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Are Air Fryers A Gimmick?

Are Air Fryers A Gimmick? Exploring How Air Fryers Really Work

Are air fryers a gimmick? I know many of air fryer non-believers that ask this question on a daily basis. Today’s post will be geared towards helping you understand how the air fryer works. And why it is able to provide all the benefits you may think are gimmicky.

The air fryer is a countertop convection oven that produces superheated air to cook foods that are similar to deep-frying only you don’t smother your food with oil. While it is similar to a convection oven, the air is evenly distributed throughout the perforated basket that creates an intense environment that cooks the food more efficiently resulting in a crispy brown exterior and moist interior.

Using your air fryer after taking it out the box can be an exciting and imitating feat. I can still remember how it felt to unbox mine. You’re moving with precise care as you don’t want to damage it. Then when you get it out, paranoia sets in that your first meal will be a soggy mess. Luckily, you can take a breath and relax! I have already made those mistakes, so you won’t have to.

In order to be able to achieve delicious air-fried foods, it is crucial to understand how this nifty kitchen appliance works.

What is an Air Fryer?

If you are new to the land of air frying, fret not as I will begin with a brief overview of the appliance. An air fryer is a modern kitchen appliance that provides its users the ability to fry foods quickly. It has grown in popularity over the past few years due to the technology that it uses to cook. The air fryer is essentially a mini convection oven. On the inside of the fryers are a heating coil and high-powered fan. These components aid in the device circulating scorching hot air through the appliance.

It is this hot air that penetrates your food cooking it from the outside inwards. The end result is often a crispy crust on the outside with warm juiciness on the inside. Many air fryers over a variety of dry cooking functions making the air fryer a must have in many households.

Are Air Fryers A Gimmick? How Do Air Fryers Really Work?

The technology in which the air fryers fries food is not new. In fact, people have been using the same technology in convection ovens for years. What makes the air fryer special is the ability to cook our food in a fraction of the time, with very little oil.

How is it able to pull this off? By circulating piping hot air throughout the cooking chamber using a heating coil and high-power fan. This then creates a chemical reaction called the Maillard Effect that gives your food a beautiful golden color and crispiness.

Not much oil is needed to achieve this reaction, however, a spritz of oil aids in getting a crispier finish.

Why People Believe Air Fryers Are A Gimmick?

The air fryer is sometimes thought to be a gimmick because of the many benefits it can offer. An air fryer opens you up to pros such as:

Air Fryers Are Multi-Cooking Appliances

The Air fryer oven is designed with six smart cooking features. Namely:

  • Air Frying
  • Roasting
  • Broiling
  • Baking
  • Reheating
  • Dehydrating

Each of these modes has its default cooking time and temperatures which can be adjusted using function keys. With its one-touch technology, the unit can be switched to one mode to another easily.

Rotisserie Cooking

The feature that is making the most buzz among the air fryer users is the special basket that can be fixed to cook rotisserie chicken. It keeps the rotating chicken on the rotisserie rod while it is cooked evenly from all the sides. The air fryer’s heating mechanism provides heat from the top and cooks the meat down to every grain while giving a crispy layer on the outside. With Air fryer oven now, you don’t need to set up a BBQ grill to roast a whole chicken, you can do that right in your kitchen.

Energy and Time Efficient

The air fryer cook’s food by creating a hot vortex of air inside the oven. This means that no overcooking, burning, or undercooking of food. The heating element is fixed in the upper portion of the oven, uses 1500 MW of power. The direct and even heat saves both time and energy; and cooks food quickly.

Capacious

Unlike other electric ovens, you will find Air fryer oven much capacious and suitable to cook large serving sizes, whether it is a whole chicken or duck, so you can easily put them on the rotisserie rod. The interior of the oven is large enough to carry a rotisserie basket and large-sized baking pans. Each air fryer model will vary in size. There are models that are available in 10+ quartz while other Air fryer models are under 7 quarts. So, you will need to know ahead of time what size fryer you will need.

User-Friendly

There are no rotating dials or complex mechanisms to control the functional and operational keys of this oven. The control panel has the program’s keys and the keys to adjust the time and temperature. The user can change the settings by a single press of the button and can also go for the default setting of each program

Boosting Digestibility

When the nutritional value of the food is maximized, its digestibility is increased. Air fryer aids in your body digestion process of nutrients. The mixture of steam and pressure helps to get the foods you fry tender, and succulent so they are easy to digest.

Final Thoughts:

If you are considering buying an air fryer, but not sure whether or not they are a gimmick, just go for it. The rave reviews you are seeing about the air fryer are 100% legit, as they carry a myriad of benefits. I hope the points featured in this post will assist you in making a decision or getting started on your Air fryer journey. Be sure to head on back and leave me a comment below to let me know if you ended up getting yourself an air fryer.

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