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Air fryers have become something of a phenomenon since their launch in 2010. If you don’t already own one, now might just be the greatest excuse you’ll ever have to splash out and get one. As a piece of kit, they are so versatile – not just for people who want to make healthier chips!!

There are many reasons to buy one and get air frying now. To give you the highlights, air fryers are compact and fit onto your work surface quite easily. Their size also means an air fryer heats up more quickly than your regular oven so you waste less energy and can eat sooner.

To be clear, an air fryer (despite its name) is not an actual fryer; more a small convection oven.

You can also expect your air fryer to use a fraction of the energy allowing you to save a lot when you use one.  They heat up very quickly and the circulating air means that your food will get evenly browned.

Is an air fryer healthier?

It depends, of course, what you are cooking. If you cook pizza, chips, chicken nuggets and other breaded or battered foods, health-wise you’re not better off than using the oven. If you were planning on frying them, then yes, they would contain less oil but still wouldn’t find their way onto the healthy food menu.

Here are my top 5 reasons you should invest 

1 You’ll save money using an air fryer compared to a regular oven

If you use the air fryer for 30 minutes a day, it will cost roughly €1.86 a week compared to €2.06 for your oven. But don’t forget, you’ll speed up cooking times so the real cost of cooking (as an example) chicken breast will be less since it takes half the time [20 mins compared to 40 mins]. So your chicken breast will cost you 9C to cook in the air fryer compared to 20C in the oven.

2 Less mess

If you’re a fan of bacon and often grill it, you’ll know what a mess it makes on the inside window of your oven. By popping the rashers in the air fryer (no extra oil needed), the splatter from the fat is contained and is easily wiped away.

3 Cleaning your air fryer is significantly easier than the grill pan

It will only take you a few minutes, and some contain parts that are dishwasher safe.

4 Air fryers are a healthier way to cook

If you’re cooking with oil, you’ll need less of it. And, when you place things in the air fryer basket, this allows any excess fat to drain into the tray below.

5 Crispy Food

If you are eating chips or wedges, Air fryers make them so much crispier than your regular oven since they circulate the air around the food so that everything cooks more evenly. Especially sweet potato fries, which can turn out a bit limp (or else burnt) in a regular oven.

What can you cook in an air fryer?

In short, pretty much anything if you’ve the space to fit it in!

I’ve been known to cook

  • Granola
  • Toasted nuts and seeds
  • Stuffed chicken
  • Streaky bacon
  • Crispy cauliflower
  • Stuffed mushrooms/ peppers
  • Tofu
  • Roast chicken [in a study at Brunel University, researchers used 80% less energy cooking a whole chicken compared to oven cooking]
  • Meatballs
  • Chicken drumsticks
  • Whole roasted garlic bulb
  • Baked apples
  • Crumbles
  • Heating up leftovers!

Air fryer Potato Wedges Recipe

Deliciously crispy air-fried potato wedges are perfectly seasoned and ready to serve in just over 30 minutes.

It doesn’t get any easier than this!

Serve with ketchup, or toss with some grated Parmesan for a cheesy potato side dish.

You will need

  • 2 medium potatos
  • 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon ground paprika
  • ½ teaspoon chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt

Directions

  1. Preheat an air fryer to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C)

  2. Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Cut each half in half lengthwise, and then cut each quarter in half lengthwise. You will have 16 wedges.

  3. Gather the seasonings.

  4. Place potato wedges in a large bowl. Add olive oil, paprika, parsley, chili, salt, and pepper; mix until well combined.
  5. Place the potato wedges in the basket of the air fryer and cook for 10 minutes
  6. Flip wedges with tongs and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove to a plate.
  7. Enjoy with your favourite toppings