How Does An Air Fryer Work?
The kitchen must be the most organized space with all the necessary cooking tools and appliances.
But can you stay organized with multiple machines with their dangling cords cluttering the limited countertop space?
Of course not! You need smart, efficient, and multipurpose appliances that combine many different functions. You need an air fryer.
What Is An Air Fryer?
An air fryer is, at heart, a small convection oven, which is compact enough to fit on your countertop and versatile enough to do more than just frying.
It does a great job of mimicking the results of a deep fryer with approximately 98% less oil. A heating element above the cooking chamber provides the heat.
Simultaneously, a fan circulates the heat around the food on a perforated tray or basket. This action results in crispy fried fries, wings, veggies, and whatnot.
How Does An Air Fryer Work?
In easy terms, an air fryer cooks with hot air. It works with the help of one or more heating elements located above and below in its cooking chamber.
A giant fan circulates the hot air around the food using a convection effect to cook it from inside out using no or the least amount of oil.
This mechanism helps the food achieve the perfect crunchy outside and a juicy, tender inside.
What Is An Air Fryer Used For?
An air fryer is used for cooking healthy food with less or no oil smartly and efficiently.
Working as a mini convection oven, an air fryer is an energy efficient appliance that provides endless possibilities for making recipes.
Some of the popular air fryer recipes are the following:
Crunchy French Fries
If you are fond of relishing the taste of hot and crunchy fries, you will find an air fryer a great appliance. You can make homemade or frozen fries in an air fryer in under 30 minutes.
Air Fry Chicken Wings
Chicken wings cooked in an air fryer taste even better, not to mention healthier than deep-fried. It only takes sixteen minutes (three times faster than a conventional oven) to cook chicken wings using the air fryer function.
Roast a Full Chicken
Party lovers may admire an air fryer with a toaster oven combo because of its rotisserie feature. The rotisserie function of an air fryer prepares a full roast in one hour with a brilliant crispy crust and juicy tenderness inside.
Reheat The Leftovers
An air fryer’s reheat function can be used to enjoy the leftover food again and experience the same taste once again.
Make Awesome Air Fryer Pizza
If you are fond of enjoying the crispy crust on your pizza, an air fryer should be your preferred appliance. At 380°F, air frying melts the cheese perfectly, providing the taste you will fall in love with at every bite.
Baked Desserts
An air fryer is a superb choice for making single-serving baked desserts, including cookies, apple fritters, peppermint lava cakes, etc. Baking in an air fryer takes 10-20% less time compared to a conventional oven.
How To Use An Air Fryer? Step-By-Step Process
Follow the step-by-step process when using an air fryer.
- Plug the air fryer into an electrical socket. Take out the air fryer basket and neatly arrange food items, such as vegetables, fries, wings, finger fish, etc., on the basket.
- Don’t arrange the food in multiple layers.
- Use an oil spray bottle, a mister, a brush, or your hands to apply a small amount of oil to the food.
- Choose the suitable cooking preset or add manual settings depending on what you are making. Make sure to refer to the user manual before selecting the preset options.
- When halfway through the timer, press the button on the handle to pull out the drawer and shake its contents. Shaking/tossing/flipping/rotating ensures that food is evenly cooked from all sides.
- Once the food is cooked, the unit will make a beep sound. Take out the drawer and add spices, oregano, or other decorative seasonings to give your food a mouthwatering aroma and taste.
FAQs
How is an air fryer different from a convection oven?
An air fryer and convection ovens share the same cooking principle. Both rely on hot air, which cooks the food from all sides.
The main difference between an air fryer and a convection oven lies in size. An air fryer is much smaller than a conventional oven, which limits the quantity of food you can make in every batch.
Modern air fryers are versatile. They have multifunctional settings, allowing you to cook various types. An air fryer is worth buying if you don’t always prepare bigger luncheons and feed multiple people at one time.
How is an air fryer different from a toaster oven?
The main difference between an air fryer and a toaster oven is the absence of a fan. A toaster oven has heating elements on top and bottom, but there is no fan to circulate the heat.
Unlike an air fryer, it is more suitable for browning surfaces, such as English muffins and bagels, toasting slices, and roasting small quantities of meat.
Are Air Fryers Convenient?
Yes, air fryers offer great convenience to homeowners and professional cooks alike.
If you compile a list of the benefits of an air fryer, convenience, along with speed and great cooking results, will come at the top.
With air fryer versatility, you can handle almost anything that requires a full-size oven or a traditional deep-fryer.
With speedy cooking, an air fryer allows you to prepare food in considerably less time, making your life easier.
Air fryer consume less electicity, therefore cost of running the appliance is also very low compared to oven.
How does an air fryer work without oil?
You can cook food in an air fryer without oil because it solely relies on hot air. The unit draws the air from outside.
The heating elements raise the air’s temperature, and the convection method forces the air through food.
So, unlike the pool of oil in a deep fryer, you can achieve the Maillard reaction with air and turn the food crispy and crunchy.
Conclusion
Air fryers have revolutionized cooking processes in the kitchen. Their handiness and efficiency have made them deal-makers households. Its convection oven-like working mechanism cooks the food from all sides in less time and with less oil.
Food cooked in an air fryer has the same crispy crust most people like in their fried food but without having extra calories of oil. Moreover, an air fryer is a smart choice if you have limited space in your kitchen—not enough to accommodate many different standalone appliances separately.