Air fryers have become incredibly popular in recent years as a “healthier” alternative to deep frying. Proponents claim air fryers use little to no oil and somehow magically make fried foods crispy and delicious using only hot air. However, as someone who cares about eating truly healthy, nutritious foods, I’m not a fan of air fryers. In this article, I’ll explain why I don’t like air fryers and why I don’t recommend using them.
They Don’t Actually “Fry” Anything
Let’s start by clearing up some misconceptions about how air fryers work. Air fryers do not actually fry anything! Frying involves fully submerging food in hot oil. Air fryers simply blow hot air around food to produce a crispy texture on the outside. This isn’t the same as deep frying. The high heat and rapid air circulation can sometimes create a nice crispiness, but the food is nowhere near as greasy or rich as true fried foods. Air fried foods are more akin to oven-baked foods. So air fryers are inherently misleading – they don’t fry at all.
Air Fryers Don’t Drastically Reduce Fat and Calories
One of the biggest claimed benefits of air fryers is that they reduce the fat and caloric content of fried foods. After all, no oil is used, so air fried foods must be lower in fat and calories, right? Unfortunately, that’s not truly the case. While air fried foods are lower in fat and calories compared to deep fried foods cooked in quarts of oil, the difference isn’t as dramatic as you’d think.
Why? Most standard deep frying recipes don’t actually use that much oil. Typical deep frying only requires around 2 cups of oil to cook multiple portions. The actual oil absorbed into the food is a just a few teaspoons per serving. Air frying does eliminate that oil, but the calorie reduction is fairly small. For example, a chicken breast air fried would have around 50 less calories than the same breast deep fried. Not a huge difference for the average diet.
Calorie Reduction Isn’t That Significant
To demonstrate the minor calorie differences, here is a comparison of the same foods air fried versus deep fried:
| Food | Air Fried Calories | Deep Fried Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken Breast (6oz) | 230 | 280 |
| French Fries (4oz) | 210 | 320 |
| Onion Rings (4oz) | 180 | 260 |
As you can see, air frying does slightly reduce calories, but the food is still fairly high in calories considering the small portions. You’re better off simply controlling oil and portion sizes with traditional frying if you want to reduce calories.
Air Fryers Promote Unhealthy Diets
By appearing to be a healthier cooking method, air fryers can actually encourage people to eat more junk food and fried products. People think that since they’re “air fried” these foods are suddenly guilt-free. This leads to increased consumption of highly processed convenience foods and fried snacks instead of truly healthy whole foods.
An air fried frozen pizza or bag of chips is still a frozen pizza or bag of chips! These processed foods are still loaded with calories, sodium, and artificial ingredients – regardless of how they are cooked. Air fryers allow people to deceive themselves into thinking they’re eating healthier when that’s not truly the case.
Most Air Fryer Recipes Aren’t That Healthy
If you browse air fryer cookbooks and websites, you’ll notice most recipes are simply tweaked versions of greasy fried fare. French fries, chips, chicken wings, mozzarella sticks, etc. These foods are marginally healthier than their deep fried counterparts, but they’re still processed junk food. There are very few truly healthy recipes optimized for air fryers.
Some ads would have you believe you can air fry vegetables and other whole foods for perfect health. In reality, an air fryer does nothing to improve the flavor or nutrition of unprocessed produce and lean proteins. You’re better off simply roasting or sautéing these real foods.
Most Common Air Fryer Recipes
Here are some of the most common recipes people make in air fryers:
| Food |
|---|
| French fries |
| Onion rings |
| Chicken wings |
| Mozzarella sticks |
| Frozen chicken nuggets |
| Frozen fish sticks |
As you can see, these are all processed convenience foods, not fresh whole foods. Relying too much on these air fried items can lead to a diet high in calories, fat, sodium, and preservatives.
Most Air Fryers Have a Small Capacity
The average air fryer has a 2-4 quart capacity. While this is fine for cooking small batches of food, it’s fairly impractical for larger households. You’ll end up having to cook multiple shifts of food to feed more than 2 hungry people. With a traditional convection oven or sheet pan, you can roast over 20 chicken wings or an entire tray of vegetables at once. Air fryers simply lack the capacity for big batch meal prepping.
They Take Up Substantial Counter Space
Air fryers are bulky appliances that hog precious kitchen real estate. The average model has a footprint of 9-11 inches wide by 11-15 inches deep. That’s similar to a full-sized microwave or blender. If you have limited counter space, an air fryer will really crowd your workflow. And good luck finding a cabinet spot for it; air fryers are too bulky to fit in most corners. I’d rather rely on my versatile oven than devote space to a single-use air fryer.
