Is Cooking With An Air Fryer Healthy?
If you’re like many people in San Antonio, TX, you probably have an air fryer in your kitchen, either as a stand-alone or part of a combination oven. There’s a reason for the popularity of air fryers. It offers that crisp fried exterior and a similar fried food taste without the excess oil. That occurs due to a reaction within the food when it’s heated. You don’t use bottles of vegetable oil or have a massive clean-up afterward. It only takes a tablespoon of oil. Does it make food more healthy? Or are we fooling ourselves?
How does frying affect the food?
Fried food uses a lot of oil, but there’s always a lot left in the deep-fryer. Most people save that oil to reuse it the next time. It requires straining the oil to remove particles and ensure quality and safety. You don’t have that problem with the air fryer. You only use a small amount, leaving nothing to process after cooking. Air frying also reduces the potential of absorbing the oil. Some manufacturers claim air-fryers reduce the oil absorbed by 75% compared to deep-fried food. It didn’t affect the color or moisture content of the food either.
Less oil means fewer calories.
The more calories you eat, the more potential you have to gain weight. If you’re reducing the oil by eating air-fried food rather than deep-fried, you could cut your calories by as much as 80%. You also reduce the potential of a compound forming called acrylamide. The EPA—Environmental Protection Agency—says it’s a carcinogen. Air-frying food instead of deep-frying can lower the content of acrylamide by up to 90%.
Don’t be fooled.
Using an air fryer is not the total answer to a healthy diet. Just because it’s not as bad as deep-fried food, it doesn’t mean you should eat it daily. Your body needs vegetables and other healthy options. Give yourself a treat occasionally with air-fried food. Add plenty of salads and vegetable sides to your meal. Use the air-fryer to make rotisserie chicken rather than focus on breaded frozen mozzarella sticks or tater tots. It’s one more way to improve your diet, but not the whole answer.
- You’ll save time in the kitchen when you use the air-fryer. You don’t have to preheat the oven to air-fry a small amount. There’s no messy clean-up, either. You save calories, time, and energy.
- Air frying uses lower temperatures and shorter cooking time. Deep frying food increases the potential for the oil to undergo oxidation. That creates free radicals, which damage cells and cause health problems.
- You can’t cook all types of food in air-fryers, nor would you want to do it. You can get creative and use the air-fryer to make healthier versions of food, like sweet potato fries or Mediterranean vegetables.
- You can save money by using air-fryers to make grocery store rotisserie chicken. Sprinkle the chicken with Lawry’s seasoning salt or make a copycat version for more savings. It’s quick and delicious.
For more information, contact us today at Iron Fit San Antonio