In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleHow Does an Air Fryer Work?Is Air-Fried Food Healthy?What Can You Cook in an Air Fryer?What Is the Best Air Fryer to Buy?Best Overall Air Fryer: Instant Vortex Plus 6-Quart Air Fryer ($130)Is an Air Fryer Worth It?
In This ArticleView All
View All
In This Article
How Does an Air Fryer Work?
Is Air-Fried Food Healthy?
What Can You Cook in an Air Fryer?
What Is the Best Air Fryer to Buy?
Best Overall Air Fryer: Instant Vortex Plus 6-Quart Air Fryer ($130)
Is an Air Fryer Worth It?
An air fryer is a mini convection oven, in essence. Its promise: to match the taste and texture of your favorite deep-fried foods, minus all the fat and all those extra calories.This countertop kitchen appliance and its pledge to make crispy, close-to-fried perfection sound promising. Some can be small–taking up about the same amount of counter space as toaster ovens. Some areair fryer toaster ovencombos, too. But, how does an air fryer work, what foods can you cook in it, do you need to use oil and does it live up to the hype? Read on to find out if an air fryer is right for your kitchen.How Does an Air Fryer Work?An air fryer uses a heating element along with a fan circulating hot air above and around your food to convert tiny amounts of moisture into mist. The food goes into an air fryer basket and then it’s placed inside the appliance. The extra-hot cooking chamber lets dry heat penetrate the food from the outside in, yielding the familiar crispy texture food gets with a bath in the deep fryer. As a bonus, cooking in an air fryer can save you time and it makes cleanup easy.Pictured Recipe:Air-Fryer Popcorn ShrimpIs Air-Fried Food Healthy?Most brands don’t require oil for the machine to work, though using cooking spray or tossing your food with a teaspoon or two of oil before putting the food in the basket will improve the texture and flavor of air-fried eats. While it’s possible to enjoy air-fried food with no oil, the beauty of this appliance is that it only needs such a small amount.There are only 40 calories per teaspoon of oil (120 calories per tablespoon). The little bit of oil you do add helps brown and caramelize everything for extra crispy and delicious results. And compared to the amount of oil in deep-fried foods, the amount you’ll use in the air fryer is practically nothing, resulting in fewer calories and saturated fat than your typical fried food.Healthy Air-Fryer Recipes to Make for the Super BowlWhat Can You Cook in an Air Fryer?You can cook just about anything you would prepare in an oven or deep fryer in an air fryer (which is a lot!)French fries, chicken wings orair-fried chicken nuggetsand tenders are a possibility, as areair-fried chickenbreasts and thighs. These countertop appliances aren’t just one-trick ponies to replicate crispy traditionally-fried foods; you can also use them to roast or bake without turning on your oven.You can use one to easily cook fish fillets, like salmon, in mere minutes!Pictured Recipe:Cornflake Air-Fryer Chicken NuggetsMakecrispy air-fryer french frieswith white potatoes orsweet potatoes. Whip uphomemade air-fryer veggie chipsfrom beets or potatoes—or go the sweet route and make apple chips. Even vegetables, like theseair-fryer Brussels sprouts, can get the crispy, high-heat treatment with delicious results.It can tackle dessert, too: think fried hand pies andpetite doughnut holes.What Is the Best Air Fryer to Buy?Our Test Kitchen has tested air fryers several times. In total, we’ve tested 23 air fryers. Each time we consider multiple factors, including design, multipurpose functions, ease of use and cleaning, performance and value.Most recently, we tested 18 air fryers against different types of food: French fries (fresh and frozen), Brussels sprouts and chicken wings. We then took a smaller group of winners and tested them on baked goods, fruit and breaded protein. Afterward, one machine came out on top as our Best Overall. (We madeother selections, too, such as Best Small Option for Two and Best Large Option for Families.)Best Overall Air Fryer: Instant Vortex Plus 6-Quart Air Fryer($130)AmazonTry the Instant Vortex Plus 6-Quart Air Fryer (view atAmazon). This air fryer is great for beginners and seasoned cooks alike. In our tests, it earned a perfect score for Ease of Use thanks to its simple display and touchscreen buttons. We found the nonstick, dishwasher-safe fry basket and crisper tray easy to clean up. And perhaps most importantly: the fries came out crispy, chicken wings were crunchy and veggies were nicely browned.Is an Air Fryer Worth It?An air fryer is not unlike a more efficient, higher-output Easy-Bake Oven for adults: quick, compact and enjoyable once you actually read the directions. If you’re looking for a low-fuss cooking device that gets things crispy with less fat, cooks foods fast and lets you leave your oven off, an air fryer is a good option.Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!Tell us why!OtherSubmit
