An air fryer is a piece of cooking equipment that was designed to make eating fried foods easier and healthier. This equipment functions by circulating hot air within the fryer to produce the same effect you would get from frying the food.
A commercial air fryer is a large-scale air fryer that is used to cook large amounts of food at a time. Commercial air fryers are mainly used in restaurants or for events.
Types of air fryers
There are several types of air fryers that are differentiated mainly by their structure and how they operate. The different types of air fryers include:
Cylinder air fryer
These are shaped like cylinders with two detachable baskets. There’s an inbuilt fan to circulate the hot air while cooking.
Oven air fryer
The oven air fryer has a similar mechanism to the cylinder air fryer, however without the baskets. As with a conventional oven, the oven air fryer is built to let you see through while your food cooks.
Paddle air fryer
This type of air fryer employs a paddle system to circulate the hot air evenly across the food for even cooking all around. The paddles are detachable and can be removed to create room for larger foods.
Benefits of using an air fryer
Air fryers have become very popular as a result of the buzzing conversation about their health benefits and risks. Let’s take a look at some benefits of using an air fryer as opposed to deep frying:
Air fryers are safer
Using a deep fryer or a pan to fry would require you to heat oil in the on or deep fryer. Hot oil is very dangerous and any accident with the pan could lead to severe injuries that may even leave scars after they’re healed. Air fryers do not require oil to function and therefore eliminate the risk of scalding.
Low oil intake
We all love our fried foods like fried chicken, potatoes, and lots more. However, too much intake of fried foods paves the way to several diseases and health risks. With air fryers, you don’t have to eat a lot of oily food.
Helps with weight loss
Everyone knows how tedious the weight loss journey can be. And it’s even worse when you have a hard time staying away from your favorite meals. With air fryers, you can still enjoy your fires and other fried food without all the fat and calories while making progress on your weight loss journey.
Limits the formation of toxic chemicals
When cooking certain foods at really high temperatures as used during frying, especially deep frying, they may form a chemical substance known as acrylamide. Acrylamide is dangerous and is said to have links to some types of cancer. Air fryers limit the formation of this substance and the risks that come with it.
Conclusion
We can’t say that air fryers are the safest means of cooking fried foods or that they’re completely healthy. However, they provide even more benefits than deep frying. Not to mention that it is faster and easier to operate compared to deep fryers.
