air fryer pros and cons pin

Air frying has become i of the hottest cooking trends. But, is air frying safe? What are the drawbacks and benefits? This article shares an in-depth review of Air Fryer Pros and Cons.

white air fryer on a countertop

Basics of Air Frying

An air fryer is substantially a mini oven with a powerful fan to help circulate the hot air. This is not unlike larger convection ovens that use a fan to help promote air movement and increment the speed of baking.

The use of a fan in air frying also has the do good of promoting the Maillard reaction, a chemic reaction in cooking when amino acids and natural sugars in foods that leads to browning.

This browning of food is what gives many cooked nutrient their season, such as the crispy chocolate-brown leaves of Brussels sprouts, the golden well-baked of a freshly-baked air fryer cookie, or the crisp exterior of a juicy steak.

air fryer cookies done baking
Air Fryer Chocolate Fleck Cookies

Pros of Air Fryer

There are some real cool aspects of air frying, permit's review what they are.

1. Quick and efficient

One of the best parts about air fryer is that it reduces at least 30-l% of the fourth dimension that it takes to cook something in the oven. For instance, while sugariness murphy cubes might take up to 35 minutes to cook in a hot oven, it but takes 12 minutes to make Air Fryer Sweet White potato Cubes.

Most air fryer models don't even need to be preheated which besides cuts down on the overall fourth dimension yous need to melt your food.

2. Not too expensive

Unlike outfitting a whole kitchen, an air fryer is a simple and inexpensive mode to install a mini oven in a infinite. Most quality air fryers are less than $100. See my list of the best air fryers nether $100.

iii. Great for campers or higher students (or people who don't have an oven)

While air fryers do tend to be bulky (about twice the size of a java maker), they are well worth their size. They fit in smaller spaces which makes them perfect for people with RVs or for higher students.

4. Doesn't rut your kitchen

Another major benefit of air fryers is that they won't heat up your kitchen. While they throw a picayune bit of heat out the back, they don't fifty-fifty come close to the amount of oestrus that comes out of a regular kitchen oven.

This reduction in heat output is a huge characteristic when you want to cook or bake in the summertime, but you don't desire to make your kitchen or house too hot.

five. May not require pre-heating

I don't know near you, merely I really dislike the amount of time it takes to preheat a regular oven (up to 20 minutes or longer)! 1 major do good of almost air fryers is that you can skip that preheating footstep altogether.

If your specific air fryer does require preheating, information technology will likely just exist for v minutes. This helps cutting down the overall cook time and the time yous have to spend waiting for your food to be ready.

half-dozen. Smaller batches

The typical air fryer basket is between 3 to v quarts and is platonic for i-4 people, or you don't want to have leftovers. There are some extra big air fryers, but virtually more often than not make enough for simply a few people.

Additionally, many air fryer recipes ask that y'all put the food in a single layer which also limits how much food you can make at one time.

7. Easy to cook vegetables

I of my favorite benefits of air fryer is how like shooting fish in a barrel it is to melt vegetables! Additionally, air fried vegetables are usually roasted and flavorful and very tasty. Run across my recipes for Air Fryer Acorn Squash, Air Fryer Frozen Brussel Sprouts, Air Fryer Kale Fries, or Air Fryer Frozen Light-green Beans.

Yous might also similar my commodity on the best vegetables for picky eaters.

baby carrots cooked in air fryer basket
Air Fryer Baby Carrots

Cons of Air Fryer

That said, at that place are some drawbacks to air fryers. Let's review what the cons are.

1. Air fryers are big and beefy

The air fryer is quite a beefy appliance and may non be suitable if you have limited infinite. Additionally, most air fryers aren't exactly pretty, so they don't always look great on the countertop.

That said, if yous already take an Instant Pot, blender, toaster oven, and java maker, so an air fryer volition likely merely alloy right in with your other countertop appliances.

2. Express serving size

If yous accept a large family or you routinely cook for many people, so an air fryer may not be appropriate for you lot. Well-nigh air fryers are ideal for making i-iv servings at a time.

That said, I've rounded upwardly the best air fryer Thanksgiving recipes that are perfect for pocket-sized gatherings!

3. Production of acrylamide

Whenever y'all roast or toast foods, in that location tin can be an aggregating of acrylamide that results.

While the research is still developing over the level of business concern about acrylamide and human health, in that location was at least one study that showed that air frying produced up to xc% lower acrylamide as compared to deep frying.

4. Requires some skill

As with any new apparatus, there can be a learning curve. The air fryer is no unlike and volition require you to get adjusted to how to use it.

That said, I have personally found the air fryer to exist very simple and straightforward. Retrieve, information technology is substantially a pocket-size oven, and so you'll just accept to get used to the specific buttons on your device, besides as adjust to cooking foods at lower temperatures and for a shorter cook time.

v. Most air fryers take a nonstick surface

Most air fryer baskets have a nonstick surface. While this can brand for easy clean-up, some people don't similar to cook using nonstick surfaces. However, nonstick cookware is on the list of the safest cookware materials and shouldn't crusade business for most people.

air fryer buffalo cauliflower on a plate
Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower

FAQs About Air Frying

What is the best air fryer?

I have personally owned at to the lowest degree 3 different models of air fryers and they were all pretty comparable in terms of their efficiency. In other words, there are no clear winners in terms of the best air fryer overall, it is more likely a matter of personal preference and budget. See my list of the best air fryers nether $100.

Can yous steam foods in an air fryer?

The air fryer is best used for baking or roasting foods. If you want to steam foods, it's better to utilise the stovetop (with a steamer handbasket), the Instant Pot (run across my recipe for making Instant Pot Steamed Broccoli as an example of how to steam veggies in a pressure cooker), or the microwave.

Conclusions

There are some significant benefits and drawbacks to air frying. But, when it comes to convenience and efficiency, air frying seems to be here to stay. Evaluate both sides of the issue and make up one's mind for yourself whether it is worth the investment to add together this appliance to your kitchen.

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