Deep fryer or a hot air fryer?

fries
fries
Fried food is tasty.

Traditional American cuisine includes a lot of food that has been traditionally prepared in a deep fryer. Who doesn’t love fried potatoes, fried chicken, and even fried cheese sticks and fried pastries? Of course, you might love these delicacies, but your waistline might not love them as much. Of course, most people have had to limit their consumption of these classic favorites because they know that deep frying adds a lot of fat.

What if there was a way to enjoy the taste and texture of fried food without all of that added fat? Actually, there is a modern and convenient solution.

Hot Air Fryers Vs. Deep Fryers
Traditional deep frying isn’t really good for waistlines or overall health. With an old-fashioned deep fryer, the food has to cook in a bath of fat. During this process, the food absorbs a lot of this fat, and so deep frying adds in lots of calories. While a certain amount of fat is part of a healthy diet, consuming too much is unhealthy.

For example, most dieticians will tell you that baked potatoes are pretty healthy choices, but fries and potato chips are not. Similarly, roasted chicken might be a very diet-friendly menu item, but crunchy fried chicken should usually get avoided by people who want to maintain a healthy weight or control weight-related health issues.

An air fryer works by coating food with a minimal amount of oil and then cooking the food with nothing more than hot air. The food comes out with a very similar texture and taste to food that has been deep fried. The main thing that is missing is all of that added oil. Imagine enjoying the luxury of guilt-free fried chicken and fried potatoes that only contain a minimal amount of oil.

How Do Modern Hot Air Fryers Work?
You can choose from a variety of different models of air fryers on the market. Typically, more expensive brands come with more features and more power, so you’ll want to shop around to balance the price and the features. Even basic models come with the ability to adjust the temperature. Some high-end features of air fryers might include:

  • Timers are very handy, so the fryer will shut itself off automatically after the food finishes cooking.
  • Some fryers come with automatic, pre-set controls, so you don’t need to consult the manual or a cookbook to use them for common types of food.
  • Quality fryers may have a digital display and a buzzer that lets busy cooks know that their dishes are done.

Of course, experienced cooks want to know how easy their air fryers will be to clean. If you’ve ever stopped using a kitchen appliance because it was too difficult to maintain, you’ll appreciate a fryer that was designed with easy cleaning in mind. Some models of air fryers even have removable containers that can be cleaned in the sink or even in the dishwasher.

Deep fried food often smells great when it’s cooking and served fresh. However, the aroma can get unpleasant if it lingers in the house hours later. To avoid this, also look for hot air fryers with filters that can control lingering smells. If you’re a busy cook, you might also prefer to buy a more powerful model. For example, units may vary in power between 1,600 and 1,800 watts.

The more powerful models will cook more rapidly, so they may not actually use more energy than a weaker brand.

Why Doesn’t Everybody Have A Hot Air Fryer?
If you think that your family would enjoy guilt-free treats like fried chicken, homemade fries, and even fried pastries, a hot air fryer might be a great investment. These appliances offer a modern, convenient, and very safe way to fry food. Best of all, you can enjoy your old-time favorites without having to worry about stepping on the scale the next morning.

Cherry Saunders is a freelance writer, who loves to cook in her spare time. Check out her site, HomeKitchenFryer.com where she reviews kitchen fryers and appliances.

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