Fryers that use air and hardly any oil (and in the case of frozen products, not even that). They are advertised as healthy and very practical. Just add the food, choose the time temperature and that’s it. Voilà you already have ‘oil-free’ fries. The reality is quite different. The OCU analyzes one of these fryers and notes that they are expensive, and the results leave much to be desired.
The possibility of having some lighter ‘fries’, without oil or some croquettes makes many people interested in the so-called air fryers. These fryers are expensive (around $200) and deep down they are still like ‘a kind of oven’ that uses air. But they can also have more risk than a conventional fryer, for example that a carcinogenic substance called acrylamides accumulate more than in conventional fryers.
They work by using hot air that circulates quickly around food. What is cooking them. If the fries are frozen that are already pre-fried, you don’t need a drop of oil to cook them. If they are natural potatoes, a teaspoon is needed. The difference is that potatoes or any other food barely contains oil, so it is much lighter.
At the OCU Consumer and User Organization test center, they tested two of these airless fryers, one from the Tefal brand and the other from the Philips brand, the AirFryer. Their bottom line is that one of these fryers is NOT worth it . They compared an air fryer and a conventional one with oil, to see if it was worth it or not.
Fried foods taste bad and look bad in air fryers.
They fried both frozen and fresh potatoes in an air / and oil fryer.
In the air one, the fried ones looked bad and tasted bad. The best fries were those cooked in the conventional fryer, not the air fryer. In the air fryer the food was not cooked homogeneously, there were areas more ‘done’ than others. The potatoes weren’t crispy, and they tasted quite like raw potato. The most likely cause is that the temperature at which the airless fryer cooks is not homogeneous. They consume more electricity than a conventional electric fryer. For example, the Philips AirFryer consumes about 390Wh to fry half a kilo of potatoes. This is 25% more electrical power than a classic deep fryer uses.
They take longer to cook. For example, if you make potatoes in a conventional fryer, it can take about 11 minutes, in an air fryer it takes 17-21 minutes.
Acrylamides are substances that are formed during the process of frying or baking foods that have a lot of carbohydrates such as French fries, or cookies. The WHO has warned that there is a risk of the formation of a potentially carcinogenic substance detected in the frying of some foods, for example potatoes when fried at high temperatures.
Elevated temperatures above 100 degrees. The longer food is exposed to high temperatures, the greater the risk of this substance being produced. It is recommended to reduce the formation of acrylamides. Reduce cooking times. Do not let food get too toasted. Chunky, chunky foods have less acrylamide. Do not use the maximum temperatures in the fryers.
Avoid reheating foods that we have previously fried in the microwave.
In air fryers, as the food takes longer to cook and does not have a homogeneous temperature, the risk of acrylamides forming is greater than in a conventional fryer.
Much more than a conventional deep fryer. A classic electric fryer can be found from $20 to $89, the ones with the most capacity and power. On the other hand, an air fryer is between $159 to $269. The difference is clear, it is not that it is worth twice as much, it is that they can cost up to five times more. For example, there are a variety of models of fryers that cost between $40 to $50, compared to $269 it is more than five times more. Paying five times more for an appliance that doesn’t actually deliver what it promises is worth it?
One of these fryers is not worth seeing what it offers us / and costs, it is even more advisable if you want to reduce the oil content to use the conventional oven (there are frozen foods that already come with the option of making them in the oven). You will save on oil and you will not have to spend out to eat lighter fried foods.
Although we have seen that they are not the most recommended for our food, they can be useful when cooking quickly for many people. In fact, it is common to use industrial air fryers in restaurants. So, if you want to buy a fryer for specific occasions at home, we recommend these models, which you can find on Amazon at a good price, and which are also the healthiest option because they require almost no oil to cook.
It allows us to fry potatoes and other things such as croquettes, chicken wings, dumplings, etc., with just one tablespoon of oil. It has seven modes available that, in addition to frying, allow us to roast, cook, etc. It is very easy to use and clean and, due to its capacity, we can cook up to 5 people at one time. It is the best-selling model on Amazon, and you can find it for 76 euros.
The novelty of the is that it is a digital fryer, so we can control much more the cooking time of each food and, like the other model, it allows us to fry with fewer calories and also roast and cook. Put aside these habits and try to adopt healthier options little by little. You can find it on Amazon for 80 euros.
The kitchen brand Cecotec has created an oil-free fryer that has a power of 900w and has a capacity of 300 grams. According to the manufacturer, it has cold walls to avoid burns. It has a removable bowl that makes it easier to clean but is not dishwasher safe, and it also has a timer to measure the frying time of each food.
It has no power switch, no odor or vapor filter, and no space to collect the cord.
It is a hot air fryer that is made of plastic material. One of the features that make it interesting to others is that it has a removable bucket that is easily cleaned, another interesting feature is that it has a timer so you can control the time it is fried.
Other important details are: Power that reaches 1500 watts, it does not have an ignition switch, odor filter, steam filter or space to collect cable.
Moulinex has a hot air fryer with a power of 1,500 W and that can include a maximum amount of 700 grams. Characteristics that may be important to you when comparing it with other fryers are:
It does not have a power switch; it does not have an odor filter or a steam filter. It does not have space to collect cable. Yes, you have to dishwasher safe basket and tray.
