Air fryer: 3 reasons why this appliance is not worth buying

Air fryers are back in style lately thanks to the large advertising campaigns in which manufacturers are investing. His claim: cook healthier and spend less than in the oven.

But is this so? how does this device work? how much do you consume? Can we improve our diet just by adding a small appliance?

1. It is not true that the air fryer consumes very little

A claim to buy this type of appliance is that it consumes less than an oven. This comparison is a bit tricky. It’s like comparing what a car consumes with what a bus consumes, and stop using public transport to buy a car.

Of course, an oven consumes more, but it has a capacity of 60-90 liters, which allows you to cook large amounts of food at the same time, and not just one or two servings. The capacity of a medium air fryer is 3.5-5 liters.

If we compare it with a tabletop oven, which is usually 20-30 liters and with a similar power (1000-1800W), we will see that they consume the same but in the oven you can do more things and in more quantity.

How much does an air fryer consume?

Well, depending on the size, model and brand, there are air fryers that consume from 800W to 2000W. This is always specified.

The most common consume, on average, 1500W. If we use the air fryer twice a day (lunch and dinner), about 60 minutes a day (since between preheating and cooking this is the time it is usually on each time we use it), we can calculate the monthly consumption.

If it is a month like April 2022, in which the average price of electricity was 191.52 euros/MWh, Using the air fryer (without counting anything else, neither other electrical appliances nor lighting nor anything) will cost us about €8.62 per month. If electricity is more expensive, as happened in March 2022, with an average price of €283.3/MWh, using the air fryer will cost us €12.75 per month.

A glass ceramic cooker consumes a little less and an induction cooker even less, since, even if they have the same or higher power, their consumption is more efficient (and you don’t use all the stoves at the same time to the maximum) and, most importantly, they allow cooking in many other ways: boiling, steaming, toasting, brown, sauté, fry, sauté, poach…in larger quantities than in the air fryer.

2. Cooking in the air fryer is like baking.

To begin with, it must be made clear that “frying” is a cooking method that consists of immersing food in hot oil. That being said, the appliance is not a “deep fryer”.

It’s actually a small convection oven. That is, an oven with a fan. What it does is make the air very hot. to best imitate the result of frying: a crunchy exterior and a tender interior.

However, when we use air instead of oil, what we do is dry out the outer layers of food. We need even a small amount of oil so that it is minimally crisp and not hard or rubbery.

The result is the same as when we cook food in the oven instead of frying it. So why do you want a new appliance in your kitchen?

Add one more appliance to your kitchen all it does is increase your electricity consumptionand potentially your consumption of unhealthy or less healthy foods.

And as for sustainability, remember that, always, the most ecological and sustainable is what is not bought.

3. Air fryer recipes are not healthy

The main sales claim of these devices is that it is very healthy, but it is very relative. This statement only takes into account the amount of oil used, not the quality of the food.

Keep in mind that in the air fryer you can only cook those things that you would fry or cook in the oven, but it does not allow you to cook the vast majority of healthy foods:

You can’t cook leafy greens in the air fryer, eg.In the air fryer you can’t make legumes(unless you want them “fried”, and always cook them first), cereals or derivatives.the air fryer It does not allow cooking things that have a lot of water, such as broths. It does not admit liquid batters either.

Thus, even if you prepare some chips, croquettes, nuggets, “fish” sticks or similar using little oil, these foods are still worse options than a stir-fry of vegetables and legumes, which is done in less time. It doesn’t matter if you fry them or if you make them in a convection oven, the problem is not the oil, it is the food.

If using an air fryer you consume more of these types of dishes, you are not gaining health at all.