By Andrea Hargraves 
Frying food almost without oil, so that it (almost) has the same taste and appearance as traditional frying, but without the health risks involved. This is the promise of technology behind Air fryersAir fryers, which were once again in vogue. But the “news” that this method of cooking would generate carcinogens, unfortunately, cooled its popularity.
Let’s start by making this very clear: Air fryers It does not cause more cancer than any other method of cooking food. In some cases, you can do less than that.
For those who don’t know: The story is starting to circulate online – having gained the most traction earlier this year – the story that foods cooked in this way will generate a high value of acrylamide, a potentially carcinogenic amide that forms (of course, say) In foods rich in fructose and glucose, and others, such as potatoes, when exposed to high temperatures. Now like Air fryers Not only do they expose these foods to these temperatures, they do so for longer than normal frying, because of the way they work (we’ll go over there), they supposedly produce more acrylamide.
From the outset, it must be clarified that the question of acrylamide does not arise only in relation to Air fryers. All foods rich in sugars, as long as they are cooked well, have higher values of this amide.
Hence the reasoning behind the argument that “air frying” produces more acrylamide wouldn’t really make sense. In fact, a Air Fryer It is a convection oven that circulates air and cooks food. At the end of cooking, it is drizzled with oil (very little), so that it has a fried appearance and a crunchy texture.
That is, food is cooked in the oven, which is always healthier than frying in oil at high temperatures, according to all doctors and nutritionists. it’s the Site Maher FairyHeath Even quotes Scientific study 2020 which concluded that in the case of chicken, the technique of Air frying It produces less acrylamide than a regular grill, and also significantly reduces the generation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in food, a family of highly toxic compounds.
In the case of potatoes, There is even a medical study that concluded That this technology produces 90% less acrylamide compared to regular frying, because although the food takes more time to cook, this happens at lower temperatures (90 ° C) against. 120 or more in the case of oil).
One more detail: technology Air frying It also prevents the oil from reheating, which is practically inevitable in frying and has been linked to various cancers, including breast, lung and colon cancer. So don’t hesitate, if you really want to eat fried foods, choose this method.
Which model to buy?
There are many different machines available in the market that basically do the same thing. As with microwave ovens, they differ in size (capacity) and available controls.
Therefore, when choosing, you should first of all consider the size of the family – if the beds are only for two people, then the smaller model is ideal, if you have three or four children …
Then there is the level of complexity user interface You want the simplest, cheapest device. The most “sophisticated”, of course, a Application To accompany the mobile phone. Let’s start with one of those.
Monitor everything on mobile
Philips calls it a connected basic, and the Airfryer XL HD9280 / 90 was not priced at 220 euros (El Corte Ingles), and say it was a “must” purchase for any normal family. The oven is 6.2 liters (1.2 kg) enough for a family of 5 or 6 people.
The experience of being one of the first brands to develop this type of technology, the fact of being able to control every moment of sweets by mobile phone and the possibility of uploading them Application The new recipes – with step-by-step instructions – are an added value to consider.
Moreover, the system fast air It ensures faster cooking and that all utensils are machine washable, which is not always the case. It all pays off, in fact….
One of the fastest in the market
Voted by the BBC’s team of experts as one of the fastest machines on the market, the Ninja Air Fryer Max has a 5.2-liter oven and six cooking functions. Britain’s Pubic Channel wrote: “The tray even adjusts to baking cakes.” It costs 150 euros on Amazon And frankly it’s hard to find a flaw with him.
Best for “chicken on skewers”
We turned to BBC experts for this choice. The cost of the Tower Xpress Pro T17039 Vortx 5-in-1 is 112 euros (Amazon.co.uk) and had the highest rating of the tests in category “B”rotisserie“.
Plus you can do all the other things other ovens do (hence the “five in one…) Vortx air circulation technology promises 30% faster results than most of the market it offers. At least the cheapest ovens…
Online and affordable
Not being the fastest is the biggest criticism that can be leveled at Xiaomi’s Mi Smart Air Fryer. It’s connected, so you can get everything ready and start cooking before leaving work via your cell phone. The 3.5-liter oven is quite enough for two people. Price is now on sale: 80€ (In the brand store). You can’t get a lot of technology for very little elsewhere.
In conclusion, “air frying” is actually baking in the oven with a little oil on top to give you the illusion of delicious fried food, so it can be healthier. Now, as many nutritionists and doctors say, never forget one thing: If you cook foods with a lot of fat, cooking won’t magically turn them into healthy things. It all depends on what (and how much) you decide to eat.