Tested over two weeks of real cooking by Silvija Meilunaite, Certified Menopause Coaching Specialist (CSMC) and Precision Nutrition (PN1-NC) Coach.
The verdict
A non-toxic glass air fryer that over-delivers for the price - as long as you cook for one or two and don't mind a short learning curve.
I have done so much research on non-toxic air fryers and really wanted one, but I did not want something coated in Teflon, and I did not want my food to come out any less healthy or tasty than it would be if cooked in the oven. At this point, I think I know just about every non-toxic air fryer model on the market. I’ve rounded up the ones worth considering in my guide to the best non-toxic air fryers – and most of them come from the bigger, familiar brands.
So when I came across the Fritaire air fryer, I was intrigued. I loved the retro design and the idea, but I was cautious about the quality, as sometimes small brands take on the big players and innovate – they put real thought into the design, make it user-friendly without the price tag; sometimes they try but don’t have the resources to put into design and quality. I wanted to see what kind of brand Fritaire was.
Honesty note: Fritaire sent me this air fryer to test, free of charge. I was not paid for this review, and all opinions are my own and based on real, hands-on testing. This page also contains affiliate links, which means Barefoot Basil may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you if you choose to buy through them.
When the Fritaire air fryer arrived, my first surprise was the size. From the photos online, I expected something far too big and clunky for my small two-person kitchen. Once I unpacked it, it was actually the perfect size – not so bulky that it wouldn’t fit in a cupboard, not so big that it would take up the whole countertop, but still roomy enough to cook a proper meal for two. First impression – love the design, look, and size. The panel is extremely easy to use and is very straightforward with preset time and heat control, and that’s it.
But let’slook at specifications.
Fritaire air fryer specs:
- Cooking bowl: Tempered glass, around 5-quart capacity, 360° visibility
- Accessories: 304 stainless steel air stand, tumbler basket, rotisserie spit, grabber
- Power & temperature: 1,300W; up to 400°F; 0-60 minute timer
- Cooking presets: 6 one-touch settings: fries, meat, fish, chicken, toast, dehydrate (marketed as “9-in-1”)
- Non-toxic claims: No PTFE/Teflon, PFAS or BPA on food-contact surfaces (per Fritaire)
- Self-cleaning: Yes – water, mild soap and a hot-air cycle
- Colours: White, black, sage green, orange, cherry, mauve rose, lavender
- Warranty: 90-day limited guarantee (per Fritaire)
- Price: $199.99 (RRP $219.99)
What it is actually like to cook with
I have tested this airfryer for all kinds of meals, from quick tosties to frying some gyoza to roasting potatoes, salmon, and chicken.
My first test was a quick lunch. I made cheese toasties, and they came out perfectly in about 4 minutes. No preheating, which is the part I love. Through the 360° glass, you can literally watch the cheese melt – I found it very exciting to see the cheese melt away. In the oven, I’d have spent 15 minutes just preheating it. Clean-up afterwards was easy too, even with cheese that had dripped on the glass container.
The second meal was chopped potatoes with salmon. I put the potatoes in for around 15 minutes – still a little oil, but far less than I’d use in the oven – then added the salmon on top for another 10. Everything was cooked almost perfectly. The potatoes were a touch hard in places, and the salmon came out slightly drier than I’d like, so next time I’d give it a few minutes less. There is a learning curve: the presets and timings run a bit shorter than in an oven, and it takes a few meals to get a feel for them.
The second time, I cooked only potatoes for 25 minutes, and they came out perfect.
Cooking times and quality
After a few tests, I have learned that some things are very fast to make and some take a little longer than in a basket air fryer. A melted-cheese toastie took about four minutes. The potatoes-and-salmon meal was closer to 25 minutes in total. Overall, it cooks slightly faster than the oven, mostly because there’s no preheating. If speed is your priority, a basket fryer would still win – but for visible, controlled cooking, the glass wins.
It gets hot – treat it like the oven. The glass container gets very hot but is easy to handle if you are careful. Same mindset as the oven: use oven gloves or a towel for the glass, let it cool, and keep it away from little hands.
Some examples of food I made with my Fritaire air fryer. A roasted chickpea pepper salad with crispy halumi. Air-fried tofu with a side of potatoes and carrots.
The self-cleaning feature
This is the one that sounds like a gimmick but actually makes your life easier. You add some water and a drop of washing-up liquid, turn the airfryer on for 10 minutes, and the hot air rolls it around the bowl. It doesn’t scrub – so the trick is to run it not long after cooking while the grease is still fresh, then just rinse and wipe. The round glass shape helps the cleaning process; there are no square corners or hidden bits under a cooking plate where grease stays, which is exactly where the regular air fryers become annoying.
I’d love the option for a glass bowl to lift out of the base and go in the dishwasher. I suppose the self-clean does a similar job, so it’s not a dealbreaker, just would be a “nice to have”.
Fritaire Air Fryer Design
As I have a product and interior design background, I am very critical and picky when it comes to product features.
I love how this air fryer looks in my kitchen. It suits my retro Smeg fridge and cooker, and the rounded shape fits perfectly. I chose a white one to match my kitchen, but it also comes in other pastel colors, including sage green, orange, lavender, and rose.
The 360° glass bowl means you can watch the food cook without opening it – though you’ll still need to open it up to stir if you’re not using the tumbler. The footprint is perfect: not so big that it covers the worktop, but spacious enough for a meal for two.
The accessories
The Fritaire comes with many accessories, and if you like experimenting with food, you’ll enjoy them. I still need to test the rotisserie and tumbler properly. The motor that rotates them runs on batteries, and I didn’t have any to hand. I think that’s a plus and a minus. It’s lovely to have the options, but in this day and age, I’d rather the motor were rechargeable or simply built-in. I understand the batteries keep the cost down, but it’s the one design choice that feels a little dated and not very eco-friendly.
