The Philips NA231 air fryer stands out from other models by solving a common frustration: lengthy cooking times that leave food dry and flavorless. With its powerful 1700-watt heating system, this unit cooks food rapidly while maintaining the perfect balance – a crispy exterior with a juicy, flavourful interior. Let us go through its detailed review to understand whether it is worth the hefty price tag of close to ₹10,000.
Design
The Philips NA231/00 features a generous 6.2-litre capacity and requires a 16A plug to support its 1700-watt power consumption. It features responsive touch-sensitive controls, making operation smooth and intuitive.
A key highlight of the NA231/00 is its transparent viewing window, enhanced by an adjustable interior light. This allows you to monitor your food’s cooking progress without opening the fryer.
While the viewing window is convenient, it comes at a cost. Unlike the Philips HD9252 model, which includes a handled inner basket for easy food flipping, the NA231/00 had to sacrifice this feature to accommodate the window design. Instead, it uses a more conventional design with a tray secured by rubber beadings, similar to most other air fryers on the market. The good news is that these rubber seals appear to be robustly constructed and built to last.
The tray is squarish with sides measuring 23.5cm. For comparison, their 4.1 litre air fryer has 18cm trays.
Yet another advantage of this model is that it has a cord winder at the back on which you can wrap around the power cord for easier management.
Preset Functions
The Philips NA231/00 offers versatile cooking options with robust temperature control ranging from 60 to 200°C and timer settings extending up to 59 minutes. The unit comes equipped with 8 preset cooking functions for different foods and scenarios. There’s also a practical keep-warm feature that can maintain food temperature for up to 30 minutes after cooking.
Note About Preset Symbols: The preset functions on the air fryer are represented only by symbols without written descriptions. While this keeps the interface clean, it means users may need to look up their meanings online, at least in the beginning. The functions are as follows-
| Preset Function | Duration | Temperature | Max. Qty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken Drumsticks | 20 mins | 180 °C | |
| French Fries ( Fresh) | 41 mins | 180 °C | 800 gm |
| French Fries ( Frozen) | 31 mins | 180 °C | 800 gm |
| Whole Fish | 20 mins | 200 °C | 2 pcs |
| Vegetables | 13 min | 180 °C | 800 gm |
| Cake | 60 min | 140 °C | 1 pc |
| Breakfast | 12 min | 160 °C | ( 4 eggs, 2 toast) |
| Meat Chops | 20 min | 200 °C | 4 pcs |
Cooking Performance
Let us now take a look at how well it cooks various food.
French Fries
Though the preset function suggests 31 minutes for frozen fries, we found 400 grams cooked perfectly in just 20 minutes. The results were promising, with a satisfying crispy texture throughout. However, we noticed some inconsistency in browning, with certain fries darker than others.
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Samosa and Spring Roll
Our testing revealed a notable difference between store-bought and homemade pastry sheets. Store-bought spring roll sheets produced excellent results, yielding crispy, delicious snacks. However, homemade pastry sheets fell short of expectations, lacking the desired crispiness and showing uneven cooking across the surface.
Baking
Our cake test using Pillsbury cake mix revealed the importance of proper pan selection. Using a small, deep cake pan positioned the batter too close to the heating element, resulting in over-browning of the top surface. However, the interior achieved an almost perfect texture – soft and fluffy. It was a bit dense, but that could also be the mix. This issue can be easily resolved by using a wider pan that creates more distance between the cake surface and the heating element. Despite the browning, the cake was thoroughly and properly baked throughout.
Chicken Fry
We air fried both chicken pieces and a whole chicken to understand how it fares.
Our tests with chicken pieces using the preset drumstick function yielded impressive results: crispy exterior with juicy, tender meat inside. Key to success: maintaining a dry surface on the chicken. We discovered that wet marinades should be avoided. Instead, if you have a wet marinade, coating the pieces with rice flour or bread crumbs helps achieve the desired crispiness.
The 6.2-liter capacity truly shines when cooking a whole chicken. At 180 degrees, our chicken cooked perfectly in 50 minutes with one flip midway. Despite using a somewhat wet marinade, the result was excellent – crispy skin with thoroughly cooked meat. An important safety note: regardless of external appearance, the internal temperature must exceed 75°C for safe consumption. Our thermometer reading of 80°C confirmed proper doneness.
A significant advantage of this model’s large capacity is its ability to accommodate a whole chicken – a feature that sets 6-litre air fryers apart from smaller units.
Ease of Use
The air fryer is generally easy to use once you get familiar with the preset functions. Initially, understanding what each function does may take some time, but after that, operation is straightforward.
A well-designed feature is the sturdy rubber beading around the tray, which stays securely in place even when shaking or flipping the tray to remove food.
One important consideration is that the air fryer requires a 16A plug, so make sure your kitchen has a compatible power outlet.
Ease of Cleaning
Cleaning the air fryer is simple. The basket has a nonstick coating, so it’s best to avoid using a dishwasher (even if the manual says it’s safe) or a steel scrubber, as these can damage the coating.
Instead, clean it with a soft sponge. For stubborn, baked-on drippings, soak the basket in warm, soapy water for an hour, then wash as usual.
Flaws That Could Have Been Better
The preset function labeling could be clearer, as it takes time to understand what each function does. Additionally, we noticed that the cooking isn’t always even at times.
Aside from these minor issues, there aren’t any major flaws with this air fryer.
Comparison With Other Philips Models
One of the biggest advantages of Philips air fryers is their superior performance. Many air fryers priced under ₹6,000 take significantly longer than their preset times to cook food—sometimes up to an hour just to fry 500g of chicken. In contrast, Philips air fryers cook faster, thanks in part to their higher wattage. Many brands often do not meet their claimed wattage specifications.
When comparing specific models:
- NA231/00 vs. HD9252/00
The NA231/00 has key advantages such as a see-through window, keep-warm function, and a larger 6L capacity, which is especially useful for large families. A 6L capacity allows you to cook a whole chicken, whereas the HD9252/00 has only a 4.1L capacity. However, HD9252/00 stands out with a better basket design compared to most other options. - NA231/00 vs. NA221/00 & NA120/00
If you don’t need a 6L capacity, the NA221/00 is a great alternative with a 4.2L capacity, while retaining most of the same features. It costs around ₹8,000.
For a more budget-friendly option, the NA120/00 (4.1L) skips the touch controls in favour of manual knob-based settings for time and temperature.
Conclusion
Overall, we highly recommend the Philips NA231/00 for large families and those who want to grill a whole chicken in one go. It’s quick, efficient, and cooks almost perfectly.
If a 6L capacity isn’t necessary, the NA221/00 (4.2L) is a solid choice, while the NA120/00 (4.1L manual version)offers a cost-effective alternative.
Philips NA231/00 Air Fryer