How air fryers REALLY work

What IS an air fryer - and is it worth the hype?

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘁𝘆-𝗴𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝘆:

𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 (𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲) 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀:

𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿-𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰:
-Dr. Kevin Keener, Professor in the School of Engineering & Barrett Family Foundation Chair in Sustainable Food Engineering at the University of Guelph
MinuteFood is created by Kate Yoshida, Arcadi Garcia & Bill Mead, and produced by Neptune Studios LLC.

[MinuteFood]

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[TonyGonzales]

Might be worth mentioning that a lot of bagged fries and other items are flash fried lightly which leaves oil for the air fryer to make use of. I've been very pleased with the results.

[rfldss]

the major advantage of an air fryer is portion size. If you live alone, or only want to heat up a single piece of pizza, an air fryer is the more sensible choice over a convection oven since it doesnt take as much energy to reach the required temperature, seeing as it is much smaller.

[hectorh.micheos.]

My take on fries fried in oil vs. done in an air fryer is that I don't have to babysit the fries if done in the air fryer, so I rather do that 100% of the time.

[simonsaysism]

I was always on the "air fryers are glorified convection ovens" team, glad to know a bit more of the nuance now!

[kebm]

Surprising to me that the food not absorbing a ton of greasy oil is listed as a con here. I've been trying to unclog my arteries and the air fryer has been a godsend.

[godminnette]

I've been considering getting an "air fryer" for the following reasons:
1. They do cook certain foods better than a convection oven
2. I don't need to wait for them to preheat
3. I don't need to generate an entire oven's worth of heat for so long, which heats up the house a lot in the summer
I haven't gotten one yet, though. I think I'll probably get one of those countertop smart ovens that doubles as an air fryer, as covered by America's Test Kitchen.

[maromania]

As a cook turned appliance tech, my take on air fryers is that they're an item we've loved for many years marketed in an annoying way. Calling them air fryers just made an argument that I'm sure earned someone a lot of money through the buzz of the bickering. They're fine, they're useful for more things than most countertop gadgets, but they aren't what they say they are. I'll stick with my frying and my countertop convection oven though.

[abard]

Honestly lack of counter space is half the reason I *do* have an air "fryer." Because my kitchen is so tiny, it's very compelling to have an appliance that I don't need to keep in the kitchen. It works just as well on my desk or coffee table without the risk of being a mess or a fire hazard. So I can cook a side dish or whatever without taking up any space in my kitchen at all.

[squallloire]

Worth also noting that because of the smaller size it's easier for the air fryer to reach and maintain its temperature compared to most regular or convection ovens. Considering the rapidly rising cost of electricity in much of the world, this can make a significant difference to bills.

[zane]

Can you do the science of caramelization and the similar reactions to it? I think that would be great!

[Romalac]

Got our air fryer a while back and everyone in the household adores the thing. It lets us cook stuff that we normally couldn't cook all that easily with a comparative minimum of cleanup and preparation, it makes reheating leftovers a lot easier and the results a lot tastier, and it's generally a lot faster. I've also made fries and roasted potatoes in it and generally prefer the results to regular fries, though it admittedly depends on the seasoning.

[hitaishibarai]

The animations are really adorable in this one for some reason especially the one where she's on the floating tube just chilling on the oil frying it's weird that it's that small thing that impressed me.
Overall it's a 10/10 vid as

[play_history]

The best thing about an air fryer in my opinion is the ability to reheat stuff sans oil without it turning into mush as it does in the microwave. Some more on the heat transfer could be a good follow-up video.

I have also made fries in the air fryer using an oven fry method. It took longer due to the limited space inside the fryer, which also relates to the amount of heat it can do. I love how robust it is though, and having a stable surface rather than a grate like in a convection oven expands possibilities for quick reheating.

[micahphilson]

I kept trying to tell my roommates it's literally just a souped-up, smaller convection oven, a feature most toaster ovens come with.
They didn't believe me or care, and I'm kind of glad they didn't. Always wanted to try an air fryer, and it's definitely a convenient and useful appliance in its own right! Not hype-worthy, but nice to have.

[madskillz]

A big selling point for me has been the efficiency. Looking at my smart meter, it's clear that the air fryer uses far less electricity compared to our oven, especially if you are just doing a small amount of food, like a tray of oven chips.

[IcyMidnight]

Those little eggs are such a weird form factor. I bought a convection toaster oven a couple of years ago and I love it. I literally haven't turned my gas oven on since.

[EMAngel]

I personally really want an air fryer so I can use it like a small oven without having to use up so much energy heating the big 'ol chamber for a few chicken tenders

[janwitkowsky]

I bought an airfryer for my dad some 4-5 years ago on w him, when he looked at it.
It was used for a couple of months, then put aside, never to be used again.

This xmas, my dad gave it to me, because my current situation means that I don't have access to a normal oven.
So I am in the middle of setting up a "kitchen" corner in my room (near the window) where I can place my rice-cooker, electric kettle and aforementioned airfryer.
It helps that the food I love to eat, is also fairly well matched for airfryers, such as BBQ ribs, chicken drumsticks etc.

Comebined with my rice-cooker, I am expecting to look at a meal-prep lifestyle, where I cook... say... 10 chicken drumsticks, or 20 small ribs, in one go, pack it down, then have rice on the side.
All of which I can either bring to work, or freeze down for later consumption.

[insertdeadmeme]

I think that where air fryers excel is at reheating partially fried food such as frozen fries, frozen spring rolls etc. Also, they make very good chicken wings. Other than that, I think that it's just a cheap and portable alternative to convection ovens.