How Does an Air Fryer Work?

Air fryers are a trendy appliance that claim to deliver crispy food without deep frying. Let's dive deeper into this smart gadget and learn how does an air fryer work, what to cook in it, along with tips to get your food real crispy. Also explore what's the best air fryer to buy.

Jump to:

• What is an Air Fryer?
• How Does an Air Fryer Work?
• Is Air Fryer Better than Oven?
• Does Air Frying Destroy Nutrients?
• What to Cook in Air Fryer?
• Air Fryer Recipes on the Blog
• What Should you Not put in an Air Fryer?
• What is the Best Size Air Fryer to Buy?
• What's the Best Air Fryer to Buy?
• Tips on Getting Your Food Crispy

Air fryer is a revolutionary gadget that has swept the nation lately. Since I really value counter space, I reluctantly got one a few years ago. I tested the air fryer extensively to make sure that I would have a good use for this appliance. I must admit, I am hooked to this smart gadget!

I've been using it regularly for weeknight meals, especially for making side dishes or quick and healthy snacks for the kids. I even mastered the popular Indian Samosa in it 🙂 I'm always bowled over by the results, whether I'm cooking for 2 or 4.

Let's dive deeper and learn how does an air fryer work, and how to get the most out of it!

Also Checkout: 40+ Light & Crispy Air Fryer Recipes

What is an Air Fryer?

Air fryers have become a very popular appliance recently, and for a good reason. An air fryer is a small appliance, which is essentially a convection oven that sits on your countertop. It cooks the food by pushing hot air under and around it.

The magic of this gadget is that it creates a cooking effect that seems like the food has been deep-fried, but in fact the air fryer uses only hot air with little to no oil.

Air Fryer Origin: In 2010, Philips introduced the 'Airfryer', a small convection appliance that used its patented 'Rapid Air Technology' to cook crispy food.

How Does an Air Fryer Work?

Air Fryers use the same technology that is used in convection ovens. Once you put the food in the air fryer basket and turn it on, hot air is pushed down and around the food. With this method of quick air circulation the food gets crispy, kind of like deep-frying, but without all the excess oil.

Part of the reason air fryers are so popular is in a few simple steps you can have perfectly crispy food that is tender on the inside, and is healthier than alternate cooking methods like frying.

But see exactly how does an air fryer work? Here are the three simple steps you can follow to cook most foods in your air fryer:

Step 1: Once you have tossed your protein or vegetables with a small amount of oil and seasoning, place it in the air fryer basket in a single layer.

Step 2: Set the temperature and time on the air fryer. Depending on what you are cooking, temperatures usually range from 350F - 400F with a cooking time of 5 - 25 minutes. Quick and easy!

Step 3: Time to flip! Sometimes you will need to flip your food in the air fryer basket halfway through the cooking time to ensure even cooking.

Is Air Fryer Better than Oven?

Air fryer is a very handy appliance because not all ovens have the convection feature, which is what the air fryer does by circulating the hot air around.

Also, the basket in an air fryer has an advantage over an oven because the hot air is able to circulate underneath the food in the basket, resulting in crisper foods.

And since the cooking area is smaller than the oven, food gets cooked faster, sometimes in half the time.

One area where an air fryer looses to the oven is quantity. Air fryers are ideal when cooking for 2-4, depending on what you're cooking. For bigger quantities, you have to cook in multiple batches, which takes away the benefit of saving time.

Another drawback of an air fryer when compared to oven is Energy usage. Depending on the model and make of your oven, the energy usage of an air fryer can be much more as compared to an energy-efficient gas oven.

Air Fryer vs. Oven Verdict: Air fryers produce crisper results in less time as compared to the oven. However, you can only cook a small quantity at a time. Ovens are far more energy efficient as compared to air fryers.

Does Air Frying Destroy Nutrients?

Air frying does not destroy all key nutrients. In fact, compared to other methods of cooking, air frying maintains a lot of the key nutrients in foods.

That's because they aren't soaked in oil, and the circulating hot air keeps the surface of the food dry and cooks them quickly, ensuring that the food retains more of its key nutrients.

What to Cook in Air Fryer?

You can cook a variety of foods in an air fryer. While you'll find many recipes for 'fried foods', you can use it to toast, roast or even bake.

You can cook anything from healthy appetizers like Sweet Potato Fries, side dishes like roasted carrots, to entrees like Flatbread Pizza or Fish Tacos, to comforting desserts like chocolate bread pudding.

Explore a full list of Air Fryer Recipes.

Air Fryer Recipes on the Blog

Check out the full range of Air Fryer Recipes

Can I Air Fry Frozen Vegetables?

Yes, you can cook frozen vegetables in an air fryer. The circulating air in the air fryer helps dry out the frozen vegetables and create a crispiness. But know that the results won't be comparable to fresh roasted vegetables.

Air Fryer Frozen French Fries

Preheat the air fryer at 400F for 2 minutes. Brush or spray the fryer basket with cooking spray or oil. Add the frozen fries in a single layer, no need to thaw. Season with salt if not previously seasoned.

Air fry for 20-22 minutes, shaking the basket half way through. For extra crispy fries, add another 2 minutes to cooking time.

What Should you Not put in an Air Fryer?

Anything with a wet batter does not do well in an air fryer.

