The air fryer is one of the best home appliances out there; it is not an astonishing fact that anyone would prefer air-fried food over deep-fried food.
The reason for this is quite simple, the air fryer uses less or no oil while cooking your food, on the other hand, deep frying takes much oil to cook your food.
An air fryer is a much healthier choice than a deep fryer. It can cook your food more quickly using its hot air technology. Also, it reduces the expense and risks of buying and using oil.
With these, there are several other advantages of the Air fryers.
However, few know that there are only three major parts consisting of an air fryer, and that are the air fryer base, the basket, and the basket base.
So you may ask how your food cooks in an air fryer despite only having its components in it.
The answer to all your queries is answered below. So, read till the end as together we’ll be diving deep into it.
What is an Air Fryer?
The air fryer is practically a more powerful countertop convection oven that does not fry food. The Philips Electronics Company-patented small appliance claims to imitate the developments of deep-frying using only hot air and little or no oil.
According to this market research firm, this device has expanded in popularity in recent years, with nearly 40% of U.S. homes owning one by July 2020. Everything from frosted chicken wings and homemade french fries to toasted vegetables and fresh-baked cookies can be air-fried.
How does an Air Fryer work?
An air fryer uses a heating element and a fan to circulate hot air above and around your food to convert tiny amounts of moisture into the mist. Before placing the food in the air fryer, it is placed in an air fryer basket.
The extra-hot cooking chamber allows dry heat to penetrate the food from the outside, resulting in the familiar crispy texture of a deep fryer bath.
In some ways, the name is misleading. Food is not fried in air fryers. Convection heating, which involves circulating hot air around the food, is used instead.
Without the need for deep frying, this method yields a crispy, crunchy coating. It’s similar to using your regular oven’s fan-assisted setting but in a smaller package.
What are the main parts of an Air Fryer?
Although as time passes, many variances of air fryers are being introduced. They all have three basic parts:
- The air fryer base
- The basket base
- The basket
The base of the air fryer is present in the bottom where the basket holds and is also the main component of an air fryer.
Where Should I Place My Air Fryer To Keep It Safe?
It’s perfectly safe to place your air fryer on your kitchen counter. Just make sure the pla has a good ventilation.
The first thing you should do with any other air fryer before using it is to remove all the stickers as well as the packaging of the air fryer.
After the proper opening of the Air fryer packaging, the most common thing to do is to read the user manual to know about the safety instructions for using the device.
You must put something under it like put it on a heat-resistant surface to get no contact with any other objects or appliances.
How To Cook in An Air Fryer?
For those who have recently bought an air fryer and are unaware of its use.
- The first thing while cooking something in an air fryer is to have the grate in the basket this will allow the hot air to circulate throughout the basket so that the food is cooked perfectly.
- If you starting to hear any whirring fans don’t worry and panic, air fryers usually make these sorts of sounds.
- Then you remove the basket and toss and shuffle your food for a few minutes, this will allow your food to be cooked for every corner and you will also notice the color of your food.
- If you want a peek at your food while cooking just simply pull out the basket for a peek don’t worry you don’t need to shut down the air fryer as they manually shut down when the basket is out.
- One more thing after doing this make sure that you should push the drawer of the air fryer in or it will not turn on; you will know it when the air fryer is all of a sudden silent.
The last thing, the food in the air fryer cooks more quickly than the normal cooking so you need to keep an eye over it.
The less food you put in the basket of the air fryer, the less time it will take to cook your food.
Things Not To Do While Using An Air Fryer?
When you should start using your air fryer, here are some things you shouldn’t do to your air fryer.
- You should never overcrowd your food while cooking something in it because it has a mechanism of rotating hot air around your food.
- So you should give more space for your food so hot air can strike every side of your food so it couldn’t end up being soggy.
- You should also pat your food dry before air frying it because the dry surface makes your food brown and crispy rather than wet which will release moisture thus making your food soggy.
- You should also spray but as little oil as needed to air fry your food as excess oil could end up under the drawer and if it will stay there the next time you cook something it might smoke and ruin your food.
- Speaking of releasing, it is a must thing to clean your air fryer especially if you are using it quite frankly.
- If you are cooking something messy you should give a proper wash to all the removable parts of the air fryer and occasionally you should clean the main body of the air fryer.
- One last thing you should always remember then when you are preheating your food your temperature should be around 300F/ 149C (for medium-sized, basket-style air fryer).
- To reach this temperature wait 2-3 minutes, the temperature should be high or low or the food could get overcooked or undercooked.
These are just a few things you shouldn’t do with an air fryer. To know what to do and avoid with an air fryer in detail, check out this video below.
Is Buying an Air Fryer Worth it?
The air fryer is one of the best kitchen appliances out there and without any doubt is a very helpful way to cook healthier food in no time.
But like everything, it also has some drawbacks, let’s see if it is worth it or not.
| Pros | Cons |
| It produces crispy food with no or less oil | It has less space in it to cook your food |
| It is much healthier than deep frying | Due to its design, it could also be difficult to store it in cabinets |
| It cooks your food in less time | You can’t cook everything in an air fryer |
| It heats your food very quickly | If you don’t know how properly to use it expect food wastage |
| It also takes less time to clean the air fryer compare to normal frying | It makes loud noises while cooking |
What Should And Shouldn’t You Cook In An Air Fryer?
There are many foods you should cook and not cook in an air fryer like:
| The food you should cook in the Air fryer | The food you shouldn’t cook in the Air fryer |
| French Fries | Battered food |
| Burger patties | Popcorn |
| bacon | Toast |
| Reheated left over’s | Raw grains |
| Frozen chicken | Cheese |
| Crispy and soft potatoes | Broccoli |
Conclusion
Surely air fryer is one of the best appliances out there.
- Air fryers have three basic parts the air fryer base, the basket base, and the base.
- Putting an air fryer on something heat resistant is safe to use it.
- If the air fryer is used properly it is a game changer.
- If it is not used correctly it could turn out to be a disaster.
- Like everything, there are advantages and disadvantages to using the air fryer.
- There is food that is best for the air fryer and there is food that is not meant to be cooked in the air fryer.
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- Air Fryer French Fries Calories VS Deep Fried (Find Out)
- Pampered Chef Air Fryer VS Others (Differences Explained)