The Philips HD9252/21 is the 4.1-litre Airfryer L from the 3000 Series, finished in white with a rose-metallic drawer handle. It sits a clear step above the dial-controlled entry models: this one has an LED touchscreen, seven preset programs and a keep-warm mode.

The cooking itself is Philips' patented Rapid Air system. The base of the chamber is shaped like a starfish, which turns the fan's output into a circulating flow that wraps around the food instead of blowing straight past it. That is what produces a crisp exterior with little or no added oil, and it is the basis of Philips' claim of up to 90% less fat than homemade fries from a conventional deep fat fryer.

The 4.1-litre pan takes up to 0.8 kg of food, which Philips rates at four portions. In practice that is a family-sized batch of fries, a tray of drumsticks, or enough vegetables to serve alongside a main — a genuine step up from the 3-litre single-person machines without taking over the counter, since the body measures 360 × 264 × 295 mm.

Thirteen functions are listed, and they are real rather than relabelled: frying, roasting, grilling and baking, plus one-pot cooking, stir-fry, sauté, cooking straight from frozen, reheating, defrosting, keeping warm, dehydrating and toasting. The seven presets cover the things people actually cook most — frozen snacks, fresh fries, meat, fish, chicken drumsticks, cake and grilled vegetables — and the touchscreen lets you override any of them with your own temperature and time.

Cleaning and handling are straightforward. The pan and basket carry Philips' QuickClean non-stick coating and both go in the dishwasher. The exterior is a cool wall design with a power-on light and a ready signal, so the machine tells you where it is in the cycle, and it shuts itself off when the timer ends. The cord is 0.8 m, so plan for a socket close to where it will stand.