This £99 air fryer solves so many problems – it should be at least twice the price

Air fryers are the epitome of flexible, simple cooking and nothing proves that in a more perfect way than the Tower Elite Flexi Drawer Air Fryer. With the option to cook in one, large drawer, or two separate ones on different settings, you are set up for success. Tasty, right?

I've championed Tower for making some of the best air fryers on the market. When they launch a new model, they do so with confidence and careful consideration about each feature. That's why, whilst this might not be the first air fryer with a flexible drawer, it's certainly one of the best.

With an 11-litre capacity, I've cooked more chips, fish fingers, and cookies (not all at once) in the Tower Elite Flexi Drawer Air Fryer to settle on the perfect place and dream kitchen for one of these. Is that you? Now's when you'll find out.

Tower Elite Flexi Drawer Air Fryer review

Who would the Tower Elite Flexi Drawer Air Fryer suit?

With an 11-litre capacity, the Tower Elite Flexi Air Fryer is clearly aimed at batch cooks and larger households. That said, the clever design means it doesn’t feel excessive for smaller homes. The removable divider allows you to split the drawer into two independent cooking zones, each with its own temperature, timer, and cooking programme, or remove it entirely to create one extra-large cavity.

This flexibility is what makes the Elite Flexi genuinely versatile rather than just big. It's one of the things that I wish I knew before buying an air fryer. These are large appliances, regardless of the capacity, so going for versatility is one of the smartest things you can do. You can cook a full family meal in one go, or scale things right down for a couple without feeling wasteful.

Unboxing the Tower Elite Flexi Drawer Air Fryer

The Tower Elite Flexi Air Fryer makes its presence known immediately. It’s undeniably large, and that translates to a big, weighty box when it arrives. Thankfully, Tower has added carry handles on either side, which makes manoeuvring it much easier, but I’d still recommend being around (and caffeinated) when delivery day comes.

Once unboxed and on my worktop, the size felt far more justified. The design is sleek and contemporary, with a slightly space-age finish that suits modern kitchens particularly well. And while it’s a substantial appliance, it’s not overly tall, meaning it slides comfortably under wall cabinets when not in use, which isn’t always a given with high-capacity air fryers.

Sustainability is something I always flag in my reviews. Most of the Tower Elite Flexi Air Fryer’s packaging is recyclable, which is encouraging. However, there are several soft plastic elements that need to be taken to larger supermarkets for recycling, along with protective stickers and plastic films that unfortunately aren’t recyclable at all. It’s not unusual in this category, but it’s still an area where Tower could improve.

What is the Tower Elite Flexi Drawer Air Fryer like to use?

When you switch the Tower Elite Flexi Air Fryer on, the top-mounted control panel lights up with a selection of pre-sets and manual controls. At first glance, it looks like a touchscreen, but Tower has opted for physical buttons instead. Personally, I think this is a smart choice: tactile controls are easier to use with greasy fingers and tend to be more reliable long-term.

The pre-sets give you a useful sense of the Elite Flexi’s cooking style. It generally favours a slightly slower, more controlled approach than some rivals, which pays off in even cooking. These programmes are particularly helpful if you’re new to air frying or just want dinner on the table without overthinking timings.

There are a couple of practical caveats that come with such a large drawer. Although you can divide the drawer into two zones, you can’t open just one side. The entire drawer needs to come out. And because of its size and weight, the usual “shake-and-tip” method simply isn’t practical here. I’d strongly recommend keeping silicone tongs or a spatula (essential air fryer accessories, in my opinion) nearby to avoid scratching the non-stick coating.

I always begin air fryer testing with chips. Armed with one of those enormous freezer bags, I quickly realised I wouldn’t even cover the base of the drawer with chips alone. So instead, I used the divider to cook an entire meal.

On one side, I added 500g of frozen chips. On the other, I laid out 12 fish fingers (with room for four more, if needed). Fish fingers and chips are a good baseline test: they’ll generally tolerate similar temperatures, even if perfect results require a little fine-tuning.

The chip pre-set suggests 24 minutes at 200°C, which initially felt long and hot. I overruled it, dropping the temperature to 180°C and halving the time and promptly learned my lesson. After 12 minutes, the chips were pale and undercooked. I added time in stages, until eventually I hit the original 24-minute mark. And the chips were spot on. I should have trusted Tower.

In my next round, I trusted the pre-sets fully, but found them just a touch too aggressive. Third time lucky: I shaved a couple of minutes off the timer and lowered the temperature slightly, landing at 20 minutes total.

The results were excellent. The chips cooked evenly without drying out or turning leathery, retaining that fluffy interior warmth that’s so easy to lose. On a scale of soggy to scorched, these landed squarely in the sweet spot.

