Is an air fryer the best thing for your family? There is not an easy answer to that question. Each year there seems to be a new kitchen appliance on the market and a decision has to be made about the value of that gadget for you or for the family. The participants in the five “Healthier Options with an Air Fryer” presentations over the last month shared their experiences but still had many questions.
Before purchasing an air fryer, it would be helpful to understand how the appliance works and the features that are available with the different brands and models. Air fryers cook food by circulating extremely hot air around the food. In some models the unit contains a basket to hold food, an electric heating element and a fan to circulate the hot air. There are other models that resemble a toaster oven or a small tabletop oven but there is still a fan to circulate hot air.
During our class, the first topic of discussion was to list the advantages and the disadvantages of this small appliance. The first item on the benefit list is they can provide a healthier alternative to conventional frying because they use little or no oil during the cooking process. They also are easy to clean and most are easy to operate. Using this small appliance will eliminate having to heat up the big oven especially in the summer. In most cases, the food does cook faster.
However, those who owned or had used the air fryer also voiced concerns. For those with small kitchens and not much countertop space, it is necessary to move the small appliance to the pantry or to another space to store it when not in use. For those with large families, it might be necessary to prepare two or more batches of the food if the appliance is not large enough. The biggest complaint from our audience was that the booklet that comes with the appliance lacked complete instructions for how to use it and there were very few recipes included.
One lesson learned was that if you have a convection oven or a toaster oven with the convection feature then you already have an “air fryer”. With a convection oven it is usually thought that the food is “baked”, but really it operates the same as the air fryer appliance. Another reminder is that with any new item in the kitchen, it will take time to learn the tricks but with practice it will become easier.
If you were unable to attend the Healthy Cooking with an Air Fryer presentations but would like the information and recipes from the class, please contact me at [email protected] or call the Extension Office at 785-628-9430 and we would be glad to share the information with you.
Berny Unruh is the Family and Community Wellness Agent for the Cottonwood Extension District. She can be reached at 785-628-9430 or at [email protected]