I’m a big fan of air fryers. However, I would like to tell you about some of the downsides of air fryers, especially when you are buying a new one. Just like any other product, air fryers have a few disadvantages. I have personally experienced these problems since I started using air fryers in 2015.
Listed below are five reasons why you should (probably) not buy an air fryer.
Disadvantages of Air Fryer
Cleaning Air Fryers Is Difficult
While researching air fryers, I have encountered the biggest complaint: cleaning. In comparison with conventional deep fryers, it is true that air fryers are easier to clean. But people still ask me how to properly clean an air fryer.
People have difficulties cleaning their air fryers because, I believe, they use them just like their old deep fryers. In contrast to deep fryers, air fryers are stored away, like their old deep fryers, after their use.
Deep fryers can be replaced with air fryers. You must view an air fryer like any other pan in your kitchen. You clean a pan or pot after you use it before you store it in your cabinet, don’t you? The parts of an air fryer work the same way. As a result, it is recommended to thoroughly clean the air fryer’s parts, such as the frying basket and the pan, so that you can use it the next time.
If you do not make it a habit to clean the air fryer after every use, it will be extremely difficult to clean the parts. Food residues and fat accumulate at the parts of your air fryer and can turn black over time. There is very little that can be done to remove scorched and burnt on food residues.
Therefore, you should clean your air fryer after every use. After you’ve served your dish, just fill the pan with warm water and dish soap. Let it soak for a while, and then you can easily clean it. Cleaning the parts by hand will keep your air fryer in good condition. Alternatively, you can clean the parts in the dishwasher, but that is entirely up to you. An air fryer’s parts are quite large, so you need a large dishwasher to accommodate them.
The Cost of Air Fryers Is Higher Than That of Deep Fryers
This is absolutely true. However, can you also fry a steak, fish, vegetables, bread, cake, eggs, or a whole chicken in your deep fryer? I’m not so sure.
An air fryer is a healthier alternative to a deep fryer. However, it can also be used as an alternative for a small oven, a wok pan, and a baking pan. Air fryers are versatile kitchen appliances that can cook a wide variety of foods. It makes it worth the extra money you have to pay for an air fryer over a deep fryer, in my opinion.
Some air fryers are quite expensive, I must admit. Consider the Philips Airfryer XXL, most people cannot justify spending over 200 dollars on a ‘deep fryer’. Even so, I believe Philips Airfryers are worth the extra money. The Philips Airfryer is the original air fryer. It is the air fryer with the best results, the most accessories and a community of air fryer enthusiasts worldwide where air fryer recipes and experiences are shared daily.
When you only want a new deep fryer to deep fry your food. In addition to not seeing the health benefits, you don’t want to use all the extra features of an air fryer. Then you are better off buying a budget-friendly deep fryer that uses oil instead of hot air. Of course, it’s up to you.
Compared to Conventional Deep Fryers, Air Fryers Take Longer to Cook
The process of frying food in an air fryer requires a bit more time than frying it in oil. Both types of frying pans need to be preheated, but I think an air fryer does it the fastest. The deep fryer wins when it is set at the right temperature to fry french fries, for example. Air fryers take around 20 minutes to cook fries, whereas deep fryers take around 10 minutes.
A lot depends on the brand and type of air fryer you have when it comes to the time it takes to fry your food. In my experience, cheaper and lower quality air fryers require more time to cook food than higher quality air fryers from Philips. In order to achieve the best results, you need an air fryer that reaches its temperature quickly and also stays at that temperature. According to my experience, some air fryers fail to stay at the temperature they are set at. As a result, air fryers lose heat during air frying, which results in longer baking times.
It Is Too Small for Large Families to Use An Air Fryer
I have a variety of air fryers at home to test out. I have small, medium, and XXL air fryers. Even the large XXL air fryers are too small to make food for a household of five or more people. Philips Airfryer XXL can cook for up to four people at a time. You might have enough food for maybe five people when you only make fries or a whole chicken. When you cook a whole meal in the air fryer, you have enough for 3 to 4 people. We also have compiled a guide that will help you choose air fryer for family of 4, if your are looking for the best one.
Unfortunately, air fryers can’t get any bigger than the ones available today. Using a larger pan than we are accustomed to will degrade the cooking results. This is because the air circulation will lose its ability to fry your dish as it does in a smaller pan. One of the reasons there are no commercial or professional air fryers on the market at the moment is because of this.
I sometimes use more than one air fryer in the kitchen. I use one air fryer for grilled cauliflower and another for baked potatoes and chicken. It is important to note, however, that air fryers use quite a bit of electricity, so make sure your wall outlets can handle multiple air fryers at once.
Dishes Burned, Dried, And Failed in Air Fryers
Air frying your food is a trial and error process. Especially at the beginning. I am often asked how to use an air fryer for the first time and how to make crispy french fries. You can find a lot of information on air fryer recipe books and the internet about how to set your air fryer for a particular dish or recipe. Because there are a lot of air fryers from different manufacturers, each air fryer prepares food differently.
Therefore, it might happen that your dish gets burned, dried out or just fails. The same thing happens to me when I use my air fryer. My air fryer is always being experimented with. I’m just curious to know what happens inside the air fryer when different types of vegetables, fruits, and meat are fried.
I once tried to dry fruit, such as slices of banana, mango and strawberries. In my first attempt, I used my Philips Airfryer XXL and the standard frying basket with a mesh bottom. The strawberries became very soft and got stuck between the mesh bottom of the basket.
The failure of your dish can be very frustrating. It’s also interesting to know what your air fryer can and cannot do. You are doing something wrong most of the time. Your product gets burned because you set the temperature too high. Alternatively, you can sprinkle spices inside the air fryer without any oil, so they will not stick to anything and won’t make a mess inside.
In short, you have to test things out and based on trials and errors, you will learn what you can and cannot make with an air fryer. You can try another brand of fries or set your air fryer to a different temperature if one brand fails to deliver. After using your air fryer for a while, you know how to cook fries, chicken, meat, vegetables and a variety of other foods. You should give it a shot, but don’t be scared to fail once in a while.
Hi there! I’m a food enthusiast and journalist, and I have a real passion for food that goes beyond the kitchen. I love my dream job and I’m lucky enough to be able to share my knowledge with readers of several large media outlets. My specialty is writing engaging food-related content, and I take pride in being able to connect with my audience. I’m known for my creativity in the kitchen, and I’m confident that I can be the perfect guide for anyone looking to take their culinary journey to the next level.
