Air fryer: healthy cooking with little fat

First, an honest assessment: an air fryer is not a deep fryer. It is a compact, very efficient convection oven. A heating element heats air, and a powerful fan whirls it around the food at high speed, so the surface gets hot quickly, dries out and browns. The result is reminiscent of fried food: crispy outside, juicy inside. Just without the oil bath. And that is exactly what determines what the appliance is good for when it comes to healthier cooking, and what it isn’t.

Less fat: the real advantage

In classic deep-frying, the food swims in hot fat and absorbs some of it. In the air fryer, the circulating air does the crisping; it is enough to coat the food with a teaspoon to a tablespoon of oil. The difference is considerable: one spoonful of oil instead of a deep-frying bath. If you regularly eat chips, potato wedges or breaded dishes, you save noticeable amounts of fat and calories, not by going without but through a different cooking method with almost the same result.

There is also an everyday advantage that is often underestimated: because the appliance is small and doesn’t need a long preheat, the barrier to preparing fresh vegetables or a piece of fish instead of opening the delivery app is lower. In the end, the best kitchen appliance is the one that makes you cook for yourself more often.

What to watch out for

Golden instead of dark brown

When starchy foods such as potatoes or bread are browned at high heat, acrylamide forms, a substance you shouldn’t consume in excess. The usual kitchen rule applies in the air fryer too: golden, not charred. Cook chips and the like until golden yellow rather than dark brown, and roughly follow the temperatures recommended in recipes instead of simply turning it up to maximum.

The appliance doesn’t turn snacks into vegetables

The biggest misconception about the air fryer: “It comes out of the air fryer, so it’s healthy.” Frozen fried snacks, chicken nuggets and breaded camembert remain highly processed products, however they are heated. The health value of your food is decided when you shop, not in the cooking appliance. The appliance can do only one thing: prepare good ingredients with less fat. Which ingredients are cheap and good is explained in Cheap and healthy cooking for the whole family.

Don’t overfill the basket

The hot air has to get around every piece. A basket that is too full steams instead of roasts: the result turns soggy instead of crispy, and you cook for longer than necessary. Better to work in two batches or give it a good shake halfway through.

What works really well in the air fryer

• All kinds of roasted vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, courgettes, Brussels sprouts. With a little oil and spices, vegetables get roasted faster and crisper here than in a large oven.
• Potato wedges and sweet potatoes: the classic, crispy with a fraction of the fat of deep-fried food.
• Chicken pieces and tofu: crisp outside, juicy inside; diced and marinated, tofu becomes surprisingly crunchy.
• Fish fillet: cooked quickly, without the whole kitchen smelling of it afterwards.
• Crisping up and using leftovers: yesterday’s rolls, leftover pizza: much of it turns out better in the air fryer than in the microwave.

Less suitable are runny batters, leafy greens (they fly around in the airflow), large roasts and anything meant to sit in sauce. The oven and the pot remain in charge of those.

Many oven recipes can be adapted for the air fryer: start a little shorter and about 20 °C lower than in the oven recipe, check early and only extend if necessary. Once the version works reliably, save the temperature, amount and cooking time as your own recipe in your private cookbook.

How the air fryer fits into your meal planning

The appliance shows its full potential when it is part of a plan: vegetables and potato wedges from the air fryer are the quickest component for prepared bowls and weekly plan dishes, especially on evenings when things need to be quick. How to plan your week so that such quick dishes fall on the right days is explained in Creating a weekly meal plan; how to prepare components cleverly in Meal prep for beginners.

With myfoody you plan your week with private recipes, check the ingredients in the shopping preview and, if you like, log calories and macros. The core of the app is free.

Frequently asked questions

Is food from the air fryer really healthier?

Healthier than deep-fried: yes, because much less fat is needed, one spoonful of oil instead of a deep-frying bath. But the appliance doesn’t make any food healthy: frozen fried snacks remain processed snacks, even in the air fryer. What matters is what you put in.

Do I need oil at all?

A little, but rarely none at all. A teaspoon to a tablespoon, spread thinly over vegetables or potato wedges, clearly improves browning and flavour. With fatty foods such as chicken thighs with skin or breaded frozen products, you can do without it completely.

What shouldn’t go in the air fryer?

Runny batters (they run in the basket), light leafy greens (they fly around in the airflow), large roasts that don’t cook through in time, and very cheesy dishes without a dish to hold them. Anything meant to sit in sauce is also better off in a pot.

Does an air fryer replace the oven?

For small portions, often yes: it heats up faster and cooks for less time, which usually also saves energy with small amounts. For whole trays, large bakes or baking for several people, the oven remains the better choice; the two appliances complement each other rather than one replacing the other.

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