Are air fryers healthy? So here’s the deal: air fryers might not be as healthy as we think they are. It all depends on what you make with them, though—because there is a lot more than “healthy” and “unhealthy” foods out there when it comes to frying food!
Despite the social media fitness group’s best efforts to eradicate fad diets, it seems that everyone is buying air fryers.
Air fryers have become wildly popular among people looking to lose weight because they allow you to enjoy “guilty pleasures” like fried foods without feeling guilty.
Everyone in my Facebook group is obsessed with their air fryer. This way, they’re still able to enjoy some of the foods that otherwise would be forbidden on a diet! Air fryers are said to reduce fat content for French fries, empanadas and chicken wings among others.
The girls in my group are using the air fryer to add that fried texture to our healthy meal plans. We’re making zucchini, sweet potatoes, chicken and shrimp because it’s a great way mix things up and make healthier eating more interesting!
Before we go into the details of air fryers, let’s give a quick introduction. Air frying is similar to deep-frying in that food (typically fries) are submerged under hot oil or fat; However, instead of using gallons and gallons like you would for traditional cooking methods with some oils, low heat can be used because there isn’t as much mass involved due to all the space between fried foods and top surface area over which heat transfer happens when immersed in hot liquid fats.
But I keep wondering if it’s really healthy? As with many industries where products emerge from needs fill gaps user experience problems – such as pressure cookers filling market demand after WWII veterans return home looking for ways make quality meals quickly at an affordable price – more and more products are emerging from needs fill gaps user experience problems in our kitchens.
Air fryers, for example, do not only cook food faster than conventional ovens by using less oil: they also make healthier dishes because the taste of fried food is preserved but it’s prepared with much less fat! How great is that?
Fast-food outlets are serving up to 50 million customers in a day, and these people may be doing themselves harm if they consume diets high in fats, sugar, and salt.
What an air fryer is and how does it work?
Air fryers are a popular kitchen appliance that allow you to make fried foods without using any oil. Most people have probably seen them before, but others might not know what they do or why someone would use one in the first place. If this is your situation, then let’s get acquainted with air fryers and learn how they work!
People love using air fryers because they help reduce oil needed for frying, making the process much less messy and safer. The food that comes out of an air fryer is crispy on the outside while remaining moist and juicy inside; a result typically achieved through deep-frying or pan frying in large amounts of oil but without all those extra calories! It may be hard to believe at first, but these mini convection ovens can even mimic some restaurant dishes by rendering them with similar textures as well.
For instance: have you ever tried steak cooked in a French bistro? Well, now you can do so safely right from your own home. All it takes is buying one powerful machine – probably costing only about $35 -$45 dollars along with some quality ingredients that you already have in your kitchen.
Air fryers are increasingly popular, and now Costco, Amazon and Walmart stock them. I’m wondering if it’s time to add an air fryer to my Christmas wish list!
The air fryer has a heating element radiating from the top of the machine. This hot air quickly gets circulated around inside, down and then up again to touch all sides of your food before it begins frying to produce crispy browned flavors called Maillard reactions which occur between reduced sugar and amino acids.
If you’re a regular reader of Serious Eats, you’ve definitely seen us refer to the Maillard reaction time and again. That’s because the Maillard reaction is responsible for the browned, complex flavors that make bread taste toasty and malty, burgers taste charred, and coffee taste dark and robust. If you plan on cooking tonight, chances are you’ll be using the Maillard reaction to transform your raw ingredients into a better sensory experience.
Long story short: With the right amount of heat, moisture, and time, those specific sugars and proteins will act like a couple of lust-drunk lovers making out in the back of a Chevy, rapidly becoming a tangled, hot mess, until, nine months later, a whole new creation emerges. Except that with the proteins and sugars, it takes minutes, not months, and instead of a child, the result is an increasingly complex array of flavor and aroma molecules, along with a darker color courtesy of newly formed edible pigment molecules called melanoidins.
An Introduction to the Maillard Reaction: The Science of Browning, Aroma, and Flavor | Serious Eats
The fryer in an air fryer has a self-regulating system which monitors and automatically adjusts the temperature to maintain the right cooking environment. It also includes timers, so you can relax while your food cooks without worrying about overcooking or burning it!
Air fryers have taken the world by storm because they are so simple to use and store. The first air fryer was created in 2006, but other companies soon started making their own versions of this technology. Today, there is a wide variety on the market for people to choose from!
The Best Selling Air Fryers on Amazaon
COSORI Air Fryer Max XL(100 Recipes) Digital Hot Oven Cooker, One Touch Screen with 13 Cooking Functions, Preheat and Shake Reminder, 5.8 QT, Black
Instant Pot Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer, 6 Quart, 6 One-Touch Programs, Air Fry, Roast, Broil, Bake, Reheat, and Dehydrate
8 in 1 Air Fryer, 13-QT Air Fryer Oven with Digital Touch Screen, Toast, Bake, Roast, Rotisserie, Hot Oven Oilless Cooker, 1700W Electric Toaster Oven with Dehydrate, 7 Accessories & 50 Recipes
OK, but are they healthier than deep fryers?
