Air fryers have become increasingly popular in home kitchens over the last several years. These small countertop convection ovens circulate hot air around food to produce a crispy, browned exterior similar to deep frying without submerging food in oil. With their promise of fried food that’s lower in fat and calories, air fryers seem like an ideal appliance for health-conscious home cooks. However, professional chefs have been much slower to adopt air fryer technology in restaurant kitchens. So why don’t more chefs use air fryers? There are a few key reasons.
Speed and Capacity
One major barrier to widespread air fryer adoption among chefs is the capacity and speed limitations of current models. Air fryers are designed for small-batch home cooking, with basket capacities typically less than 5 quarts. Restaurant kitchens require much higher output to keep up with the demands of serving numerous guests in a short period of time. Most air fryers can only cook approximately 1-2 servings of food at once, taking 15-30 minutes to achieve crispy results. For a busy restaurant kitchen that needs to churn out dozens or hundreds of orders in an hour, this productivity is far too low. Commercial convection ovens and deep fryers can cook larger batches more quickly, making them better suited for a professional chef’s needs.
Inability to Monitor and Control
Another limitation of air fryers from a chef’s perspective is the inability to properly monitor and control the cooking process. Achieving the perfect crispiness and doneness requires carefully regulating factors like time, temperature, and flipping or tossing during cooking. Air fryers offer minimal visibility and access to the food during the cooking process. Most models have a light to peek at the progress and a timer to guess when food should be done, but there is no way to visually inspect, poke, or test for doneness. There are also limited temperature controls available. This lack of monitoring and control means the results are not consistent enough for a restaurant kitchen striving for high quality standards. Chefs prefer appliances like commercial deep fryers and convection ovens that allow more observation during cooking and precise regulation of oil temperature or airflow.
Inability to Cook Various Menu Items
The restricted size and single cooking method of air fryers also limit their ability to cook the diverse range of menu items needed in a professional kitchen. Deep fryers can quickly churn out fried fish, french fries, chicken tenders, and more using large baskets submerged in hot oil. High-powered convection ovens have racks to accommodate baking, roasting, broiling and any other cooking technique. But the small basket and sole reliance on superheated air circulation makes air fryers impractical for cooking some items, like battered foods, saucy wings, or anything that requires top/bottom heat exposure. Chefs choose versatile appliances that can handle all the cooking methods needed for their full menus.
Lack of Robustness and Repairability
Restaurant kitchens place high demands on equipment with frequent heavy use. But many chefs find air fryers lack the durability and repairability needed to withstand restaurant conditions. Small interior fans and heating coils often burn out with continual use. Air fryer baskets and exteriors show wear and scratches over time. There are minimal commercial parts or technical service options available to repair most air fryer models. With no dishwasher-safe components, they require tedious manual cleaning. So while air fryers may function fine for occasional home use, they often can’t handle the rigors of a busy commercial kitchen. Chefs opt for sturdier, serviceable equipment built for restaurant use.
Higher Costs
Purchasing commercial convection ovens, deep fryers, and other heavy-duty restaurant equipment costs significantly more upfront than consumer air fryers. But professional kitchens recoup that investment over time through the appliances’ increased productivity, reliability, and lifespan. Several small-capacity air fryers would be required to match the output of a single commercial fryer or oven. And the continual need to replace burned-out air fryers negates any upfront savings. While air fryers seem affordable for home cooks, many chefs find their long-term costs unreasonable compared to commercial appliances.
Takes Up Valuable Space
Every piece of equipment in a restaurant kitchen requires precious floor space. Chefs must carefully evaluate if an appliance is versatile enough to earn its footprint. While air fryers take up minimal countertop real estate in home kitchens, that size becomes problematic in a cramped commercial kitchen. Their single-use nature makes it hard to justify the space compared to multipurpose convection ovens and fryers. And additional small appliances like air fryers contribute to clutter that makes kitchen navigation difficult. So for many chefs, the opportunity cost of giving up space for an air fryer is too high compared to more flexible, high-output options.
Minimal Benefit for Unbreaded Items
For battered and breaded fried foods, air fryers can provide a lower-fat alternative to deep frying. But many chefs find the air fryer offers minimal benefits when cooking unbreaded proteins like steak, chicken, or fish. These foods already cook healthily using methods like grilling, sautéing, roasting, or broiling. The intense air circulation of an air fryer tends to dry out unbreaded meats and seafood. And the smaller capacity makes it impractical for cooking large cuts. So for many chefs, air frying provides no advantage over their existing techniques for unbreaded items.
