Can you tell us what tastes better than french fries? Or donuts? What about fried chicken?
There's something about frying that makes your brain just go 'yum'. But... it's not particularly healthy is it? All that oil makes it very easy to gain weight even when you're careful about what you eat. And let's not even talk about what it can do to your heart.
This conundrum of "yum" vs "wanting to stay healthy" has been a problem since we first discovered that all of the delicious foods could clog your arteries. People have tried everything to keep the delicious flavor and still stay healthy.
Air fryers are the latest attempt by the appliance industry to give us the foods we want, while still maintaining some semblance of health.
We had a bunch of questions though and set about trying to answer them.
What is an air fryer and how does it work?
Are there any rules to using them?
Feel free to click through to your most pressing answers, or keep reading to get to all of them.
First up, what is an air fryer?
An air fryer is, at its most basic, a small convection oven with the footprint of a five gallon bucket, and the ability to cook, at most, a 2.5 lb chicken. (Which is actually really small if you look it up.) The food is placed in a wire mesh basket, and the air is rapidly circulated around the chamber, allowing the food to cook approximately 20% faster.
Air fryers can also be used with a variety of different accessories, from cake pans, to pizza pans, to griddles which expand how useful it is, provided you do the additional research for using those extras properly.
Do they REALLY work?
Yes, they really do. The trick though, after extensive reading and polling people, is that just like any other tool, there's a learning curve. You need to be willing to research the particular quirks of your machine and what's needed for the best outcome. Yes, we know it means you can't just plug it in and start having fun. It bites. BUT the good news is that you can make those delicious doughnuts and not have a guilty conscience? Does that help? (It did for us. Hence why this post is so long.)
Not everyone agrees on whether air fryers work or not, but we think that the biggest issue there is that not everyone is taking into account a few rules that you need to follow for optimum working conditions.
So what are the rules?
You use too much oil / You use too little oil
Let's start with the biggest one. If you use too MUCH oil, you're forgetting the basic principle that this is an 'air fryer' not a 'deep fryer'.You don't need to soak the food in oil for it to get the crispy exterior. By the same token. you do need a little bit. (We suggest a quick spray of your favorite oil using something like a misto.) We think that's the majority of what went wrong with WIRED's testing of their air fryer. While you can get a crunchy exterior just using the air fryer without any oil, at that point you're using it like a convection oven, not allowing the air and light oil to circulate around the food.
You don’t preheat the air fryer
Yup, just like every other cooking appliance, your air fryer does need time to heat up. It does take less time than your traditional oven, but it needs that heating time all the same.
Your air fryer isn’t getting any air
If you have your air fryer crammed onto the counter, surrounded by different things, how is it going to pull air in? Answer, it's not. Without external air flow, the air fryer cannot work. So make sure it can breathe!
You cook in the air fryer without cleaning
You wouldn't cook in a frying pan without cleaning between uses, treat your air fryer the same way. After you're done using it for a meal, clean it up and you'll be good to go for next time. Otherwise things can get into the heating elements, burn and then your kitchen, and your food is going to be smelling horrible. Not fun!
The foods are too wet
If your food is soaking wet or covered in a drippy batter when you put it into the air fryer, it's going to run into a problem. Much like having too much oil, the fryer isn't going to be able to 'breathe' so to speak and it'll be more like steaming your food instead of 'frying' it.
The foods are too light
If you're trying to cook foods that are too light, say spinach leaves or something similar, they can float around. The rapid air circulation in the oven will cause things to go all over the place.
The food is too small
If you're working with the mesh basket rather than one of the attachments, it is possible for food that's been chopped too small to fall between the gaps and end up getting burned. To avoid this, just shake the basket over your sink or garbage can to make sure nothing falls out.
You don’t check the food’s temperature
This is more of a food safety thing than anything. An air fryer is still cooking your food, so you still need to check the temperature of all foods before you eat them, especially if you're dealing with meats.
You put too much food in the basket
Much like the outside of your air fryer needs space to allow it to pull in air, the inside needs space for that air to circulate. If you cram the basket full of food, the air isn't going to circulate properly and you're going to end up with something inedible.
Should you get one?
We think that for those with small apartments, or if you're living in a dorm, a good air fryer is a solid investment. Especially if you're willing to do the research and get a multi function one, this can easily replace a majority of the major kitchen appliances, without having to take up a ton of space. If you are going to get one, make sure that you buy the one with the best reviews, and that is large and durable. You'll want it to stand up to time and regular use.
If you're just wanting one to try out the process, or to be part of the fad, (which is fine, we still don't judge ;) ) then go ahead and get a smaller one. You wouldn't want to purchase one with all the bells and whistles if you aren't sure it's something you'll use regularly.
Are you going to take the plunge and test out an air fryer? Do you have one already and have recipes you’ve mastered? Let us know over on Facebook!
And if your other appliances are having issues give one of our techs a call and we’ll be happy to help!