I tested the Philips 3000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer – and I’ll never roast a chicken in the oven again

As Deputy Food Editor at Woman & Home, I'm an experienced chef, recipe writer and avid air fryer user as part of my everyday life. Having tested numerous of the best air fryer models on the market, including all of the best ninja air fryers and other reputable brands I consider myself something of an expert. 

I've long supported chicken being one of the things you can cook in an air fryer and my experience of using this latest Philips model cemented that further – it was the easiest and tastiest way of cooking a chicken I had ever experienced and this is how I intend to roast chicken from now on. 

To showcase how we test air fryers, I've put this model through its paces - to explore all the perks and reveal any (if any) imperfections. Read on to discover my honest and professional thoughts on this stylish new Philips air fryer model.

Philips 3000 Series Dual Basket Air fryer review: specifications

• RRP: £179.99
• Dimensions: H31.4 x W44.4 x D38.3 cm
• Capacity: 9L over the two baskets (6L + 3L)
• Modes available: Air Fry
• Dishwasher safe? Yes
• Maximum temperature: 200°C
• Maximum timer: 60 mins

My first impressions of the Philips 3000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer

On unboxing the Philips 3000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer I was charmed by the pleasing shape. The matt black case and rose gold coloured handles give this model a contemporary on-trend feel – and looks do count when you consider where you place an air fryer in the kitchen, on display for all to see.

The design is sleek: the touchscreen display means there is no requirement for knobs or switches. It’s a large air fryer, but economical in size with just a couple of cm casing; the majority of space that this machine requires is valuable cooking space. 

It was easy to turn on and the touchscreen display is relatively self-explanatory, despite this, I did consult the online manual for cooking times and temperatures as the manual in the box isn’t very in-depth, however, you could jump straight in if you were using one of the eight preset functions. 

How does the Philips 3000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer perform?

Ease of use

The illuminated touchscreen display has multiple pre-set cooking functions and is easy to use. It is also simple to manually set a temperature (from 40 to 200°C) and cooking time (between 1-60 mins). 

The temperature and time can be different for each basket. If you have different cooking times selected then the ‘Time function button’ will synchronise the timings so that both baskets finish cooking simultaneously. This is particularly helpful when cooking multiple dishes for the same meal. I used this function to cook salmon fillets in the smaller basket and potatoes in the larger so they were ready to eat together. 

It’s worth consulting the online manual to establish the weight of each food that can be cooked in each basket. Phillips has also created an app called ‘Philips HomeID’ which contains recipes compatible with this model. The app is confusing as it refers to accessories that don’t come in the box and it’s unclear how to purchase them, but the manual is a helpful resource for calculating cooking times and temperatures. 

Cooking capabilities

This is where this air fryer excels. First off you can cook immediately, there’s no pre-heating required, great news for all you impatient chefs out there! But best of all was how well this air fryer cooked with minimal need for intervention such as tossing or the need for copious amounts of oil. This model wins the air fryer vs oven debate hands down.

The fan is powerful (Philips call it “Rapid Air Technology”) so the hot air is well circulated meaning that food browns evenly without drying out. This quality cooking technology could have something to do with their time in the game, Philips claims to be the inventor of the air fryer. Sara Vaum, Senior Product Manager at Philips explains: “Philips first introduced air fryers to UK homes in 2010, meaning we’ve got nearly 15 years of unrivalled expertise in helping families make healthy, balanced and tasty meals at home with the minimum of fuss.” 

We've also reviewed the Philips XXL Connected air fryer.

I cooked a 1.2kg chicken in the larger basket. I followed the suggested cooking instructions from the manual (160°C for 60-70 mins). However unable to resist, I peaked at the 40 mins mark and the chicken looked golden so I tested it with a probe thermometer that confirmed it was ready. 

I rested the chicken in the basket for 20 minutes until the chips cooking in the smaller were ready. The chicken was perfect, evenly golden on top and inside the meat was incredibly succulent. It produced a whole jug of gravy and best of all limited mess. 

By now we’re all aware that air fryers sadly can’t fully replicate the full allure and crisp exterior of a properly deep-fried chip, but considering they require a fraction of the amount of oil they don’t do a bad job. This also makes air fryers healthy as a cooking option.

Philips suggests using an air fryer to cook chips requires “Up to 90% less fat compared to homemade fries cooked in a conventional deep fat fryer”. So when comparing the two it’s worth taking into account that air frying chips is a healthier cooking method than deep frying, and often the low-fat versions of fatty foods struggle to compete. 

