your famous Dutch medicinal compounds, but since I try to look after myself I can’t rely on psychotropic substances to read your crummy instructions. What hope has the majority of the population got in the UK (when Dutch type medicines are banned?) Sort it out, because even the YouTube clowns were as clear as mud!

I have a deep fryer which comes out probably every 2 months when I make some homemade chips from potatoes (not a frozen bag). Anything we eat is always bad for us if we cannot exercise self-control. There is a massive problem in the UK with obesity due to the infiltration of US culture promoting watching TV with buckets of popcorn or burgers, crisps etc. These indulgences should never ever be stopped completely, we just need to moderate how much we eat. Of course, it’s OK to binge once in a while, but we are responsible for our own actions and whilst I can see the influences that have grown into many of our population’s lack of control, it’s essentially down to us. Children need to be taught how to eat and what to eat and when. If we moderate our eating habits and behaviours there is absolutely no reason for any child to be overweight. Our children get their values and cues from us. We owe it to ourselves to look after our own health, and for the sake of our children we should keep in shape. Of course, government should take the lead and prevent manufacturers from flaunting the rules by offering larger sizes and saying that it’s two servings. That happened with the “sugary tax” on the fizzy drinks which are a key component of the health crisis in the UK.

Finally, do I recommend this Philips Air fryer? The answer is a reserved “yes”, but I think calling it frying is a nonsense. It will benefit those who don’t have a convection setting on their microwave. However, if you have a convection setting, I would not fork out 150 for this. Sorry!

Several different air fryers were previously used.. There were varying degrees of success for each, one was DOA, and all but one was returned due to poor results. One used until very recently had a essential part replaced under guarantee due to excessive wear after limited use. It tends to collect congealed oil in inaccessible areas that are resistant to washing with a brush; that problem was non-existent with either of the two previous Philips machines. Consequently, it was recently decided to replace it despite it being barely one year old!

This “Philips Essential Air Fryer with Rapid Air Technology, 0.8Kg, 4.1L, 1400 Watt, 4 portions, Black, HD9252/91” is a major upgrade on the previous Philips models used in that it now features an LED control panel with digital temperature and timer controls rather than the mechanical controls of the earlier ones, touch buttons to select the program and others to amend the fixed settings if required. There is a certain level of noise that all air fryers produce, but Philips’ tend to be quieter than most – this being even quieter than older models – but there is some.

The programs available include chips, steaks, chicken drumsticks or portions, seafood, frozen snacks, vegetables and cakes and offers a recommended time and temperature for each that is considered ‘ideal’, most of which comprise a range of times at a specific temperature. However, personal or family preferences may differ and, if a food is preferred less or more well-cooked than Philips’ pre-set results produce, the settings can be easily altered. Once a combination of settings has been established in each instance, they can be noted for easy repetition.

Although not offered as a setting, it will roast potatoes and other hard vegetables extremely well – the ‘chips’ or ‘vegetables’ settings can be used as a starting point. Some potato varieties will roast very well but air fry less well as chips; traditional frying varieties such as Maris Piper or King Edwards will usually give the best results for chips although timings may vary among varieties. There are some recipes, often those covered in batter or use egg to bind ingredients, which can be part-cooked (generally 35-50% of the given time), cooled and frozen and, when later required for a meal, then cooked from frozen.

It was found after much experimentation that the best chips, using Maris Piper or King Edwards, were obtained by completely ignoring Philips suggestions. Peel if you wish, cut to a preferred size (8-10 mm thick), rinse well and dry in a clean microfibre towel (zero fluff or fibres), kitchen roll etc. Preheat the fryer at 200C for 3 minutes and spray the chips with oil. When the pre-heat completes, toss the chips into the pan and set at 200C and for at least 12 minutes (you may need 2-3 minutes extra according to preference or if potatoes are ‘new’). They will need to be shaken once or twice and you can spray with a little extra oil at that point for extra crispiness. Remove, season and serve. The results are far better and more immediate; you could easily do two batches in the same time as one if following Philips’ suggestions.

Philips do not provide a divider (nor is there provision for one) so that you could fry fish or grill a steak in one half and chips in the other, but there may be solutions. The basket drawer is very similar in design to that of older models but the inner basket has been slightly modified; there is now a cover that normally rests over its release button and the handle extends slightly further from the basket than those of the past. The shaping of the base of its outer basket remains as was, divided into four quadrants each in the shape of a shallow bowl, the intention being to create whirlpools of hot air within the machine for faster, more even and generally better cooking.

Capacity is quoted as 4.1 litres, generally large enough for 3 or 4 adults, but the pan should never be filled beyond the MAX line as those beyond may then burn while anything below could remain raw; that primarily applies to smaller things such as chips, battered or coated fish goujons, turkey bites and anything of roughly similar size. For larger items such as chicken portions, chops or steaks, a single layer will always work best.

