However, an expert has now shared a stark warning about the popular appliance.
Are air fryers healthy? Benefits and risks
Air fryers work by circulating hot air around food, creating a crispy texture with little or no oil, which can significantly reduce fat and calorie intake compared to deep frying, Lakeland explains.
This makes them a useful option for cooking favorites like fries, chicken, and roasted vegetables more lightly.
Air fryers also cook food faster than conventional ovens and typically use less energy, helping to save time and reduce household energy costs.
They are easy to clean, produce less grease, and are versatile enough to handle everything from savory meals to desserts.
However, air-fried food is not automatically healthy, especially if highly processed ingredients are used, and users must follow safety guidelines as appliances can become very hot.
Overall, when used thoughtfully, air fryers can support healthier cooking and more efficient meal preparation.
Important air fryer warning issued
Yet Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis says he isn’t completely convinced by air fryers, and the news has baffled some.
One person laughed: “This looks like I’m gonna spend half an hour prior to cooking doing maths and physics before deciding if I should oven, microwave or air fry my food.”
Another jokoked: “I’m not listening to him on this. I’m air-frying everything. I’ll even air fry a cup of tea.”
Lewis has highlighted a potential downside to the gadget – always relying on it over an oven could cost you more.
The money-saving expert expalined that while the appliance is excellent for cooking ‘small things that cook quickly,’ loading it with various foods could increase energy consumption and, therefore, your bills.
During an appearance on This Morning, Lewis said: “Air fryers are good for small things that cook quickly.
“If you’re gonna have to use your air fryer 15 different times for different items, generally, on energy usage, you’d be better off to use an oven. So it’s an interesting thought.”
Lewis’ opinion appears to be backed by research from Which?, which suggests huge savings can be made from using an air fryer for small amounts of food, but not bigger meals.
Steven Kipling at Which? explained: “The savings soon drop off if you have to cook in batches. And if you’ve got lots to cook, you might well, as air fryers don’t have as much space as a typical oven or hob.
“So if you’re cooking a large amount of food, the oven or hob may still be the most economical choice.”
Elsewhere during his appearance on This Morning, Lewis continued: “If you’re gonna have to use your air fryer fifteen different times for different items, generally on energy usage you’d be better off to use an oven.
“If you’re doing a jacket potato for 10 minutes it’s going to be far cheaper [in the microwave] than doing a single jacket potato in an oven and keeping it on for an hour and a half.
“However, if you were doing a full roast dinner and you were cooking many of them, that is where it’s probably cheaper than putting five or six jacket potatoes in a microwave because each additional object you put in a microwave, you need to keep it on longer because a microwave just heats the individual object.”
Air fryer or oven – which is best?
How much your air fryer costs to use depends on its size. It’s also worth noting whether it’s a newer model, as it could be more energy efficient.
Go Compare estimates that an 800W air fryer (based on the current 24.5p kWh) costs around 13.2 cents (9.8p) per 30 minutes, $3.94 (£2.94) per month, and $49.97 (£35.77) per year.
A 1400W air fryer roughly costs 23 cents (17.2p) per 30 minutes, $6.90 (£5.15) per month, and $84.17(£62.78) per year.
Dual air fryers, which come with two compartments, use double the energy, with some going up to 2,000W.
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