An air fryer is a kitchen frying appliance that makes frying exceptionally easy for people who love fried and crispy foods with less fat. An air fryer doesn’t necessarily fry foodstuffs; rather, they use their in-built fan for cooking, fry, bake, or crisp foodstuffs in its basket by circulating and pushing up hot air to the food being cooked.
Traditionally, frying is typically done by completely submerging the food in hot oil- a process called deep-frying. Then, it leaves the submerged food in the oil to soak up an unhealthy amount of it that can increase the food’s calorie level.
However, with the invention of the air fryer, frying now doesn’t only eliminate unwanted calories and oil but also makes frying effortless and reduces the side effects fried food has on people. Additionally, because an air fryer operates in a closed system and doesn’t need cooking gas to work, they reduce the risk of house burning, splashing, and popping of oil, as in the case of a regular frying pan.
Air fryer Buying Guide for 2020
Capacity
The capacity a regular air fryer can cook is between two to two and a half pounds per portion. This measurement depends on the model, design, and brand entirely, although this range is sufficient enough for simple day-to-day cooking tasks and fries. They are also useful in reheating leftover foods. You can fry between 500-1000g of chips at a portion, enough for up to four people. For larger and more demanding cooking tasks like cooking a full turkey or chicken, we recommend using a higher capacity industrial-grade air fryer.
Additionally, you must calculate how much space your air frying will occupy on your cooking table. For example, if you are going to be using yours regularly, you should consider leaving it out on the table permanently. If you aren’t using yours too often, consider a more portable and easy to keep model.
Wattage
Before buying any electrical appliance in general, you must have at least basic knowledge of your home power supply and the appliance power requirement and consumption in wattage. Check to be sure that the power outlet in your kitchen supports the air fryer power consumption.
The majority of modern air fryers require a power wattage between 800-1500 watts. The higher the wattage, the hotter the temperature can go. An even more high-end air fryer can have a wattage of close to 1800 watts and even more. They are very efficient in reheating frozen foods, oil, and grease.
Power consumption
The price if an air fryer matters, but what matters more, is its electrical power consumption. Therefore, to avoid buying a gadget that comes cheap but costs a lot of money to run, we recommend you check the air fryer power consumption rating to be sure it’s within your budget.
The maximum electrical power a regular 1500 watts air fryer can consume in an hour is at most, a unit per day. Air Fryers uses between 12 and 15 minutes to finish cooking for a family of four. Although some cheap-rate air fryers consume less than 1500 watts, they use up smaller units per day.
Temperature Control
An air fryer can either have a dial control or digital temperature control. Most air fryers can cook at a temperature of 400 degrees and more. Dial temperature controls air fryers are quite old-fashioned, straightforward, but less accurate compared to digital control. They consist of a timer and a temperature dial.
Digitally controlled air fryers have a touch-sensitive display, an indicator light, and a sophisticated timer more accurate than its predecessor. Aside from temperature reading, they have some pre-installed settings to assist you with your cooking tasks for the best results. We recommend you consider models that are simple to understand with an alarm to let you know when cooking is complete.
Cleaning
The parts of an air fryer are quite easy and safe to clean at home. Because it is an electrical gadget, always unplug it from the power source before cleaning and do not immerse it in water to avoid damaging it or electrocuting you. However, some non-electrical parts can be cleaned in a dishwasher or manually with hand.
Ensure you get one with a non-slip base and feet to prevent it from slipping off during operation and cleaning. Allow the air fryer cool before cleaning to avoid burning your hands while removing its basket. We also recommend following the manufacturer’s guide when cleaning your fryer.
Extra Cooking Rack
Because an air fryer is quite similar to a small tabletop oven, you’ll need more than just the gadget to use the machine comfortably. For example, if you are cooking chicken drumsticks in an oven, you would separate them to avoid them stacking on each other; to do this, you’ll need a stirrer and other important extra cooking racks applicable to an air fryer as well. Always check for an extra cooking rack, stirrer, rotating baskets, and sturdy lids when buying an air fryer.
Conclusion
Conclusively, an air fryer is ideal for individuals living alone or a small family of four. They are a hands-on appliance you can easily use to reheat pre-cooked frozen food in place of an oven or microwave.
Also, we recommend air fryers for people living in recreational vehicles, campervans, caravans, or people who don’t have an oven or microwave because of how portable they are. They are very good crispers for vegetables, potatoes, or fries in general, and they do not produce much heat, as in the case of a kitchen oven.
