Quietest Air Fryers From Consumer Reports' Tests
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Many of us have spent the past year cooking at home more than ever before, and if all the headlines and social media posts are any indication, air fryers were in heavy rotation during pandemic life. That's unlikely to change: According to an industry forecast by KBV Research, the global market for this countertop cooker is expected to continue to grow 10.7 percent annually through 2026.
Another reality of quarantine life in a busy household? A lack of quiet time. And adding more noise—like what comes from the internal fan of an air fryer crisping your food to perfection—is less than ideal.
“Most kitchen appliances put out levels of sound that are not going to be harmful to health, but could certainly be annoying,” says Rick Neitzel, associate professor of environmental health sciences and global public health at University of Michigan School of Public Health. And while a low-grade hum while you quickly air-fry a basket of fries might not bother you, cooking a cornish hen over the course of an hour is a different story.
To test air fryers for noise, CR takes a sound reading in our lab to measure the noise with the appliance turned off. Then, according to Larry Ciufo, lead engineer for CR’s air fryer tests, we place the air fryer on top of a butcher-block countertop and set the sound meter at 6 feet high, roughly the height of a human ear, and 3 feet away from the appliance. We turn the air fryer on for 30 seconds and take a noise reading. We repeat that process and average the two readings to calculate each model’s noise score; the quieter it is, the higher the score.
The loudest models in our ratings put out noise relative to a vacuum cleaner, while the air fryers included below have a decibel reading on par with the hum of a refrigerator.
Notably, the ticking of an analog timer, compared with the relative quiet of a machine with digital controls may be a nuisance if you’re sensitive to sound, but you'll see that two out of the three quietest models below are analog.
For more information, check out our air fryer buying guide. And to get all the specs on the full lineup of air fryers we've tested, see our air fryer ratings.
GoWise USA GW22731
CR’s take: The GoWise USA GW22731 ranks among the best air fryers in our ratings—and among the quietest CR recommends. Though it only receives a Fair rating for how easy it is to clean, it receives top marks for noise and simple-to-use controls. The decibel reading for this unit is slightly higher than the Farberware and the Black+Decker, below, but this model has a larger basket capacity.
Farberware 3.2 Quart Oil-Less Multi-Functional Fryer Black FT 42138 BK
CR’s take: This model was named a CR Best Buy, thanks to its combination of great performance and a price tag as low as $60. Beyond affordability, the Farberware deserves praise for coming in at the very top spot in our noise test—the decibel reading on this unit is far lower than the competition’s. It also receives a Very Good rating for easy-to-use controls but performs less favorably in our cleaning test.
Black+Decker Purify HF100WD
CR’s take: The analog Black+Decker Purify HF100WD is great if your main concern is noise, but it scores poorly in our controls test because of the extremely small numbering on the analog dial. Other redeeming qualities include a Very Good score for cleaning—plus, it’s widely available at several major home retailers. The decibel reading on this unit is slightly higher than the Farberware models.
