Everyone Called It A Fad — Now It's One Of The Most Used Kitchen Appliances

When air fryers started popping up everywhere several years ago, some thought they would simply be a fading trend. Instead, these countertop appliances have continued to grow in popularity since they were first sold in 2010. Nowadays, when people think of their favorite kitchen appliances, air fryers are a common favorite, even in small kitchens with less countertop space.

According to a survey conducted by CNET in 2025, 70% of adults in the United States either own an air fryer already or plan to buy one when they can. After being launched, air fryer sales continued to increase for years, gaining a ton of traction during the COVID-19 pandemic in the early 2020s. A report by Research and Markets found that in 2020 and 2021, air fryer sales in the United States saw a 76% bump. Since then, more and more air fryers are sold every year, continuing the growth.

The appliances have become such household staples that many frozen foods now include instructions for air fryer cooking. This uptick is likely due to the air fryer's convenience, fast cooking times, and the ability to make crispy food healthier by cooking with less oil. Jenny Catton, a food blogger who runs The Air Fryer Kitchen, explains the consistent popularity to CNET. "Air fryers can handle nearly any dish you'd cook in a traditional oven, but in a fraction of the time," she says. "They're ideal for busy people. Once someone tries an air fryer, they usually tell their friends, and then those friends want one too."

The original, modern air fryer was invented in 2006 by Fred van der Weij, a Dutch engineer. His idea was similar to the convection oven, using fans to move hot air around the space and cook food more evenly. By placing a basket inside the appliance, van der Weij's original air fryer improved on the convection oven, allowing the hot air to move beneath the food as well. Unfortunately, it took years to develop his patented rapid air technology, and at first it didn't work. In an interview with BBC, the inventor's daughter, Suus van der Weij, explains her father's persistence to create the air fryer. " ... I believe at some point, I thought he was just living in the garage. He couldn't lose faith," she says.

He improved the invention, building multiple prototypes and eliciting help from colleagues until it worked. In 2010, van der Weij sold his patent for rapid air technology to Philips, an electronics company. The first Philips air fryer was shown at the IFA technology fair in Berlin in 2010, and the appliance took off from there. Other brands started developing their own models, and now there are many air fryers on the market. In 2015, the name-brand Philips air fryer was the top choice for low-fat frying tools, according to the Chicago Tribune. The consistency of the craze has started to prove that air fryers really are that life-changing.

Because they are so small, air fryers provide a quick and convenient way to heat food without it getting soggy like in the microwave. Though ovens have been a common way to crisp up or bake food in the past, its size makes it one of the costliest kitchen appliances to run in your home. Not only is the upfront cost of an air fryer much less than an oven, but you won't have to heat as big of a cooking chamber or run the appliance for as long. Between the convenience and the cost, air fryers could be taking over as one of the most-used appliances in the kitchen.

A representative for the Ninja appliance brand told CNET that there's a large possibility air fryers will start to phase out classic ovens. "We're seeing people cook entire meals — chicken on one side, Brussels sprouts on the other," the rep says. "In many ways, it's replacing how people use their oven." The versatility of the air fryer to cook various frozen and fresh foods (including raw meat) as well as its speed and cost effective nature, contribute to its fame.

Fred van der Weij passed away in 2022, but his invention has shifted modern cooking techniques for the foreseeable future. From chefs to home cooks, the air fryer continues to impress and has shown itself to be far more than a passing trend in the 16 years since its release.