Tower T17023 2.2L Air Fryer

Where to get real advice for this machine

Does it genuinely air-fry?

Genuine air frying

Genuine on the physical criteria: a perforated basket in a deep drawer with the element and fan directly above, published temperatures to 200°C, and fat draining into the pan below. A 2.2-litre drawer is small enough that thermal recovery after loading is fast. None of that changes the recall, and the assessment is recorded separately from the safety status for exactly that reason — an appliance can air-fry perfectly well and still be unsafe to plug in.

• Air moves fast, not just around
• Air reaches every surface of the food
• Recovers temperature quickly after loading
• Fat and moisture drain away
• Reaches genuine browning temperatures

What we know about this machine

Read from Tower T17023 2.2 Litre Air Fryer — Safety and Instruction Manual (PDF), retrieved on 2026-08-13.

It is rated at 1000 W, a modest rating, so it will take longer to come back to temperature after a cold load. It has a single cooking drawer, so everything in it cooks at one temperature for one time. It is sold as 2.2 litres, which measures the whole drawer including the space above the food that you must not fill.

The figures above are the manufacturer’s. What they mean for cooking is AirfryerHQ’s reading of them, not a measurement — nobody here has run this machine.

In the manual’s own words: The manual's first step is to preheat for three minutes when the fryer is cold, then pull the drawer out and load it. The fryer stops heating while the drawer is out.

Retrieved from Argos's manual library for Argos product 745/2194.

Questions owners ask about this machine

Answered from this model’s own manual (Tower T17023 2.2 Litre Air Fryer — Safety and Instruction Manual) and nothing else. Where the manual does not address a question, it is not answered here from another machine’s.

Before the first cookWhat do I do before using it for the first time?

Very little, by this manual. Take it out of the packaging, check the cord and the body for damage, and it is described as ready for normal use. No wash and no empty run are asked for before the first cook, and the manual repeats that oil or fat must never be poured into it.In the manual: Before First Use.

Where it stands, and the space it needsHow much space does it need around it?

At least 10 cm free at the back and sides and 10 cm above. The manual says not to place it against other appliances or to put anything on top, and to stand it on a stable, level surface that resists heat.In the manual: Important safety information; Preparing for use.Why the clearance matters, and where not to stand one

Opening it while it cooksWhat happens when I pull the drawer out to shake it?

The manual says the fryer stops heating once the drawer is pulled out, and a safety switch keeps it from running unless the drawer is fully in and the timer is set. The timer is a mechanical dial, and the manual does not say it stops. When shaking, hold the handle without pressing the button on it.In the manual: Air Fryer Drawer Safety Switch; Preparing for use, step 3; Using your appliance, step 9.

Settings the panel does not explainIt has no power button. How does it switch on and off?

With the timer dial. Turning it to a time starts the appliance, a bell rings when the time has run out and the appliance shuts down; the timer is mechanical and runs to 30 minutes. To stop it by hand, turn the temperature and timer knobs anticlockwise to zero. A safety switch in the drawer means nothing happens unless the drawer is fully closed, and pulling the drawer out stops the heating.In the manual: Automatic Switch Off; Air Fryer Drawer Safety Switch; Timer.

How much goes in at onceHow full can I fill the drawer?

The troubleshooting table refers to a maximum fill line and says not to fill the drawer beyond it: a drawer that will not go in properly has too much in it. The cooking table prints a minimum and a maximum weight beside each food, and the tips repeat the warning not to overfill.In the manual: Troubleshooting; Settings table; Tips.

Cleaning this model

The parts this machine has, what collects on each and how often it needs doing. Full methods and prohibitions are on the cleaning pages.

The manual prohibits scouring pads, steel wool and any strong solvent or abrasive cleaner, on the appliance and on the accessories, and it ends the section by ruling out the dishwasher entirely: the pan and basket are hand-wash only and no part of the appliance may go in one. For baked-on grease it gives a soak instead — hot water with detergent for ten minutes.

Faults the manual documents, as printed

Only what the manufacturer publishes. AirfryerHQ does not invent the meaning of an error code, and where a manual documents one undifferentiated fault state that is what appears here.

• The air fryer will not turn on after it has been plugged in

  A safety switch prevents the appliance from running unless the drawer is fully inside and closed AND the cooking timer has been set. Two conditions, either of which alone leaves the machine apparently dead.

  Push the drawer fully home, then turn the timer dial to a time. There is no standby state to diagnose: with the timer at zero, nothing happens by design.

• White smoke comes out of the air fryer

  The manual states this is normal when preparing greasy ingredients, because a large amount of oil leaks into the drawer, and that it affects neither the appliance nor the result.

  No action is required for the smoke itself. Draining or reducing the oil that collects in the drawer between batches is what stops it.

• The drawer will not fit back into place correctly

  Too many ingredients: the drawer has been filled beyond its maximum fill line.

  Remove food until the contents are below the fill line.

Replaceable parts

Recall and safety status

Active recall

Covered by OPSS product recall 2503-0094, reissued as 2603-0060, which names six Tower models manufactured between January 2022 and April 2023. Owners are told to stop using the product immediately and unplug it. Checked against the register on 13 August 2026.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards publishes the UK register of product safety alerts, reports and recalls on GOV.UK, and Electrical Safety First operates a recall checker for electrical appliances. Registering an appliance with its manufacturer is what makes a direct notification possible.

Finding the manual

The document read for this page is Tower T17023 2.2 Litre Air Fryer — Safety and Instruction Manual (PDF), retrieved on 2026-08-13. A different revision, or a booklet for another market, may not match it.

The food table qualifies every row by a quantity band of 100-400g, which is what makes its times checkable. The bands are narrower than the T17067's, consistent with a smaller pot.

About this model

The smallest appliance in this catalogue, and it is here because of the recall rather than despite it. Six Tower air fryers manufactured between January 2022 and April 2023 were recalled by the Office for Product Safety and Standards after being found able to overheat and ignite, and this is one of them. Its cooking table is recorded because it is evidence about what the manufacturer published; the appliance should not be used.

Owning this machine

The questions that come after the cooking.

• Looking after itFive minutes a week and one check a month, nearly all of it about grease.
• What to clean it withIncluding which tool every manufacturer in this catalogue prohibits.
• The coating, and when a basket is finishedThe part that decides how long this appliance lasts.
• Replacing a part, and what to ask forWhere the model and serial numbers are, and why no order code appears here.
• Accessories, and whether you need themWith the verdicts first and no affiliate links anywhere.
• Repair, replace, or stop using itThe symptoms that mean stop now, and the ones that mean a part.