The year 2021 has seen a 400% increase in the purchase of air fryers in the UK.
An air fryer uses very little oil, so can it be considered a healthier option compared to other cooking options?
At a time when the cost of living is constantly on the rise, the question has to be asked that how is the air fryer adding to the electricity or energy consumption and what is the impact on the pocket?
1. An air fryer cooks food in steam
The air fryer is about the size of a bread machine and fits nicely on the kitchen counter. Very hot air is passed around the food placed inside it at high speed.
Jacob Radzikowski is a culinary education designer at Imperial College London. "It's basically very strong and very hot air," he says. You can think of it like a hair dryer.'
'It's basically like an oven fan but it's smaller and the fan inside is really fast.'
2. An air fryer cooks food faster than a conventional oven
Jacob says that the air fryer's fan is very powerful and its compartment is very small and the whole machine is very efficient.
"I can cook a chicken leg in the air fryer in 20 minutes," he says. It will take a little longer to cook in the oven.
Also, if it is cooked in a large machine, it takes a long time to preheat it.
But the space where the food is kept and cooked is so small that only a small amount of food can be cooked at a time.
According to Food Scientist, 'If you're cooking for four or six people, this won't help you save time because you'll need to put a smaller amount of food in the fryer.'
3. Air fryer is used to make food crisp
Most of the models of air fryers that we usually see in advertisements are seen cooking chicken and fries because if you are in the mood for some crispy food then this machine is very useful for you.
These devices make food crispier, says Jacob. So if you love super crispy food, this machine makes your food just like that.
4. Is it better for health?
If you're comparing deep-frying something in very hot oil to cooking it in an air fryer, it's definitely a healthier option, Jacob says.
However, it can also be healthier than cooking in a traditional oven.
If potatoes are cooked by sprinkling oil, the potatoes absorb the oil while frying, but this does not happen in air fryers.
"If there's too much oil in the air fryer, it will automatically filter down and then it won't end up in your food."
But to say that it is the healthiest way to cook, it is not. If you are keen on eating healthy food, then steamed food can be the most beneficial for you.
5. Less power consumption than oven
To reach this conclusion, Simon Hobin tried cooking a chicken leg and fries.
First in the oven and then in the air fryer they kept the same amount. He also ensured that all electrical appliances other than these appliances were switched off while cooking.
He then checked the electricity meter to see how much electricity was consumed in cooking in these two different appliances.
It took about 35 minutes to cook the chicken in the oven and a look at the meter showed that it had used 1.05 kilowatts of electricity.
"Whereas it took 20 minutes to cook the same chicken in the fryer and when I looked at the meter, I found that 0.43 kilowatt hours of electricity had been used."
Also, the fries took about an hour to cook well in the oven. In which 1.31 kilowatt hours of electricity was consumed.
Whereas in the fryer, the fries were cooked in a very short time.
According to Simon, the fries were ready in 35 minutes. It consumes electricity at the rate of 0.55 kilowatts per hour.
Gregg concluded that cooking in an air fryer uses less than half the electricity of an oven.
6. An air fryer cannot replace an oven but does the same job
Jacob doesn't believe the air fryer can completely replace the oven. "Of course you can't roast a whole chicken or duck in an air fryer," he says.
'But I think it's a really cool machine. I have one too and use it a lot. I think it's a very useful thing for people who don't have an oven.'
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