Are Air Fryers Actually Healthy – Detailed Guide

Are Air Fryers Healthy – A Detailed Guide

In the few years since they were introduced to the public, air fryers have become quite popular and much more sophisticated. They were marketed as a way to fry food using dry air, therefore almost eliminating the need to cook and fry with any oil at all. That is, of course, just a very simple explanation as to how it works. Let’s take a deeper look.

How do air fryers work exactly?

Air fryers cook food by circulating hot air in a chamber with very little oil used. 

This heat in the air fryer triggers a Maillard reaction. It is based on amino acid and reducing sugar reaction that browns the food without the need of excessive oil. To achieve the browning and crisp exterior, you only need about a tablespoon of oil when air frying compared to gallons of oil needed for a deep fried perfection.

The Bad Effects Of Eating Oil On Health

We all know that too much oil is bad for you, specifically in the case of food. Too much oil adds unnecessary calories and fat to our bodies, and over a period of time, can lead to serious diseases like hear disease, diabetes and obesity. This is why deep-frying has gotten a really bad reputation in these last years, mainly due to it many negative effects on our health and our bodies.

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There are plenty of studies and scientific evidence that shows a direct relationship between weight gain, heart disease and consumption of saturated fat. Using an air fryer to cook food significantly lessens the fat content in food. Since little oil is used in the cooking process, the risk from heart attack and other diseases is significantly lessened. Aside from the decreased health risk, cooking with an air fryer can help those who want to lose weight. Continued consumption of deep fried food, especially deep-fried meat is one of the factors that lead to obesity. Air frying, since it does away with a huge volume of oil, can be considered healthier than deep-frying.

Why Is It So Hard To Stop Eating Fried Foods?

A lot of people find it difficult to completely stop eating fried food since frying is easy, and yields very flavorful dishes. It can also be highly addictive. However, air fryer manufacturers and most users will tell you that using an air fryer can produce similar (if not the same) results as when you use a deep fryer.

Carcinogens in food are often attributed to grilled food. These are typically found in the burnt portions of the cooked food. This is why experts highly discourage the ingestion of burned food.  However, researchers have found that deep frying food can activate a chemical reaction that produces acrylamide, which is a potential carcinogen. Studies have been conducted and show that sir frying actually reduced the acrylamide in food. This is another reason why air frying can be a better alternative to deep-frying.

So Is Air Frying Really Healthy?

While air frying is the healthier alternative to deep fried food, it is still frying. Frying is not necessarily the best way to prepare food in the first place since it kills the nutritional value of the ingredients that you are cooking. If you truly want to eat well, professionals will suggest that you focus on methods that preserve the nutritional benefits of your food, such as roasting and baking. Air frying is simply an alternative to the much unhealthier deep-frying.

So to answer the question simply – the answer is “yes and no”. Yes, air fryers are much healthier than deep frying food in general. However, they are still not as healthy as the companies making them would like you to think. Frying is frying and, while the oil content is significantly reduced, they are still quite unhealthy in general. Even the best air fryers use oil and provide significant intake of oil and saturated fats to your diet.