My air fryer has a steam function, I can

I’ve been using the Philips 5000 Series Double Basket XXL Air Fryer with Steam for over a year now and it hasn’t failed me once in that time. Despite its name, I like its versatility, and all thanks to its main fact of having an additional steam function.

Steam serves two purposes: cooking and cleaning. For the former, you can use a steam-only option for, say, dumplings and vegetables, or you can air fry + steam, which allows you to cook cakes and meats without drying them out too much. Honestly, I haven’t needed to use the latter as I haven’t had disappointing air frying results yet – I managed to get fantastic crackling on pork belly and crispy chicken skin on drumsticks while the meat inside was still succulent.

As I mentioned in my review of the Philips 5000 Series Double Basket XXL Air Fryer with Steam, there aren’t many alternatives offering the added feature of steaming. That said, Philips has a successor to this model which is a single basket air fryer (7.2L), but I think many families will benefit from two separate baskets to cook a full meal in one go: cook the meat in the larger 6L basket while the sides can fit in the smaller 3L.

Although I love and recommend this double basket air fryer, it would be dishonest of me not to mention some caveats, and they mainly relate to the steam function.

First, steaming is only available in the largest basket, so you’ll need to plan your meals accordingly. For example, if you plan to cook a large roast with steamed vegetables, the meat may not fit in the small drawer. On the other hand, steaming fish packets with vegetables is easier in a single drawer.

Secondly, steam can be used as part of a self-clean cycle but, again, this is limited to the 6L drawer only and it just helps loosen grease and caked-on food. You will still need to wash the drawer yourself or put it in the dishwasher (yes, you can do this safely).

There are 19 preset cooking functions to experiment with, but no user manual or recipe book comes in the box to help you get started. You’ll need to download Philips’ HomeID app for this.

Overall, my complaints are minor and I would still recommend this Philips 5000 Series Double Basket Air Fryer – in fact, it’s one of the best air fryers in Australia. I’ve cooked a fair amount of it since I started using it in January 2025 – tackling cheesy garlic crumpet bread, haloumi, stuffed mushrooms, dumplings and more in addition to the chicken drumsticks and pork belly I mentioned earlier – and it hasn’t disappointed. Take a look at the images on this page if you don’t believe me.

If you’re in the mood for a new air fryer, whether it’s your first or an upgrade, definitely consider the Philips 5000 Series Dual Basket XXL with Steam, especially at half the price.

Although she’s happiest with a camera in hand, Sharmishta’s main priority is being TechRadar’s APAC editor, looking after the day-to-day running of the site’s Australian, New Zealand and Singapore editions, handling everything from news and reviews to e-commerce content like deals and discount codes. Although she enjoys reviewing cameras and lenses when she can, she is also an avid reader and has become an expert on E Ink e-readers and writing tablets, having appeared on Singapore radio to talk about these underrated devices. In addition to her role at TechRadar, she is also the editor-in-chief of the Australian edition of Digital Camera World and writes for Tom’s Guide and T3.