Air fryers are popular because they are affordable, don't use as much oil as a traditional fryer, and heat food evenly and quickly. These appliances are much healthier than deep fryers and work more rapidly than a standard convection oven.
As the cost of living crisis has skyrocketed air fryers have taken the world by storm because they use less energy and cook things so quickly. Residents have been going crazy buying them in a bid to prevent using their ovens and save money.
First introduced in 2010, the air fryer offered a simple cooking solution to suit our increasingly busy and demanding lifestyles. These user-friendly, time-saving appliances utilize rapid hot air technology to cook food faster, with no preheating required.
In 2022, U.S. consumers spent nearly $1 billion buying air fryers, up 51% from 2019, according to market research firm The NPD Group. Sales of the cooking appliance have been soaring since 2017, and they received an extra boost during the early days of the pandemic as people cooked more at home.
Fred van der Weij, an inventor in the Netherlands, was just looking for a way to crisp a French fry without deep-frying when he started developing the air fryer in 2005. Before his invention, he said, alternative methods for making fries at home took too long, with disappointing results.
Research shows that air fryers are more energy efficient than using an oven and that means savings on energy bills. They are healthier than deep frying or using an oil-soaked frying pan so there are some health benefits too.
Professional chefs have been utilizing convection cooking—fine, air frying—to quickly cook everything from potatoes to roasted veggies and more for decades. In fact, you might be surprised to find out that you may already have an air fryer located in your own kitchen, just inside of your oven.
The downside
Air-frying also produces high temperatures at a very rapid rate, thus making it extremely easy to burn food. And charred food may be carcinogenic. In addition, Cucuzza adds, because most devices cook 1 to 3 pounds of food at a time, it can be challenging to air-fry meals for a large family.
So if you often eat deep-fried foods, switching to an air fryer could be helpful. If you're cooking a food that you wouldn't normally add fat to when you cook it, whether that's ready-made oven chips, bacon, sausages or breaded chicken, being cooked in an air fryer is unlikely to make it healthier.
No, air fryers are definitely not a fad. Air fryers are similar to convection ovens where heat is forced via powerful fans.
Veggies like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, zucchini, mushrooms & onions, and cauliflower all turn out incredible in the air fryer. You can also make your main dish IN the air fryer. It works magic with proteins like tofu, chicken drumsticks, meatballs, pork chops, fried chicken… even steak.
At their core, air fryers are essentially smaller-sized convection ovens. For this reason, commercial businesses don't benefit from them. Convection ovens may find uses in the food industry for certain items but have many limitations for broader service menus.
According to their appliance expert, Samantha Cooper, “[air fryers] are loud … don't do anything significantly better than an oven … and they also require bumping your toaster and coffeemaker onto a storage shelf.”
The pros are that air fryers are versatile, easy-to-use, and very quick allowing you to make healthier food efficiently in your own kitchen. Despite this, these rather large devices quickly take up space on your kitchen counter or in your cupboards and can be tricky to clean.
Acrylamide can be reduced by not cooking food at a too high temperature for too long. Consumers should aim for a golden yellow colour or lighter when frying (including air frying), baking, toasting or roasting food.
Air fryers don't use a lot of electricity, with most requiring between 800 and 1800 watts (W) to run, though some large models need more. Air fryers also use less electricity than electric ovens, which typically use around 2,200 W to 5,000 W, and therefore cost more to run.
As with all dry-heat cooker methods (grilling, broiling, pan frying and oven roasting), tender beef cuts perform best in the air fryer. Those cuts include Top Sirloin, KC Strip, Ribeye, Tenderloin and Tri Tip. Ground beef also can be easily prepared in an air fryer.
Air frying is essentially glorified convection baking — but faster. Air fryers are outfitted with internal heating elements and high-powered convection fans that work to surround your food in hot air and achieve a crispy, golden result that's similar to actual frying — without the oil.
Air fryers were first introduced in China in the early 2010s and gained popularity quickly due to their ability to fry food without the use of oil.
According to recent research, using an air fryer to cook food costs about half the price of cooking. Of course, there are caveats. If you are going to cook larger quantities or more dishes, it makes sense to use an oven.
It depends! If speed is important and you want to enjoy crispy foods without having to deep fry, you'll probably want to buy an air fryer. If you're looking for a mini oven that can heat things up without warming your whole house, a toaster oven is a great investment.
In an air fryer, the food you're cooking also sits inside a perforated basket, allowing lots of air flow all around your food. Combined, this results in food that cooks really fast and with lots of crispy edges, which makes it taste delicious!