Air Fryers: Are They Worth Buying?

It feels like every other week there is a new cooking appliance in the media, but are they always worth buying? I stumbled upon air fryers during quarantine from an ad on Facebook, and to say I was intrigued would be an understatement. How can a method that requires hardly any oil produce the same outcome that relies on liters of oil? First, we look into the science behind air frying and then whether or not it is worth purchasing.

What Is An Air Fryer?

At the general level, an air fryer is a countertop electrical device with adjustable time and temperatures that relies on a concept called rapid air technology. Rapid air technology is where a heating element on the top of the machine radiates heat downward while a fan evenly circulates air around the food. The mode of transfer is known as convection in which energy is distributed through the movement of a liquid or gas medium. Essentially, hot air dries the exterior of the food that gives them the crunch replicating once drenched in oil. Is it actually “frying” the food would be relative to your own opinion, however scientifically it is not frying.

How Is An Air Fryer Different Than A Convection Oven?

Although both machines rely on the circulation of hot air, their larger size means that heat is less efficiently concentrated around food. Convection ovens also rely on the circulation of hot air to cook food more quickly and evenly, but compared to air fryers, their larger size means that hot air must travel throughout a larger space, and heat is less efficiently concentrated around food.  Although convection ovens can accommodate more food at once, air fryers are more efficient since it not only consumes less energy but also allows for 50% shorter cooking times and up to 75% shorter preheating times.

Is It Worth The Investment?

In my opinion, I think that air fryers are an amazing investment for anyone from busy moms to college students. Air fryers create less mess, require shorter preheating times, are healthier, and take up less space than the convection oven. Not only this, but it allows for a wide range of meals with only one piece of equipment as well as reheating leftovers. It is no surprise that this multipurpose invention has taken the internet by storm.

cites:

“What Is Rapid Air Technology?” APDS, APDS, 10 June 2016, apds.nl/development-en/what-is-rapid-air-technology/.

Farkas, B. E., et al. “Modeling Heat and Mass Transfer in Immersion Frying. I, Model Development.” Journal of Food Engineering, vol. 29, no. 2, Aug. 1996, pp. 212–216., doi:10.1016/0260-8774(95)00072-0.

Vatansever, Fatma, and Michael R. Hamblin. “Far Infrared Radiation (FIR): Its Biological Effects and Medical Applications.” Photonics & Lasers in Medicine, vol. 1, no. 4, 1 Nov. 2012, doi:10.1515/plm-2012-0034.

FnH. “A Short History Of The Air Fryer.” Food N Health, 25 July 2018, foodnhealth.org/a-short-history-of-the-air-fryer/.