The fish fingers followed suit. Once I understood how the Tower distributes heat, I achieved a crisp breadcrumb coating with moist, flaky fish inside. For a freezer-to-plate meal that comfortably feeds four in 20 minutes, that’s genuinely impressive.

Next, I leaned into the Flexi design again, this time cooking two entirely different elements of the same meal.

On one side, I prepared a warm grain salad. I used a silicone air fryer liner (a game-changing air fryer hack), gently grilling onion and garlic with soy sauce before adding rice and bulgur wheat. These cooked slowly for 20 minutes, before I stirred through edamame beans and sweet peas and cooked everything for a further five minutes.

On the other side, I grilled a mix of Mediterranean vegetables using the recommended pre-set. Tower suggests longer cooking times than I’d usually use, but this is very much an air fryer that rewards a low-and-slow approach. After 20 minutes, the vegetables were beautifully cooked: lightly charred tips, peppers with bite, and tomatoes that were sweet and bursting with flavour.

I was particularly keen to test the reheat function, because the drawer is large enough to fit a 12-inch pizza, something I’ve only previously seen in air fryer ovens. Sliding a whole pizza into a drawer-style air fryer felt like a small revelation.

Five minutes was all it needed. The base crisped up beautifully, the toppings were piping hot, and nothing tipped into dryness. It’s an outstanding reheat performance.

Encouraged, I moved on to baking. I managed to fit a 10-inch carrot cake tin into the drawer (only just, so measuring your bakeware is essential). Using the bake pre-set, I adjusted the temperature to 180°C and set the timer for 20 minutes. The cake emerged perfectly risen and evenly baked, with no raw centre. Given how quickly it disappeared onto people's plates and down the hatch with a cup of tea, I’ll call it a clear success.

Cookies were next. I baked 15 cookies at once, making the most of the capacity. Ideally, you’ll want parchment paper here, as some dough fell through the grates. Even so, the cookies browned in just eight minutes, which is remarkably fast for a cavity this size.

Cleaning the Tower Elite Flexi Drawer Air Fryer

For anyone who dreads washing up, the drawer and accessories are dishwasher safe. That said, my compact dishwasher couldn’t accommodate the whole drawer, so I washed it by hand, following our guidance on how to clean an air fryer thoroughly. Fortunately, the non-stick coating releases grease easily: a quick soak, a squeeze of washing-up liquid, and everything came clean with minimal effort.

The rest of the unit is refreshingly low maintenance. Screens can be fingerprint magnets, but because this is button-operated rather than touch-controlled, it stays looking cleaner. A quick wipe with a microfibre cloth after use is all it really needs.

How does the Tower Elite Flexi Drawer Air Fryer compare?

The most obvious comparison here is the Ninja FlexDrawer. Both offer split-zone flexibility and large capacities, but the Tower takes a slightly more measured approach to cooking, favouring even results over speed. It’s also typically more affordable, making it a compelling alternative if you want flexibility without paying the prices demanded by the best Ninja air fryers.

When you stack up the Tower Elite Flexi‑Drawer Air Fryer against the Ninja AF500UK Foodi FlexDrawer Air Fryer, one of the most obvious differences is how each brand positions its versatility versus price. The Tower typically lands a little lower on price and feels like a savvy buy that doesn’t skimp on capacity: its 11 litre flexi drawer comfortably accommodates family meals and can split into two 5.5 litre zones with independent controls.

Ninja’s FlexDrawer, meanwhile, usually sits a little higher in price but brings a slightly more expansive temperature range and a richly featured control suite that many people find intuitive: rapid air circulation, a broad cook mode set (air fry, max crisp, roast, bake, reheat, dehydrate and prove) and that signature Ninja cooking consistency that’s impressed reviewers. In everyday terms, if you’re looking for the best balance of flexibility and everyday value, Tower’s model feels a bit kinder on the wallet without feeling like a compromise; if feature depth and proven cooking precision matter more to you and you’re prepared to spend for it Ninja’s take edges ahead.

Should you buy the Tower Elite Flexi Drawer Air Fryer?

If you want one air fryer that can scale up or down effortlessly, the Tower Elite Flexi Air Fryer is a strong contender. The ability to cook in one expansive drawer or split it into two independently controlled zones opens up a huge range of cooking possibilities, from quick solo meals to full family dinners.

It’s not the smallest or fastest air fryer on the market, but if you value capacity, flexibility, and consistent results, it’s a very capable piece of kit.

How we test air fryers

At woman&home, we put every air fryer through a series of standardised tests so we can compare models fairly and consistently.

I always begin with chips, before moving on to frozen fish fingers, grilled vegetables, reheated pizza, cakes, and cookies. Alongside cooking performance, I assess ease of use, controls, design, cleaning, and overall value for money.

By the end of each review, you should have a clear sense of whether an air fryer will work for your home and if you’d like to know more, you can visit our dedicated guide on how we test air fryers.