Salter EK2819 XL digital hot air fryer review

Read our full review of the best air fryers.

With this air fryer, you can choose from seven different pre-sets – chips, ribs, prawns, cupcakes, chicken drumsticks, steak and fish – or you could go manual to find the perfect combination of time and temperature for your chosen dish. The enclosed recipe booklet recommends that chips should be parboiled for three minutes first, but they then need time to dry before going into the basket.

De-starching the fries in cold water – as we did with the other models – results in acceptably fried chips in 22 minutes, though we did have to take the basket out for a shake, as directed, every six minutes. Thankfully, the timer pauses at this point, then continues cooking without further adjustments when the basket is replaced. If you get distracted, the unit will stop heating after three minutes, which is a useful safety measure for busy households.

This Salter model is impressively quiet while cooking, but the loud electronic noises from the pre-set and timer buttons are jarring if you get the programming wrong and mean you need to start again. Five long beeps signal the end of the fry and are more like a ‘chips ready’ alarm that will bring everyone running to the kitchen.

As a mid-range air fryer, the Salter is a safe buy. It works well, without complicated settings. The default is 15 minutes at 180 degrees, which is useful as a one-touch control to cook most things. Use the arrow panels for adjustment – a red light on the panel will light up when the desired temperature is reached in up to five minutes.

We simply added three minutes' cooking time to large honey and mustard chicken drumsticks, adjusting the pre-set to 25 minutes in a cold basket instead of 22 with preheating. They were wonderfully golden and juicy; thankfully the non-stick lining in its circular pan isn’t too difficult to hand-wash afterwards, though we noticed it’s one of the heavier models compared with other air fryers we tested.

We like the rounded body of the main unit and the blue digital display looks good, too. This fryer comes in black and would suit in a high-tech kitchen, though fingerprints on that high-gloss finish might bother you if you’re a perfectionist.

Available from Salter (£139.99)

Salter air fryer specifications:
Power: 1500W
Maximum temperature: 200
Capacity: 4.5l
Dimensions: 39.2 x 33.4 x 32.6 cm
Guarantee: 3 years
Recipe book: yes

Read our review of the best air fryers

Related reviews

Best food processors
Best blenders
Best toasters
Best kettles
Best soup makers
Best slow cookers

This review was last updated in August 2020. If you have any questions, suggestions for future reviews or spot anything that has changed in price or availability, please get in touch at goodfoodwebsite@immediate.co.uk.

Do you have an air fryer? Leave a comment below...