Are you contemplating whether you need an air fryer? This article will guide you on why you need it, how to select the best one for you, and how to maintain your air fryer.
Have you ever wanted crispy, brown foods with very little or no oil? Do you want to enjoy healthy french fries, fried chicken, and other fried foods without the stress of popping each one in hot oil and trying to escape the constant pops of hot oil?
If your answer is YES to any of the above questions; you need an air fryer. An Air Fryer is a 4 in 1 appliance that air fries, bakes, cooks, and grills.
In simple terms, an air fryer is a trendy and versatile kitchen appliance used to make fried foods like french fries, chicken, doughnuts, and veggies. It makes use of little or no oil depending on the food to produce a brown, crunchy, and crispy texture.
An air fryer prepares food by circulating hot air around the food placed into a slide-out perforated basket. The force of the air produces a convection effect that cooks and browns the exterior of the food and keeps the inside soft just like deep-fried foods. A container below the basket catches the oil drips.
6 Reasons Why You Need an Air Fryer
- An Air fryer means less oil, healthier cooking, and a healthier you
You need an air fryer because air frying cuts down calorie intake by as much as 70% – 80%. It requires very little or no oil to prepare your food unlike traditional frying which relies heavily on large amounts of oil and grease.
- Yummy, crispier, and crunchy foods
The air fryer crisps up the food so you get a crispy and golden exterior. This is perfect for your breaded and frozen foods. Unlike deep frying which can leave a soggy mess. If you like yummy and crispy fries, you need an air fryer.
- Using an air fryer is safer than traditional frying
In traditional frying, because large amounts of oil are heated to extremely high temperatures, there is a risk of burn, and in some extreme cases, grease fire accidents may occur.
But an air fryer is safer because the cooking receptacle of an air fryer is closed and contained, thus, you never come into contact with heat as when frying.
Also read: 10 Best Grilling Tools and Essentials for Beginners and Professionals in 2023
- You need an air fryer because it takes less time to cook and it is easy to use
An air fryer is a time saver. For those times you really don’t want to spend much time cooking, an air fryer will save your day. Simply bring out your frozen chicken, season it, put it in the air fryer basket, and set the machine to cook.
- An air fryer is multi-functional
An air fryer can cook virtually everything, from your chicken to doughnuts and steaks. Most models of air fryers can air fry, bake, grill, and cook, so you have an all-in-one kitchen appliance. And what’s more? Even your teenage child can easily operate it and that’s less stressful for you.
- An air fryer is super-fast
You don’t need to preheat an air fryer before using it, which means, you can simply put your food right into the basket, slide it into the air fryer, set the time, and be ready to eat in 10-15 minutes. Voila!!
- It is easy to clean
Cleaning an air fryer is as simple as cleaning your cooking pot. Just add soapy water to the basket and use a non-scratch sponge to clean the interior and exterior. Some air fryer baskets can even go in the dishwasher.
With all these benefits of having an air fryer; your next question is probably “How can I get a good one”? I will not only tell you how I will also tell you what to know if you want a good buy. Here are things to look out for when buying an air fryer.
Here are the things to look out for when buying an air fryer
- Size and Capacity
Air fryers come in different sizes and capacities. Smaller families of 3 to 5 persons may opt for air fryers that come in small sizes of capacities between 1.8 liters to 2 liters.
Like these Tower Vortx and Salter air fryers.
For larger families, you may want to consider air fryers with larger capacities like this 5.3L Anko Air fryer, 5.5L Pershow Air fryer, and this 4.3 Tower Vortx Air fryer.
Perhaps you need a much bigger air fryer with a larger capacity; then the air fryer oven is right for you. Check out this 25L Mistral Air fryer oven, 23L RCA Air fryer oven, and this 11L Tower Vortx air fryer oven.
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- Functionality
Air fryers are multi-functional by nature. That is, aside from air frying, they also bake, grill, and roast. However, there are some air fryers that perform special functions like this 5 in 1 Tower Vortx 11L air fryer that also carries out the rotisserie function. Also, see the 23L RCA air fryer oven that features a dehydrating function.
- Analog or digital
Air fryers are either analog or digital. Analog air fryers are often called manual. Both the digital and the analog work the same way. The difference between them lies in their control panel.
The control panel of the digital air fryer features preset cooking functions like grilling, baking, roasting, dehydrating, etc., while the analog or manual air fryer has manual dials to control temperature and time.
Examples of digital air fryers are the; 4.3L Tower Vortx Digital Air fryer and this 5 in 1 Tower Vortx 11L Digital Air Fryer.
For Manual/Analog air fryers see 5.5L Pershow air fryer, 5.3L Anko Air fryer, and 2L Salter Air fryer.
- Wattage/power consumption
Air fryers are available up to 2000 watts. Often times the wattage depends on the capacity, size, and functionality of the air fryer.
It’s therefore good to be sure that your kitchen outlet supports the wattage use of your air fryer. Also note that the higher the wattage, the higher the temperature it will reach to prepare meals.
Now that you know what to look out for when buying an air fryer; let’s delve into how to make your air fryer last long.
- Use only silicone and nonstick utensils on the fryer basket so as to ensure that the nonstick lining of the fryer basket lasts long.
- Avoid using anything abrasive to clean your air fryer and ensure to clean it in between use with a soft wash towel or non-scratch sponge.
- Think of your air fryer like your usual pot, it requires nothing special to clean, simply clean in soapy water; some are even dishwasher safe.
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