What is an air fryer?
An air fryer is a mini oven that sits on the kitchen bench.
Great for all households and budgets, they come in a range of sizes and prices. Smaller models are great for cooking small amounts of food or for one or two people. Larger models are popular with larger families. Prices can range from as low as $39 to over $550.
How do air fryers work?
Regular ovens cook food by heating air, which transfers heat to the food, cooking it from the outside in. A fan-forced oven has a fan to move the air around the oven to cook food more evenly and efficiently.
Compared to an oven air fryers have a much smaller space to heat, and a relatively bigger fan. A perforated basket or tray holds the food. The fan moves hot, dry air around the air fryer and food in the perforated basket.
As air fryers have a lot less area to heat they cook food a lot quicker than a regular oven. This could save you time in the kitchen and money on electricity bills!
Do air fryers really “fry” food?
While the name suggests that air fryers “fry” food this is not really the case.
Deep fried food is cooked by being in submerged in hot oil. The oil is typically absorbed by the food. As air fryers cook food by exposing food to hot, dry air, only a small amount of oil is needed to cook in an air fryer.
Is cooking in an air fryer healthier?
- The components inside the air fryer are often made from non-stick materials which contain plastic chemicals. To reduce exposure plastics consider buying an air fryer with baskets, trays, racks and internal components that are made from metal or glass.
- Excessively browning starchy foods through baking, frying and roasting can lead to acrylamide formation, which is potentially cancer-causing. To err on the safe side cook food to the lightest colour you’re satisfied with and minimise consumption of overly browned or burnt food.
- Air frying doesn’t make unhealthy foods healthier. While air fryers require less oil, some packaged foods (e.g., frozen chips, spring rolls) may still be deep-fried during food processing. Check out NMNT’s healthy air fryer cooking hacks and recipes below.
Air fryer cooking hacks
1. Almost anything you would roast in an oven, you can cook in an air fryer!
As air fryers cook food more efficiently than a regular oven, you generally won’t need to cook food for as long, or at as high a temperature. A general guide for adapting a recipe for an air fryer is to;
- Reduce the temperature by about 5-10˚C e.g., if the oven recipe says to cook at 180˚C, set your air fryer to 170 or 175˚C.
- Reduce the cooking time by about 20% e.g., if the oven recipe says to cook for 20 minutes, then try cooking in the air fryer for 16 minutes.
Different air fryers cook at different rates. It may take trial and error to understand your air fryer. Check your food regularly to judge if the food is ready. If it’s browning too quickly, lower the heat. Use a meat thermometer to make sure meat, fish, or chicken is cooked through, as the outside may easily brown while it’s not fully cooked inside. For more info head to top tips for food safety at home.
2. Air fryers have a more powerful fan compared to regular ovens. Be careful when using baking paper or cooking very light foods (e.g., baby spinach, soft herbs, loose spices sprinkled on top of food), as they may get blow around the air fryer and pose a fire risk. Place light items under heavier ingredients.
3. The hot air needs to circulate around the food to cook evenly. Don’t overfill the basket or completely cover the perforated area.
4. If you’re cooking smaller pieces of food (e.g. crumbed fish or chicken, roast chunks of vegetable or potato chips) remove the drawer or tray regularly during cooking. Shake the basket to move the food around. For larger pieces of food, turn them over. This will help the food cook evenly.
Air fryer cooking with NMNT
Check out these Healthy, Easy Recipes with air fryer cooking tweaks
Baked Potato with Tuna, Sweetcorn, Red Onion and Mayo
Share your favourite air fryer cooking hacks on the Easy Healthy Eating by NMNT Facebook group
