Is Air Fryer Food Healthy? (Explained)

When you first think about an air fryer, you feel about no oil is needed to cook in it. That is the specialty of the air fryer as it doesn’t need much oil only a tiny bit.

Bearing that in mind you will think that the air fryer is one of the best home appliances out there. You can cook anything in the air fryer without any high calories and because of its no oil feature.

It is far better than deep frying food which can give you so many calories. The reason why the air fryer doesn’t take any oil is that it has a hot air technology in it that circulates throughout the food.

It surrounds all your food to give you the same sensation as deep-fried food. The healthy way you can cook your food is far better than deep frying.

Air fryer cuts out almost 70% to 80% of calories and cuts down a lot of fat. It also cuts the harmful effect that you get by deep frying with its hot air technology.

To know more about the food cooked in the Air fryer, read till the end as I’ll be going through it all.

Table of Contents

Types of an Air Fryer

Air fryers are classified into four types: paddle-type, basket-type, counter-top oven type, and oil-free turkey fryers.

Paddle Type- These are typically more expensive, but they are “self-tending,” which means they stir/turn the food for you.
Basket Type– These are less expensive, but depending on what you’re cooking, you might need to intervene two or three times during the cooking process to shake the food. Cooking oil must be applied to the food before it is placed in the basket.
Countertop Oven- These are more like multipurpose ovens than finely tuned air fryers.
Turkey Fryers with No Oil- These can be quite large; they are primarily intended for outdoor use only; there is no forced air, and they can also function as tandoori-style ovens.

Using an Air Fryer can Assist in Reducing Fat Content

Deep-fried foods are typically higher in fat than foods prepared in other ways.

Some manufacturers claim that using an air fryer instead of a deep fryer can reduce the fat content of foods by up to 75%.

This is because air fryers use far less fat for cooking than conventional deep fryers. While many deep-fried recipes call for up to 3 cups (750 mL) of oil, air-fried foods only need about 1 tablespoon (15 mL).

Studies comparing the properties of deep-fried and air-fried french fries discovered that air-frying produced a product with significantly less fat and a less crispy texture, but a similar color and moisture content.

This can have serious consequences for your health. According to some studies, consuming more fat from vegetable oils is linked to an enhanced risk of conditions such as heart disease and inflammation.

However, the findings are mixed, and other meta-analyses suggest that fats encountered in vegetable oil may be associated with a lower risk of heart disease.

What Is the Basic Definition of An Air Fryer?

For those who are unfamiliar with an Air Fryer, an air fryer is similar to an oven; it is a home appliance that is present in the kitchen.

It has the specialty to cook your food without using any sort of oil (just a tiny bit), so expect healthier food not just only that it can cook your food instantly.

With its hot air technology, it can crisp up your food and give you the same feeling as deep-fried food.

Is Buying An Air Fryer Worth It?

The use of the air fryer is gaining rapidly so you might think it is worth buying, well not exactly.

Air fryer indeed makes your food quickly but due to its low capacity or space of food it is very hard, difficult and time taken to cook food for a large family of 5-6 members.

However, if you have a family of 3-4 the air fryer is the best choice to cook your food in it. Let’s see if this table below tells us whether it is worth buying an air fryer.

Advantages	Disadvantages
It produces healthier food as it doesn’t need any sort of oil.	It has less space in the basket to cook your food.
Despite using no oil it can make your food crispy and juicy.	Due to its low capacity, it can’t fulfill the need of a larger family.
It is very easy to use an air fryer.	If you don’t have a proper place to store it, it can be a problem for you.
It can reheat and cook your food instantly.	While a stove and oven can almost cook everything air fryer can’t cook things like cheese, raw grain, etc.
Compare to deep frying it heats up very quickly.	As it cooks everything quickly there is a high chance that it can burn your food so expect food wastage.
It is also much safer than deep frying.	It makes a lot of noise.
Due to its hot air mechanism, it can cook many foods.	It is also quite expensive to buy it with the average price being 75$ till 150$.

Advantages and disadvantages of an Air fryer

How To Cook In An Air Fryer for the First Time?

This is for those who recently bought an air fryer and are unfamiliar with it.

The first thing to do is to remove all the stickers and packaging from the air fryer so that when you’re cooking in it the sticker couldn’t damage the material of the air fryer.
Then you should wash it thoroughly and put something that is heat resistant.
When you are about to cook just make sure to not overcrowd the basket of the air fryer or else the food could turn out to be soggy.
If you’re cooking something you need to know that the air fryer heats up quickly compared to the normal deep fryer, this is to let you know to not burn your food.
During the middle of the cooking, you should shuffle your food by taking out the basket so your food can be perfectly cooked from every side and if you want a peak at your food then you take out the basket and peek at it there is no need to turn off the air fryer as most of them turn by themselves automatically.
If you are finished peeking at your food, properly push the basket inside or the air fryer will not turn on after you are done with cooking thoroughly wash your air fried so all the oil and fat can be washed out.

*Air fryer basket should be placed properly*

Is Air Fried Food Healthy?

No doubt, cooking with an air fryer is a much healthier way to cook your food compare to deep frying as it cuts out almost 70% to 80% calories and cuts down a lot of fat.

It also cuts the harmful effect that you get by deep frying with its hot air technology.

Is Air Fried Food Safe To Consume?

You might be confused why this question was raised as air-fried food is much healthier than any other type of cooking so you might think that all is safe to eat.

According to many experts they have found acrylamide in it which is very harmful to us as it has an increased risk of kidney, endometrial, and ovarian cancers.

Not so healthy that you thought well don’t worry check out this video below this is going to tell the way to reduce this risk:

Video giving tips for healthier air fried

Is An Air Fryer Healthier Than Microwave?

Whether Air Fryer is a healthier alternative than a microwave, as we know that microwaves use radiation which can be risk y same as air fryers so why should one buy an air fryer rather than a microwave?

Well, a microwave needs some sort of oil to cook food most air fryer requires no sprinkle of oil to cook food.

So it is safe to say it is more heather than a microwave. Not to mention that an air fryer can also do baking, frying, and many other things.

Air fryers can do baking — Air Fryer Can do Baking as well

Conclusion

An air fryer is a more alternating way to cook your food healthily compare to other cooking methods.

An air fryer cooks your food with no or less oil.
There are many advantages and disadvantages to whether you should buy an air fryer.
It is very important to know how to cook in an air fryer before buying it.
Despite air frying being healthy it can also cause cancer.
An air fryer is a more healthy alternative than a microwave as an air fryer needs no oil or sprinkle of oil to cook your food and not to mention that an air fryer can also do things like baking and frying.