Although labelled as a ‘fryer’, the machine can also be used as a mini-oven and grill as its interior space will allow a minimal or zero warm-up time and save money because heat isn’t being wasted in a large oven. It can potentially reduce the amount of oil used and consumed over time as some foods need none or a light spritz while chips and vegetables can be spritzed or tossed in a bowl with 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of oil. The inner and outer baskets are non-stick coated and dishwasher-safe. A nylon- or silicon-tipped food lifter or grill tongs will prove useful with some foods.

Philips no longer provide printed manual that includes recipes or cooking times for various foods as they had in the past but the Quick Start Guide and User Manual are available as downloads as is now becoming the norm. Philips’ NutriApp offers meal ideas, recommendations etc; unfortunately, this model is not one of those it specifically supports (nor was the previous model when it was purchased); there are others that are close enough but it may be included in due course. There are also a few ‘air fryer’ recipe books available to buy that may prove useful while many recipes intended for grill or oven can be cooked in the machine with few or no changes. This could be a second oven to use at Xmas or when multiple dishes need be cooked at different temperatures. It may also benefit the vegans or vegetarians in a family who would rather not eat food cooked in the same oven or under the same grill as used for meat and fish.

I have had a couple of air fryers before where they rotate and the lid opens, this Phillips Airfryer Essential (model HD9252/91) does neither of those things. It’s tall, slimline profile with a drawer that pulls open to reveal a non stick metal pan with a non stick metal basket with a handle that is fixed. It has a safety feature on the handle that stops anyone lifting the basket without sliding the clear plastic cover and depressing a button underneath. It’s quite a small button I found a little difficult to open with longer nails. It works via a powerful 1400 watt motor using rapid air technology to cook the food. It comes with a 2 year guarantee for peace of mind.

The control panel is touch control with with 7 presets and a keep warm function. I downloaded the app to pick a fairly easy recipe and decided to use make potato wedges using the Philip’s recipe on the app. It took 25 minutes and was surprisingly quiet and easy to use. Aside from the preset cooking functions there is a time option on the right with up and down arrows and temperature function on the left with up and down arrows then a simple press on the start control and off it goes. You can pause the air fryer to check on the food or change the time or temperature. It’s a little odd to not see the food as I’ve been used to, but I’m sure I’ll soon get used to it. This airfryer is a smaller more compact one than its bigger air fryer family. It holds 0.8kg which is 4.1 litres, so not tiny, but enough for a couple of adults though it’s listed as a four portion airfryer. I really like the fact the pan and basket are both dishwasher safe, and they fit nicely side by side in a standard size dishwasher (please see my photo). The potato wedges I cooked in the airfryer came out cooked and tasty, though the recipe said 160 degrees for 15 minutes then a further 10 minutes at 180 degrees, I would cook them at 180 for 20 minutes all the way through next time as I felt they could be crispier on the outside, but this all personal preference of course.

The app has lots of recipes to choose from, but I was a little surprised not to find this model not listed as the recipes use your model to tailor themselves to the airfryer, I hope it’s added soon as I can appreciate it’s a new model.

It’s a good quality build airfryer from a long standing company that’s straightforward to use and easy to keep clean and store either on a worktop or a cupboard. Please see my photos and video, I hope my review is of help to you, thank you for reading it.

I’ve got a manual air fryer that I bought on offer and was a fraction of the price of this but it doesn’t have as many features.
This air fryer has 7 pre set programmes and a keep warm function which is the handiest thing in our house.
The basket is the same size as my old one but the fill line on this one is about half a centimeter from the top. You don’t need much oil if any at all and if I do use it I use the one cal spray.

I like the fact that it’s digital and has a countdown warming timer.
The build and plastic quality is excellent.
You can literally cook virtually anything in it. Meat, pies veg, cakes fish fingers fish, toast, sausages etc etc
My son doesn’t cook anything in his conventional oven anymore.
You can also buy accessory packs to make cakes and toast and other things in it.
To clean, all you need to do is unclip the basket and wash that and clean the drawer under the basket it’s really easy.

There’s only two issues that I can find and they are that the instructions are abysmal in fact worse than that. Also as you can see in the video that when you pull the drawer the whole machine comes with it. You need to push on the unit whilst pulling the drawer. It’s not a big deal but might annoy some buyers.

Overall I’m super happy as we needed two and I was recently attempting to get my old one with the paddle clean again to use. I think the drawer type are far better by the way.
This is quite an expensive machine but it does have features that cheaper machines don’t. It’s a good machine if you can pay the money and don’t mind the drawer being stiff.
I think it’s still worth 5 stars though as it’ll revolutionise the way you cook every day.