Air fryer: what it is, how it works and how to choose the right one

The air fryer is a tool that allows you to "fry" food without using oil or butter, but just using the heat that accumulates in the cooking chamber. Every fried food is good, we all know it, but frying is certainly not the healthiest method of cooking: with this electrical appliance, however, we can obtain crunchy and delicious fried food without using oil, in a healthy and genuine way. The air circulates at a speed such as to reach very high temperatures in a short time: and it is through this mechanism that in a few minutes the air fryer is able to fry anything.

What is the air fryer

To easily understand what an air fryer really is, imagine a very powerful fan oven: the air fryer is a machine that uses the power and speed of heat which, reaching very high temperatures in a short time, cooks food uniformly, literally "surrounding" it with hot air.

The great advantage of this electrical appliance concerns above all our health: frying without oil is not only possible but it also allows us to bring healthy and low-fat dishes to the table, without sacrificing taste. Who said that you need a liter of oil for crispy french fries? With the air fryer you can cook any type of food, from vegetables to meat, and also some delicious fried fish which is strictly "not fried".

How the air fryer works

Unlike normal fryers based on the use of oil or butter, the air fryer uses the power and speed of heat. Inside the cooking chamber where the food is placed, the air is heated and circulated until the ideal temperature is reached, which is usually at least 200° degrees; and it is precisely the heat and its speed that allows to reduce to a minimum the humidity naturally present in food thus making them crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Actually, in some air fryers the oil is not completely absent. In fact, you can use a tablespoon of oil which is transformed into a vector for the movement of heat: better if it is oil of seeds, and anyway a tablespoon is still a negligible quantity compared to the classic "immersion" frying method. With the air fryer you can cook any type of food, especially if fresh, and, above all, in a short time: a good air fryer in fact reaches the right temperature in less than 5 minutes and cooks in no more than 20 minutes; this means that while consuming a lot of energy, these electrical appliances remain on for a short time thus easing your bill as well as your health.

How to choose the right fryer

On the market you can find different types of air fryers and, with some of them, you can fry but also prepare risottos, roasts and grills (with the help of the special accessories). But which one to buy among many models and offers?

If you are thinking of purchasing an air fryer we advise you to pay attention to a few but important features:

Heating time: a good air fryer does not take more than 5 minutes to reach the temperature suitable for cooking.

Basket capacity and accessories: according to your needs, choose the air fryer that has a large basket and that is as equipped as possible, in this way you can not only fry without oil but also prepare other dishes.

Adjustable temperature: to cook properly and obtain a frying crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, your air fryer must be able to reach a temperature of 200° degrees and must have a thermostat with which to regulate the power and speed of the hot air jet.