Air fryers promise crispy snacks with much less oil, but not every model cooks food in the same way. Some brown food evenly from both sides, while others leave the bottom softer and need extra cooking time.
For this comparison, five popular air fryers available in India were tested using the same food and cooking settings. Bread was used for the toast test, while aloo tikki-style cutlets were used for the longer cooking test.
The models tested were the Philips NA342 3000 Series 7.2L, Philips NA231 2000 Series, Bosch CrispMaxx Serie 2 4L, Ninja Air Fryer MAX PRO 6.2L, and EDT Luma PureGlass Air Fryer.
Here is how they performed.
Table of contents
- What Is Rapid Air Technology?
- Philips NA342: Best Overall Performance
- Philips NA231: Smaller but Very Consistent
- Ninja Air Fryer MAX PRO: Powerful but Slightly Uneven
- Bosch CrispMaxx Serie 2: Nice Design but Needs More Time
- EDT Luma PureGlass: Interesting Glass Design
- Air Fryer Toast and Cutlet Test Results
- Oil Usage, Non-Stick Coating and Energy Consumption
- After-Sales Service Is Also Important
- Which Air Fryer Should You Buy?
What Is Rapid Air Technology?
Most air fryers use fast-moving hot air to cook food from different directions. This helps make the outside crispy without needing to deep fry the food in oil.
Philips calls its system RapidAir Technology, while some models use the newer RapidAir Plus Technology.
The Philips design uses a specially shaped basket base that helps hot air move around and underneath the food. During this test, the Philips models were noticeably better at browning food from both the top and bottom.
Ninja and Bosch also use high-speed hot air circulation, but their airflow designs are different.
The EDT Luma, meanwhile, uses a borosilicate glass cooking bowl instead of the usual coated metal basket. This gives it a very different design, but it also changes the way heat moves around the food.
Philips NA342: Best Overall Performance
The Philips NA342 is a large 7.2-litre air fryer from the company’s 3000 Series.
It has a premium-looking design and also comes with a long 1.8-metre power cable, which can be useful if the kitchen power socket is not right next to the appliance.
Its biggest advantage is RapidAir Plus Technology.
During the toast test, bread cooked for 3 minutes at 200°C came out nicely crisp on both sides.
The cutlet test produced an even better result. After cooking for 15 minutes at 200°C, the cutlet had good browning on both the top and bottom. There was no need to give it additional cooking time.
For overall cooking consistency, the Philips NA342 performed the best in this comparison.
Rating: 5/5
Philips NA231: Smaller but Very Consistent
The Philips NA231 is part of the company’s 2000 Series and is a more compact option compared to the NA342.
It comes with a touch control panel and a useful viewing window. This means you can check how the food is cooking without repeatedly pulling out the basket.
The body is mainly plastic, but the overall build feels solid.
In the toast test, bread became crispy on both sides after 3 minutes at 200°C.
The cutlet also cooked nicely in 15 minutes. Browning was good on both sides, showing that the airflow inside the basket works well.
It may not feel as premium as the bigger NA342, but it offers very dependable cooking performance.
Rating: 4/5
Ninja Air Fryer MAX PRO: Powerful but Slightly Uneven
The Ninja Air Fryer MAX PRO comes with a 6.2-litre basket and uses physical buttons instead of a full touchscreen panel.
Another useful feature is its higher maximum temperature of 210°C.
During the toast test, the upper side of the bread became nicely crispy, but the bottom was not as crisp as what we saw on the two Philips models.
One small feature I liked is the countdown in seconds near the end of the cooking cycle. It is simple, but useful when you are waiting for the food to finish.
The cutlet test was much better. After 15 minutes at 200°C, both sides had good colour and browning.
So while the Ninja did not match Philips for completely even cooking, it still performed well overall.
Rating: 3.5/5
Bosch CrispMaxx Serie 2: Nice Design but Needs More Time
The Bosch CrispMaxx Serie 2 tested here is the 4-litre version.
One of its useful features is the transparent viewing section, which lets you see the food while it is cooking.
The toast test showed good crisping on the top, but the bottom remained softer.
A similar thing happened during the cutlet test. After the normal 15-minute cooking cycle, the lower side needed more cooking.
Another 5 minutes was added, after which the cutlet looked much better and both sides were properly browned.
