These days, air frying has become all the rage (talk about trending) as they requires less time and the cooking process is so easy! But is using an air fryer healthy (or even healthier) than using a traditional cooking method? Don’t worry – that’s what we’re here to discuss! So, keep reading to learn more about the benefits of air fryers and to see if it’s the right cookware for you.
If you’re looking for an air fryer recipe, check out our Air Fryer Buttermilk Chicken Tenders.
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What are the benefits of an air fryer?
I’m sure we’ve all used a deep fryer to cook up some chicken nuggets or french fries. But what is this kitchen appliance called an air fryer? And does it have any health benefits – besides being convenient and easy to use?
In fact, it actually does! So, let’s take a look at some of the benefits below.
- Healthier cooking (especially when cooking deep-fried foods). Why? Because it uses less oil!
- Still provides that crispy and crunchy taste without using a large amount of cooking oil
- An air fryer heats up quickly to high temperatures and the food cooks much faster than a conventional oven
- Extremely versatile (you can cook everything from frozen foods to sweet potato fries to healthy foods such as veggies – think broccoli or squash)
- Cutting down on large amount of oil lessens risk of heart disease and cholesterol problems and decreases calorie intake
- Easy clean up
What are the disadvantages of air fryer?
While air fryers allow you to cook food with a lower cooking time and utilize less hot oil, it isn’t all roses and daisies. Let’s take a look at a few of the disadvantages to using an air fryer.
- Because it cooks with high temperatures, food can burn quickly
- Most air fryers are fairly small, so it can be hard to cook lots of food for bigger families (for instance, a bunch of chicken wings may have to be cooked in multiple batches)
- Because an air fryer is so easy to use, people can resort to eating fried chicken or foods with a higher fat content more often, causing them to miss out of basic nutrients included in foods such as olive oil or avocado oil
Is an air fryer worth buying?
It all depends on your needs. Do you see yourself using an air fryer frequently? Personally, I think everyone could use an air fryer on their counter top. While I was kind of against it at first, I have come to realize that they’re a great oven alternative.
I often find myself cooking broccoli or other veggies in my air fryer. I love it because it takes such little oil and the air fryer cooks potatoes, french fries, literally anything to perfection.
Moreover, Ialso like them because you can get an inexpensive one or decide to splurge – depending on how much money you want to spend. Mine was around $60 from Target and does the trick just fine!
How does an air fryer work?
Wondering what is an air fryer and how does it work? Well, the top section of an air fryer holds a heating mechanism and a fan. Once you’ve heated up the air fryer, place food in the pull-out basket and click on. Choose your setting and time frame that you want your food to cook for. When you turn it on, hot air circulates and goes around the food. This is pretty much how deep frying works, just without the extra oil.
Make sure you check on the air fryer frequently so you don’t overcook or burn your food! It’s easy to do so with this type of appliance.
