How Does An Air Fryer Work? Fried food with less fat?

There is a profusion of kitchen appliances that are making kitchen work a lot easier. With the help of these appliances, you can cook a lot more conveniently, than ever before. The air fryer is one of the tremendous additions to the wide range of kitchen appliances that can surely aid you in cooking. Air fryers have taken the market by storm since day one. I was on cloud nine, once I had my hand on one of these.

Air fryers can revolutionize your cooking method. If you are doing your utmost to maintain healthy eating habits, but fail to accomplish them because of your love for food, an air fryer can be really handy in such a situation. It is ironic if you have never come across an air fryer before. Don’t know what the hype is all about? And how does an air fryer work? Well, here I have all that you need to know about an air fryer and it’s working. So, let’s sink into it.

What An Air Fryer Actually Is?

Imagine being able to eat all of your favorite food without worrying about calories. It is no more just a dream. An air fryer has made this dream come true. If you are a food lover just like me, then you will definitely not regret having one. Have you ever heard your friends and family talking about the amazing features of an air fryer before? It is one of the most popular kitchen appliances. It is like a compact, conventional oven that can be settled easily on your kitchen countertop.

Air fryer took precedence over all the other kitchen equipment, as soon as it was introduced and since then, it is dominating the market. It can help you cook healthier food, as an alternative to deep-fried food. You don’t have to eat tasteless and boring boiled food. Rather, you can enjoy crispy, luscious, and mouth-watering food. If you are planning to lose weight or attain a healthy lifestyle, then an air fryer will be your new best friend.

How Does An Air Fryer Really Work?

Don’t seem to find a difference between an air fryer and a deep fryer or a conventional oven? In fact, an air fryer does not resemble either one of them. The overall working mechanism of an air fryer is different from that of a deep fryer or a conventional oven. Don’t get confused by its name, the air fryer does not fry your food. Instead, it cooks the food with the help of convection and Maillard reaction. The air fryer consists of a cooking chamber, heating elements, a fan, and an exhaust system.

When you place your food in the food chamber and fit the chamber in the air fryer, there is a heater just above the food that produces the required heat. You might be thinking, then how is it different from a convection oven? Well, the reason is that there is a fan placed right above the heater. The fan helps in circulating the food inside and outside the chamber. The heat from the heater helps in cooking the food.

The fan also extracts some air and forces it toward the outer chamber. The outer chamber is sealed and the hot air flows around it and reaches the bottom of the food chamber. The end of the food chamber is open, resembling a basket. So, the air comes out from below the food and moves upward. This gives two-way heating to the food. This is the reason you can cook way faster in an air fryer, than in a convection oven.

You might be wondering, where is the frying part? Unlike the deep fryer, the food is not drowning in the oil. Instead, there is a very minute amount of oil covering the food. The high heat from the heater and the airflow causes the Maillard reaction to occur. It is the process that is responsible for the nice brown crisp above the food. It results due to the heating of sugar and protein present in the food. Due to the combination of convection of hot air and Maillard erection, you get the nice, tender, moist food on the inside and the nice, crispy, brown layer on the outside.

What You Can And Can’t Cook In An Air Fryer?

Every kitchen appliance has a few limitations, the same is the case for an air fryer. There is a huge range of recipes, that you can try on an air fryer. You can cook flavorsome and nutrient-rich food. Believe me, once you start using one, it is quite impossible to resist cooking in an air fryer. Here is a list of food that you can cook in an air fryer, without any hesitation. So, let’s scroll down to find out.