Air fried foods are a healthy alternative to traditional deep-frying because they have lower fat and fewer calories. Instead of being submerged in oil, air fryers use hot circulating air for crispier results without cooking your food all the way through. If you want to add some oil yourself, just lightly coat fresh potatoes or chicken that has not been marinated before adding it into the basket with tongs so as not to get excess moisture on the inside of your machine where heat cannot reach properly.
Deep fried foods are typically higher in fat than other types of cooking. For example, a deep-fried chicken breast has 30% more fat than roasted chicken. Air fryers might be the solution to this problem because they use less oil and cut down on up to 75% of that extra grease!
You can go through recipes that call for deep frying and learn how much oil is recommended to use. Most of the time, it’s around 3 cups or at least 750 ml but when you air fry food in an oven, only 1 tablespoon of oil (or 15 ml) will do! Going by these numbers, a traditional deep-fryer uses up 50 times more than what we need with an air fryer.
If you want to lose weight, swap from deep frying your food and start using the air fryer. As I mentioned earlier in this article, an air fryer is healthier than a deep fryer – it’s one of many ways that can help you lose those extra pounds.
Lowering the acrylamide content is healthy news
When foods are cooked at high temperatures, this chemical called acrylamide is produced. It can cause DNA damage and may potentially lead to cancer! Acrylamide forms when carbohydrates (like potatoes) react with amino acids during cooking processes that require very hot or dry heat like frying and baking. Avoiding the consumption of these types of food would be helpful in limiting your exposure to dangerous carcinogens found in fried/baked goods such as french fries, potato chips, cookies etc…
Many food items such as potato crisps, burnt toast, French fries and roasted/grilled foods contain acrylamide. According to the research done, when you air fry your food instead of deep oil frying it for instance; then there is around 90% reduction in acrylamide present.
Acrylamide is a dangerous chemical which may cause serious diseases like cancer. It’s formed when cooking foods in high heat, such as frying or roasting. According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), acrylamide has been linked with some types of cancers including kidney disease and ovarian cancer.”
People need to keep in mind that though air-frying lowers the acrylamide content of fried foods, it also remains a type of frying. We already know from studies over and over again about how consuming too much fried food can affect your health negatively.
If you’re worried about the carcinogenic risks associated with roasting, frying or toasting your food until it is dark brown, using an air fryer will help reduce these concerns. If you’re looking for a healthier option that still provides similar benefits as oil-based cooking methods, consider trying out an air fryer! Some of them even have auto shut off buttons so when they reach their pre-set temperatures (or after 30 minutes) they turn themselves off automatically; this reduces any additional energy consumption and also helps prevent overcooking foods which tends to increase cancer risk.
But can’t you just use healthy oils to air fry with?
Air fryers have been marketed as being healthier than deep frying, but there are some caveats. Air-fried foods can still contain unhealthy trans fats if the oil is not healthy enough to begin with.
According to the American Heart Association, trans-fats have been known as “stealth fats” because they are usually hidden in foods that we so often eat. This is why reading food labels doesn’t always help or protect you since there are many gray areas in the laws which mean that trans-fats aren’t identified every time. When regularly consumed, these fats raise bad cholesterol and lower good cholesterol; increasing one’s chances of developing diabetes type 2 and/or stroke or heart disease.
Steer clear of corn oil, canola oil, cottonseed oil and soybean oil. These are the oils most people use when cooking fried or processed foods – but they’re also toxic! Not only do these four contain trans-fats that become harmful after heating up, they’re also genetically engineered (most likely).
These oils are the worst kinds you can eat. They should not be used for cooking, except coconut oil; it is fine to use at high heat including frying. If you want healthier options, try olive or sesame oil and clarified butter, which also has good properties under medium-high temperatures too, as well as raw butter that’s OK in low heat settings but don’t fry with this option either!
It is no secret that olive oil has many health benefits, but if you use it for frying there’s a chance all of these will be lost due to high heat. For people who like healthy cooking and want their food fried this way without losing any nutrients from the oil, coconut oils can replace other types used in air fryers.
However, if you are really trying to be healthy and invest in an air fryer thinking it’s the healthiest option out there… don’t. I’m sorry, but that is not true at all. It might sound tempting because people say they’re healthier than frying with oil or baking them instead of microwaving food (like we do for most things), but then again that is just a myth as well!
However, if you can’t stop eating fried foods, go for an air fryer rather than a deep fryer.
