Philips Airfryer XXL or Philips Airfryer XL (Video)

In this video I’ll show you all the differences and similarities between the Philips Airfryer XL and the Philips Airfryer XXL.

What makes a Philips Airfryer unique?

First let’s start by explaining why a Philips Airfryer is so unique. The airfryer is originally a Dutch invention by Philips, also known for Philips Hue lights. This means that Philips was the pioneer in the field of airfryers. The unique selling point of the Philips Airfryer is that it has a patented pan. The bottom of each Philips Airfryer contains a starfish indent which helps the hot air to circulate optimally inside the airfryer which results in better baked food. Only Philips Airfryers contain this pan, no other brands can mimic this because it is patented.

The pan makes the Philips Airfryer stand out from all the others in my opinion. But also the good build quality and the wide variety of airfryer accessories are big advantages of Philips Airfryers.

So, what can you make with an airfryer. Of course you can make all the fried food you normally would make with a deep fryer, such as fries and crispy chicken. But with a hot air fryer you can also grill meat, fish and vegetables, you can roast a whole chicken and you can bake a cake or bake a bread that you normally would prepare in the oven.

Philips Airfryer XL

The Philips Airfryer XL is an air fryer that is released in 2013. It comes with rapid air technology, which is basically the starfish. You can fry around 1200 grams of fries, which is around 2,64 pounds. The frying basket has a capacity of 3 liters, just shy of 0,8 US gallons. The Airfryer XL is powered with a 2100 watt engine and it can reaches a maximum temperature of 200 degrees celsius, around 390 degrees fahrenheit. The air fryer weighs around 7 kilograms or 15,43 pounds and has a cable with a length of 80 cm which is 31.5 inches.

Philips Airfryer XXL

The Philips Airfryer XXL is the larger brother of the Philips Airfryer XL. The air fryer is released in 2017, so it is a more recent model. It comes with twin turbostar technology, which is basically the starfish. You can fry around 1400 grams of fries, which is around 3,08 pounds. The frying basket has a capacity of 3,5 liters, just shy of 0,9 US gallons. The Airfryer XXL is powered with a 2225 watt engine and it can reaches a maximum temperature of 200 degrees celsius, around 390 degrees fahrenheit. The air fryer weighs around 8 kilograms or 17,63 pounds and has a cable with a length of 100 cm which is around 40 inches. The extra cable length is a nice plus I think.

To recap, the Philips Airfryer XXL is a bit larger in size, more powerful and is a more recent model. The larger sizes shows itself inside the airfryer. The frying basket, that holds your product, is a bit wider and a bit taller than the one inside the XL. It is only 2 cm or 0,78 inches wider and  0,5 cm or 0,19 inches taller. Especially the extra height is convenient, because the large basket can hold a larger chicken or taller filled bell peppers for instance.

Outside of the two Philips Airfryers

When we look at the outside of both air fryers we can see they are both quite large and do weigh quite a bit, generally more than competitors. But the extra weight is convenient when you slide the frying pan in and out. Both air fryer are made of durable strong plastic and have a glossy black finish which do attract fingerprints and smudges easily. But you can wipe these off without a hassle.

The models are both equipped with a nice and bright display. The display shows you the settings for the time and temperature. From above we can see that the XL has an edge around the top, this is used for the air flow. The XXL has a top plate that sits flush. I like the XXL more, because it looks nicer. Besides crumbs and dust can’t accumulate here, the part is also a bit difficult to clean.

The back of both air fryers contain a compartment for the cable. This is a nice feature of Philips, because you can neatly put away the cable when you store your air fryer in a kitchen cabinet for instance. No cables are laying around inside the cabinet, which is nice.

Also the exhaust vents are located on the back. The XL has sort of a chimney while the XXL has a rear mounted vent that blows the air up at an angle. At the bottom we see that both air fryers are equipped with rubber feet for extra grip.

The downside of the XXL is that there is no place to grasp the airfryer from the kitchen counter. The XL do come with two indented parts to place your fingers under. I think the XL did this a bit better, you can grip the machine more easily. Keep in mind that these machines are quite heavy.

