An air fryer is derived from two words, air and fry. Meaning that it makes use of air for frying food. Cook air fryers are the air fryers used by cooks in day-to-day cooking activities. An air fryer is very good for cooking. Cooks need to have it. Let us know ‘Cook Air Fryer’.
Principle of Action
The air fryer makes use of the heat from hot air to fry things. The air is circulated inside it to allow even distribution of heat and equal frying of food products. It works like the conventional oven, just that it makes use of air
Components of Air Fryer
- The inner basket: This is where food contents are placed to be fried. It is usually perforated and oil contents from oily foods may be drained.
- Outer basket: Food contents from the inner basket may fall because the inner basket is perforated. Therefore, there is a need to have an outer basket that will retain the content
- Cake pan: This is used when the food to be fried does not necessarily require using an inner basket that is perforated
- The heating element: Highly essential in producing the heat needed by the machine
- Air fryer fan: important to allow circulation of hot air in the fryer
- The timer: To set the frying time
- Temperature control: To regulate the temperature base on the content being fried
- Electric plug: Where it is connected to the electric supply
Advantages of Using Air Fryer
- It saves time: The air fryer works very fast, this helps cook save the time for frying to cooking and doing other activities
- It does not consume oil: There may be no need to rub food with oil. Food that has oil such as chicken can be air fried without adding any oil
- It does not stain serving plates as such: Frying food with an air fryer does not stain serving plates when food is picked from the grate into the serving plates unlike frying with palm oil
- Medically speaking, it is good: This is because, in medicine, too much oil is not good, it can block blood vessels where blood passes through, leading to hypertension. Air frying of foods is good for hypertensive patients than deep-frying with oil.
- There is no need to turn off the machine while frying, once the basket is out, it turns off itself
- Does not require cooking spray: In most air fryers the cost of buying cooking spray is saved because they are usually nonsticky
Disadvantages of Air Fryer
- It is hands-on: One Will keep turning the content to allow even distribution of hot air
- They are Loud
- There is a need to push the basket in properly, if it is not well pushed in, it may not work
- It may smoke when excess oil is used and it drains down to the drawer below the grates
- The timing is not reliable: It stops faster than the actual time it is set to stop.
- It has limited capacity, the drawer should not be crowded with lots of things to be fried.
- Oils that get easily smoked may not be used. An example of such is Olive oil. This oil may smoke easily if it’s in contact with the hot air from the fryer
Things to Have in Mind When Using Air Fryer
- Need for proper cleaning, this is because the oil retained from the previous frying can smoke if it’s not cleaned
- The air may be too hot to achieve a very low frying temperature
Conclusion
An air fryer is a good cooking appliance for cooks. It is faster, effective, and does not consume oil. It is good for people that are on a low-fat diet such as obese and hypertensive people.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. I am very fat, I love fried food but my doctor told me to reduce fat consumption. What should I do?
Answer: Get an air fryer, it even drains the oil content in the food which reduces the quantity of fat you will consume
2. My air fryer keeps stopping whenever I turn the food contents inside the machine. What should I do?
Answer: It is normal for the air fryer to stop when you remove the basket to turn the food. After you turn the food, ensure you push the drawer inside properly, hopefully, it would continue working. If it didn’t work, ask for the help of an electrician
3. What do I need to fry when using an air fryer?
Answer: All you need is just the food to be fried, no oil, and no pots. If you will need oil, it will be very little
4. Is it worth having an air fryer despite having oil and other cooking agents as a cook?
Answer: It is worth having it, you can use oil for cooking other foods. Air fryer is fast and time saving.
5. I want to fry plenty chickens, can I use an air fryer?
Answer: You can use an air fryer with a large capacity. The good thing about it is that it is very fast, though you will have to be turning it from time to time.
