Cooking in an Air Fryer: Is It Really That Healthy?
Air fryers can now be found in countless households, and in many cases they have replaced the deep fryer. Not that everyone used to throw the carrots they now roast until crispy into the deep fryer, but you get what we mean when you look at the extensive range of Air Fryer bitterballen and fries in the supermarket freezer aisle. And of course, people also use them to make ‘regular’ meals. But when it comes to health, is it really such a wonder appliance?
When you prepare food in an Air Fryer, it cooks because a powerful fan circulates heat. Many people feel that air frying comes close to the taste of fried food without needing pans full of boiling oil. But are we fooling ourselves, and is it actually healthy? Here’s what several dietitians have to say:
Little fat
According to dietitian Bansari Acharya, many nutrients remain intact when air frying that would be lost when deep-frying due to the heat of the oil. The risk of heart disease may be reduced because air frying involves fewer trans fats and saturated fats than deep-frying. Oil is not strictly necessary when air frying, although it is recommended to use a little oil to lightly coat the food so it does not stick. Handy guide: all types of oil in a row!
You can’t do without it
Additionally, says Gisela Bouvier, you definitely need fat in your diet for things including energy and hormone regulation. And according to Jaclyn London, air frying normally preserves a great deal of nutritional value without significantly increasing the calorie content of food, as long as you do not use too much oil.
Potato 2.0
There are even products that become more nutritious in an air fryer, says Ella Davar. Hot-air cooking makes the starch in sweet potatoes, corn and legumes easier for many people to digest. That sounds promising if you want to make loaded sweet potatoes in the Air Fryer!
Bad boys
But watch out for AGEs, warns Karen Smith. AGEs are Advanced Glycation End-products. The term refers to proteins that have been irreversibly damaged because sugar groups have become attached to them and the protein has degraded. They cause damage in the body and accelerate the aging process. They occur mainly in animal-based foods with a high protein and fat content, such as meat and cheese, and are primarily formed through exposure to high temperatures, regardless of the cooking method used.
Plant-based is your friend
So, not entirely surprisingly, dietitians recommend mainly preparing vegetables and healthy carbohydrates in the Air Fryer. Smith says one of her favorite dishes from the appliance is breaded tofu. Simply cut it into cubes, toss it in seasoned panko, and you do not even need oil. Add an Asian dipping sauce and you’re done. And that tip we gave you earlier, how to make tofu that actually tastes good, works perfectly well in an Air Fryer too!
In short, use your common sense and find balance. Every now and then, Snickers popcorn or cheese bitterballen from the Air Fryer should be fine, but to stay healthy, you should of course fill it more often with delicious things like sweet potatoes and legumes. A good and healthy snack tip: crispy chickpeas, which you can prepare just as easily in the Air Fryer as in the oven!
Also read:
- In three steps: how to get your Air Fryer sparkling clean again
- Common deep-frying mistakes
- 7 Air Fryer tricks not everyone knows
Source: HuffPost
