Air fryers are a relatively new kitchen appliance that’s quickly taking over kitchens everywhere. The benefits of using an air fryer for cooking are plentiful and include everything from an increase in nutrient retention to a decrease in calories. If you want to upgrade your kitchen and improve your health, here are five of the many benefits that come with using an air fryer.
What is an air fryer?
An air fryer is a kitchen appliance that fries foods by circulating hot air around the food. They cook your food using little to no oil, and they do so quickly.
How does it work?
An air fryer is a convection oven that cooks food by circulating hot air around the food. This method of cooking is different from a traditional oven because the heat comes from all directions to cook the food quickly, rather than just one single source of heat like an oven.
It’s important to note that air frying does not use oil, so there are no calories in this process. In contrast, deep-frying requires a significant amount of oil and has been linked to high levels of fat consumption.
What are the 5 health benefits of an air fryer?
1. Air fryer improves nutrient retention
Air fryers use circulating air to cook, which means that more nutrients are retained. Traditional cooking methods like boiling or baking can cause the loss of up to 50 percent of key nutrients in vegetables and bread. Air frying is different because the circulating air helps keep the food’s moisture intact.
2. Air fryer decreases calories in food
One of the most obvious benefits of using an air fryer is that it lowers calories. In order to get the perfect taste, you can use air fryers to cook food in a way that doesn’t require heavy oils or butter. This is great for those who want to cut down on the amount of fat they consume while cooking. Air fryers use hot air to break down the fats contained within foods, making them healthier than fried food cooked with oil and other fats. For example, one cup of potato chips cooked with an air fryer has around 150 calories whereas the same amount of chips fried in oil has about 400 calories.
An air fryer won’t make up for a healthy diet but it does allow for some indulgences without guilt. If you don’t have time to prepare a healthy meal before work or school then you can quickly whip up something from the freezer and cook it using only an air fryer instead of frying it or baking it in oil.
3. Air fryer reduces oil and fat intake
The less oil and fat you use when cooking, the better. Air frying reduces your oil and fat intake by as much as 80 percent because the food is cooked using only a fraction of the oil that would be used during conventional frying.
It also decreases the fat content in your favorite fried favorites by up to 30 percent.
4. Air fryer uses less energy
The process of cooking with an air fryer uses less energy than ovens, microwaves, and stovetop cooking methods. This means that you’ll be using less electricity to cook your food and this will also save you money on your utility bills.
5. Air fryer creates healthier food
One of the biggest benefits of an air fryer is that it reduces the need to cook in oil. Instead, you can cook your food in hot air. The result is an increase in nutrient retention and a decrease in calories. For example, if you cook french fries in oil, they will absorb some of those oils and have more calories than when cooked in an air fryer. In contrast, when cooking french fries with an air fryer, the fat is not absorbed into the potatoes as much so there are fewer calories.
The perfect balance.
As you can see, air fryers are a great investment for your health and your wallet. They create the perfect balance of crispy and juicy foods, with the bonus that you get to eat them guilt-free. The next time you’re in the market for a new appliance, look into an air fryer.
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