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Is cooking with an air fryer healthy?
An air fryer is a countertop device that circulates heat at high temperature, it works by coating the desired food in little to no oil, it can be used to fry, bake and grill without using any oil, food is cooked quickly and evenly in a cooking basket that sits atop a drip tray and they are also time-efficient which is one of the reasons they are popular in many households.
An air fryer is actually a lot like a convection oven and one of its benefits is that if you are a picky vegetable eater, you can easily use it to make your veggies crispy, it tastes even better and as it continues to have increased popularity, you have to wonder how healthy it is and if it actually lowers the fat content of fried chicken.
The promise of healthier fried food is exciting, who doesn’t want a healthier fried chicken or french fries but there are some important factors that need to be considered before making a choice a traditional fryer and an air fryer most of which has to do with your overall health
After hearing about air fryer, you can’t help but wonder and marvel at the manufacturers claim that they produce crispy food with less oil than a deep fryer and are even faster and more convenient than a countertop convection oven but just how healthy are air fryers?
This article guides you on the benefits of ait fryer.
Related read: Can You Air Fry Without Oil?
How Does An Air Fryer Work
Air fried foods are touted as healthy alternatives to deep frying and this could be traced to how it works, air fryers don’t actually fry rather the food goes into a perforated basket and the machine cooks the food by circulating heat around it.
Most air fryers are designed to have temperature and timer adjustment that allows food to cook evenly and this countertop appliance have a removable basket just like a deep fryer but instead of submerging food in oil, it bakes the item in the basket by heat flowing around it and as long as the temperature setting reaches 320F, you can easily cook breaded foods like frozen chicken tender or french fries brown.
Is air fried food healthy?
Yes, air fried foods are healthy compared to deep frying or other traditional ways of frying, one of the main reasons why air fryers are considered healthy is that foods cooked in them use little or no oil and of course oils has calories and if you are looking to cut calories, using less oil is a good way to start hence why air fryers are a healthier option.
The air fry is your ticket to healthy food with fewer calorie content and that still tastes delicious and crunchy.
The Best Foods To Air Fry
The possibility of the foods you can cook in an air fryer is limitless, air frying gives you just the texture and taste you want, it is also great for adding life back to leftovers however you can’t cook foods dipped in liquid batter in an air fryer such as onion ring, the batter will only drip through the holes in the basket and make a mess.
The air fryer can be used to make nutrients rich foods like kale, Brussel sprouts, and chicken, foods like potatoes will also turn out great in an air fryer.
Is air-fried chicken healthy?
Yes, by most measures air fried chicken is healthier than frying oil, air frying chicken cuts calories by 70% to 80% and it has less of fats which generally makes them healthier than oil-immersed appliance, however, some oils are highly beneficial but air fryer still happens to be more beneficial in cutting calories.
In Conclusion
Making fried chicken in an air fryer will not only give you a tasty crunchy taste but will also cut down some of the calories that frying them in oil would have added and also air frying saves time.
When it comes to capacity, air fryers work through the principle of convection and you won’t be able to fill up the basket if you want hot airs to flow evenly around them however it can cook a large variety of foods quickly if you only need to preheat and with less energy than an oven.
Read next: Is Quinoa Healthier Than Rice? Here’s What We Found.