Technology

Can an Airfryer save you money? Yes – and these tips will help

Published

1 month ago

July 22, 2024

Ninja Foodi dual drawer with potatoes cooking in the drawer

Most people now know that cooking in the air fryer can save you a lot of money. There are numerous studies showing this, including research from consumer protection organization Which?

The research team at Which? tested a conventional built-in electric oven against an air fryer. They performed a series of cooking tasks to find out which was the cheapest to use and which produced the best food.

In every test, using an air fryer cost much less than using an electric oven: from less than a third to less than half the running costs. In addition, the food was prepared faster, and in most cases with better results. Keep in mind that if you have a gas oven, it will cost less to use than an electric oven, but it will still not be as economical as using an air fryer.

You can see all the results on the Which? place. It’s a British organization so results are in pounds and pence, but the proportions will be similar around the world.

But even if you Are When you use your air fryer, you may not be using it to the best of your ability. Follow these tips to make the most of its money-saving potential.

It’s not just for beige – use it for baking

When people think of an air fryer, they often think of beige foods like frozen chicken nuggets and fries. But you can use it for much more: it is a mini convection oven and can do everything an oven can do. When you bake a cake, you probably turn on the oven out of habit. But you’re heating up quite a large space just to cook a rather small dish, wasting electricity and money.

All you need is a baking pan that fits in your air fryer. If you don’t have one, it’s definitely worth investing. In most cases, this means baking round cakes instead of loaf-shaped cakes. You’ll also need to lower the temperature and shorten the cooking time, and it may take a few tries to get this right.

But the savings can be significant. Which? found that a cake baked in an air fryer took just 33 minutes and cost 5 cents in electricity, compared to 56 minutes and 16 cents in a built-in electric oven. The team’s only caveat was that the air fryer’s limited space necessitated a smaller cake.

However, we managed to bake a large loaf cake in the Ninja FlexDrawer (read our review for more information). The FlexDrawer is an air fryer with two drawers and the difference: you can remove the dividing wall between the two drawers to create a cooking ‘mega zone’ of 9.5 liters. Keep in mind that this won’t be as cheap to run as a smaller single-tray air fryer, but it will still be more cost-effective than using the oven.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

TRoubleshoot with toothpicks, bread and water

Air fryers cook quickly and slap hot air around the food. It is an effective method, but it can cause problems that you are not used to solving. Don’t be put off: there are hacks you can use.

The air fryer smokes: If you cook greasy foods like bacon in your air fryer, oil may collect in the bottom and start to burn during cooking. But there are simple solutions. You can place a slice of bread under the basket to absorb the oil, or place one or two tablespoons of water in the bottom of the tray to prevent the oil from burning.

Alex Greenwood / Foundry

Your food is blown around: a sandwich from the Airfryer is surprisingly tasty, but there is a problem. Put a sandwich in an air fryer and when you open the drawer it looks like there’s a tornado on it. There is little chance that everything is still there. But if you secure it with a few toothpicks, you will get a crispy sandwich without any problems.

Don’t cram, just shake

An air fryer works by circulating hot air around the food. This means that for best results you need to make sure there is enough space between the dishes you are cooking. This also ensures that you get the crispy results that an air fryer is known for.

If you overfill the basket you will notice that the food will not cook properly and damp spots will form. Ultimately, this means you’ll have to cook longer – which will waste energy and money.

This does not mean that you need to separate the food completely. One of the best things to cook in an air fryer is gnocchi: it comes out chewy, crunchy and delicious. But you can even cook a whole batch of them: all you have to do is pause the cooking once or twice and shake the basket to make sure it is evenly exposed to the hot air.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

Similarly, if you are cooking fish or meat, you can pause the program halfway through to turn the food. This way you never have to add a few extra minutes to the cooking time.

Many air fryers beep 50-60% of the program duration to remind you to shake the basket or turn your food, but if not, you can set an alarm separately.

Don’t forget to clean this hidden element

We’re all guilty of not cleaning the inside of the oven. It is inconvenient, difficult to achieve and easy to put off.

But with an air fryer there is no excuse. In most cases, the basket and tray are easy to keep clean if you wipe them after use. In many cases you can even put the cooking basket and vegetable tray in the dishwasher, although we don’t recommend doing that too often to ensure the longest lifespan of your non-stick surfaces. You can read whether your basket and drawer are dishwasher safe in the manual for your appliance. If you can’t find the manual, simply look up the make and model online.

If it can’t go in the dishwasher, the basket and tray can easily be washed by hand thanks to the non-stick coating – but only if you do it often enough. Check out our article on cleaning your air fryer for our top tips. You can even line the tray with foil or a baking sheet to make it easier on yourself.

But there is another part of the air fryer that requires regular maintenance. If you have a traditional air fryer and remove the tray, you will see a heating coil above it.

If it gets splashed with burnt food, it will not only affect the taste and smell of the next meal you prepare, but it will also affect the cooking performance of the appliance. When it has cooled, brush the coil clean with a soft brush or dishwashing sponge. Do not use soap and make sure it does not get very wet. If you have a smaller air fryer, you can turn it upside down to make this job easier.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

An air fryer uses a third to a half of the electricity of an oven. But if you have a smaller air fryer, you may have to use it two or three times to cook individual parts of a meal – for example, if you use it to make chicken, roasted vegetables and jacket potatoes – you’ll lose the savings . you make.

So if you want to cook several dishes at the same time, it is most economical to put them all in the oven together, unless you have a two-drawer model or an air fryer. If you regularly prepare meals that consist of two dishes that you can prepare in an air fryer, a two-drawer model may be the fastest and most economical solution for you.

You can see all of our top product recommendations in our reviews of the best dual tray air fryers and the best air fryer ovens. The overviews include pros and cons for each model, quick summaries, links to our in-depth reviews and the best retailers to buy from.

Emma Rowley / Foundry

Another option is to use two inexpensive cooking appliances at the same time, such as your microwave and your air fryer. Unless you’re going to fill it, your oven should be your last resort for cheaper cooking.

You can read more about the running costs of your appliances or, if you’re considering buying an air fryer, take a look at our review of the best air fryers we’ve tested to see our recommendations. If you know you want a Ninja air fryer, we’ve compared different Ninja models so you can choose the best option for you.