Is An Air Fryer Worth It? We Think So!
Air fryer cooking has gone viral in recent months due to claims such as Russell Hobbs’ Assistant Marketing Manager Caitlin Wood advising how the popular kitchen appliance is more energy efficient than an oven; a much healthier, guilt-free way to enjoy your food and also being quick and easy to use. Not forgetting – there is also less cleaning up to do in your Kitchen, as well as some even proclaiming the food tastes better!
How worth it is an air fryer?
This article will explore all of these claims that are currently dancing around in our kitchens, justifying just how brilliant this modern-day appliance really is to you and your families.
Nearing to the end of the article, we even share what the best foods to cook in your air fryer would be, including our own delicious Jacket Potato recipe, baked to perfection with a sprinkle of Maldon Salt.
Let’s put our reading glasses on and begin with understanding the just how efficient in energy an air fryer can be.
How Much Energy Does An Air Fryer Use?
An air fryer (1500W) on average use between 1.4 – 1.7kWh if you using it for 1-hour. This works by the air fryer using convection heat, whereby hot air is circulated around the compliance to cook the food – very similar to how a fan oven would work! The heating process creates a reaction to the food inside known as the Maillard Reaction, causing the exterior of the food to gently crisp up, resulting in delicious, crunchy-texture foods!
Does It Use Less Electricity Than An Oven?
In comparison, a single electric oven would use on average 2.0-2.2kWh if using for 1-hour. A double electric oven would use even more electricity, averaging 4kWH-8.5kWh!
You’re probably thinking if the air fryer uses less electricity than your oven, it must be cheaper to run? The answer is yes! The Money Edit advised how an oven costs on average 21p to use, whereas a standard air fryer of 800W would be 13.6p. However, be mindful of the wattage of your air fryer, as a higher wattage equates to more electricity being used. In turn, this may result in a higher amount of electricity being used compared to your oven..
How Energy Efficient Are Air Fryers?
Researchers at Hometree have stated that air fryers are more energy efficient than most ovens simply because they cook food much faster. As mentioned earlier, an air fryer of 1500W typically would use around 1.4-1.7kWh an hour, so using the appliance for just 10 minutes would cost only 9p. Compared to a single oven of 2.2kwh being used for the same time, costing up to 12p.
(Source: Electricity Cost Counter. Electricity costs are calculated using the UK: Energy Price Guarantee (October 2022) electricity rate of £0.34 per kWh).
You only need to use the air fryer for a short amount of time due to how fast it can cook your food. An oven would take longer due to the larger volume it holds, meaning the longer it would for heat to circulate around the appliance. In comparison, the air dryer is much smaller in volume and can heat your food in a matter of minutes!
And this leads us onto the many benefits of air frying your food. We’ll explore the health profits of air frying compared to oil, as well as the body science of consuming air-fried foods.
Benefits Of Air Frying
As you place your food onto the air fryer’s basket and press the activation button, the circulating hot air will start to cook your foods, creating a glorious, crispy brown coating and a delectably soft inside. With the food cooking, any greasy drops or leftover juices are caught at the bottom of the air fryer’s container, away from the food.
This sounds like the perfect, cooking set-up, right? It’s because it IS!
Very little oil is used in the cooking process of an air fryer, replacing fried foods cooked in a deep-fat fryer/oiled pan which contain higher amounts of trans fat.
Within this section we will be looking at if air fryers are healthier, the quickness and easiness to use and the taste!
Are Air Fryers Healthier?
There is a clear winner when an air fryer is compared to deep frying your food…ding ding ding! It’s the air fryer! Air frying your food significantly reduces the amount of oil being absorbed when cooking, cutting calories by 70%-80%. As a result, air frying is healthier than oil frying as you are removing the calories and fat content in which would be remarkably higher when deep frying as you as you are using less oil.
When compared to an oven, the air fryer also poises on top with having many advantages. Air fryers are equipped with a tray underneath the basket where you would place your foods. This also reduces the amount of fat being absorbed into the foods as it is going into the tray and not amongst the foods you are cooking.
