Best Lab-Tested Microwaves That Can Air-Fry
These microwaves not only heat and defrost with ease but also can serve up crispy french fries, chicken wings, and more
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Especially if your kitchen is small, a countertop appliance that multitasks is ideal. Toaster ovens have been able to bake, broil, and even air-fry for some time, but increasingly, microwaves are taking on that task.
“Microwave ovens with built-in air-frying are no longer novelties,” says Kelly Moomey, the Consumer Reports market analyst who covers microwaves. Moomey says air-frying has become a baseline expectation in the midpriced-to-premium segment and that for models with that feature, “pricing has leveled off somewhat.”
How Air-Frying in a Microwave Works
Because of their size, microwaves with air-frying capability can typically handle larger dishes than your average dedicated air fryer can. They can also handle softer foods that might be hard to cook in a typical air-fryer basket. So how exactly can an appliance that turns out soft and quick quesadillas, fluffy rice, and melty leftover lasagna manage to crisp up tater tots, chicken wings, and more?
A convection fan circulates the hot air that’s already being produced by two heating elements, typically located at the top and bottom of the microwave, says Judy Herrera, cooking appliances and microwaves merchandising director at Home Depot, which sells its own microwave with air-frying capability under the Vissani brand name.
“When you flip to the air-fry mode in a microwave, it uses that third heating element with a fan to circulate the hot air, which helps remove moisture from the air and gets customers that crispy texture,” Herrera says. She recommends using the air fryer basket that comes with the microwave for the best results, because it allows the hot air to more effectively surround the food.
Since fewer than 30 of the more than 170 microwaves in CR’s ratings have this new feature, we haven’t yet incorporated evaluations of air-frying capability into our formal testing, but Moomey is keeping an eye on its growing popularity to inform our test procedures. To find air-fry microwaves in our ratings, filter by convection mode under features.
What to Cook in a Microwave That Can Air-Fry
Like models from other brands, Whirlpool microwaves that can air-fry have specific air-fry settings for foods like french fries, brussels sprouts, roasted potatoes, and chicken nuggets, based on the weight or number of servings you plan to make. (The Vissani air-frying microwave even has a setting specifically for spring rolls.) You can also use a manual air-fry setting to choose the desired temperature and cooking time.
“Keep in mind that a light layer of oil helps things crisp up, but be sure to avoid recipes using wet batters, as they’ll just make a mess,” Whirlpool says on its website. Using a dedicated air fryer may be a better choice for this.
Microwaves that air-fry aren’t just good at heating; they’re also good at reheating, says JL Lavina, a spokesperson for LG, which also makes microwaves that can air-fry. “Reheat things you want more crispy with convection or air fry,” Lavina says. “Chicken nuggets, pizza, or make use of those cold leftover french fries that just aren’t the same without a fresh crisp added back on them.”
If you’re looking for a versatile new appliance that can handle a variety of tasks—and maybe help you save counter space—here are some top-rated microwaves that can also air-fry, listed in alphabetical order.
Best Countertop Microwaves That Can Air-Fry
The GE JES1109RRSS is a midsized countertop microwave that earns a very good score in our heating evenness tests when operating as a traditional microwave. However, expect it to take some time: It receives a mediocre score in our speed-of-heating tests. This microwave has an auto-defrost setting, which contributes to its excellent score for defrosting evenness in our tests. Unlike higher-end models, it lacks a sensor, so it won’t be able to determine when cooking is done based on the amount of steam your food emits.
The GE Profile PCWK15C1WSS is a large countertop microwave that does a very good job in our tests for heating, defrosting, and noise. This microwave has WiFi connectivity that lets you start, stop, and pause it, and add 30 seconds or 2 minutes to your cook time remotely or with Alexa voice commands. (We haven’t formally tested these connected features.) However, it receives only mediocre scores for ease of use and speed of heating. Despite its solid performance in our tests, GE Profile’s brand reliability for microwaves was subpar in CR’s member surveys.
For a microwave this budget-friendly, it may be a surprise that the CR Recommended Vissani EC042A2KJ has air-frying functionality, as well as a sensor that tells your microwave when to stop cooking. It also operates relatively quietly, based on our tests with a noise meter at counter level, so you probably won’t need to raise your voice too much during conversations when it’s operating on high. Speed of heating and defrosting evenness scores are just mediocre based on our lab tests, however. It’s available at Home Depot.
Best Over-the-Range Microwaves That Can Air-Fry
To facilitate air-frying, the Frigidaire Professional PMOS1980AF microwave comes with a wire rack that allows heat to circulate around your food, and you can turn off the turntable, which you may not need for air-frying anyway. As for its performance in our lab tests of more traditional microwave features, this model rates excellent in our ease-of-use evaluations and shows very good performance in our tests of its venting over the range. Its heating evenness is also very good, but its heating speed is mediocre.
The LG MHEC1737F has a sleek, modern design overall, with buttons positioned below the viewing window instead of to the side. Performance-wise, this microwave earns an excellent score for even defrosting, and it operates quietly. It earned a middling score for owner satisfaction, however. This model also carries our Green Choice designation for its lower environmental impact, based on energy usage. LG, as a microwave brand, earned an excellent score for predicted reliability in Consumer Reports’ member surveys.
The Whirlpool WMH78519LZ earns a very good score for defrosting evenness, as demonstrated by our test, where we defrost a pound of ground beef using the auto defrost setting—so you can forget about the days when that setting meant partially cooked meat with a frozen center. Like many microwaves of this type, it does only a mediocre job of venting over the range in our airflow tests. In addition to having air-fry capability, it also has a grill feature. Whirlpool, as a microwave brand, earns an excellent score for predicted reliability.
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