Air fryers offer a healthier alternative to oil when cooking but they can be quite expensive. They are extremely popular thanks to their ability to cook crispy chicken and chips as though they were deep fried but they use air instead of oil.

Air fryers simply work by circulating hot air so how different can a budget model and a premium model be?

This comparison takes a look at Kmart 5.3 Litre Air Fryer and the Philips Daily Collection Airfryer to see which air fryer offers the best value for money.

Key Similarities

30 Minute Timer

When you are cooking food you can manually set the timer on either machine up to 30 minutes. As they are both manual there is a quiet ticking sound but digital models are available if preferred.

Each fryer will automatically turn off or click into standby mode when the set time has been reached. They will also alert you with a noise or by using the indicator lights.

Plastic Body

The build and appearance of the two air fryers is quite similar. They are both constructed of plastic with a pull out tray situated on the lower half of the appliance. The black plastic looks smart and durable. Both options will look great in a kitchen and won’t take up much counter space.

The Kmart appliance is slanted at the top which looks stylish and gives the user easy access to both control dials. The Philips Daily Colleciton air fryer has flat top with the timer dial on the front of the machine and the temp dial positioned where the top and the front panels meet.

Adjustable Temperature

Both appliances offer a wide temperature range so you can ajdust the settings to suit what you are making. You can roast, bake or fry your food at the temp of your choosing up to 200 degrees C.

The guide printed on the Kmart air fryer is useful as it gives you the key cooking information for a range of foods such as fries (15-20 minutes at 200° C).

Dishwasher safe

For ease of use both of the air fryers have components that can be safely washed in a dishwasher. This includes the Daily Collection removable non stick drawer and food basket and the Kmart pan and food basket. Although an air fryer does not need oil, oil may drip down from your food and collect up in the pan so cleaning after each use is essential. It doesn’t matter which one you choose, cleaning the kitchen appliance will be quick and easy.

Key Differences

Size

The larger airfryer is the Kmart model, it offers more capacity (5.3 litres) for food allowing you to cook bigger meals. The basket of the Philips model is 28 ounces (approximately 4.1L).

Despite the Kmart fryer offering more room for food the air fryer itself is 33.1 x 32 x 33.6cm which is only slightly larger than the Philips model which is 28.7 x 38.4 x 31.5 cm. There isn’t that much of a difference in physical size between the two. The Daily Collection air fryer is also the heavier machine at 7kg compared to Kmarts 5.23kg fryer.

Controls

Both models offer manual controls. The Kmart fryer has helpful cooking guidelines printed on the top of the appliance so you can quickly and easily see the recommended temp and cooking time for popular foods such as chicken, chips and fish. You set the temperature and time manually and the Daily Collection Fryer will ding when it is finished while the Kmart machine will click.

Power

When it comes to energy efficiency and wattage there’s not much in it. The Daily Collection air fryer uses 1425 watts which is slightly less than the Kmart uses when heating and cooking food. The Kmart model uses 1800 watts.

Warranty

Both of these appliances come with a warranty. The Daily Collection air fryer comes with a 2 year guarantee and the low cost alternative comes with a 1 year warranty.

Price

One of the biggest differences is how much each one will cost you. The price of the 5.3L Kmart fryer is $89 while the Philips model will set you back $189. The Kmart model has proven to be good value for money as it has many positive reviews from customers that are happy with the features, functions and price. The Philips also has lots of positive reviews so which one is best?

Choosing Your Air Fryer

As you can see, there are a number of similarities in the features and functions of these two air fryers. Fundamentally, they both do the same thing in the same way.

The Kmart air fryer is the cheaper option but you don’t miss out on anything by choosing it. It offers the same features and has a larger capacity than the Philips machine. It’s a great low-cost option that will cook and fry fresh and frozen food with ease.

The main reason we can see for choosing the Philips fryer instead is for the Philips name and the quality this represents. You will also get a 2 year guarantee so you know you will be heating and frying your favourite food for at least the next 2 years.