The Bosch is nicely designed, but during this comparison, hot air did not appear to reach the bottom of the food as effectively as it did in the Philips models.
Rating: 3/5
EDT Luma PureGlass: Interesting Glass Design
The EDT Luma PureGlass is easily the most unusual air fryer in this comparison.
Instead of a regular metal cooking basket, it uses borosilicate glass bowls.
You get two bowls in the box: a smaller 2.5-litre bowl and a larger 4.5-litre bowl. Crisper trays are also provided for both.
The transparent glass design means you can clearly watch the food cooking from almost every direction.
It looks interesting and makes it easy to check the food without opening anything.
However, the glass gets extremely hot during cooking and stays hot for some time afterwards, so you need to be careful while handling it.
The toast became crispy on the top, but the lower side stayed softer.
The cutlet also showed uneven cooking after 15 minutes, with the upper surface browning faster than the bottom.
There is another important point with the glass bowl. Avoid putting a very hot glass bowl directly under cold water immediately after cooking because a sudden temperature change may damage or crack the glass.
The EDT Luma has an interesting concept, but it needs more time to produce the same level of browning as some of the other models tested here.
Rating: 2.5/5
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Air Fryer Toast and Cutlet Test Results
| Air Fryer | Toast Test – 3 min at 200°C | Cutlet Test – 15 min at 200°C | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philips NA342 | Evenly crisp on both sides | Even browning on both sides | 5/5 |
| Philips NA231 | Crisp on both sides | Very good browning | 4/5 |
| Ninja MAX PRO | Crisp top, softer bottom | Good browning on both sides | 3.5/5 |
| Bosch CrispMaxx Serie 2 | Crisp top, softer bottom | Needed another 5 minutes | 3/5 |
| EDT Luma | Crisp top, softer bottom | Top browned faster than bottom | 2.5/5 |
Also check the best price for all these and other Air Fryers here
Oil Usage, Non-Stick Coating and Energy Consumption
One of the main reasons people buy an air fryer is to reduce oil consumption.
Philips says its air fryers can use up to 90% less fat compared to traditional deep frying, based on its internal testing.
Ninja – up to around 75% less fat compared to conventional frying.
How much oil you actually need will depend on the food being cooked and the design of the basket.
Traditional metal air fryer baskets usually have a non-stick coating, which helps prevent food from sticking and makes it possible to cook with very little added oil.
Glass-bowl air fryers such as the EDT Luma do not use the same type of coated basket, so certain foods may need a little more oil.
When it comes to coating safety, Philips says its air fryers follow European Union food-contact material regulations and are safe when used correctly.
Ninja also promotes its baskets as being free from PTFE, PFAS and PFOA.
Energy use is another advantage of air fryers compared with large ovens.
Philips claims the NA342 can offer up to 70% energy savings compared to a conventional oven under its test conditions.
Ninja – up to 60% energy savings for the MAX PRO compared with an oven under similar conditions.
After-Sales Service Is Also Important
Cooking performance is important, but service support also matters when you are buying an appliance that could be used almost every day.
Philips has been selling air fryers for many years and has built a large support network in India.
The brand has more than 400 authorised service centres across India, and replacement parts are generally easier to find compared with products from newer brands.
That can make a difference if something goes wrong after several months of regular use.
Newer brands such as EDT are still building this kind of service infrastructure.
Which Air Fryer Should You Buy?
Based on these tests, the Philips NA342 was the clear winner.
It produced the most even cooking in both the toast and cutlet tests, has a large 7.2-litre capacity and also comes with the advantage of an established service network.
If you want something smaller and potentially more affordable, the Philips NA231 is another strong option. It does not have the same premium feel or capacity as the NA342, but its cooking performance was still very good.
The Ninja Air Fryer MAX PRO sits comfortably in the middle. It offers a large 6.2-litre basket and strong performance, although the bottom side of the toast was not as crispy.
The Bosch CrispMaxx Serie 2 has a useful viewing window and a clean design, but food needed some extra cooking time to brown properly underneath.
The EDT Luma PureGlass is the most different of the five. Its transparent glass bowls look great and make cooking more interesting, but the glass gets very hot and the cooking results were less even in this test.
For this particular comparison, the ranking is:
Philips NA342 > Philips NA231 > Ninja MAX PRO > Bosch CrispMaxx Serie 2 > EDT Luma PureGlass
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