Air Fryers: Their Benefits and Features
In today’s hectic world, it is essential to opt for a healthier diet to stay fit. However, for those who love to eat fried food it is difficult to simply curb their cravings. Therefore, opting for an Air Fryer is a better economical and healthier option for preparing fried food.
By utilizing superheated air, this appliance is capable of preparing fried food with less oil which means that it is now possible to get the fatty and delicious taste of fried food without the actual fat that is usually present when such fried food is cooked in deep fryers.
Why Should You Use an Air Fryer?
Is an Air Fryer Useful? Here is the advantage of Using AirFryer:
- Control time, temperature, Auto Shut-Off
- Easy clean up, Dishwasher Safe Parts
- Fast, Safe, Less Smell, No Grease and No Mess
- Can fry, roast, bake or grill.
- Exhaust System, Cooling System
- Recommend for those who are starting a new diet; anyone with a busy life
There are numerous benefits by opting for Air Fryers.
- The extra calorie that usually comes from deep frying food in fat is not applicable for Air Fryers since they use the mechanism of superheated air.
- Also, the temperature in an Air Fryer increases quite quickly, as fast as three minutes from room temperature to more than 300 degrees.
- Therefore, the food is cooked quickly and effortlessly in comparison to deep frying food by dunking them in boiling fat; since in order to bring the oil to a boiling state, one must heat them for a long time.
Other benefits of opting for Air Fryers include:
- Easy to clean since most Air Fryers have dishwasher friendly parts
- Food is cooked inside the Fryer, which means that oil spills in the kitchen from deep frying food will not be an issue.
- No oil spill in kitchen not only means less cleaning but it also means more safety while cooking
- No uneven cooking which means that food will be cooked throughout with no issues regarding overcooked or undercooked meals
Why is an Air Fryer important?
Although initially expensive, an Air Fryer is an important piece of equipment in the kitchen as it not only produces healthy food but it also cuts down on the preparation time, the cooking time and eventually the cleaning time as well.
It is quite obvious that cleaning is an important part of cooking and it does take up a lot of additional time when it comes to cleaning the conventional deep frying equipment. Cleaning an Air Fryer is much simpler and is not at all complicated, since most Air Fryers are dishwasher friendly.
Apart from frying food, there are other functions available in an Air Fryer. Although typically an Air Fryer is used for frying food with very little or no oil at all, other functions like baking and grilling are also possible with the help of an Air Fryer, as it comes with additional accessories.
There are certain unique functions available in certain Air Fryers like automated cooking settings. These automated cooking settings allow the users to cook with the Air Fryer without worrying about temperature or time settings. These additional features are available in some particular Air Fryers and therefore, when used, these predefined settings automatically adjust the temperature and timer of the appliance to perform the particular activity.
Tips to select the best Air Fryer
Although there are numerous Air Fryers present in the market there are numerous aspects that the prospective buyer must consider before buying one.
- Capacity: This is an important aspect that requires proper consideration by the buyer. It is important to understand the type of food and the quantity of the food which is going to be cooked by the Air Fryer every day. Although, the cooking time for an Air Fryer is quite small in comparison to a conventional fryer, it is still an inconvenience and waste of resources if the same food is cooked in batches. A regular air fryer has a capacity that ranges between 1.8 pounds to 2.5 pounds. This capacity is enough for cooking regular fries or chicken drumsticks. However, in case of preparing an entire turkey or a whole chicken the capacity of the Air Fryer has to be increased.
- Wattage: The next important feature that needs to be considered is the wattage of the Air Fryer. Power consumption is always a major concern for all types of appliances. Moreover, since Air Fryers typically consume more than 800 to nearly 1400 watts of power for their functioning, it is always important to know if the power outlets of the kitchen will be able to support this range of power supply for the fryer.
- Size: The size of the Air Fryer is another important point. There might be space constraint in some kitchens and therefore such kitchens might not be able to support large sized Air Fryers. Based on the available space in the kitchen the buyer might need to choose their Air Fryer accordingly.
- Settings: Different Air Fryers have different settings and features. Depending on the individual requirements some particular settings might be essential for some buyers. For example, different temperature settings is one such feature that might be important for many since different types of temperature settings allows the users to cook different types of food. Also, there are certain Air Fryers which might not be able to reach high temperatures. Thus, depending on the requirement and the type of food which is going to be cooked in these fryers the users need to opt for a particular Air Fryer.
- Additional Features: Other additional features are of high importance as well when buying an Air Fryer. The additional features may include features like different levels in the cooking basket. The multi-level basket allows users to cook different types of food at the same time which eventually decreases cooking time and consequently increases efficiency. This type of feature may not be available in all types of Air Fryers and therefore, buyers need to check their requirements and priorities before buying an Air Fryer.
- Price Range: Additional features may increase the price tag of an Air Fryer. For some buyers, the basic feature of being able to cook food with very little or no oil is more than enough. For others, additional features like digital displays and multi-compartments might be necessary as well. The pricing of the Air Fryers not only changes with different brands or size, but it also depends on these additional features as well. Therefore, based on requirements and budget, buyers can opt for a particular type of Air Fryer.
The secret recipe to a healthy lifestyle
These are only some of the basic benefits of an Air Fryer in comparison to conventional fryers that are used for deep frying.
For those who are trying to start a new healthy routine, it becomes essential to opt for a new healthy diet. Opting for an Air Fryer helps in such a situation since the food is cooked using 70 to 80 percent less fat in comparison to the conventional deep frying option, and thankfully the food tastes exactly as it should when cooked in a conventional deep fryer.
Another interesting fact is that oil might not be required at all for cooking depending on the food that is being cooked. Grease fires are one of the major concerns while cooking deep fried food in home. The Air Fryer eliminates this risk completely from the kitchen. Also, oil splattering is a common problem in the kitchen while deep frying food in a by dunking them in boiling oil. Burn risks due to oil splattering are completely eliminated when an Air Fryer is used for cooking.
Some Air Fryers come with digital displays and short cut buttons, which make cooking easy for those who are not used to handling such an appliance. The adjustable temperature control on these Air Fryers allows users to cook a variety of delicacies with very little effort. The automatic shut off feature or alarm system in these Air Fryers informs the users of when the food is ready.
An answer to all your concerns
Regarding the food separator that allows users to cook different types of food at once, users do come up with a concern.
The concern is that if two different types of food are fried together, is it not going to spoil the taste and smell of the food. For example, if fish and chicken are fried together in different levels in the fryer then the chicken might smell like the fish and vice versa. However, the separator in the Air Fryer ensures that this does not happen at all.
Two 6-ounce New York Steaks after 11 minutes
Moreover, since very little oil is used and the food is not dunked in the same oil for frying the chances of one food acquiring the smell of the other negligible. There is a common misconception that the Air Fryer can only be used to cook food. Since this appliance utilizes the circulation of super heated air for its functions, this particular appliance can be used to heat up and warm already cooked food.
In conclusion, the Air Fryer provides numerous benefits and is a complete asset for the modern kitchen. By simply using superheated air within it this appliance is capable of cooking a variety of dishes, while using little or no oil at all. This is one of the healthier alternative cooking methods and is suitable for anyone who is looking for hassle free healthy cooking options.