Aldi launched an air fryer over the weekend, and it was trending on Twitter next to Glastonbury tickets. The Ninja air fryer dupe costs £89.99 (£140 cheaper than the Ninja) and has since sold out online – here’s when you can get your hands on one in-store.
The Ambiano Dual Basket Air Fryer, at Aldi (opens in new tab) provides shoppers with a cheaper and often healthier alternative for cooking up roast dinners, chips, vegetables and all kinds of other snacks. Given the low cost of running an air fryer when compared with a traditional oven, it’s a money-saving win.
(Image credit: Aldi)
Aldi air fryer
The arrival of the Aldi air fryer on Sunday caused the website and app to crash, and customers waited in virtual queues of around 83,000 people, with many missing out. The Ninja dupe will be in Aldi stores from Sunday November 13th, although it clearly won’t be around for long.
Aldi fans tweeted about how hard it was to get their hands on one: ‘I feel like I’m part of a MASSIVE historical event for the ages by being one of the gazillions trying to get an air fryer,’ one wrote. ‘I can tell kiddo in years to come “I was there!! And I fought hard.”‘
Another said they clicked on Aldi to look at the special buys to find they were put in a long queue. ‘I don’t even want an air fryer! I want to see if they have any dog beds,’ they wrote.
(Image credit: Aldi)
So, is the Aldi air fryer worth the hype? There are a few things to look for when buying an air fryer, from capacity to aesthetics and ease of use.
Ideal Home’s Head of Reviews Millie Fender says, ‘There’s no denying that it’s a great price when compared to the Ninja Dual Zone, at Amazon (opens in new tab) which is one of the best air fryers I’ve tried but also one of the most expensive. I don’t particularly like that it has modes for meat, chips etc because I think those overcomplicate things.
‘Different meats will take different times to cook or will cook best at different temperatures so those buttons are a bit defunct in practice and I tend to steer clear of air fryers that feature them. I do really like that there’s a keep warm button and that it has the same sync finish and match drawer capabilities that the Ninja does. There’s no info on whether the drawers can go in the dishwasher, which is one of the things I like about the Ninja.’
(Image credit: Alamy)
Millie Fender
Millie is the Head of Reviews for Ideal Home, working to ensure that the products we feature have been thoroughly tested before we recommend them to you. Previously Small Appliance and Cookware Editor, she remains our go-to expert for all things air fryer related. She’s constantly reviewing the latest and greatest kitchen appliances, and has tested the large majority of options in this guide to tell you exactly what you need to know about them.
Ideal Home‘s Ecommerce Editor Molly Cleary says the Aldi air fryer will be great for cutting the cost of making a Christmas dinner. ‘It has two baskets, handy for cooking roast dinners or Christmas dinner as it lets you divide up elements,’ she says.
It also has a digital touch screen, a 60-minute timer, cool touch handles and adjustable temperature controls. The seven cooking programmes mean you can use it to reheat, defrost, keep warm, fry, bake, grill, roast and dehydrate.
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