Smeg, the Italian appliances brand behind the most coveted toaster and kettle of the century, has unveiled its first ever standalone air fryer, available to buy from today via Smeg for £199.95.

With its compact size and classic Smeg detailing, it’s made for small kitchens too – always a win in our books. And while it’s definitely not cheap, the price point is around what you’d expect to pay for one of the best Ninja air fryers on the market.

So, if you already have the Smeg toaster and kettle duo of dreams, then adding this air fryer to your collection might be the next natural step. Here’s everything I noticed about Smeg’s take on this ultra-useful appliance when I saw it in person.

The most striking thing about this air fryer is how neat and tidy it looks. I think that’s probably down to the fact that the opening is situated at the top of the appliance, leaving the front completely unobstructed. That means when it sits on your countertop, all you see is the Smeg lettering, rather than baskets or grills.

With a soft-close mechanism, lifting the lid on this air fryer does have a premium feel and inside you’ll find a deep dishwasher-safe frying basket with two handles.

The heat and fan element of the air fryer sit inside of the lid (but are hidden from view when shut). The touch control panel, which is also not visible when not in use, sit neatly within a thin strip on the exterior of the appliance.

From that panel you can pick between the 7 preset programs available. These buttons will give you set timings and temperatures for ‘chicken wings/legs, meat, fish, shrimps, chips, vegetables and roast chicken’. You can also set your own preferences manually if you’re already a dab hand at air frying.

The feature that most impressed the rest of the Ideal Home team when they saw this air fryer in person was the clever window window built into the lid. It allows you to check on the progress of your food inside without opening the air fryer and losing all of the heat inside.

There’s always an appetite from fans of the brand for more Smeg colourways so it’s no surprise the brand has launched their air fryer in an array of different shades from the offset.

The colours on offer are Matte Storm Blue, Matte Black and Matte Emerald Green. For those who swear by white kitchen appliances, there’s also a Matte White – though this has already sold out on the Smeg website. You can sign up for updates for when that colour returns.

The appeal of matte over shiny appliances will be huge for those who want to hide their air fryer in plain sight. And, fingers crossed, the front should stay squeaky clean given that food will be put into the air fryer from the top.

Another quirk of this air fryer is the ‘Juicy+Crispy’ cooking mode, which is made possible thanks to the steamer element hidden in the lid. You can pop water in here and inject moisture into your food whilst it’s cooking while still achieving that signature air fryer crisp.

Given that one colourway is already sold out, it’s fair to say that this air fryer looks like it’s going to be a very popular choice from Smeg. Can you see the appeal in this unique air fryer for your kitchen?