Avoid overcrowding the basket in the air fryer, so a whole roast chicken is not the best in an air fryer.

Avoid using fresh cheese that can drip everywhere and create a mess in the air fryer.

What is the Best Size Air Fryer to Buy?

Air fryers range from 3qt - 10 qt. Here are some things to consider while deciding which size fits your needs:

• Servings: How many people are you cooking for? The serving size depends on what you're making too. If making fries, a 5-6qt size will serve 2, you will have to make another batch for a family of 4. But if making roasted sweet potatoes, you can fit 4 standard servings in one batch. For most entrees, you'll have to do multiple batches for 4 servings.
• Size of basket: When checking size of the basket, check for surface area, not capacity. Even though air fryers list their capacity for size in quarts or pounds, you're never going to fill up the basket since the food won't crisp up. For the air fryer to work effectively, food has to be spread in a single layer, which is why it is better to check the surface area of the fryer basket/ tray verses depth.
• Counter Space: Air fryers take up counter space. When in use, they also need enough clear space at the back, so the hot air can release. Keep that in mind when selecting a model.

What's the Best Air Fryer to Buy?

In this section I briefly review the 5 Best Selling Air Fryers (for a family of four), that are well rated with thousands of user reviews on Amazon. The following factors have been taken into consideration while reviewing them:

• Ease of use: Buttons, presets and basket, cleaning
• Quantity cooked
• Even Cooking & Crisping

The following information is based on my personal usage (cooking for 4), along with experiences of my fellow recipe creators, who use their devices extensively. I'll start with the one that's my favorite.

Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer 6 in 1, 6qt

• A best seller on Amazon with over 35k reviews
• 6 built in smart programs to roast, broil, bake, reheat and dehydrate
• Has a pre-heat function and built-in reminder to turn food.
• Removable fryer tray that is dishwasher safe.
• Comes with a square basket that fits more food as compared to a similar sized air fryer with circular basket.
• Fingerprint resistant stainless steel finish that matches with other appliances in the kitchen.

Instant Pot Vortex 6 Qt 4 in 1 Air Fryer, 6qt

• A best seller on Amazon with over 35k reviews
• If you don't care for the dehydrate function, this is a great value for money.
• 6 built in smart programs to roast, broil, bake and reheat
• Has a pre-heat function and built-in reminder to turn food.
• Removable fryer tray that is dishwasher safe.
• Comes with a square basket that fits more food as compared to a similar sized air fryer with circular basket.

Cosori Air Fryer Max XL, 5.8qt

• Amazon's choice with over 57K reviews.
• 13 one-touch cooking functions (but most likely, you'll end up using 3-4)
• Square shaped basket provides more cooking footprint and flexibility than round designs
• Removable, nonstick basket is dishwasher safe, PFOA free, and BPA free.

Philips Premium Digital Air fryer XXL, 4qt

• One of the most popular air fryers sold.
• Even crisping and cooking.
• Multi-cooking functions: Air fry, bake, grill, roast, reheat, dehydrate, and toast.
• Dishwasher-safe removable parts and a quick-clean basket
• Even though the size is XXL, the capacity is only 4qt.

Gourmia Digital Air Fryer, 6qt

• 8 pre-set food functions
• Removable, 6 quart nonstick basket
• Square shaped basket provides more cooking footprint and flexibility than round designs
• Stainless steel finish that matches with other appliances in the kitchen.

Cuisinart TOA-60 Convection Toaster Oven Air fryer

• In-built presets for 7 functions: air fry, convection bake, convection broil, bake, broil, Warm, toast
• Includes: oven rack, baking pan, air fryer rack/basket.
• This is more like a mini-oven and takes up more counter space than most standalone air fryers.
• Can cook a larger quantity of food in the rectangular food tray.

Tips on Getting Your Food Crispy

Let's see how to get the most out of your air fryer, and what not to do:

1. Preheat Air Fryer: For crisper results, use the preheat function. If your air fryer does not have a preset, simply preheat your air fryer at 400F for 2 minutes.
2. Shake basket halfway: This applies to whether you're roasting vegetables or cooking french fries. Shaking the basket halfway through, ensures even and better crisping of food.
3. Use little oil: The air fryer needs very little oil to cook. Using more oil will actually prevent the food from crisping and result in soggy food instead.
4. Cut in even size: Cutting food in even size ensures an even cooking and crispier texture.
5. Don't overcrowd: Placing the food in a single layer is key to crisp results. Overlapping food will create a steamed finish versus a crisp or roasted texture. Depending on the size of your air fryer, divide the food in 2-3 batches.
6. Leave space: When placing foods, leave a little space between each piece so the hot air has room to circulate around each piece.
7. Use dry herbs and seasoning: Fresh aromatics and herbs tend to get burnt and loose flavor in air frying. For better results, use dry herbs when possible.
8. Avoid wet batters: Excess moisture in the batter will prevent the food from crisping.
9. Don't put foil in the basket/tray: I am all for ease of cleaning, but lining the air fryer basket or tray with foil will prevent the hot air from circulating around. Instead, place a thin sheet of foil, cut at the right size so it fits snuggly at the base of the basket, leaving plenty of room for the hot air to go around.

I hope you find this information helpful. If you have a questions regarding air fryers, do comment below. Don't forget to share your food pictures with us on your favorite social media channel by tagging #spicecravings

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