After hearing someone talk about air fryers for the umpteenth time at a birthday party, you know for sure: you need an air fryer too. A good choice if you ask us: an air fryer makes it easy to prepare healthy and tasty dishes. That way, you need to feel a little less guilty when eating chips or chicken nuggets from the air fryer. Apart from the health benefits, what are other reasons to choose an air fryer? Here are 10 benefits of an air fryer.
Why buy an air fryer?
An air fryer was invented by Philips and has now been on the market for 10 years. Although it has not yet completely replaced the traditional fryer, we can still see that the air fryer is wildly popular. Who wouldn’t want to eat healthier without compromising on crispiness? In this article, we give advantages of why you should buy an air fryer.
#1 advantage: frying without oil is healthier
An air fryer does not turn a frikandel or a croquette into a healthy meal, but it does contain much less oil than a traditional fryer. The advantage is that you get less oil, trans fats and calories. In that sense preparation with an air fryer is a lot healthier than with a normal fryer.
#2 advantage: An air fryer is super multifunctional
Anyone who thought an air fryer only allows you to fry with hot air is wrong: an air fryer is one of today’s most versatile kitchen appliances. The possibilities are not limited to deep-frying. For instance, you use an air fryer to bake, fry and roast. You can basically use it to prepare breakfast, lunch and an evening meal.
On a side note, you often have to buy separate accessories to expand the number of possibilities with an air fryer.
#3 advantage: fairly easy to clean
Whereas cleaning a traditional fryer can be a hell of a chore, cleaning an air fryer is a snap. An air fryer has a removable inner basket that contains a grid. You take the grid out and both the basket and the grid can be easily rinsed with soap under the tap. It varies per air fryer whether the parts are dishwasher-safe.
#4 advantage: almost impossible to burn yourself
Everyone has suffered a minor burn from a deep fryer. The fat sometimes splashes in all directions, which makes using a traditional fryer a lot less safe than an air fryer. With an air fryer, first of all, you use very little oil, so you have no problems with splashing oil. Also, an air fryer is completely sealed so the chance of getting a burn is very small. An air fryer is safe, even for a family with young children.
#5 advantage: very easy to use
The ease of use makes an air fryer a suitable kitchen appliance for any target group: from young to old. Chances are you can leave the instruction booklet in the box. The controls vary from air fryer to air fryer, but often consist of a dial to set the temperature and time. Some air fryers come with automatic baking programmes that let you set the right time and temperature at the touch of a button.
#6 advantage: save money on frying oil
Using a traditional deep fryer is a lot more expensive than an air fryer. This is because with an air fryer, you no longer need to buy frying oil. Those who use their fryer on a weekly basis will soon have to change the oil within 2 weeks. A medium-sized fryer easily requires 3 – 5 litres of frying oil, which means you will still spend around 10 euros on frying fat every month.
#7 advantage: nutrients are retained
Whereas a lot of nutrients can be lost in cooking, this is less the case with an air fryer. If you cook vegetables with water, a large part of the vitamins end up in the sink. It is possible to wok vegetables, roast them or simply ‘fry’ them with hot air.
#8 advantage: an air fryer is cheap
Whereas Philips air fryers are quite expensive, you can buy a budget air fryer from Tristar, Inventum or Princess for as little as a few tens. This, of course, is no money at all. If you are not quite sure yet whether you are going to use an air fryer, we recommend buying a cheap and small air fryer first. That way you can see if it’s for you first.
#9 advantage: crispy results without the guilt
Chips from an air fryer are not as crispy from a deep fryer, but they are definitely nice and crunchy. And why do we like food from the fryer? Because it’s nice and crispy. However, it is true that not all air fryers are equally good, so there are also differences in the outcome. And you will still need to add a little oil to achieve the crispy result.
#10 advantage: an air fryer makes other kitchen appliances unnecessary
Nowadays, we have many appliances in the kitchen, all of which take up space. Some appliances you use more than others. Because an air fryer is so multifunctional, you can get rid of other kitchen appliances. This saves space and keeps kitchen appliances out of the way.
Things to consider
- An air fryer can take up quite a lot of space. However, it is handy if you can store it somewhere when not in use.
- To use cooking techniques such as roasting or baking, you often need to buy extra accessories, which can be quite expensive.
- Frying times are longer than with a deep fryer.
Conclusion: to buy or not to buy an air fryer?
We are big fans of an air fryer. It is a handy appliance when you need to think about what to prepare for dinner at the last minute. For us, it has definitely been worth the investment. But not sure if you’re going to use the air fryer? Then I don’t know if it’s a good idea to buy a new air fryer. Before you know it, you’ll have another appliance in your house that you don’t use.