Chapter 1

Introducing the Air Fryer

IN THIS CHAPTER

Getting up close and personal with your air fryer

Knowing how to use your air fryer

Taking care of your air fryer

Air frying safely

If you're new to air frying, this chapter is for you! Here, we explore the mechanisms involved in air frying foods and show you how to use your air fryer. After reading this chapter, you'll feel confident and clear on how to air fry your food! We end the chapter with a no-nonsense guide to the pros and cons of air frying, so you know what you're getting into.

Getting Acquainted with Air Frying

When was the last time you enjoyed a decadent meal at a fair? You know the kind of food we're talking about: those greasy, fun foods you only get once every few years, the ones that bring you back to your childhood memories of late summer nights spent underneath the starlit sky with your best friends.

More often than not, the cooking method used to make those foods was deep frying. Although deep frying has its purposes (it's an efficient way to cook a large volume of food quickly), it isn't the best when it comes to health.

For years, engineers spent countless hours trying to come up with a user-friendly machine that would satisfy consumer desire for those rich and crispy fried foods, but they had a tough time replicating an appliance that could check all the boxes.

Everything changed in 2010 when a man with a vision, Fred van der Weij from Philips, finally saw it come to life, and the air fryer, as we've come to know it today, was born! Since then, many companies have brought similar air fryer models to market, designed to cook foods in a similar way.

In this section, we take a closer look into what air frying actually entails.

How air frying works

Have you ever seen one of those money machines, where someone steps inside a cylinder, closes the door, and air starts flowing up from the bottom with money flying through the air?

An air fryer is kind of like one of those money machines. When you put your food into the air fryer and close it, hot air circulates around the food and begins to cook it. The temperature of the air fryer and the type of food you're cooking will help determine the amount of time you need to cook your recipe.

The big difference between air frying and traditional deep frying is that air fryers require minimal to no oil to cook the food. The hot air circulating around the food helps to impart that crisp texture instead of the oil involved in deep frying.

A few other technologically advanced mechanisms are involved, but this is the gist of how air frying works.

If you're familiar with convection ovens, where hot air is circulated (as opposed to conventional ovens, where the heating element is on the bottom), you'll feel right at home with air frying. An air fryer is essentially a compact convection oven.

If you want to get a bit more science based, what's actually happening from a chemical perspective when food is cooked in an air fryer is something called the Maillard reaction. The Maillard reaction is often referred to as "non-enzymatic browning," or basically a reaction that happens between sugars and amino acids in a recipe that result in the end product taking on a new flavor, texture, and color.

Different models on the market

Just like most big kitchen appliances on the market today, the air fryer has lots of options. There is a make and model out there that will suit your needs and preferences. Here are the big factors that separate them:

• Price: Air fryers can range anywhere from $50 to over $300, depending on what you're looking for. Air fryers at the higher end of the price range usually have more bells and whistles, as well as a higher wattage.

  We've tested out $60 models and $200 models and can honestly say we've had similar experiences with both. Bottom line: You can produce a quality, air-fried food with any air fryer.

• Size: Are you cooking for yourself? Two? Four? More? The more mouths you have to feed, the bigger the air fryer you'll want to look for.

  Most models have about a 3- to 6-quart fill capacity, but some of the larger models on the market can hold up to 16 quarts. When you decide on how much counterspace you have and how many you'll typically be cooking for, you'll know the right model to choose.

  Each of us has three mouths to feed in our homes and the 3-quart models work well for us. Plus, we've used 3-quart models before for entertaining family and friends and even with doubling the recipe, it still was efficient and quick to use.

• Style of cooking: Say what? Yes, the type of cooking style will really be a huge deciding factor in choosing which model to buy. There are three main styles of air fryers you'll find on the market:

  • Paddle type: Typically, a self-turning fryer in which you add the cooking oil to the pan alongside the food.
  • Basket type: A drop-in basket that traditionally calls for multiple shakes within the cooking cycle. This type of air fryer requires a little more attention during the cooking process, but it's also a lot less expensive than the other varieties.
  • Countertop oven: This model resembles a toaster oven and has multiple uses. Depending on the make and model, they're fairly inexpensive and they usually allow for a greater volume of food to be cooked at one time than the basket types do.

  We've tried the basket and countertop oven styles and found both fairly comparable. The only word of caution we have for the countertop oven models is this: Sometimes the heat doesn't disperse as evenly, requiring the items in the back of the air fryer to be rotated more frequently to avoid overcooking.

Seeing the benefits of air frying

Air frying is not only a healthier way to cook some more decadent recipes, but it's also efficient. Many popular models of air fryers claim that using an air fryer instead of a deep fryer can lower the fat of the dish by over 75 percent.

This actually makes sense when you think about. Let's say you're going to make homemade fried chicken. If you were to use the deep-frying method of cooking, you'd traditionally need more than 3 cups of oil to cover the chicken to allow the cooking to ensue. On the other hand, if you were to use the air frying method, you'd need less than a tablespoon of oil.

Not convinced yet? No problem! Here are a few other benefits of air frying:

• Air fryers can promote weight loss (for certain individuals). For individuals who currently have a highly processed diet filled with deep-fried foods, switching to air frying will certainly help with reducing caloric intake. A reduction in caloric intake will inevitably result in weight loss.

• Air fryers can increase consumption of healthy foods, like fish, shrimp, and produce. Eating seafood at least twice a week, as well as increasing your consumption of fruits and vegetables, is highly recommended. If you struggle with getting your family to eat more of these foods on a regular basis, then air frying may be the best way to change their appetites (and minds!).

  Not only can you put a light crunchy coating of heart-healthy nuts on some of your fried seafood favorites and cook them in the air fryer, but you can do the same with new herbs, spices, and vegetables! This is a great way to explore new vegetables and flavors in your kitchen, too.

• Air fryers are safer (for the most part) than deep fryers. Deep frying can cause splatters of exceptionally hot oil all over your kitchen. Air fryers get super-hot as well, but they don't splatter in the same way a deep fryer does.

  As long as you practice important safety measures when taking foods in and out of your fryer (for example, don't put your hands on the fryer basket), you can feel secure in using your fryer.

• Air fryers can reduce the risk of potentially harmful agents on certain foods. A compound called acrylamide naturally forms on carbohydrate-rich foods (those traditionally deep-fried foods like french fries, breaded meats, and so on) when cooked at high temperatures. Some studies have found an association between acrylamide and cancer. The jury's still out on whether acrylamide actually causes cancer. (You can read more about it at the website of the American Cancer Society: www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/acrylamide.html.)

  What you need to know is that air frying is associated with a decreased amount of this compound as compared to deep frying, but some may still be present.

  We firmly believe in balance and moderation. We wouldn't recommend you eat french fries (even air-fried ones) daily.

• Air fryers can reduce the risk of preventable diseases affected by diet and nutrition. This varies depending on many factors like your genetics and current lifestyle habits (such as nutrition and exercise). That said, if your diet is heavy in processed, fried foods, the air fryer may just be the ticket to enjoying the foods you crave in a new, exciting, and healthier way.

  Not only can you modify the amount of sodium in your recipes and use more fresh herbs and spices...