Regarding the newest cooking trends, there isn’t anything more “in” right now than air fryers.
Helping people make those crispy and delicious favorites like french fries and mozzarella sticks without worrying about the guilt that comes with all the fat is all the rage.
But are they worth the price?
At the end of the day, how economical are air fryers for the home chef?
What Is the Wattage?
When figuring out whether an air fryer makes sense in terms of cost, one of the first things you’ll want to look at is the wattage of the fryer that you’re thinking of purchasing.
To figure out how much energy your appliance uses, you’ll need to take the amount of energy it uses to function and multiply that by how much time you have it turned on and running.
Generally speaking, most air fryers run at 1400 watts. However, they can run anywhere from 1200 to 1500, depending on the quality of the machine and what you’re looking for.
Now, once you figure out how many watts your machine runs at, you need to figure out how many amps does an air fryer use? This can be calculated using Watt’s Law Formula, which states that I = P/E.
In this formula, amps can be calculated by dividing the watts (P) by the voltage (e). For most homes, having a 1400-watt air fryer means that you will be pulling approximately 11.6 amps to run the machine.
Now you’ll need to multiply this number by the amount of time you want to run the fryer to cook your meal. It can be anywhere from ten minutes to over half an hour, as long as you cook for only a few people.
This will give you a number that will tell you approximately how much energy you’ll consume using your air fryer. But what does that number mean?
To understand the efficiency of these machines, there are other factors you’ll need to consider.
Compare It to Other Equipment
You might be amazed by how it works when you purchase an air fryer.
Well, air fryers heat up and cook by relying on the circulation of hot air produced by a heating coil and circulated by a convection mechanism that pushes the air around the machine.
It works almost the same as a standard convection oven, with one major difference.
Air fryers are only a fraction of the size of normal ovens, meaning that they take significantly less time to heat up to the desired temperature.
A similar comparison can be made with standard fryers. When you use a normal frying machine, you’ll need to heat a large amount of oil to get the desired effects, which will take much longer to heat than air.
Because of this, it’s pretty safe to say that the energy efficiency of air fryers is much better than any other cooking equipment, simply based on its size and how much time is needed to keep it on from start to finish.
However, you will need to keep this in mind when searching for an air fryer for your home. If energy consumption is a concern of yours, make sure you opt for a fryer on the smaller side of the spectrum.
Air Fryers Can Quickly Handle It All
Another way that air fryers can help you reduce your electric costs is through the fact that they can prevent you from having to turn on numerous appliances.
Air fryers cannot only work as fryers, but they can also roast, fries, bake, and even grill.
This means you won’t have to worry about turning on your stove and oven to finish cooking your meals. This handy little gadget can manage it all with ease.
Limiting the number of appliances you need throughout the day can be a great way to save on energy usage, as these appliances often consume much more energy than would otherwise be necessary.
Additionally, air fryers cook food quickly.
Once the appliance reaches the desired temperature, you can generally cook just about anything in 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the size of the food in question.
This is significantly less than the hour or more you would need to cook food in a standard oven.
This is again due to the size of the machine and its function of moving the heated air around the food at a consistent rate.
See How Many Watts Does An Air Fryer Use?
Is It Worth It?
At the end of the day, whether or not you find an air fryer worth the investment will come down to how much you cook and how often you plan to use it.
However, if you’re looking for a way to save yourself a bit in terms of energy consumption in the kitchen, this is a great gadget to have on hand.
When you find a fryer with a great air fryer energy rating, you can rest assured that you’ll save yourself money when those electric bills come in.
However, this is mainly due to the time your appliance will be turned on rather than the wattage of the machine you purchase.
Additionally, in terms of kitchen tools, the price of these appliances is fairly reasonable. Most air fryers are priced somewhere between $70 to $400.
You can be sure that you’ll find something that fits your budget and will help you enjoy delicious, perfectly-cooked food daily.
Keep all this information in mind and search for a high-quality, wallet-friendly air fryer today.