It's time to talk about air fryers.
I'm sure by now you've been recommended one by an eager friend who swears by it, or you would have definitely seen one in an odd TikTok or two. I get it, it sounds like this grand Pyramid scheme that has a chokehold on the kitchen appliance industry and you're concerned for your friend - very fair. But, as someone who adoringly owns one, I promise - it's not a cult, and they're not as bad as you think.
Air fryers are countertop convection ovens. They don't technically fry your food, as they cook with compact hot air. Variations of the air fryer were first marketed in Europe in 2010, and it made little to no noise upon its Australian debut. By 2015, it was a hit in the States, but its popularity here was more a slow burn. It made its rounds on shopping channels and trickled through your Harvey Norman's and Bing Lee's, before eventually reaching the middle-man with a generic K-mart rendition.
As we settled into the first weeks of the pandemic in 2020, that very same air fryer joined the ranks in some of the hottest social media food trends - alongside the Dalgona whipped coffee cream and the capsicum bagels.
At the time, with his wacky recipes and sick beats. Theatrics aside, he opened many eyes to the air fryer's magic and wonder.
The air fryer has quite the rep. With many calling it a lazy man's oven, and some saying it pales in comparison to a regular deep fryer, some kitchen elitists have shunned the appliance altogether. WIRED food writer thinks "you don't need one of these things. They're loud, even the big ones have a surprisingly small capacity, they don't do anything significantly better than an oven and you probably have an oven anyway."
With my journalist integrity intact and my bias aside, let's break it down.
Pros and cons
There's no such thing as the perfect kitchen appliance, and air fryers are no exception. But, they are a lot more multidimensional and dynamic than you think.
- Mobility: Given they're countertop appliances, they're easy to plug, unplug, and move anywhere you need it in the kitchen - particularly if, like myself and many other Sydney apartment dwellers, you have limited counter space or only have a kitchenette set-up.
- Time: Some air fryer recipes cut cooking times in half - particularly when cooking frozen goods.
- Features: Most air fryers usually have a single set of buttons that are easy to navigate. We love when food's not complicated!
- Cost: Some models are more affordable than their countertop microwave-stovetop-oven combo predecessors.
- Reheat: I've stopped using my microwave to reheat my takeaway leftovers, particularly with pizza or fried chicken. It keeps them crisp without any burning or sogginess.
- Healthier alternative: The 'less oil' aspect of the air fryer was its biggest selling point when it first came out. While fried foods, in general, aren't always the healthiest, it's been nice biting into a drumstick that isn't weighed down by grease.
However, through a critical lens, it comes with its limitations. I can see how air fryers are not for everyone. In the same realms as its pros:
- There's no insane need for them if you already have a functioning oven (I currently do not).
- Even their largest and most expensive models don't offer the same cooking range as a regular oven.
Regardless of where you sit in air fryer discourse, it's clear they're here to stay. From its humble TV trinket beginnings to its successful social shift, this fun fryer is the breath of fresh air we've all needed to blow us away or blow our favourite ingredients into delicious oblivion.
My air fryer faves
- Corn ribs
- Crispy pork belly
- 'Boiled' eggs
- Sweet chilli tofu