You Don’t Need Another Single-Purpose Kitchen Gadget
Speaking of single use devices, air fryers definitely fall into that category. Unlike a instant pot or food processor that can perform numerous cooking tasks, air fryers literally only air “fry”. Once you own an air fryer, you feel compelled to use it a lot to justify its footprint. This leads you down the path of cooking many hyper-processed frozen and convenience foods just to use the air fryer more. Stick to multi-use tools like ovens and pans instead of another kitchen gadget.
They Are Loud
Here’s an under-discussed downside of air fryers – they are extremely loud! All that rapidly circulating hot air produces a constant blowing and whirring noise. The decibel levels are on par with a countertop blender or vacuum. If you value keeping a quiet, peaceful kitchen, an air fryer will definitely disrupt that vibe.
Air fryer manufacturers never seem to list noise ratings in product specs either. Next time you’re in Target, turn an air fryer display model on. I guarantee the noise will surprise you if you’ve never heard one running before.
Cleaning Is a Hassle
While air fryer pans are smaller than sheet pans, they still require frequent scrubbing to remove grease and baked-on residue. The nooks and crannies of air fryer baskets make them much tougher to hand wash than a simple sheet pan. And since you can’t submerge most air fryers fully in water, getting into those crevices with a sponge becomes an arduous chore.
I find it’s easier to simply line a sheet pan with foil when roasting food. Then I just toss the foil after cooking for painless clean up. With an air fryer, you’re stuck washing the pan every time.
They Have a Learning Curve
Don’t expect perfect results immediately when experimenting with an air fryer. Because they rapidly blow around hot air, getting the timing, flipping, and positioning of food just right takes practice. Be prepared for some trial and error before you nail a recipe.
Air flow in every model varies too, so settings and cook times are never universal. A recipe tested in one brand of air fryer may require significant adjustments in another. There’s definitely more of a learning curve compared to the set-it-and-forget it simplicity of an oven or toaster oven.
Not Necessarily Better for the Environment
Air fryer marketing wants you to believe that by eliminating oil waste, these appliances are an environmentally friendly option. However, heavily processing and cooking frozen convenience foods tends to negate any benefit from less oil waste. The packaging and processing of all those frozen snacks and side dishes still creates plenty of waste. And air fryers use electricity and plastic parts that need replacing over time.
For true environmental benefits, the best option is cooking more whole food fresh meals at home. Rather than getting caught up in another kitchen gadget, focus on sourcing ingredients sustainably and reducing food waste.
The Health Benefits Are Minimal
At the end of the day, any potential health benefits of air frying are very minimal. A small reduction in fat and calories compared to deep frying is negated by the highly processed foods typically cooked. You’re far better off developing true healthy cooking habits – steaming, baking, and sautéing a variety of nutritious ingredients. An air fryer won’t revolutionize your diet or health if you aren’t already eating wholesome foods.
Ovens Are More Versatile
Standard full-size ovens, countertop toaster ovens, and convection ovens can all perform the same tasks an air fryer claims to excel at. You can roast vegetables, crisp leftovers, and cook frozen foods with the same if not better results. Ovens provide more even heat distribution and don’t force heat from only one direction like air fryers.
An oven’s extra capacity allows you to cook a complete family meal at once. And most ovens and toasters feature air fryer-like convection settings now that rapidly circulate hot air. Don’t clutter your kitchen with another single-use device when your trusty oven can air fry.
Sheet Pans Are Cheaper and Effective
For even easier air frying results at home, use an ordinary sheet pan. Lining a sheet pan with parchment paper or foil, lightly greasing, and either roasting or baking food achieves a very similar effect. And high quality sheet pans cost a fraction of the price of most air fryers.
The elevated wire racks used in sheet pan cooking allow for air flow under and around food. Simply adjust your oven’s temperature and rack height to find that sweet spot for crisping just like an air fryer. But a sheet pan setup costs around $20 rather than over $100.
The Cost Doesn’t Outweigh the Benefits
Speaking of cost, air fryers range wildly in price from $50 to $200+. And most air fryer models have proprietary pans and accessories that require purchasing as add-ons. That’s a substantial cost for what is essentially a small convection oven.
For healthier eating, your money is better spent on fresh ingredients, cookbooks, or kitchen staples like pans and knives. An air fryer is another quickly-abandoned kitchen gadget for most buyers. Don’t get lured in by buzzword marketing and Pinterest hype around air frying.
Conclusion
Air fryers promise healthier fried foods with little to no oil. But in reality, these devices don’t actually “fry” anything. They bake and dehydrate foods by rapidly circulating hot air. The results are often underwhelming next to true deep frying. And air fryers encourage the consumption of highly processed frozen convenience foods rather than truly nutritious whole foods.
For minimal added cost and effort, you can achieve equal or better results than an air fryer using your existing oven and sheet pans. Save your counter space, money, and health by avoiding yet another flashy kitchen gadget. With a few small technique adjustments, you can air fry without the need for another bulky appliance.