With the cost of living hitting everybody's pay packets and our energy bills still sitting at record highs, it's hardly surprising that air fryers have become the must-have kitchen tech of 2023. With the promise of faster, healthier and, most importantly of all, cheaper cooking they've become so popular that there's a whole genre of news stories about 'outraged' would-be air fryer buyers seeing supermarket stock go straight to eBay.
In the US, MSNBC reports that 60% of households have an air fryer - but here in the UK the figure is 30%, so there's plenty of homes with an air fryer-shaped space in their kitchen. If yours is one of them, there's never been a better time to join the air fryer frenzy - and if you choose wisely, it's an investment you'll be really glad you made.
We're all feeling the pinch of ever-increasing costs. Air fryers promise to help with that by slashing the cost of one thing we really can't live without: cooking. As a result air fryers have become exceptionally popular, and what started as a fairly niche market with the Tefal ActiFry and a couple of Philips fryers has become an entire sector featuring pretty much every appliance maker you can imagine.
That's great for would-be buyers because the intense competition means there's a huge range of products from cheap and cheerful compact fryers to very clever multi-function devices and everything in between.
But the term 'air fryer' is a misnomer, because they don't fry; they roast. An air fryer is really a very small oven with a very big fan in it, and that combination means it can heat food more quickly than a conventional oven or a normal fan oven. Because air fryer heat is so intense, the results are much closer to those of a deep fryer - and because you're not immersing your food in oil, it's a healthier way to enjoy fried food.
This story is from the May 2023 edition of T3 UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 2023 edition of T3 UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
CASE STUDY - Sennheiser Accentum Plus
The Accentum Plus rounds out Sennheiser's over-ear offering nicely by filling a gap in the audio-maker's line-up
FALSE HEIGHT - Samsung HW-Q600C
This bar-and-sub combo delivers big and bassy sound, but it's not the best when delivering height for Dolby Atmos
A BIG DELL - Dell XPS 16
Dell's latest 16-inch XPS is a sensational Windows laptop - if you're willing to sacrifice some portability for that extra size
NOTHING COMPARES - Nothing Phone (2a)
Nothing's mid-range handset, the Phone (2a), is here to bring Android fans a dose of affordable cheer
M3 CHEERS - MacBook Air M3 13-inch
With its added M3 power, the latest 13-inch MacBook Air is an ideal portable laptop
Smart rings
Smaller and subtler than smartwatches, these nifty innovations can offer fulsome health advice - here we slip on three leading models
FIVE THINGS THAT MADE MY BUSINESS SOAR
Bobby Thandi shares his tips for building a thriving tech business
THE FUTURE OF MOBILE TECH
The highlights of Mobile World Congress, the year's biggest mobile tech show
ESSENTIAL TRAVEL TECH
From in-flight entertainment to sailboat speakers, these are the best travel gadgets for planes, trains, automobiles and more
THE NEW FRONTIER OF EARBUDS
Think wireless earbuds are all the same? Think again. Spatial sound, lossless audio and multiple connections can all be part of the deal now - sometimes you don't even have to put them in your ears to listen...