People ditching air fryers for alternative that's cheap and healthy to run (2024)

FAQs

What are people replacing air fryers with? ›

Ditch your air fryer and replace it with this magic multitasker. Your countertop oven can handle your cookies no problem. You can also choose one that works for convection baking, air frying, dehydrating and dough proofing.

Air fryers are being discarded due to their bulky size, limited cooking options, and the inability of some foods to achieve the desired crispiness.

People getting rid of air fryers in favour of kitchen appliance that's cheaper to run. Households are shelving their air fryers in favour of another kitchen appliance that is cheaper to run, and just as healthy.

One example of a negative effect air-frying may have on food, and on your health was illustrated by a study that showed cooking fatty varieties of fish such as sardines in an air-fryer decreased the healthy fat content (poly-unsaturated fats) and slightly increased the cholesterol oxidation products, which may ...

Halogen ovens work by releasing infrared heat from bulbs, which is then circulated around a glass bowl by fans, cooking the food in the process. They use less energy than traditional ovens so may help to reduce your household bills and require less cooking oil or fat.

A convection oven has the same advantages over an air fryer as a regular oven—size. If you're making multiple dishes or batches of food, a convection oven can help prepare it all at once.

Some say it's too good to be true, that you can't effectively “fry” something with a few tablespoons of oil and hot circulating air. Some say yeah, it works but it takes up too much countertop space for what it's worth.

Potential Weight Gain: Overconsumption of air-fried foods, despite their lower fat content, can still contribute to weight gain due to calorie-dense preparations. Carcinogen Production: Certain cooking oils and high-temperature cooking in air fryers can produce carcinogenic compounds, posing long-term health risks.

Increased air fryer recalls since 2021

But that doesn't mean air fryers pose no risk. Faulty wiring or user error can cause air fryers to overheat, burn the food inside or melt the machine itself, leading to several reported cases of kitchen fires and burns. To date, there have been no deaths reported.

The arduous cleanup kind of negates the saved cooking time

Many oven-based recipes cook 20% faster in an air fryer. Of course, you also have to clean the air fryer, and it's a bit higher maintenance than an oven or even a toaster oven.

What is the downfall of air fryers? ›

Despite their benefits, air fryers can have limited cooking capacity, take longer cook times, and struggle to achieve a truly crispy texture.

Air fryers have a smaller capacity than convection ovens; that's why they cook food faster. On the downside, they struggle with more than four portions (conversely, a convection oven can cook food for a crowd, thanks to multiple racks and generous surface area).

While acrylamide formation increases with time and temperature in deep frying, it is minimized by combining high temperature and short time (200°C, 8 min) in an air-fryer (3).

Which is better: an air fryer or a microwave? An air fryer is ideal for cooking healthier, crispy dishes, while a microwave is best for quick reheating and defrosting. Choose the appliance that aligns with your specific cooking needs and preferences.

But now shoppers are looking to multi-cookers, as they claim to do even more than your bog standard air fryer - and use considerably less energy than an oven. But are they really the 'game-changer' they're claimed to be? The Instant Pot Duo Plus is a nine-in-one multi smart-cooker.

Instead of air fryers food lovers are switching to healthier halogen ovens, still small enough to place on the kitchen worktop but much cheaper to run.

The viral hit home appliance of the pandemic – the air fryer – is evidently no passing fad. The proportion of Brits owning one has been put at 46% [Iceland customer survey] to 51% [Leatherhead Food Research] – and that was before Christmas.