A family friend recently asked me for an air fryer recommendation, with the caveat that it needed to match the exact dimensions of the drawer she planned to keep it in. My face instantly gave away my confusion, and I blurted out, 'Why would you store an air fryer in a drawer, not on a worktop?'
I have one golden rule in my kitchen: everything must be easy to use. Putting even the best air fryer anywhere other than on a kitchen worktop goes directly against this in my book.
My rule came from growing up with a kitchen where you'd have to carefully rearrange half the kitchen to access any of the small appliances.
I didn't want this to be the case in my kitchen, so when I bought my Ninja air fryer, the squat black box went straight out on the worktop. But what I lost in space and aesthetics, I got back with an easy-to-access appliance I use almost daily.
Our Kitchen Appliance Editor, Molly Cleary, who has tested nearly every air fryer on the market, has a similar opinion. 'I end up talking to people a lot about appliances even when I'm not working, and it does surprise me how many people stash their air fryers under their worktops,' she says. 'I use mine way too much to not have it on my worktop and I'm seriously pressed for space in my flat'
Even after moving to a larger flat with more storage options, you'll still find a coffee machine, air fryer, stand mixer, microwave and Soda Stream all on display. I find that it's not just ease of use, but if I can't see it, I won't use it.
But my cluttered worktops are my Editor-in-Chief's worst nightmare. She instead uses clever kitchen storage ideas to tuck her stand mixer and other small appliances out of sight.
'I find as soon as anything lives on the kitchen worktop, other things quickly gather, which is one of the big reasons I like to keep them completely clear,' says Heather.
'I also like the feeling of openness and space that clear worktops creates. I have light-coloured worktops that blend in with the wall behind them, so keeping them empty of stuff makes the whole area feel larger. And lastly, as a family of keen cooks, I want to maximise all available worktop space for food prep, rather than giving it over to appliances.'
Where do you stand on the debate: should an air fryer and other small appliances be on display in a kitchen or neatly hidden away?
Or are there some exceptions to the rule? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below.
