Philips Airfryers Reviews: Our Top 5 Picks Guide

Philips is known for obtaining the patent for Rapid Air Technology when it developed its Airfryer (yes, the company spells it as a single word), which the company introduced to the world during the Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin, one of the world's longest running industrial exhibitions, in 2010.

Although oven manufacturer Turbochef Technologies acquired the original patent for air fryers in 2005, their concept was supposed to cater to hotel and restaurant chains. Meanwhile, Philips developed the product for home-based use. After a successful launch in the French, British, and Dutch markets before the end of 2010, the AirFryer's popularity spread to more than a hundred nations by 2014. Philips maximized consumer interaction to highlight how different nationalities had fun experimenting with the appliance to cook their native dishes.

Although Europe's Tefal came up with a similar machine, the flying saucer-shaped Actifry with a see-through lid, more companies adopted Philip's egg-shaped model with a pull-out basket.

Today, the company continues to promote the wonders of that technology through its slogan "Air is the new oil," with its product line boasting of air-fried food with 90% less fat. That's higher than the fat reduction touted by other top brands.

​Things to Consider When Choosing a Philips Airfryer

Features

TurboStar Technology

The XXL and Avance units come with patented Twin TurboStar technology. This refers to the grooves shaped like a four-armed fan or starfish that are found on the bottom drawer or outer basket of the Airfryer. The technology creates a tornado-like airflow that swirls throughout the entire cooking basket, enhancing the rapid air technology and ensuring that heat is evenly distributed.

The TurboStar also allows excess fat to be captured in the fat reducer at the bottom of the Airfryer. You can pour it out once you are done cooking.

Controls

All Philips Airfryers come with either a touchscreen panel or dial. Philips' XL and Digital models have pre-set buttons. The XXL, Viva, and Avance Turbostar units have an adjustable QuickControl dial.

Cooking capacity

The Philips XXL has the largest capacity among the company's Airfryers with a basket that can accommodate 3.08 pounds (1.4 kilograms) of ingredients. That could fit a whole chicken or six portions of food.

Meanwhile, the Philips XL has a 2.65-pound (1.2-kg) capacity.

The Viva, Viva Digital, and Avance TurboStar Airfryers have an 800-gram capacity.

Size and appearance

Four of the five models featured in this review come in black. The Avance XXL and XL are available in white.

Ease of maintenance

The products have food baskets and drawers that are detachable, are easy to clean and dishwasher-safe. No need to do any other cleanup because Rapid Air Technology doesn’t leave the usual smell of fried oil.

Price

The retail price of the XXL, XL, and Digital Airfryers is $299.95 while the Viva and Turbo Airfryers is $249.95.

​The 5 Best Philips Air Fryers

​Best Overall: Philips XXL

With a capacity of cooking up to 6 food portions, the XXL is the most popular item of Philips Airfryer line.

It has instant heat-up so you can start cooking any time. Enjoy grilled, fried, baked, and roasted food using this Airfryer with pre-set buttons for frozen fries, meat, fish, and chicken drumsticks.

The mesh of the food basket can be easily cleaned because it’s detachable and has a non-stick coating like the removable drawer.

The XXL manual shows that most snacks and meals can be cooked within about half an hour although times may vary based on quantity and size of ingredients. Check out the recommended settings of some of your favorite food:

  • Home-made fries (200-1,400g), chicken drumsticks (200-1,800g): 18-35 minutes
  • Meat chops without bone (1-5 chops): 10-13 minutes
  • Whole fish (300-400g, 1-2 pieces): 18-22 minutes
  • Fish fillets (120g, 1-3 pieces): 9-12 minutes
  • Mixed vegetables (300-800g, roughly chopped): 10-20 minutes
  • Muffins (50g, 1-9 pieces): 12-14 minutes
  • Cake (500g, 18 ounces): 28 minutes
  • Whole chicken (1,200-1,500g): 50-55 minutes
  • Roasted pork (500-1,000g): 40-60 minutes

Specifications:
Dimensions (L x W x H): 322 x 433 x 316mm
Weight: 7.93kg
Power: 1,725W

Philips XXL  Air Fryer Video Review

​Best Deal: Philips Viva

You can pre-set your cooking time for up to 30 minutes with the Philips Viva Airfryer. The appliance will alert you with a bell sound when your pre-set cooking time is completed.

This Airfryer’s control dial lets you pre-set cooking temperature for up to 390 degrees Fahrenheit (199 degrees Celsius).

