As of today I'm sure there's no one who hasn't heard of, seen, or already has in their kitchen a air fryer or air fryer, also known as oil-free fryer. The oil-free fryers have been making their way into many kitchens with the promise of fries as tasty and crispy as traditional ones, but much healthier and without the guilt that eating delicious fries to accompany meat can cause. But...
What is an air fryer and how does it work?
Without going into detail, we could say that an air fryer is a small appliance that allows us to fry without oil, achieving healthier fries, easier to digest and with far fewer calories. Going a bit deeper, an air fryer or oil-free fryer is very similar to a small convection oven, a mini countertop oven that, without taking up much space, offers great versatility.
To cook, the fryer heats the air inside it, moving it quickly and circulating it in the chamber where what we are going to prepare is placed. In this simple way it combines the flow of hot air and movement, adjusting the temperature and speed according to the chosen option or the food to be cooked, to which we will have added a minimal amount of oil.
The very small amount of oil required can be applied by lightly brushing the food or with a spray (you can even use the baking spray you use for the molds in which you bake cakes or bundts). That pinch of oil has a clear goal: to help the interior temperature rise and give the outer layer of the food that crispy point we love.
What is the oil-free fryer for
One of the common questions when talking about air fryers is what can I cook in an air fryer. The answer is as broad as the possibilities it offers. Here are just a few examples, but I assure you there are many more!:
- Traditional fried foods (But with practically no oil!):
- nuggets
- croquettes
- french fries
- spring rolls
- empanadas
- cod fritters
- breaded fish fillets
- or even sardines, with no smells!
- For baking. As an oven you have a huge range of possibilities:
- mini pizzas or pizzettes
- savory tartlets or mini quiches
- sliced sandwich bread, hot and with cheese, come out great
- stuffed mushrooms au gratin (or unstuffed!)
- some cannelloni or a portion of baked lasagna
- rolls, molletes or breadsticks
- scones
- muffins, buns or cinnamon rolls
- cakes
- roasted chestnuts
- or donuts and cookies, it's like an oven!
- Like a griddle. For cooking or roasting healthily and tastily:
- chicken breasts, which you can accompany with strips of vegetables
- fish, either in slices or loins, the result is phenomenal
- vegetables, any that you can cook in a pan or in the oven: peppers, asparagus, artichokes, carrots...
- corn on the cob.
- For stewing varied dishes:
- eggs baked in a dish (in a small cazuela), with spices or with ratatouille
- chopped chicken with sauce
- cuttlefish with onion
- marinated skewers, meat or vegetable. Or mixed!
- meat or vegetable stews
- meatballs in tomato sauce
- fried rice with shrimp, and many more recipes. Any dish is possible!
- For making desserts:
- chocolate brownie
- baked apples
- caramelized fruit
- coconut delights or balls
- banana or apple donuts
- and, of course, the wonderful French-style toast!
Besides all this, it is a great way to make popcorn, or to caramelize nuts or to dehydrate fruits and vegetables. Being able to cook with it at temperatures from 80º C to 200 °C, we can prepare our recipes the same way we would in a conventional oven, but with much lower consumption.
And it's ideal for preparations that require two temperatures in their preparation, starting with the low one so the interior cooks, and finishing the last minutes at a higher one to brown the exterior and achieve the final crispy point.
How to choose your air fryer
In the store we are such fans that we have a special section dedicated to oil-free fryers, so you can choose the one that best suits your needs. For this, it's important to take several aspects into account:
- Capacity: Depending on how many people you are at home or the amounts you want to cook each time, you will need a larger or smaller capacity:
- For one or two people you will need a small fryer, with a capacity between 1 and 2 liters.
- If there are between two and four people at home, you will need a medium oil-free fryer, with a capacity of approximately between 2 and 3 liters.
- And if there are more people at home or you like to cook larger portions (for the next day's lunchbox or to freeze), your air fryer should have at least 4 liters of capacity.
- Easy to use: Most air fryers have preset settings for the most common recipes or preparations. With just pressing the selected option you can cook french fries, fry croquettes, dehydrate foods or even bake some rolls. But if you like to cook your own way, it's ideal that it includes a manual option, so you can use it as you wish.
- Temperature: The usual range for fryer temperatures is between 80 °C and 200 °C, although in some models they may be between 70 °C and 220 °C.
- Convenience: Besides cooking healthily, the oil-free fryer has to help you cook in a comfortable and practical way so you can really get the most out of it. Being able to forget about turning or stirring when appropriate is one of the great advantages offered by the Actifry Genius by Tefal.
Discover the benefits of the Actifry
I think it's worth highlighting the Actifry. The Actifry Genius oil-free fryer by Tefal has an important added value compared to other models: its stirring paddle which takes care of doing that work for you, allowing you to cook any dish without having to watch over its cooking, while you do something else.
How long does an air fryer take to fry
Although it will depend on the type of food and the quantity we want to cook, the average time for each preparation is usually between 20 and 30 minutes.
During that time and depending on what we are cooking, we will have to stir or turn the foods to achieve a crunchy texture and we will have to do it several times in any air fryer, except in the Actifry.
How good is cooking in an air fryer
Cooking fried foods in an oil-free fryer implies not only the benefit of a healthier diet. It has many more advantages!
Here are just a few:
- The amount of oil we will have to use is drastically reduced compared to what we need to fry in a pan or an electric fryer.
- By requiring less oil we will achieve a significant saving, while reducing the amount of waste to recycle. Also, by using a spray dispenser or a brush to apply it, we will optimize the amount needed by distributing it over the food.
- Cooking with the air fryer implies a lower energy consumption than doing it in an electric oil fryer, in the microwave or frying conventionally. And of course, it is also higher if we cook in the oven.
- Foods cooked in the air fryer barely absorb oil, giving us approximately three times fewer calories and avoiding undesirable substances derived from frying that can increase the risk of suffering certain diseases, especially if consumed regularly.
- It is a quieter and more pleasant cooking. We can forget about turning on the extractor, since there are no unpleasant smells or smoke when cooking in the oil-free fryer.
- We will avoid the risk of burns, stains and splashes, as the food is cooked in the inner basket of the fryer.
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And this is another advantage, because we will have to clean less.
Differences between the oil-free fryer and the air oven
With an operation similar to convection ovens, using an oil-free fryer for frying and other types of preparations is much more advantageous as it is a smaller appliance:
- Its design, usually rounded, allows the interior air to circulate more agilely, cooking foods faster than in the oven and with results different from the oven.
- By needing less time to heat up and to cook foods, it requires a lower electricity consumption, resulting in a lower electricity bill.
- Besides frying, it is very practical for cooking all kinds of recipes for everyday use, more or less elaborate, quick and very effective, being a great help when we don't usually have time to cook in the oven.
- And its small size makes it very easy to transport, so we can place it anywhere in the house, take it to a second home, to camping or have it in the motorhome.
Air fryer recipes
Break in your fryer with these recipes and discover that, besides traditional croquettes or french fries, you can get a lot out of it:
I hope you enjoy your fryer! You know that here you will find yours!