An air fryer is a mini convection oven, in essence. Its promise: to match the taste and texture of your favorite deep-fried foods, minus all the fat and all those extra calories.This countertop kitchen appliance and its pledge to make crispy, close-to-fried perfection sound promising. Some can be small–taking up about the same amount of counter space as toaster ovens. Some areair fryer toaster ovencombos, too. But, how does an air fryer work, what foods can you cook in it, do you need to use oil and does it live up to the hype? Read on to find out if an air fryer is right for your kitchen.How Does an Air Fryer Work?An air fryer uses a heating element along with a fan circulating hot air above and around your food to convert tiny amounts of moisture into mist. The food goes into an air fryer basket and then it’s placed inside the appliance. The extra-hot cooking chamber lets dry heat penetrate the food from the outside in, yielding the familiar crispy texture food gets with a bath in the deep fryer. As a bonus, cooking in an air fryer can save you time and it makes cleanup easy.Pictured Recipe:Air-Fryer Popcorn ShrimpIs Air-Fried Food Healthy?Most brands don’t require oil for the machine to work, though using cooking spray or tossing your food with a teaspoon or two of oil before putting the food in the basket will improve the texture and flavor of air-fried eats. While it’s possible to enjoy air-fried food with no oil, the beauty of this appliance is that it only needs such a small amount.There are only 40 calories per teaspoon of oil (120 calories per tablespoon). The little bit of oil you do add helps brown and caramelize everything for extra crispy and delicious results. And compared to the amount of oil in deep-fried foods, the amount you’ll use in the air fryer is practically nothing, resulting in fewer calories and saturated fat than your typical fried food.Healthy Air-Fryer Recipes to Make for the Super BowlWhat Can You Cook in an Air Fryer?You can cook just about anything you would prepare in an oven or deep fryer in an air fryer (which is a lot!)French fries, chicken wings orair-fried chicken nuggetsand tenders are a possibility, as areair-fried chickenbreasts and thighs. These countertop appliances aren’t just one-trick ponies to replicate crispy traditionally-fried foods; you can also use them to roast or bake without turning on your oven.You can use one to easily cook fish fillets, like salmon, in mere minutes!Pictured Recipe:Cornflake Air-Fryer Chicken NuggetsMakecrispy air-fryer french frieswith white potatoes orsweet potatoes. Whip uphomemade air-fryer veggie chipsfrom beets or potatoes—or go the sweet route and make apple chips. Even vegetables, like theseair-fryer Brussels sprouts, can get the crispy, high-heat treatment with delicious results.It can tackle dessert, too: think fried hand pies andpetite doughnut holes.What Is the Best Air Fryer to Buy?Our Test Kitchen has tested air fryers several times. In total, we’ve tested 23 air fryers. Each time we consider multiple factors, including design, multipurpose functions, ease of use and cleaning, performance and value.Most recently, we tested 18 air fryers against different types of food: French fries (fresh and frozen), Brussels sprouts and chicken wings. We then took a smaller group of winners and tested them on baked goods, fruit and breaded protein. Afterward, one machine came out on top as our Best Overall. (We madeother selections, too, such as Best Small Option for Two and Best Large Option for Families.)Best Overall Air Fryer: Instant Vortex Plus 6-Quart Air Fryer($130)AmazonTry the Instant Vortex Plus 6-Quart Air Fryer (view atAmazon). This air fryer is great for beginners and seasoned cooks alike. In our tests, it earned a perfect score for Ease of Use thanks to its simple display and touchscreen buttons. We found the nonstick, dishwasher-safe fry basket and crisper tray easy to clean up. And perhaps most importantly: the fries came out crispy, chicken wings were crunchy and veggies were nicely browned.Is an Air Fryer Worth It?An air fryer is not unlike a more efficient, higher-output Easy-Bake Oven for adults: quick, compact and enjoyable once you actually read the directions. If you’re looking for a low-fuss cooking device that gets things crispy with less fat, cooks foods fast and lets you leave your oven off, an air fryer is a good option.