Inside the two Philips Airfryers

Let’s take a look inside the airfryers. Both airfryer use the same type of mechanism to open the pan and frying basket. You open the airfryer like a drawer by pulling the handle towards you. You can leave the airfryer open, the arm below offers support for the pan. The mechanism feels sturdy and I can see that the XXL is a more evolved version of that of the XL. Now one of the most important elements is the grill element. This element sits directly under the ventilator inside the airfryer. The spiral part heats up the airfryer to your desired temperature. Because of the strong motor, both airfryers can keep the set temperature, even when it is very high. With cheaper airfryers you’ll see that these machines cool down much quicker when you, for instance, shake up your fries during the air frying process.

The frying baskets look pretty similar between these two. The difference is the bottom part of the basket. The XL has a square shaped mesh pattern, while the XXL has a diamond mesh pattern. What makes the XXL unique is that you can remove the bottom part for easy cleaning, and to attach other accessoires – like the grill plate. The bottom part of the XL can’t be removed, which makes it less easy to clean. Also the basket of the XXL is a bit larger like previously explained. Lastly the XXL basket has rubber feet, so you can place it (when it is cooled down) on your kitchen counter without the chance of scratching the surface.

Over to the pan that holds the frying basket. Like I already said, the pan is what makes a Philips Airfryer so unique and also so good. Inside you can see this starfish shape at the bottom. It is very smooth but it helps to optimize the hot air circulation inside the airfryer. The main difference here is that the XXL contains a second layer at the bottom of the pan. This plastic element is removable, which makes it also easy to clean. The reason for this element is that it prevents liquids, oils and fats from splashing around in your airfryer. The advantage here is that there will be less fat in your dish and your grill element stays more clean. When fats and oil splatter around in the airfryer you have the chance of smoke because the fats burn on the red hot element. This smoke is then coming out of the exhaust which causes a nasty smelling smoke in the area the airfryer is standing in. So the XXL is better resistant to smoke then its little brother the Airfryer XL.

How to operate a Philips Airfryer

Next, how to operate the machines. It is fairly easy. Basically you setup the airfryer by adjusting the time and temperature. Of course these settings vary between different dishes. In this video I will show you how to make some golden brown crispy french fries.

When we look at the XL, we see that you operate the airfryer with touch sensitive buttons. These button are not clickable, you can only hear a beeping sound when you press it. Besides the timer and the temperature you also find a start/stop button, a favorite button which remembers your most favorite settings and you can find the on/off button. The downside here is that you can only see the timer or the temperature, you can’t see them at the same time.

Compared to the XXL we see that both the timer and temperature are presented on the digital display. What is different here is that you use an analog button to adjust the settings. This button can rotate and is also clickable. You change settings by rotating the knob and you accept the setting by pressing it. This makes it more easy to adjust settings I think, especially when you want to change the timer or temperature quickly. You change between settings by pressing the button for the temperature or timer, you can really press these touch buttons.

There is also an option to choose from pre programmed settings for all kinds of foods. There is a preset for fries, chicken, fish and so on. But I think it is better to use the manual mode. Lastly there is a button to keep food warm for a longer period of time without over cooking it. This is convenient when a family member is late for dinner because he is late from work, school or a hobby. It is a nice feature, but I have never used it to be honest.

Why I like Philips Airfryers

The reason I really like Philips Airfryer is the range of accessories you can buy for your airfryer. With the standard frying basket you can airfry a lot of dishes, it is great. But when you want to step it up a little bit you can extend the possibilities with all kinds of awesome attachments. For instance, my favorite, the grill pan. Both the XL and the XXL have a grill accessory, but I like the one from the XXL best. With the grill you can grill steak, a salmon or a bunch of vegetables. It is just awesome.

I also have this grill rack you can use to create layers in your air fryer. Place some fries at the bottom and put some meat or fish on top, you can also use skewers. You can also buy a baking pan you can use to bake cakes or use to steam fish with vegetables in. And the XXL also have a pizza accessory which you can use for small sized fresh or frozen pizzas. I like to make my own pizzas, they taste great and they are ready very quick inside the airfryer. I really recommend you to get some of these accessories when you want to do more than just frying food with air.

The possibilities are endless really.