The crunchiness and texture of deep fried food is hard to achieve using other baking methods. Although loved by so many (who can resist crunchy French fries) deep fried food is not considered healthy. Why?
1- When food is cooked in oil at extremely high temperatures, it is likely to contain trans fat which is associated with an increased risk of heart disease and other health problems.
2- Deep frying produces a compound called acrylamide which is linked to some types of cancers.
Air fryers have been popular lately because many use them as a healthier alternative to deep frying. The mechanism involves hot air that circulates around the food making it crispy and cooked while using very little or no oil. That would mean less calories (70% less), trans fat and acrylamide. However, nothing is perfect. When using the air fryer, it is easy to burn or char the food, which is also linked to the formation of carcinogens. So when you use it, make sure it is cooked to the point of doneness and not burnt. The research on air fryers is still ongoing to determine how safe they are. However, if you are a fan of deep frying, I would definitely recommend investing in an air fryer and using it instead. In Nutrition, balance is key. Make sure you alternate different types of cooking methods such as baking, roasting and grilling to get the best out of food. The use of an air fryer: healthy or not? Who can resist crunchy French fries? The crunchiness and texture of deep-fried food is hard to achieve using other baking methods. Although loved by so many, this type of food is not considered healthy. Why?
When food is cooked in oil at extremely high temperatures, it is likely to contain trans-fat which is associated with an increased risk of heart disease and other health problems.
Deep frying produces a compound called acrylamide which is linked to some types of cancers.
Air fryers have been popular lately because many use them as a healthier alternative to deep frying. The mechanism involves hot air that circulates around the food making it crispy and cooked while using very little or no oil. That would mean less calories (70% less), trans fat and acrylamide. However, nothing is perfect. When using the air fryer, it is easy to burn or char the food, which is also linked to the formation of carcinogens. So, when you use it, make sure it is cooked to the point of doneness and not burnt. The research on air fryers is still ongoing to determine how safe they are. However, if you are a fan of deep frying, I would recommend investing in an air fryer and using it instead. In Nutrition, balance is key. Make sure you alternate different types of cooking methods such as baking, roasting, and grilling to get the best out of food. Stay healthy, eat well! Recipe: Air fryer potato wedges Ingredients
– 2 medium potatoes
– 1 and ½ tbsps of olive oil
– ½ teaspoon of paprika
– ½ teaspoon of salt
– 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper
Directions:
– Preheat air fryer to 200 ͦ C
– Cut potatoes in the form of wedges and mix with olive oil, paprika, salt and pepper. Mix well
– Place 8 wedges in the air fryer and cook for 10 minutes
– Flip wedges and cook for 5 more minutes
– Finish cooking the rest of the wedges