Philips Premium Airfryer XXL review: An absolute behemoth of an air fryer
Summary
Quick verdict: Philips' largest air fryer is big enough for the whole family and it’s so easy to use, a child could do it (with supervision of course).
- Large basket size
- Extremely easy to use
- Fast cooking
- Takes up a decent amount of bench space
- Timer shuts off before it hits zero
- Dial markers rubbed off after a few months
Philips is well known for its extensive range of air fryers, from compact units to family-sized models. The Philips Air Fryer Premium XXL is an analog air fryer with the largest load capacity that Philips has to offer.
Unlike the digital version of the Premium XXL that we reviewed earlier this year, this analog model doesn't come with any bells or whistles. However, it's easy to use and cooks around 1.5 times faster than the average oven.
Design
Image: Sarah Brandon/Finder
The analog version of the Philips Premium Airfryer XXL (HD9630/21) comes in white plastic with a 1.4 kg basket capacity.
As far as appliances are concerned, air fryers have pretty straightforward designs and the analog Philips Premium Airfryer XXL is about as simple as they come.
The top of the unit has a chart of suggested temperatures for commonly air-fried foods such as hot chips, chicken and muffins. The top also holds the temperature control dial that can be adjusted from 80 - 200°C.
On the front of the unit is another rotating dial that acts as both an on switch and a timer. Twisting the dial turns the fryer on and allows you to set the cooking time up to 60 minutes.
However, my model always shuts off a few minutes before it hits zero so I make sure to set a back-up timer on my phone whenever I use this air fryer.
While it would be nice to have a working timer, especially since this model isn't exactly packed with features, I haven't found it to be too bothersome.
Image: Sarah Brandon/Finder
Underneath the timer, you can find the basket handle. The basket slides in and out more easily than some other air fryers I've used. It's dishwasher safe and has a 7.3L capacity.
Philips claims that it can hold up to 1.4 kg of chips, or a whole chicken. While I didn't test the capacity in terms of meat products, I did chuck an entire 1kg bag of frozen fries and several frozen Quorn vegan nuggets in at the same time. Everything came out fully cooked and nicely crispy, though it's worth noting that I did open the basket and stir the contents twice to make sure all the chips were evenly cooked.
The best thing about the Philips Air Fryer Premium XXL is how big it is. If you're cooking for a whole family, a small air fryer isn't going to cut it. However, the bulkiness of the unit is also its biggest downside. If you don't have a lot of bench or storage space, the XXL might end up taking over your kitchen.
I have a tiny kitchen and use an IKEA trolley as a benchtop. I planned to keep the XXL tucked away in a cabinet when I wasn't cooking with it but I ended up using it far more than I anticipated. I've used this air fryer almost every day for the last 6 months and it's been worth the sacrifice I've had to make in terms of bench space.
Image: Sarah Brandon/Finder
If you do want to store the air fryer in a cabinet or cupboard, the back of the unit has integrated cord storage to make it easier to put away.
Performance
Image: Sarah Brandon/Finder
The Philips Air Fryer Premium XXL analog air fryer couldn't be easier to use. All you have to do is plug it in, set the temperature and turn on the timer.
Unlike an oven, you don't have to preheat it before you can load it with food.
Over the last 6 months, I've used it to cook just about every vegetable I could think of. From potatoes to capsicum to zucchini to kale, if you can get it in the veg section of the supermarket, I've chucked it in my air fryer.
Just about everything has turned out fantastically. It cooks significantly faster than my aging electric oven, doesn't require much oil and cooks everything evenly – provided you don't overload the basket.
The only thing I've struggled to make with it is kale chips. The fan blows the kale around and small pieces get sucked up into the heating unit and burn. That hasn't stopped me from using it to make kale chips but I make sure to only use large pieces of kale, and I open the basket every 20 seconds or so to make sure nothing is burning.
Image: Sarah Brandon/Finder
A few months ago my toaster broke, so I've also put this air fryer to the test when it comes to toast and bread products. As with every other food I've thrown into the basket, it heats bread evenly and quickly.
However, if you want to make a toasted cheese or another type of sandwich, you have to be careful about the ingredients getting blown around by the fan and making a mess. I learned this from experience when I tossed some shredded cheese on a piece of bread and opened the basket to find an empty piece of toast and a layer of burnt cheese on the bottom of the basket.
As I mentioned, the timer on my unit is faulty. Once it hits around 5 minutes, the fryer shuts off but the timer keeps ticking, which means the dial markings on the timer are pretty much useless. After glancing at some user reviews, it looks like I'm not the only customer who has had this problem.
Instead of relying on the timer dial, I set a timer on my phone instead. It's not ideal but it hasn't bothered me too much. If you don't have your phone in your pocket at all times or want a fryer with a reliable timer, consider a digital model.
This Premium air fryer apparently comes with "Fat Removal technology" that can separate and remove excess fat. However, I didn't particularly notice a difference in cooking or taste from other air fryers I've used.
Cleaning and maintenance
The Philips Air Fryer Premium XXL basket is dishwasher safe. However, I found that my unit usually just needed a quick wipe down with a sponge after cooking, unless I made something particularly messy.
Image: Sarah Brandon/Finder
After months of daily use, the unit has held up well in all areas except that the markings on the timer dial have rubbed off. This isn't a huge issue for me because, as I mentioned, I haven't been using this dial to keep track of cooking time, but it's still worth noting.
Should you buy the Philips Air Fryer Premium XXL?
- Buy it if you want an extremely easy to use air fryer with a huge basket size.
- Don't buy it if you have a tiny kitchen with no storage space.
When it comes to air fryers, no matter how big it is, you'll run out of room in the basket eventually – especially if, like me, you tend to cook multiple things at once. Now that I've used the Philips Air Fryer Premium XXL, I couldn't go back to a smaller unit. If you're not sure which size to go for, I've learned from experience that bigger is better, as long as you have the bench and storage space.
I use the Philips Air Fryer Premium daily to the point where I've pretty much stopped using my oven entirely. At this point, I would replace my oven with an oven sized Philips air fryer if I could. If Philips ever comes out with an XXXL model, I'd buy it without question. But for now, the XXL size will have to do.
However, if not having a working timer is a deal breaker for you, check out some other options in our best air fryers guide.
Pricing and availability
How we tested
I used the Philips Air Fryer Premium XXL for over 6 months, cooking everything from asparagus to zucchini, to see how it held up after daily use and regular cleaning.
Specifications
Specs
Features