Quick And Easy To Use
Did you know air fryers take very little time to pre-heat? It’s all down to the smaller scale size of the kitchen appliance in comparison to a fan oven, where more heat is required to warm up the larger volume of space. Therefore, you can have your dinner’s ready in a matter of minutes as the pre-heating time shortens, meaning the cooking time is ramped up from the rapid air circulation.
Some may question how easy the air fryer is to use– but fear not! Hear is a short guide in how to use a standard, basket-type air fryer:
- Place your air fryer on a heat-resistant surface. It is recommended to keep it 8 inches away from the wall.
- Remove the components, in which normally includes a detachable basket and a tray in the bottom of the basket. Wash and dry these.
- It is advised by many manufacturers that you should run the air fryer empty for 10 minutes when you are first using it. This is to reduce the off-gas.
- After this, you are ready to start cooking up a storm with your air fryer! You will find a manual with your air fryer in which will advise the correct temperature and timings for different types of foods you are wanting to cook.
Is your belly rumbling with all this food talk? Further in the article we will get to discuss why air fries food tastes great and what types of foods you can cook with your air fryer.
Less Cleaning Up
How many times have there been pots and pans all over the counter whist you’re creating a culinary masterpiece? With the air fryer you simply have the appliance itself to clean up, as it comes with a basket for the food to be air-fried in as well as a tray to hold any excess oil/juices…no pots or pans required!
Once your food is cooked, simply detach the basket from the appliance and place the food onto your plate – hey presto! Your dinner is served. This is a match-made-in-heaven if you are always on the go, have a busy family life or if you’ve simply just had enough of washing up your pans.
Air Fried Food Tastes Great
Does air fried food taste better? The machine’s rapid air circulation allows good to become wonderfully crispy and soft in the inside, basically turning foods into having an extra-crispy texture. If you were to deep-fry your food, you may end up with a greasy, wet substance in which the air fryer doesn’t allow due to its internal tray catching any leftover oils/juices.
Additionally, as you are using less oil in an air fryer, you will find vegetables are less greasy and more flavoursome as they gentle bake in the warm heat, perfect to be dished up as a side for your dinner.
We’ve also noticed how beautifully tender in flesh chicken is when cooked in an air fryer. Due to the circulating heat, it causes the skin of the chicken to crisp out, allowing the centre of the protein to become deliciously succulent.
What Can You Cook In An Air Fryer?
Once you have secured an air fryer, you probably want to know what you can cook with it?
There is an abundance of foods you can cook in the air fryer, from cult-classics such as French fries to extravagant mains including roast chicken! We have made it easier for in writing a few food items in which you can cook in an air fryer:
- Chips (such as potato, sweet potato, turnip, parsnip etc).
- Vegetables
- Meats (such as chicken, fish, meat patties/burgers)
- Tofu
- Dessert (yes, you can make sweet treats including cookies!).
- Re-heated leftovers
- Frozen foods
All this talk about food has definitely made us hungry! We used our own air fryer and created a whole recipe using the handy kitchen appliance – our delicious Air Fryer Jacket Potatoes!
Air Fried Jacket Potatoes
Baked with a perfectly crisp outer skin and a deliciously fluffy inside – you will become obsessed with these jacket potatoes that are baked in an air fryer! Remember to coat the jacket potato in a light coating of oil and Maldon Salt to create not only a beautiful flavour and texture to the potato, but to draw our the moisture from the use of the salt.
Click here to see the full recipe in detail!
Our Final Thoughts…
Air fryers are the pinnacle of convivence. Not only are they energy efficient and cheaper to run in comparison to an oven or deep fryer, they make your life just that little bit simpler, with multiple functions to speed up your dish in being cooked in a matter of minutes! Not forgetting the health benefits that come with cooking with an air fryer, less oil being used mean less fat that ends up on your plate.
So take it from us…an air fryer is completely worth it!
Make sure you have your Maldon Salt ready for these dishes! If you are running out, please feel free to browse on our Where to Buy Page to find your nearest store in which stocks our beloved Maldon Salt ahead of the festive season…especially gloriously baked jacket potatoes.
Lastly, we LOVE seeing your creations – please tag us on Instagram using the #maldonsalt so we can share your culinary masterpieces on our socials.