Perception of Lower Quality
Diners have certain expectations when eating out at restaurants that shape chefs’ choices. Restaurant patrons tend to perceive deep-fried foods as higher quality than “air fried” versions. The crispiness and texture of real deep frying is difficult to perfectly replicate at scale. And many diners equate the virtue of air frying with lower calories rather than great taste. This perception can lead chefs to avoid air fryers to deliver the premium experience foodies expect. Meeting customer preferences and expectations is crucial for restaurants’ success.
Learning Curve
Operating commercial kitchen equipment like convection ovens and deep fryers requires training and experience to master. But most chefs already have this skillset. By contrast, air fryers involve a learning curve to figure out the quirks of each model, optimal settings for different foods, specialized accessories to buy, and how best to monitor cooking. With staffing shortages plaguing restaurants, taking time to train cooks on air fryers provides minimal payoff compared to leveraging their existing expertise. Relying on familiar appliances improves efficiency for busy kitchens.
Possible Safety Issues
Safely operating deep fryers and other commercial cooking equipment is certainly dangerous without proper precautions and training. However, there are also concerns around air fryers in restaurant kitchens. Their vented hot air could pose burns risks for nearby staff. Plastic components may melt or catch fire at high temperatures. Smaller fryer baskets mean cooks have to get hands closer to hot surfaces when flipping and removing food. Chefs hesitate to introduce potential safety hazards when staff is moving quickly in tight spaces. Sticking to commercial appliances with proper safety protocols is typically less risky.
Loss of Signature Cooking Techniques
Certain cooking techniques become defining trademarks of some restaurants. Famous chef restaurants known for flawless deep frying, pit barbecuing, brick oven pizza, or rotisserie specialties build their reputation around these signature styles. Abandoning them solely for trendy air fryers could damage the brand. While air frying may have benefits in some contexts, for chefs who have perfected an artisanal cooking craft, it rarely improves quality enough to justify changing established methods. Customers expect that restaurant’s specialty preparation. So for some establishments, air fryers improperly undermine their culinary identity.
Mixed Evidence on Health Benefits
Many assume air frying is healthier than deep frying since it reduces oil and fat intake. But some chefs argue the evidence for meaningful health benefits is overstated. While air fryers eliminate excess oil absorption, foods still can contain high fat if the recipe includes sources like fatty meat, oils/butter for flavor, and breading. Some research finds air fried foods still have nearly equivalent calories as deep fried versions. Air fryers also can have higher levels of acrylamide, a potentially harmful chemical compound formed from high heat exposure. Replacing deep fryers with air fryers may satisfy some diners’ misperception of healthier eating. But chefs focused on evidence-based nutrition see insufficient proof of significantly greater benefits.
Insufficient Quality Improvements
For home cooks, air fryers provide a big upgrade over oven baking for achieving crispy, fried results. But professional chefs already have access to commercial convection ovens and ventless fryers that can closely mimic air frying. These appliances provide greater airflow circulation and higher heat than home ovens to crisp up foods with minimal or no oil. Large exhaust hoods also remove excess grease and moisture while cooking. So for many chefs, air fryers offer negligible quality improvements their current equipment can’t already achieve. The minor enhancements don’t justify the downsides.
Conclusion
In summary, there are several compelling reasons why the majority of professional chefs have not embraced air fryers in their commercial kitchens:
– Lower capacity, longer cook times, and inability to match a restaurant’s high-volume demands
– Lack of monitoring and insufficient temperature/cooking controls
– Limitations in cooking diverse menus and fried foods beyond breaded items
– Concerns about durability, repair costs, and safety issues
– Higher long-term costs compared to commercial convection ovens and fryers
– Insufficient space and versatility to justify the footprint
– Minimal benefits for unbreaded proteins often cooked using other techniques
– Perception by diners of lower quality compared to traditional frying
– Significant learning curve to operate air fryers effectively
– Loss of signature cooking styles and brand identity
– Uncertainty about meaningful health benefits compared to deep frying
– Existing commercial appliances that can mimic air frying
For a home cook, the air fryer’s small batch size and single-use nature is perfect for convenient weeknight meals. But most professional chefs utilize different high-capacity, versatile commercial appliances tailored to a restaurant’s demanding environment and standards. While air fryers have their benefits, their limitations mean they are unlikely to become standard equipment in most restaurant kitchens anytime soon. The technology still has room for improvement to address chefs’ key concerns around capacity, controls, durability, and performance to become ubiquitous. But for now, traditional convection ovens, deep fryers, grills and other appliances better suit the needs of most foodservice establishments.