But the homemade chips that I cooked in the Philips 3000 Series Dual Basket Airfryer were delicious. I used the ‘Fresh fries’ cooking function and followed the instructions in the manual to first soak the cut potatoes for 30 mins before patting the chips dry with a paper towel and tossing them with 1 tbsp of cooking oil. It was easy to do and the results were impressive, each chip was well-cooked and evenly golden, they were starting to crisp on the outside, but the inside was fluffy to perfection.

Manoeuvring the food out of the small baskets can be challenging as the manual advises not to tip the food out, but instead pick it out. I suggest using or purchasing non-abrasive air fryer accessories to assist with this. With a nifty tilt and flick action, I got the chips onto the plate.

Size

The two baskets are different sizes which is ideal for cooking a meal as typically one element requires less space than the other. However, it’s worth noting that even the larger drawer isn’t huge, so the amount of food you can cook is limited. The big basket can accommodate a maximum of 1.2kg chicken. A chicken this size is sufficient to feed three. 

If you regularly have more mouths to feed then a larger model such as the Ninja Speedi that can accommodate a chicken up to 2.5kg may be more useful. I fitted two salmon fillets in the small basket while using the larger one to cook the potatoes and vegetables together. The size would be perfect to cook a meal for two, so suggest this model to couples or small families.

Storage

This air fryer weighs 7.85kg, and is lighter than other models of a similar size (the Ninja Foodi FlexDrawer weighs 9.37kg). The Philips has grips on the base making moving it easy. There is also an attachable cord holder that clips on the back of the machine to wrap the cord around. With this attached, it measures 41x35cm and is 31cm tall. Despite being a considerable size I found it possible to pack it away in the cupboard and the lighter weight and cord holder meant moving it is easy. 

Ease of cleaning

 Unfortunately, I don’t expect this model to wear well, the glossy display is bound to get scratched and greasy smudges are obvious on the matt black exterior. When cleaning the air fryer the baskets and inserts are dishwasher safe, but I found that the large size meant that they monopolised the bottom shelf of the dishwasher. The absence of nobs or switches makes the case easy to wipe clean. But I found that even wiping it with a mildly rough tea towel left small scratches on the glossy control panel that were particularly noticeable under the bright kitchen lights.

How does the Philips 3000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer compare?

The Philips 3000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer is a great quality air fryer, but air frying is all it does. There are no ‘15 in 1’ or additional brilliant abilities here, Philips have just channelled all of their energy into making a good quality 1-in-1. 

If you’re short of kitchen space and want to keep your small kitchen counters clear you might be interested in finding a multi-cooker model such as the Ninja Foodi Max 15-In-1 Smartlid Multi-Cooker With Smart Cook System which has a range of cooking functions in a single machine, including pressure cooking and yoghurt making. But if you already own all the other cooking gadgets that you require and are simply after an air fryer that air frys then this could be the model for you.

As I keep raving about this model cooks amazing food, it cooks evenly and keeps food crispy, tender and succulant. There are other models such as the Ninja Speedi that I found harness equally good cooking results. The Ninja Speedi is another model that has been designed to cook multiple foods simultaneously, but rather than using different baskets, it utilises a stacking method. Although this method reduces the washing up you have less flexibility with what you can cook together.

I found the Philips 3000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer was louder than other air fryers I have tested. Not offensively so, after a while, I stopped noticing the sound as it dissipated into background noise, but on first turning it on an audible hum was noticeable.

This dual-basket model is a first from Philips, but other models with two drawers are also available including the Ninja Double Stack XL and the larger Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone Air Fryer both of which have a larger 9.5l capacity, compared to the Philips model which has a 9L capacity. Other double models that we have reviewed include the Cosori Dual Zone Air Fryer which is highly reviewed on Amazon and the more budget-friendly Lakeland Dual Basket Air Fryer Both.

Despite being more expensive than the Lakeland model the Philips 3000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer sits at the lower end of the price scale of what you could expect to pay for this size and quality air fryer. Cheaper models are available, but for cook quality and capacity and when considering Philips is a trusted brand name this model is very competitively priced. It also comes with a two-year warranty.

This is one of the best-looking air fryers available. It would sit well in contemporary kitchens, especially those with gold accents. As well as the rose gold colourway Philips is realising a sleek silver version soon.

About this review, and the reviewer

Rose Fooks is Deputy Food Editor at Woman & Home, an experienced chef and recipe writer and avid air fryer user. Having tested numerous models and helping to compile four air fryer cookbooks Rose has become something of an air fryer expert. She claims to have demoted her oven to additional storage space and become a full-time air fryer convert. Rose tested the Philips 3000 Series Dual Basket Air Fryer at home, putting it through its paces over a week as she air-fried a selection of meals for her and her partner.