These days everyone seems interested in air fryers and the wonders of air frying, and that includes the elderly! And why not? Air frying is pretty simple after all! In this article I want to talk about some key factors to take into consideration when buying an air fryer for someone that is elderly. Of course, this is quite a generic term and all elderly people are different! But this is just to give you a starting point of what to consider. What is the best air fryer for the elderly in 2024? Let’s find out together…..
Throughout this article, the air fryers recommended are from Amazon. Simply click the image of any air fryer shown here and it will take you straight over to Amazon to view it for yourself.
What Should you Consider when buying an Air Fryer for the Elderly?
When buying an air fryer for the elderly there are few key things you should think about first. Some these could totally change the type of air fryer you go for.
Weight
The weight of an air fryer can be important when buying one for the elderly. Sometimes you may need to move an air fryer around to make space in your kitchen or to clean underneath it. Or if you have a particularly small kitchen, you may want to put it away in a cupboard when not in use. When cleaning the air fryer basket, you will need to take it over to the sink more often than not too.
In that case, you should buy a lighter air fryer, as it could be hard for an elderly person to lift and carry a heavy air fryer around. If possible, an air fryer that has an easier form factor to pick up would also be a plus here.
Size
Most elderly households are made up of one or two people. So there is no need to buy a massive air fryer, which also fits in with the weight issue talked about above. You want the air fryer to be manageable but still have enough space to cook with, negating the need to cook in batches. I would say an air fryer of around 4-6 quarts in size would be perfect.
Simplicity
I know there are some great geeky Grandmas and Grandpas out there that would make a mockery of this point, but in general many elderly people may struggle with an air fryer that is too complex and button heavy! Therefore, I would go for an air fryer that is simple and easy to use, rather than one that has a control panel like a spaceship!
Cooking Presets
This one really depends on how much knowledge you have about air fryers as an elderly person 🙂 If you give someone an air fryer who doesn’t know how to use them, they may start using cook times that they have used in the past for an oven. This would result in overcooked and maybe even charred food, as an air fryer is a much more intense form of cooking than an oven.
If you think this could be a problem, you can buy an air fryer that already comes with cooking presets built into the unit. It would be best if each preset comes in the form of a button on the front of the air fryer, with a clear picture of what that preset is for. The required time and temperature is then automatically set, leaving less room for errors.
Safety Features
It is quite common for the elderly to get forgetful in their old age. Therefore, it is vital that you buy an air fryer with built in safety features that will help negate any potential safety issues that come from forgetfulness. The main one would be an auto shutoff feature that will automatically shut the air fryer off if it is overheating. As an elderly person, you should have a smoke alarm in your kitchen which will alert you if the air fryer starts smoking.
Quality
For many elderly people, it is going to be a real unwanted hassle to have to return an air fryer or get it fixed in any way. Therefore, it is vitally important that a quality air fryer is bought that is known to be well built and not have reliability issues.
Best Air Fryer for the Elderly in 2024
1. Amazon Basics 3.2 Quart Air Fryer
To me, this is the perfect air fryer for the elderly. It is from a well-known brand in Amazon, and it comes in two different varieties. One with a digital panel with presets and the other with two simple rotary dials for time and temperature. This means you can decide and buy which is best for your situation. In fact, even the rotary dial model has the times and temperatures of frequently air fried items print large on the top of the control panel, which helps a great deal. In both cases, this Amazon air fryer is a prime example of simplicity in action. Ease of use is a massive feature here.
Usually I hate rotary dial air fryers that restrict you to a maximum cook time of 30 minutes, but for the elderly, this is good. It means if they do accidentally put the air fryer on for too long, it is somewhat limited by the 30 minute maximum. So in this case it is good that the manual version of this Amazon air fryer has a 30 minute timer 🙂
The only slight downside is that this is a 3.2 quart air fryer, so if you want to cook a lot in your air fryer (like whole meals for two people) you may find this air fryer on the small side.
Even though this is a simple air fryer, it does come with the required automatic shutoff safety feature. And it is one of the cheaper air fryers on this list! So all in all, I think this is a great place to start when thinking about air fryer for the elderly.
2. Elite Gourmet EAF4617 Electric Digital Hot Air Fryer
Elite have been making air fryers for a very long time and really stand by their products. They not only make long-lasting air fryers, but have excellent customer service that will help you resolve any issues you may have. This is important when buying an air fryer for the elderly.
The main feature here is the fact that it has one of the simplest and clearest control panels you will find on an air fryer, basically consisting of two big rotary dials with the temperature and time numbers clearly labelled. This is perfect for ease of use and clarity, even for those with issues such as failing sight. And, like the Amazon example above, the Elite Gourmet air fryer has some of the temperatures and times for some popular air fried items marked clearly on the top of the unit. This air fryer also only goes with a 30 minute maximum time of their rotary dial, which is good in this case 🙂
Being 4 quarts in size, this air fryer is slightly bigger than the Amazon unit, so might be better suited to someone that requires slightly more capacity when air frying.
3. Ninja AF161 Max XL Air Fryer
Ninja have really grown in recent years as a well-known manufacturer of quality kitchen appliances. They have been one of the great innovators in the air fryer market as far as I am concerned, and back this up with well-built machines that will last.
This air fryer does have buttons instead of rotary dials to control time and temperature, but the way the control panel is laid out is still clear and simple. And the buttons respond well to your touch, so I still think this is a great air fryer for the elderly. Nothing worse than low quality capacitive touch buttons that are slow to respond, as I have found out reviewing some other air fryer in my time!
This air fryer is 5.5 quarts in size, so should be a good size for most elderly households, whilst still being compact and light enough to handle if needed.
Just be aware that this air fryer doesn’t have any presets on the control panel, so you will need to know the timings and temperatures yourself when cooking in it. It does come with a recipe book though, which may help.
4. Instant Vortex 5.7 Quart Air Fryer
Instant are best known for their Instant Pot product that ‘blew up’ for them a while back and became all the rage for a while 🙂 They have also been producing air fryers for a while now and seem to know how to put together a good one. It is reassuring to know you are again buying from a big brand in the world of kitchen appliances, and if this goes wrong, they will sort you out!
This Instant Vortex does have a button focused control panel, but like with the Ninja, these are high quality and responsive buttons. And one large rotary dial is used to adjust the time and temperature up and down once selected, which some elderly people may prefer over endlessly pressing buttons 🙂 All in all, it’s another example of simplicity in action when it comes to a control panel. Perfect for the elderly, in my view. A big and clear set of buttons that anyone could use!
Although again, the slight downside is that there are no obvious cooking presets on the control panel itself.
Instant Vortex also has the overheat and auto shutoff buttons that are important safety features to have in an air fryer for the elderly.
And at 5.7 quarts, this is probably one of the largest air fryers you could buy an elderly person. And I like it squared out form factor, making it much easier to carry than some more cylindrical units!
