10 reasons why buying an Air fryer is a great idea

"Air fryer? What is that?"
Considering the product has been in the market for awhile, it is quite surprising that many are still unaware of the existence of the sleek kitchen gadget. Others who are aware of it talk of its high cost as a deterrent to buying it, even as they keenly ask those who have purchased it for more details. 

The simple fact is that the air fryer is indeed a bit of a game changer in the marketplace as far as cooking is concerned. Available at rates ranging from Rs 7500 - Rs 10,000, it is priced on the higher side. So it is worth the investment? Having used it for a bit at home, I would have to say a resounding YES to that.
Why? Allow me to elaborate. 

1. Fry, Grill, Roast, Bake
In a nutshell, those are the things that you can do with it. 
Or to give you a more visual image - chicken tandoori, chicken drumsticks or wings, roasted chicken, rack of lamb, fried fish, tempura prawns and other seafood, samosas, pakoras, koftas, kababs, brownies, lava cakes, cheesecakes, muffins, pizzas, crispy veg fries, french fries, calzones, quiches, garlic breads, parathas, meatloaf et al.

Chicken Tikki 

2. No Oil!
No more debates on transfats and saturated fats. By using hot air as its single cooking medium, you have in a single shot eliminated one of the most common grouses that has plagued health conscious folk for decades - oil. As a cook too, you don't have to deal with greasy stains and dishes anymore.





3. Indulge without the guilt
No oil means you can actually have all those oily foods that you avoided earlier to maintain your figure, only now they aren't sinful anymore. French fries, spring rolls, fish fingers, cakes and muffins - all are now back on the menu without requiring any oil. It is not a small difference either - the food you get now contains up to 80% less fat than if it were fried with oil. 

Chicken and sausage filled spring rolls

4. Speed
Excellent if you are one of those people who are always in a hurry or are stuck preparing for a family get-together or party. Be it chicken dishes or cakes, the air fryer quicks faster than your regular fryer, delivering crunchy, crispy delights in minutes. For example, pizzas can be made in 7 minutes as opposed to 25 in a regular oven.

5. He can look after himself

This is something that will truly appeal to you. Once you have set the temperature and time, you can go about doing your own work while he cooks. You do not need to follow up or turn the pieces over at regular intervals to ensure all sides get fried evenly. Neither do you have to come back and turn it off to avoid over-frying the dish. Once the set time is over, the device turns off by itself. If you can't stop yourself from checking, that is okay too. You can easily pull the section open at any moment in between to check on the progress of your dish and the fryer automatically pauses while you inspect, restarting once you close it again.

6. Fits easily in any kitchen setting
Sleeker both in design and in dimensions than a microwave, it can settle in easily on a regular table top in your kitchen or any other room for that matter. 

7. Quantity
Well, I haven't really been able to use the Kenstar Oxyfryer I have to its full potential in this regard till date. It boasts a three litre capacity and that has been more than sufficient to make dishes for a family of four.

So much space... could have made 10 times the amount!

Spicy okra fry

8. Easy to clean
The non-stick inner materials ensure that cleaning is not a hassle. Regular detergent will suffice. Also, you just have one dish to clean instead of endless grease stained pans and pots.

9. Taste
This is obviously the biggest question on your mind: Sure it is healthy but how does fried food taste without oil? Pretty darn good, actually. All the dishes we tried - vegetarian, non vegetarian and sweets - turned out lovely. When you add in the fact that you know the food is now healthy too, that grin on your face as you bite into the food only gets bigger!

Famous in the Malabar region of Kerala, the Unnakai is a
sweet dish made using plantains, coconuts, cardamom and sugar. It usually
needs to be fried well in oil. The Unnakai in these pics have been
 made entirely oil-free! And trust me... even the picky eaters in
the family loved it.

10. Converts you instantly into a health-conscious, modern cook
Almost all brands models come with their own cookbook to get you started on not just how to use the air fryer but also give you an idea of how much time particular dishes ( eg: cakes/fries/fritters ) need at what temperature. (Here are some online recipes to get you started courtesy Philips and KenStar.) So you don't need to go by the trial-and-error method by which you learned to cook dishes in the past. Here, in one shot, you are preparing dishes for the family which are 
a) healthy
b) oil free
c) quick
d) hassle-free

Yes, it is an investment but for those looking to bring more healthy alternatives to the table but struggling to give up on those yummy fried snacks and foods, here is your nirvana. These devices offer you the best of both worlds and having tried it out on many varieties of dishes, we are now air-fryer-believers and totally recommend it to those who ask us. 

Authors note:

I also advise you to check out this post of Jenny's from the popular site Organically Blissful about her take on everything you need to know about air fryers.