Many of you are probably wondering, is air frying healthy?
The promise of oil-free fryers is tempting: frying the most varied of foods in a healthy way, since their cooking system eliminates the use of fatty cooking oils.
It sounds like a great promise – but does the expectation of healthy fried food hold?
In general, yes: air fryers greatly reduce the contact and absorption of food with oils and it is known that, in the long run, the excessive consumption of deep-fried foods can lead to an increase in cholesterol and weight gain, among other evils.
Don’t believe it? Then check this study out, published by the International Food Research Journal, which showed that air fried products had almost no extra oil when compared to traditional deep-fried food.
A traditional deep-fried potato strip had a whopping 14.8% oil content. Air fried? only 0.0025%. Yep, it’s that big a difference.
-Source: International Food research Journal
What Can You Cook in an Air Fryer?
The use of an air fryer allows the preparation of an almost unimaginable amount of foods, ranging from snacks to seafood, meat, vegetables, and even cake dough.
The only difference in preparation is that each of these foods demands a different optimal temperature, as well as a minimum time in which they must remain in the air fryer.
Air Fryers bring a display with different temperatures and time options, to make life easier for those who do not want to spend time testing how to prepare each type of food individually.
Using the device, you can prepare healthy foods, preserving a more natural and differentiated flavor. In addition, the amount of fat is lessened. Among the foods that work most with fryers are frozen foods, such as nuggets and chips.
It is not just “Fried” food that can be prepared in the Air fryer. Anything you can normally do in an oven – grilling, baking, etc. – you can also do in your air fryer without the use of any oil.
And if you live alone and do not want (or cannot) assemble a complex kitchen, here’s a pro tip: Having an air fryer will allow you to make healthier meals quickly and conveniently.
Other Benefits of the Air Fryer
Saves Space
It’s time to get rid of redundant appliances in the kitchen and afford one item that will take up little space and be efficient enough to feed the whole family.
Faster Cooking
Air fryers require little to no preheating time, so most of the heat stays inside the appliance, and the food cooks faster. Therefore the kitchen doesn’t heat up too much, making it a more comfortable place to stay.
Easy to Use
Set the timer and temperature, put your food in the basket, and free to go. For better results, you should shake the food a couple of times, but you won’t have to spend the whole time next to the stove, shaking the foods! Some model even offer auto-shake function so you can spend quality time with your family or hobbies whilst the air fryer cooks for you.
Versatility
You can prepare almost anything in an air fryer, from nuggets and air fries to steak, grilled sandwiches, and desserts. It’s an excellent choice for air frying, baking, roasting, grilling, and reheating.
As you can see, it’s no surprise that air fryers become so popular cooking model these days and that many households want to have one in their kitchen.
How to Choose Which Type Air Fryer to Buy?
There are several types of products on the market that can deliver the air frying effect. Air fryer products come in different designs, styles and sizes. There are stand alone units or combo units (e.g. a Toaster oven air fryer).
Regardless of the many models available there will always be a perfect air fryer for your kitchen. Head now to our buying guides – The Ultimate Buyer’s Guide and we will teach you how to choose the right air fryer or air fryer combo for your kitchen or, go to our Best Air Fryer Review page and choose an air fryer from our recommended list .