Air fryers are popular because they are the healthier option over deep frying, period
A study was conducted using air fryers where the results were published in an International Food Research Journal. Air frying machines were used to cook potato strips at 180 degrees Celsius for 40 minutes against the traditional way of cooking at that temperature, which typically takes 6 minutes per batch. Researchers cooked batches lasting six-minutes before testing them and determining how much oil had been used up as well as how much moisture had evaporated from each one during this process.
Researchers found that the moisture content and oil uptake was significantly reduced when using air frying. They also discovered more physicochemical property changes in traditional fried oils compared to those extracted from air fryers, mainly because of higher temperatures used during deep-frying, which led to a greater degradation of fatty acid chains by oxidation processes.
The researchers have concluded that air frying is a healthier option. However, the type of oil used and cooking temperatures influence free radical formation regardless of whether less oil was being used for air frying. Therefore, it’s suggested to use oils like coconut oil if you are an avid fan who loves this method because these types don’t easily oxidize at high heats when they’re exposed to oxygen in the environment (e.g., open pans).
Generally, unhealthy processed foods get fried by air fryers
Sure, air frying is healthier than traditional fryers if you are someone who eats a lot of fried foods. But before getting too excited about it being the solution to all your problems, there’s always that proverbial “but” – even though they’re not dunked in oil like other fried foods, just looking at how much fat and salt goes into preparing them means an air-fried meal isn’t as healthy as something steamed.
If you are serious about watching your diet and what you put into your body, it would be in your best interest to invest more time in preparing fresh whole foods. Broccoli is one such vegetable that should ideally be eaten raw due to the high nutritional content of this cruciferous veggie; cooking reduces these benefits significantly.
The air fryer is a great way to cook healthy foods, but most people don’t use it that way.
That’s not to say you can’t eat healthy foods with your air fryer–it’s just saying that most folks don’t do this!
The thing is, you eat more poorly when you use an air fryer
If you really are worried about the fat you are taking in, try and move away from air fried foods in the first place. Switch over to the healthy fats that make your heart happy, like the oils that you find in walnuts, fish, olive oil and avocados. If you really have health on your mind and are striving to be healthy, then the air fryer is a healthier alternative to deep-fried foods, but the foods that you air fry aren’t going to make you a healthy person.
Your diet is the thing that needs transformation. An air fryer is a device that can come across as if it will improve your health, and it will be sold as such, but really, getting down to the basics of real healthy eating that can stave off certain diseases, then eating colorful vegetables and fruits will really show a difference in your health and waistline!
If you are eating healthy and just want to change up the texture, then get an air fryer, but I would suggest still considering it a treat.
Lets look at the good side of the air fryers
- Yes, it does help you lose weight and fat by lowering calorie and fat intake.
- They are time-saving; in other words, you can cook a chicken breast in your air fryer faster than you can in an oven.
- It’s simple to keep clean.
- With kids who don’t like their vegetables, with air frying, you end up with some nice flavorful and crispy veggies, making the kids enjoy them more.
- When you air fry, there is not that smell of ‘fried foods’ lingering behind in your home.
Air fryers are a great way to make delicious sweet potato fries. If you want them crispy, try sprinkling some seasoning before adding it into the air fryer – this makes our favorite side dish even better! While there are many things that can be done in an air fyer, we should also keep one thing in mind: most of these products use BPA plastics which may not necessarily be good for us.
You can also use an air fryer to make crunchy toppings for your other foods. All you have to do is brush oil on the food, and then heat the machine at a desired temperature before adding it in.
And now for the downside
- Many individuals think that an air fryer is “healthy,” because they believe it allows them to eat fried foods every day!
- The standard kind oils, which are used to air fry meals, do not provide the advantages that come from plant fats like olive and avocado oils. Fatty acids are essential for hormone and brain health.
- An air fryer is not an oven, and if you have a big household, it might be tough to cook in one.
Conclusion
Fried foods aren’t the healthiest things on earth, but when you fry them in an air fryer they turn out simple deliciousness. Bland potatoes are transformed into golden delights and baked goods come from dough with ease!
Despite the recent embrace of healthier cooking, fried foods are still a big part of many people’s lives. For those who can’t escape this temptation and subsequent weight gain, here is great news: you no longer have to feel as guilty for indulging in these delicious treats!
For those who cannot escape fried foods, there is new technology to make them healthier. You can then enjoy the food without nearly as many calories and fat!
One of the most common reasons people buy these is to reduce their fat intake. Super busy individuals love them because they can simplify making dinner for the family – you just need a cake or steak, and it does all that work for you in an instant! People swear by how much taste air fryers hold compared to traditional deep frying methods; others say there’s no resemblance at all between what comes out of this machine versus food from restaurants.
You make the choice, but if you’re trying to reduce your fat intake, then these air fryers will keep you satisfied that guilty pleasures won’t take long to widen your waistline or impact health negatively.