Specifications:
Dimensions: 287 x 315 x 384 mm
Weight: 7kg
Power: 1425W
Voltage: 120V

Philips Viva Air Fryer Video Review

​Best for Families: Philips Avance XL

The Avance XL is the second to the largest high-capacity Airfyer, as its basket has room for 2.65 pounds (1.2kg) of ingredients, equivalent to around 5 servings.

The unit features a digital touchscreen display with a smart button where you can save the cooking times of your favorite dishes.

It also has a timer that you can use to pre-set cooking for up to an hour. This Airfryer's auto-off function and ready indicator make it safe to use in the kitchen where young children may be present.

Specifications:
Dimensions: 422 x 314 x 302 mm
Weight: 7kg
Power: 1750W
Voltage: 110V

Philips Avance XL Air Fryer Video Review

​Best for Multipurpose Cooking: Turbostar HD9641

The HD9641 has 4 presets: frozen French fries, chicken drumstick, fish, chop/cutlet. This unit works with the Philips AirFryer app, which features more than 200 snack and meal recipes and other cooking tips.

Specifications:
Dimensions: 365 x 266 x 287mm
Weight: 5.5kg
Power: 1425W
Voltage: 120V

Philips Turbostar HD9641 Air Fryer Video Review

​Best Small Footprint: Viva Digital Plus

Like the Avance XL, the Viva Digital has timer you can pre-set up to 60 minutes, a ready indicator, and an auto-off function that makes it safe to use in the kitchen when family members of various ages may be milling around.

It’s as compact as the Viva model but has a fully digital touchscreen controls instead of a dial.

Specifications:
Dimensions: 287 x 315 x 384 mm
Weight: 7kg
Power: 1400W
Voltage: 120V

Philips Viva Digital Plus Air Fryer Video Review

Recipes

Philips USA's website has a section of AirFryer recipes featuring starters and snacks, main courses, side dishes, desserts, and baked goods. Recipes developed by aficionados of Philips Airfryers are also gathered by the company and posted online for everyone else to try.

Benefits

  • Philips Airfryers have been highly recommended by cookware specialists and cooking professionals. Michelin Star chef Gordon Ramsay particularly endorsed the Philips XL model. He prepared a coffee and chili-rubbed rib eye recipe using the product. He said that the Airfryer locks and seals the flavor while keeping the "lovely color" of the meat, which he cooked for about 10 minutes.
  • The baskets of both the XXL and XL units are large enough to prepare meals for larger families and groups of more than five members.
  • Philips Airfryers also boast a perfect fan speed. It’s not too strong so cut-up ingredients, particularly vegetables, don't fly "all over the place" inside the basket.
  • Some air-fryer companies say that pre-heating the basket is much like pre-heating oil done in traditional deep-frying. With Philips AirFryers, particularly the XXL model, you can skip the process and cook food right away. It’s the ideal kitchen companion for individuals and families who are always in a rush and normally have breaded frozen foods for certain or most meals of the day.

Drawbacks

  • Like other air fryers, Philips’ larger models such as the XXL, XL, and TurboStar HD9641 can be bulky. You may want to think twice about buying one if you already have a convection oven in your home.But if you are fond of serving or eating fried food, the appliance will be very convenient especially due to its healthier and low-grease output. Try lower priced Viva and TurboStar models if you have a tight budget.
  • The wire mesh of the XL unit, which looks like that of hot oil fryers, can be tougher to clean than the denser baskets of other air fryers.
  • Unlike its Tefal counterpart, Philips doesn’t have any self-stirring mechanism. With Tefal’s Actifry, you can leave ingredients by themselves worrying that one side will be overcooked more than the other because of the “rotate mechanism” inside.Other air fryers like Cosori tried to make up for this lack through its shake alert. You hear a beep that alerts you to shake or flip the meat or other ingredients in the inner basket midway through your cooking. You will have to manually stop your Philips Airfryer to check the condition of your basket's contents.

Conclusion

It's not easy to just dismiss the capabilities of Philips Airfryers amid the company's established history and experience in making quality products. What's more, several of the company’s models were positively reviewed by well-respected publications like Forbes and USA Today.


While some users comment that there is a  "learning curve" involved in mastering Philips Airfryer settings for either control dial or touchscreen appliances, the trial-and-error journey becomes a good foundation for all the future cooking you need, especially if you decide to acquire some accessories to expand the repertoire of dishes you serve to your family and friends.

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