Foods whose preparations entail the use of too much oil like fries, chicken, and fish are not kind to the heart. The high oil content clogs the blood vessels and may lead to diseases like cardiac arrest or obesity. There is still some hope though.
It is still possible for you to enjoy such foods without necessarily incorporating too much oil in their preparations. That requires the use of specialized cooking appliances. Of these, the air fryers stand out. But just what is an air fryer? How does it work? What are its benefits? Read on to find out…
What is an Air Fryer Oven?
An air fryer is a special kind of deep-frying cooking appliance. It makes use of hot air to distribute the oil droplets on the foods during the preparation process. Thanks to this arrangement, the foods get cooked faster but with less consumption of the oil ingredient.
In fact, most air fryers consume up to 80% less oil than the traditional cooking appliances would when tackling those self-same recipes. Moreover, the appliances give rise to crispier and more uniform cooking outcomes. The foods prepared by this appliance also tend to be tenderer.
One added benefit of this appliance is that it is slim and compact enough. This makes it great for use in areas that are squeezed and cramped up. In fact, many of the models available are able to mount at the counters. The combination of these traits makes the gadget widely acceptable to many households.
Benefits of an Air Fryer Oven
Here now are some of the salient benefits of the air fryer:
Uses Less Oil
As noted above, this appliance uses less oil to prep the food recipes. It in fact uses a whopping 80% less oil than the standard deep frying methods. Because of this, the foods prepared by it are healthier and less prone to the risks of heart attacks.
Cooks Faster
The appliances take a shorter duration of time to bring about the desired outcomes. Thanks to the fact that it circulates hot air onto the food, it is able to impact inner layers of food for less effort. That of course cuts down the time you would naturally take to conclude a typical cooking task.
Leads to More Uniform Cooking Outcomes
This appliance cooks food using a combination of techniques. It circulates the hot air and also sprays the hot oil droplets on the food. On the basis of this, it is able to impact every part and corner of the food to yield forth more uniform cooking outcomes.
Conserves Energy
Lastly, it conserves the energy used during the typical food preparation exercise. This is brought about by the faster cooking and the fact that it uses less oil. In fact, most households record a 40% less consumption of energy when they use it to prep their foods.
How to Use an Air Fryer Oven
Follow the steps below to use the air fryer:
Step I: Pre-heat the oven (Optional)
Though optional, we strongly urge you to pre-heat the oven prior to the deep-frying process. This stage ought to last 3-5 minutes. It entails spraying the interior of the oven with hot air in preparation for the deep frying exercise. Pre-heating cuts down the time for the food preparation considerably.
Step II: Place the food in the basket
Start by placing the food in the cooking basket that exists. To enable faster and more uniform cooking, you should slice the food into tiny sizes. That will allow the air to flow faster and unhindered. Then, leave some spaces in between any two chunks for maximum impacts.
Step III: Pour the oil into the oil chamber
You should now pour the cooking oil into the designated chamber. In some models, you will have to sprinkle the oil on the food itself. Either way, use only a small quantity of the oil. In fact, only 1-2 teaspoons of the oil may suffice for the job.
Step IV: Set the desired time and temperature
At this stage, you should now set the desired time and temperature for cooking. Most recipes take 5-25 minutes to prep. On the same note, they also require around 350° to 400°F. You have to refer to the cookbook of the recipe you intend to prepare to dispel any doubts.
Step V: Let the food cook
Hit the ‘cook’ button now and let the food cook. In some instances, you may have to flip the food the other way round to have ‘that other side’ also cook. Confirm with your cookbook yet again to ascertain this. As soon as the food is cooked, leave it in the oven for some time for it to be tender.
How the Air Fryer Actually Cooks Your Food?
As soon as you hit the ‘cook’ button, the appliance heats the oil. At the same time, it sprays a stream of hot air into the oven. The hot air heats the food in readiness for the oil content to follow. In doing that, it speeds up the food preparation exercise by a considerable margin.
After the food is heat up, the appliance follows this by spraying a gush of hot oil droplets onto the food. The hot oil sinks into the food and heats the flesh thereof. The end results are usually brown, tender, and crispy.
Conclusion
Kindly note that the steps and the procedures we have belabored above may not apply to all recipes. You have to check out the specific kinds of recipes you plan to prep to be sure. Also, it is important to pay keen attention to the way in which each recipe has to be made.
That can only happen if you take the time to read through the cookbooks and examine the kinds of ingredients that may be needed for the job. Of course, practice makes perfect. We hence urge you to carry out mock preparations to gain the experience and the expertise needed to do a great job!
