I’ve learned that after testing, air frying contains substantially fewer calories than deep frying in oil. Also that if you’re trying to lose weight swapping a deep-fat fryer for an Air Fryer MAY be a good way to cut Calories.
– Comment by @matwatson7947
Yeah, air fryer manufacturers often assert that their products can reduce the fat content of popular foods like french fries, chicken wings, empanadas, and fish sticks, making them healthier.
But is this claim true? How healthy is air frying?
In fact, whether air frying is healthier depends on what you are cooking and what you compare it to. This article brings you to explore the secrets behind the air fryer.
What is an air fryer and how does it work?
Air fryers have become popular in recent years, but they are relatively new, hitting the market in 2010. Air fryers utilize air circulation, using hot air to evenly cook the different sides of the food, resulting in a golden brown and crispy texture. The built-in fan helps the hot air flow throughout the cooking area. This unique method allows air fryers to cook faster than traditional ovens.
While they don’t fry food in the traditional sense, they are called air fryers because they can produce crispy food similar to frying, but with less oil, making it a healthier option. With an air fryer, you only need to spray or brush a small amount of oil to achieve a crispy golden effect.
Air fryers are also easy to use. Simply set the desired temperature and cooking time, place the food in the fryer basket, then turn on the fryer and flip or shake the food as needed to ensure even cooking and oil distribution. With an air fryer, most foods can be cooked in 15 minutes or less.
From meats to desserts, almost any food can be prepared using an air fryer. You can make snacks like french fries, potato chips, and apple chips in an air fryer. You can also roast nuts and seeds or even make simple baked goods with it.
Is air frying healthier than deep frying?
Air frying is generally considered healthier than deep frying because it requires significantly less oil. When you deep fry food, it is submerged in a large amount of hot oil, which can increase the calorie and fat content of the food. In contrast, air frying uses circulating hot air to cook the food, requiring only a fraction of the oil or even no oil at all.
By using less oil, air frying can reduce the overall fat content in the cooked food. Additionally, it minimizes the formation of harmful compounds that can occur during deep frying.
Benefits of air fryers
Air fryers have several benefits. They can help you reduce the fat, calories, and potential harmful compounds in your diet, and they are faster and more energy-efficient compared to other cooking methods.
1. Air fryers reduce fat content
In general, traditional fried foods can absorb 10-60% of the oil used in the frying process. So, fried foods have significantly higher fat and calorie content compared to the same non-fried foods. Because oil is high in calories, even absorbing just 10% of the oil can significantly increase your daily calorie intake.
Take French fries, for example. Fried French fries contain 15 grams of fat and over 310 calories per 100 grams. In contrast, the same amount of boiled potatoes contains only 0.1 grams of fat and approximately 90 calories.
Air frying can help reduce the overall fat content of food by using less oil. In this aspect, the Typhur Dome Air Fryer performs exceptionally well. It utilizes an oversized convection fan that efficiently removes oil, with an oil removal rate of up to 99.5%.
2. Air fryers decrease the formation of harmful compounds
Cooking carbohydrate-rich foods at temperatures above 120℃ can result in the formation of acrylamide. The reduction of moisture during the cooking process is also a significant factor, particularly in baked and fried foods. When the moisture decreases and the surface temperature increases, there is a higher likelihood of browning and the formation of more acrylamide.
Old oil that has been repeatedly heated and cooled, such as the oil in restaurant deep fryers, can contain other harmful compounds. Using an air fryer can significantly reduce the presence of these harmful compounds in food. Air fryers can reduce acrylamide levels by up to 90%. Additionally, since air fryers use less oil, you would also be exposed to fewer other harmful compounds that might be present in the oil.
3. Air fryer cooks faster than other cooking methods
Air fryers are known for their ability to cook food faster compared to other cooking methods. This is primarily due to the high-powered convection heating system and the efficient circulation of hot air within the air fryer’s cooking chamber. The rapid circulation of hot air ensures that heat is evenly distributed around the food, resulting in faster and more efficient cooking times.
The performance of the Dome Air Fryer in the evaluation experiments was impressively remarkable. It features a 1700W high-power heating element and oversized convection fan, as a result, its cooking speed is 30% faster than regular air fryers.
Furthermore, compared to traditional air fryers, Typhur Dome Air Fryer features a dome-shaped design that provides twice the cooking space in one layer (the width of the cooking surface matters much more than the height to cook more evenly).
That’s a great choice when you have to cook for a large group within a limited time frame. With its super-sized, flattened cooking chamber, you can now effortlessly cook generous portions of food all at once with a crispier and more even result.
4. Energy efficiency
Air fryers consume less energy compared to ovens. Air fryers have a smaller size than these larger appliances, and they cook food faster, resulting in energy-saving benefits. There may also be an additional advantage in that air fryers do not heat up the kitchen as much as ovens, which can potentially save you some money on your air conditioning bill!
5. Portability and convenience
Air fryers are portable, allowing you to carry them with you. You can take one with you on vacation or when traveling, enabling you to save on dining out expenses even without a fully equipped kitchen.
FAQs
Well, when it comes to comparing air frying and baking, the health benefits may not be as clear-cut. However, if you’re using little to no oil in your air fryer, the dishes you prepare will be just as healthy as if you had baked them. The nutritional content remains the same; only the cooking method differs.
In fact, there isn’t enough research specifically on the risks of eating air-fried food daily.
An air fryer is a versatile kitchen appliance that allows you to cook a wide range of foods. Such as air fryer chicken wings, air fryer broccoli, and air fryer steak. You can go to our air fryer recipe collection to find more ideas.
Yes, it’s generally safe to put aluminum foil in an air fryer, but with a few important guidelines to ensure safe and effective use. Check the use conditions in this guide: can you put foil in an air fryer?