An air fryer is a mini convection oven, in essence. Its promise: to match the taste and texture of your favorite deep-fried foods, minus all the fat and all those extra calories.
This countertop kitchen appliance and its pledge to make crispy, close-to-fried perfection sound promising. Some can be small–taking up about the same amount of counter space as toaster ovens. Some areair fryer toaster ovencombos, too. But, how does an air fryer work, what foods can you cook in it, do you need to use oil and does it live up to the hype? Read on to find out if an air fryer is right for your kitchen.
An air fryer uses a heating element along with a fan circulating hot air above and around your food to convert tiny amounts of moisture into mist. The food goes into an air fryer basket and then it’s placed inside the appliance. The extra-hot cooking chamber lets dry heat penetrate the food from the outside in, yielding the familiar crispy texture food gets with a bath in the deep fryer. As a bonus, cooking in an air fryer can save you time and it makes cleanup easy.
Pictured Recipe:Air-Fryer Popcorn Shrimp
Most brands don’t require oil for the machine to work, though using cooking spray or tossing your food with a teaspoon or two of oil before putting the food in the basket will improve the texture and flavor of air-fried eats. While it’s possible to enjoy air-fried food with no oil, the beauty of this appliance is that it only needs such a small amount.
There are only 40 calories per teaspoon of oil (120 calories per tablespoon). The little bit of oil you do add helps brown and caramelize everything for extra crispy and delicious results. And compared to the amount of oil in deep-fried foods, the amount you’ll use in the air fryer is practically nothing, resulting in fewer calories and saturated fat than your typical fried food.
Healthy Air-Fryer Recipes to Make for the Super Bowl
You can cook just about anything you would prepare in an oven or deep fryer in an air fryer (which is a lot!)
French fries, chicken wings orair-fried chicken nuggetsand tenders are a possibility, as areair-fried chickenbreasts and thighs. These countertop appliances aren’t just one-trick ponies to replicate crispy traditionally-fried foods; you can also use them to roast or bake without turning on your oven.You can use one to easily cook fish fillets, like salmon, in mere minutes!
Pictured Recipe:Cornflake Air-Fryer Chicken Nuggets
Makecrispy air-fryer french frieswith white potatoes orsweet potatoes. Whip uphomemade air-fryer veggie chipsfrom beets or potatoes—or go the sweet route and make apple chips. Even vegetables, like theseair-fryer Brussels sprouts, can get the crispy, high-heat treatment with delicious results.
It can tackle dessert, too: think fried hand pies andpetite doughnut holes.
Our Test Kitchen has tested air fryers several times. In total, we’ve tested 23 air fryers. Each time we consider multiple factors, including design, multipurpose functions, ease of use and cleaning, performance and value.
Most recently, we tested 18 air fryers against different types of food: French fries (fresh and frozen), Brussels sprouts and chicken wings. We then took a smaller group of winners and tested them on baked goods, fruit and breaded protein. Afterward, one machine came out on top as our Best Overall. (We madeother selections, too, such as Best Small Option for Two and Best Large Option for Families.)
Best Overall Air Fryer: Instant Vortex Plus 6-Quart Air Fryer($130)
Amazon
Try the Instant Vortex Plus 6-Quart Air Fryer (view atAmazon). This air fryer is great for beginners and seasoned cooks alike. In our tests, it earned a perfect score for Ease of Use thanks to its simple display and touchscreen buttons. We found the nonstick, dishwasher-safe fry basket and crisper tray easy to clean up. And perhaps most importantly: the fries came out crispy, chicken wings were crunchy and veggies were nicely browned.
An air fryer is not unlike a more efficient, higher-output Easy-Bake Oven for adults: quick, compact and enjoyable once you actually read the directions. If you’re looking for a low-fuss cooking device that gets things crispy with less fat, cooks foods fast and lets you leave your oven off, an air fryer is a good option.
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!Tell us why!OtherSubmit
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Thanks for your feedback!
Tell us why!OtherSubmit
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