Are Air Fryers Too Good to Be True? Also: Air Fryer Recipes!
Ready for some fantastic air fryer recipes? Or are you not sold on this frying fad yet?
Air fryers are so hot right now!
But before you fork over the dough (and fry it) you probably have some questions. Like, is frying with an air fryer really that much healthier, and do you have to sacrifice taste in the process?
What the Heck is an Air Fryer?
If that’s your first question, let me give you the short answer: an air fryer doesn’t use nearly as much hot oil to fry food! Instead, it pumps hot air around the food, and the air contains tiny droplets of oil. All in all, you’ll only be using about a tablespoon of oil.
“Less Fat”
I’m usually an advocate for full-fat foods, especially since “low-fat” is code for “lots of artificial substitutes.”
So when people say that the air fryer is healthier due to “less fat content,” my high-fat low-carb friends may be wondering, what are the benefits for US?
Yes! I love my air fryer, and constantly hunting down new air fryer recipes. It helps me cut down on unhealthy fats. After all, in restaurants, what type of oil do they use? Refined vegetable oil, like soybean oil. They do this because the refined, unhealthy oils are cheaper, and also because these oils must be at a VERY high temperature before they start emitting smoke (or, worst case scenario, causing a fire).
So, it makes sense that both restaurants and home cooks like yourself would gravitate towards vegetable oils for deep frying…but it has super-bad-for-you trans fats, as well as what’s called “cytotoxins,” a.k.a., chemicals that are unhealthy for your cells.
You can avoid this problem altogether by using an air fryer! This is because, not only do air fryers use less oil, but you can use any type of oil…with healthy fats! From ghee, to coconut oil, to lard, to avocado oil…olive oil…peanut oil…with an air fryer, all different types of oils are easily usable. And they won’t create a thick cloud of smoke and set off your smoke alarm, the way that healthy fats often do in a deep fryer! (But just to let you know, if you do only have a deep fryer, coconut oil and avocado oil are still two options that are safe to use!)
So, what air fryer recipes should I try?
Well, to match the healthiness of the air fryer, consider frying up some tasty treats containing healthy fats!!
After all, even though French fries cooked in an air fryer are healthier than the traditional kind, it’s still not so great to load up on carbs that will get stored as fat, and spike your insulin, right?
But, for frying out loud, there has to be a way to make healthy (air) fried food that tastes good!!
And there is!
For the first of your air fryer recipes, try fried cookie dough, for example…except instead of the typical cookie dough ingredients, combine almond flour, a sugar alternative like Swerve (or monk fruit, if you’re avoiding artificial sweeteners), with your eggs and butter. This video shows how fast the air fryer works with cookie baking, but, again, there’s no harm in swapping out unhealthy ingredients with more nutritious ones!
An air fryer is also an incredibly delicious way to make crispy yet juicy meat. Studies have shown that air-frying doesn’t take the oil and moisture OUT of meat and leave it dry, the way you might worry it would. This pork belly recipe shows that seasoning with garlic and soy sauce makes air-fried meat taste even better…!
Do you have the highly coveted air fryer? Or, have I at least made you think about joining us in our airy paradise? Please feel free to leave a comment!
Sources: