The Best Air Fryers

What is an Air Fryer?

As the name implies, an air fryer is an appliance that uses air to fry foods. Cooking, or more correctly frying, occurs when hot air is circulated under, over and around the food. The air is circulated by way of a fan operating at high speed. The result is crisp fried food with the food not only cooked, but also with a crispy exterior.

How an Air Fryer works

The circulated air needs to be quite hot; up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and most air fryers come complete with a timer and a temperature control knob as well. By using these, it is possible to achieve a high degree of precision frying for foods such as chicken, fish, potato chips as well as pastries. Air frying is essentially an alternative to frying food without the large amounts of oil and/or fats.

It also has the capability and versatility to be used as an oven to roast chickens, bake muffins and cupcakes, as well as grill.

Air Fryer Benefits

There are several benefits to be experienced when using an air fryer to fry your favorite foods, however, the most significant one involves consuming minimal oil. Food fried in oil soaks up a lot of the said oil, which is not good for your health. Food fried in an air fryer uses approximately 80% less oil which makes it a desirable alternative to traditional frying.

Taste and texture is not compromised although the food can often look different than traditionally fried food. By limiting the amount of oil used, a healthier calorie intake can be achieved. In fact, a serving of fries can be air fried using less than a spoonful of oil or fat.

There are benefits to be found in reduced cooking time as well. A serving of fries can be air fried in approximately twelve minutes with the advantage of not having to wait for oil to heat up and then cool down.

There is no danger of fire – Air fryers are self-regulating in that they are designed to heat and cool themselves as required without intervention or danger to the user. It is as easy and safe as using a toaster or a microwave in that operating the air fryer involves placing food inside the appliance, pressing the relevant buttons and leaving it to do its job.

Consider the difference cooking with an air fryer compared to traditional deep frying. With an air fryer, you need only insert the food, set the time and turn the appliance on. If you should happen to fall asleep, the worst that could happen is that your food will not be piping hot when you go to eat it. This is safe cooking, complete with an absence of damage as a result of flames destroying your kitchen.

Air fried food should never be dry on the inside, yet the exterior will always feature the crispiness one would expect from oil fried foods.

Cleaning and maintaining an air fryer is simple and easy when you take oil out of the equation. The units can be taken apart quickly and the food basket is generally dishwasher safe. If you love fried foods, but want convenience and ease of use, then the air fryer is for you.

You can save a lot of money by not buying huge quantities of oil because you will only need a spoonful or less when you fry in an air fryer. Also, less power is used when you do not have to heat up a pot of oil prior to deep frying.

An air fryer is a set and forget appliance. Once you have set the timer, it is not necessary to keep a watch on the appliance for such tasks as preventing food from burning, spitting grease and potential kitchen fires. This means you can move on with other tasks while your food is being fried.

Air fryers are also versatile. In addition to frying, it can be used for a variety of baking applications, such as roasting a chicken or baking muffins or cupcakes. Depending on your personal preferences, it is possible to use an air fryer instead of a regular oven and it certainly uses less power to do so.