Air fryers are causing a culinary stir in many home kitchens with home cooks choosing the appliance to create healthy recipes. Air fryers use fast-moving hot air to crisp the outside of whatever is placed inside – potatoes, rolls, pastry parcels etc., while keeping the inner part tender, with little to no oil required.
Air fryers are definitely a healthier option to deep frying your food. Aussie Tik Tok sensation, aka Air Fryer Guy Jake, who has made a living out of his love for the appliance, says, “The air fryer should be a staple in everyone's kitchen. It’s one of those things that once you try it, you just need it.”
Air fryers are available in standalone benchtop and in-built oven options. Here, Jake gives an expert’s breakdown of which model is best for you as he explains the pros, cons, and considerations of the increasingly popular kitchen appliance. His choice, of course, is an oven with in-built air fry.
Pro 1: Size
An oven with in-built air fry is much bigger than a regular benchtop air fryer so you can cook bigger portions for bigger families. The 90cm Multi-Function 10 Pyrolytic Oven with AirFry has two air fry trays, which can easily cook enough food for a group without having to swap out and keep warm. Remember, the key to making the food tastier as well is not overloading your air fryer. By leaving space between the food, it gives room to crisp. The Westinghouse AirFry oven has a bigger, broader area for the food, so the overall taste and texture is better.
Pro 2: Space
While the benchtop air fryer is great if you want to make small portions, it does compete for valuable kitchen space. If you have a small kitchen like me, you might need that extra space for preparing meals.
Pro 3: Versatility
The air fryer’s options for cooking are almost limitless and an oven combined with an air fryer is just pure genius. All you have to do is press a button and you can go from baking to air frying. Plus, air fryers aren’t just for making food healthier – you can also cook your favourite comfort foods in almost half the time.
Pro 4: Convenient cleaning
The ability to put the air fry tray from the oven into the dishwasher makes cleaning so much easier and saves time. If you’ve got a benchtop version, check that they’re dishwasher safe, otherwise the basket, tray and pan can be washed just like you would any other dish: with soap and warm water.
Pro 5: Visibility
The biggest difference between an in-built and benchtop air fryer is the ability to see your food while it’s cooking. With most benchtop air fryers, you have to physically open the tray to check on your food, which messes with keeping a consistent temperature. Meanwhile, with the oven, you can see your food through the glass panel to check progress, thereby, maintaining the heat.
AirFry Ovens
Cook with air, not oil: AirFry allows you to make delicious meals for the entire family – right in your oven. And it’s not just about cooking healthier – it’s also about cooking smarter with the time you save with an in-built air fryer oven.
