Is it Healthy to Fry with an Air Fryer?
Is it Healthy to Fry with an Air Fryer?
Air fryer is a modern cooking tool that can be used to fry various types of food, such as chicken, potatoes, vegetables, and various frozen foods. This tool is considered to provide a healthier solution for processing fried foods. Is that right?
The air fryer works with a hot air circulation system inside the device that can reach 200 degrees Celsius. Frying food with an air fryer requires very little oil (about 1 tablespoon) or not at all, depending on the type of food. In addition, the oil that is in the food will actually be removed and filtered to the bottom of the container.
Even though they don't use oil, food fried in an air fryer has a crunchy texture, a soft inner layer, and a color similar to food fried in oil.
Benefits of Frying with Air Fryer
Here are the benefits that you can get from cooking food with an air fryer:
Lowering the fat content in food
Frying the conventional way usually requires about 3 cups or 750 ml of cooking oil, while the air fryer only requires 1 tablespoon or 15 ml of cooking oil (50 times less).
From a study, it is known that potatoes fried using an air fryer have 70% lower fat content than potatoes fried in the usual way.
Help lose weight
Because it is low in fat, food fried in an air fryer is also low in calories. Therefore, cooking with this tool can help you lose weight, especially for people who are on a healthy diet.
Reducing the formation of harmful substances in food
When potatoes or other foods that are high in carbohydrates are fried, a substance called acrylamide is formed which is suspected to be carcinogenic, which can trigger cancer. A study showed that the use of an air fryer can reduce acrylamide levels by up to 90%.
Make vegetables more crunchy and delicious
If you are a fan of vegetables or a vegetarian, an air fryer can really help you in preparing a varied menu of food. Cooking in an air fryer can make carrots, broccoli, cabbage, chickpeas, and string beans more crunchy and delicious.
Even though you are not a vegetarian, you are still encouraged to regularly eat vegetables. So, if you are bored with the same vegetable menu again, just try making healthy snacks by frying vegetables using an air fryer. Mothers who want to teach their children to eat vegetables can also, you know, outsmart them in this way.
Produce less waste
Cooking with an air fryer is considered more environmentally friendly because it requires less oil, so it does not produce used oil waste like ordinary frying techniques.
Choosing and Using the Air Fryer Correctly
The following are some things you should pay attention to in choosing and using an air fryer:
- Make sure the plastic material in the air fryer you buy is BPA free. BPA or bisphenol A is a chemical that can harm health when absorbed into the food we eat.
- Choose an air fryer with a capacity that suits your needs. Generally, air fryers have small, medium, and large sizes.
- Use an oil that can withstand high temperatures, such as vegetable, olive, or canola oil.
- Preheat the air fryer before cooking, so the food doesn't stay in it for long.
- Avoid putting too many ingredients in one air fryer container. The goal is to avoid an uneven level of doneness in the food.
- Clean the air fryer after using it. Don't forget to clean the food residue that usually sticks to the filter or at the bottom of the container.
The conclusion from the discussion above is that food fried using an air fryer is indeed healthier, because it contains less fat and calories than food fried in the usual way. However, the drawback is that the price of this tool is quite expensive and requires a large amount of electricity.
If you want to cook in a healthy way but don't have an air fryer, don't worry. There are many other healthy cooking methods, such as boiling, steaming, or baking in the oven. In this way, the oil and calorie content in the food will also not be too high.
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