Is the Fritaire air fryer non-toxic?
The big selling point is that the Fritaire does not use Teflon. The cooking happens in a glass bowl with stainless steel accessories, so you are not cooking on a sprayed-on non-stick coating, and you do not have to worry about scratching or overheating it. For me, that is very important. Traditional non-stick coatings belong to “forever chemicals” or PFAS, and the peer-reviewed evidence on long-term PFAS exposure is alarming.
A major toxicology review links PFAS exposure to effects on immune and thyroid function, liver and kidney health, and lipid and insulin regulation, and we still have many other unknowns about the dangers.[1]
A separate Harvard-led review found one of the strongest associations was with raised blood lipids (dyslipidemia)[2].
These are associations rather than proof that your air fryer will harm you – but they are exactly why I would rather cook on glass and steel, and as I mentioned before, there are still many unknowns.
Fryraire air fryer is great as it uses a glass bowl and steel for cooking, but there is one small detail I want to flag.
There are a few plastic parts inside the cooking bowl. The handles that go into the bowl are plastic, and the tumbler and rotisserie attachments connect via plastic parts, too. They do not touch your food directly – but hot air is circulating them at cooking temperature, and for a product whose headline is “non-toxic”, I would love the inside to be completely plastic-free. I think those handle parts could have been stainless steel, and the attachment connectors could have been thought through a little more, especially for anyone who won’t use the rotisserie or tumbler often.
To Fritaire’s credit, they do address this directly. According to the brand, the small internal component is made from food-grade PPS plastic rated to 500°F, while the air fryer only reaches 400°F – so it sits well within the material’s limit. I think that is a fair answer, and I am glad the brand is up front about it, but if a 100% plastic-free interior is a must for you, it is an important detail I wanted to flag before you buy the Fritaire Air Fryer.
Little things the manual doesn’t tell you
Where to rest the hot lid. When you take off the top burner lid, I genuinely did not know how to put it down without burning surfaces. I ended up placing it upside down on the control panel, which felt wrong, but I noticed a few people reviewing the air fryer did the same. It turns out there are three little legs on the side designed exactly for resting it – so obvious once you see them, but I only noticed after a while. Brilliant feature; I just wish it was shown in the manual or the product photos.
Mind the plug when you replace the lid. The plug sits a little close to the burner, so you need to be careful not to catch the wire when you lift and replace the lid. Moving it slightly further away would make this fiddle-free.
Overal Fritaire Air Fryer score
Pros and cons
What I love
- The retro shape – it looks lovely on the counter and comes in several colours
- Glass bowl with 360° visibility so you can watch food cook
- Teflon-free, PFAS-free, BPA-free food-contact surfaces
- Self-cleaning feature that genuinely keeps it clean
- Right size for one to two people – a full meal in one go
- Strong value for the build quality and features
- Simple controls, no preheating
What could be better
- Battery-powered motor for the tumbler and rotisserie – I’d prefer built-in or rechargeable
- Glass bowl isn’t removable or dishwasher-safe
- Plug sits a little close to the burner
- Hot accessories take practice to remove
- Slower than a basket air fryer for some foods
- A few plastic parts inside the heated bowl (food-grade PPS, per the brand)
If you are exploring non-toxic kitchen gadgets, you might want to check the best blenders without plastic or a non-toxic slow cooker list.
Who should buy the Fritaire air fryer?
- Buy it if you want a non-toxic way to cook food quickly with little oil;
- if you love a retro look with colour options;
- if you avoid your current air fryer because the clean-up is such a chore;
- if you don’t want to pay $400 for a premium model but want something a step up from basic;
- if you like the idea of rotisserie and tumbler cooking, and
- if you’d rather see your food through glass.
- It suits one to two people best – big enough for a full meal, small enough to store easily – and it’s a nice way to back a smaller brand that’s actually innovating.
Who should skip it
Don’t get it
- If you’re feeding a family of five or six;
- if you specifically want a removable, dishwasher-safe glass container rather than a self-clean cycle;
- if you’d only ever buy from a big, established air fryer brand;
- if you’re nervous around hot surfaces and glass;
- or if any plastic inside the heated chamber is a hard no for you.
Fritaire Air Fryer Final Verdict
My first impressions were better than I expected, and I love that the real product over-delivers. I still have features to test – dehydrating and the rotisserie among them – and the manual has plenty of guidance I want to work through. I was a bit sceptical, partly because it’s a smaller brand, but I’m genuinely happy to have it in my kitchen. I can cook healthy food quickly without the need for an oven; it should also save a little electricity, and the slightly smaller capacity than my oven is honestly helping my portion control. For a non-toxic glass air fryer at this price, it’s an easy one to recommend for the right household.
Editorial Note: This post is for informational purposes only. Product formulations can change; always check current ingredient labels before purchasing.
References
- Fenton SE, Ducatman A, Boobis A, et al. Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substance Toxicity and Human Health Review: Current State of Knowledge and Strategies for Informing Future Research. Environ Toxicol Chem. 2021;40(3):606-630. doi:10.1002/etc.4890 [link: https://doi.org/10.1002/etc.4890]
- Sunderland EM, Hu XC, Dassuncao C, et al. A review of the pathways of human exposure to poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and present understanding of health effects. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 2019;29(2):131-147. doi:10.1038/s41370-018-0094-1 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-018-0094-1
Silvija Meilunaite, PN1-NC, CSMC, is a certified nutrition coach and menopause coaching specialist writing from personal experience of perimenopause. She covers midlife health, hormone-supportive nutrition, and non-toxic living with a research-driven approach, helping women over 40 feel informed, strong, and healthy.
