Since the air fryer’s introduction in 2010, it has quickly gained traction and become widespread. People may be wondering if they can solely rely on an air fryer for their frying needs.
An air fryer is healthier than a deep fryer because it requires no oil. An air fryer’s purpose is to fry non-battered foods, reheat foods, and cook foods to crispy doneness using convection heat. Battered foods require a deep fryer.
People are just beginning to discover the complexity of air fryers. Viral TikTok videos of recipes we thought were confined to ovens and stovetops can now be prepared in one fell swoop with an air fryer. Those same recipes can’t be prepared with a deep fryer—so which is better: an air fryer or a deep fryer?
How Do Air Fryers Work?
Plugged into a wall socket and placed on a countertop, air fryers use less energy and heat than an oven. They will not heat up the whole house like an oven would in the summer.
Before using a new air fryer, it’s recommended to wash out the basket and reservoir of the air fryer. Do not wash the part of the air fryer that plugs into the wall — water and electricity don’t mix!
Much like deep fryers, air fryers use baskets to hold the food during cooking. The basket of food should be inserted into the air fryer before turning on the power button.
Air fryer settings for time and temperature can be established before a cooking cycle using the panel of buttons on the exterior. Once the air fryer heats up, it will create a machine “whirr” akin to a dehydrator.
Air fryers cook food using convection heat, much like an oven, but in a confined space. This allows more surface area of the food to become more crispy on the outside more quickly than it would in an oven, giving it the “fried” effect without oil.
Convection heat in an air fryer works through the movement of air molecules that are energized by heat. In an air fryer, the food is enclosed by these energized air molecules that carry heat to the surface of the food.
Air fryers can be used for cooking and reheating food. For more information about the best things to reheat in an air fryer, we recommend reading this related article.
Unlike deep fryers, air fryers do not require moisture for cooking. There is no lingering oily smell in the air after using an air fryer like there would be with a deep fryer. Air fryers are more versatile than deep fryers and can cook foods that would normally be baked or grilled.
How Do Deep Fryers Work?
There are different types of deep fryers. Some are larger commercial deep fryers using gas tubes that ignite when the fryer is set to the desired temperature. Allow 15 – 30 minutes for a deep fryer to completely heat to temp.
These fryers can operate with or without baskets. Some foods can be dropped directly into the fryer once it reaches temperature.
Using a spider to move the food around in the oil and collect it afterward is common in the “swimming method” in deep fryers. Spiders may come in the shape of a rectangle or circle.
Medium-sized fryers for outdoor cooking operate on propane. This is common for turkey fryers.
Countertop deep fryers are a convenient option for home use. They cook food on the same scale as an air fryer but on a smaller scale than a commercial deep fryer.
Deep fryers cook food using oil convection. The oil in the fryer’s reservoir is heated and then that heat is transferred to the food.
The heat draws out the natural moisture inside the food and some of that moisture is replaced by oil, but there are still some air pockets in the food that work to transfer the oil’s heat, cooking it thoroughly without becoming completely saturated.
This is why french fries bubble up immediately when dropped in a deep fryer. This is the moisture escaping from the inside of the french fries. When the bubbles subside, the food is done.
Are Air Fryers Better Than Deep Fryers?
This depends on what is on the menu. When cooking a variety of crispy foods for a large crowd, neither a countertop deep fryer nor air fryer will be convenient. A commercial deep fryer in this case would be the best option.
Air fryers are not only good for cooking french fries, but also reheating them. When reheating french fries in a deep fryer, they may become more saturated with oil the second time and taste “off.”
Deep fryers are better than air fryers for foods that require batter such as tempura, fried Twinkies, onion rings, squash fritters, and funnel cake. Think of all the classic fried foods as being better in a traditional deep fryer.
Air fryers are revolutionizing weeknight dinners with their ability to bake, broil, dehydrate, grill, and even pressure-cook certain dishes. All of these applications are far out of the scope of what a deep fryer is capable of.
For example, it’s possible to make Mexican street corn, chicken parmesan, personal-sized pizza, and french toast bites in an air fryer. The creative range is better with an air fryer.
Are Air Fryers Really Healthier than Deep Fryers?
Foods that are deep fried between 350 and 375 degrees F don’t absorb as much oil (or calories) as one might think. According to a study conducted by Florida International University, deep frying french fries only contributes 40 more calories per 4 oz serving than their oven-roasted counterparts.
But still, for anyone who frequently deep fries their food, swapping the deep fryer for an air fryer would surely make a big difference in their total caloric intake, lowering it substantially.
Because air fryers operate using convection heat much like ovens, we can assume this discrepancy would be a good side-by-side comparison of how an air fryer compares to a deep fryer. However, overall health is made up of more than just counting calories.
Oils carry fats, which are necessary for human organ function. The brain, heart, kidneys, and liver need fat intake because there are some fats our body cannot make internally from scratch.
Trans fats may contribute to higher cholesterol levels and more risk of cardiovascular issues. Vegetable oils such as corn oil contain trans fat, which is a common oil used for fried foods.
However, frying foods in soybean, safflower, and peanut oil is also common. Those oils contain 0% trans fat. Still, there are benefits to using the air fryer over the deep fryer, especially for those who use the deep fryer frequently.
Pros & Cons of Air Fryers
Pros:
- Cooking with an air fryer is considered healthier than deep frying or roasting with oil
- There are more possible meals to make in an air fryer than in a deep fryer
- There is less mess with an air fryer than with a deep fryer
- There is no cost of oil when cooking with an air fryer, so it could be cheaper
Cons:
- Air fryers do not cook a large volume of food and are limited to the size of the basket
- It’s impossible to see what’s happening during the cooking process when food is in an air fryer
- Traditional fried foods that require moisture don’t do well in an air fryer and need a deep fryer
- Fried foods don’t taste as “fried” as they normally would in a deep fryer
Pros & Cons of Deep Fryers
Pros:
- Food cooks faster in a deep fryer than in an air fryer
- There is more control of sub-techniques within the frying technique (ie. swimming method, searing the outside of the food before baking or roasting)
- Large quantities of different varieties of food can be quickly produced (if using a commercial deep fryer)
- Classic deep-fried foods turn out better in a deep fryer than in an air fryer
Cons:
- There is less range of techniques available in a deep fryer than in an air fryer
- Oil is required, and it is expensive and adds calories to the food
- Managing the set-up and clean-up process of a deep fryer is more time-consuming than an air fryer
- There is a higher risk of hazards with hot oil and oil spills with a deep fryer
Does Air Fried Food Taste Like Deep Fried Food?
Because an air fryer uses convection heat like an oven, the food cooked in an air fryer will taste crispy and baked. It will not taste deep fried because it was not cooked with oil convection.
Both air-fried and deep-fried foods have a crispy golden brown exterior. This is a result of either the protein or sugar molecules heating, deconstructing, and forming new bonds through Maillard Reaction or caramelization, respectively.
Oil is a key factor in the traditional flavor of deep-fried foods. The outside of the food may look similar, but the mouth feel betrays the air-fried food’s true identity. True deep-fried food has that “melt-in-your-mouth” texture that so many people crave.