• Frozen foods are on the top of the list, as if you are a massive fan of fried frozen snacks, but cannot enjoy them without thinking about the calories, then an air fryer is a life savior for you. You can make Nuggets, crispy chicken, chicken popcorn, rolls, potato fries, meatballs, and whatnot.
• Roast and steaks also turn out to be pretty good when cooked in an air fryer. You don’t need to deep fry your fish, chicken, or meat, in order to get a nice crispy layer. You can cook your protein in an air fryer to get a tendered center and crispy outer layer. You can cook a nice roasted chicken, meatloaf, beef patty, meatballs, roasted chops, and chicken breast.
• Vegetables can also be cooked using an air fryer. You no longer need to eat boiled and tasteless veggies, even if you are on a diet. Just cut your veggies, add some seasoning, and oil and toss them into the air fryer. You can cook potatoes, cauliflower, asparagus, bell peppers, Brussels sprouts, carrots, broccoli, pumpkin, beet, peas, eggplant, and many more. Cooking all these vegetables in an air fryer will result in a soft, tasty, and crispy vegetable.
• Surprisingly you can even bake in an air fryer. You can bake a cake, muffins, pastries, pies, cookies, and bread in your air fryer.
• Besides cooking, you can also use an air fryer to warm your food. Personally, I prefer to heat my leftover food in an air fryer, instead of heating it in a microwave. It doesn’t make your food wet or soft and it also saves you from radiation.
• All the dry foods can be easily cooked in an air fryer. Whereas, cooking food that requires liquid to cook or has a more fluid-like appearance such as rice, soups, and curry cannot be cooked in an air fryer. The food cabinet of the air fryer is not sealed and any liquid will leak and will create a mess.

How To Cook Your Food In An Air Fryer

Now, you know what amazing and mouth-watering food you can cook by using an air fryer. The next step is to find out how you can cook your food. It is a really very easy and hassle-free way to cook food. You don’t need a lot of utensils to cook. All you need is the food basket of the air fryer. It not only cooks your food more quickly as compared to other cooking methods but also saves you from cleaning the large mess of dishes that each time you had to clean. Let’s jump into the simple steps that you have to follow, in order to cook your food.

1. Prep your food and season or marinate it, if required.

2. Don’t forget to add a little amount of oil.

3. Place your food inside the food cabinet. Remember to place it in such a way, that it ensures the proper flow of air.

4. Now, on the basis of the type of food and the recipe you are following, set an appropriate time and temperature.

5. Wait for the food to cook. Check your food, if necessary. You can change sides if required.

6. Your food is ready to eat.

7. Clean the air fryer’s basket, before placing it back.

FAQ’s

Is air-fried food healthy?

It is quite obvious that an air fryer is a far healthier option than deep-frying your food. You can cook your food using a little amount of oil, instead of drowning it in a pool of oil. Air-fried food contains fewer calories and helps you in cutting down the fat content of your food. It might not be the healthiest food, but it definitely is a healthier alternative to fried foods. You can enjoy all your favorite foods without having a concern regarding their calorie content.

What are the pros and cons of an air fryer?

Like any other kitchen appliance out there, an air fryer also comes with a lot of advantages and disadvantages. The best thing about having an air fryer is you can cook healthy food more quickly and safely. Cooking in an air fryer also does not require much effort and it’s easy to clean. Whereas, an air fryer is expensive and not suitable for large families as it cannot cook food in larger portions. You also need to keep a close eye on the temperature and time, because you can easily burn your food.

How exactly do air fryers work?

An air fryer is a revolutionary piece of equipment that cooks food with the help of two-way hot airflow. The food is heated as the air flows around it. The air circulation within and around the food basket provides an appropriate medium for the food to cook. The high temperature causes the most to be moist and crispy. Due to the fast air circulation, a large internal pressure is created. There is an exhaust system in the air fryer that only lets out a small amount of air. This helps in reducing the pressure.

Conclusion

An air fryer is a mind-boggling invention that has transformed the cooking procedure, in recent past years. Air fryers are a far more safer and convenient method of cooking. It helps you in weight loss and also promotes a healthy lifestyle by eliminating the fat content in your food.

Up till now, I have gone through, how an air fryer work. What food can you cook in it? , and How to cook food in an air fryer? Now, you know what it is and for what purposes you can use it. You can enjoy your tantalizingly delicious food by cooking it in an air fryer. Air-fried food can also reduce health issues, in the long run. So, what are you waiting for? Go and grab yours now.