Deep Fat Fryer vs. Air Fryer

At first look, the deep fat fryers look just like the air fryer. You can use them to prepare and fry anything from meat to veggies to give them a tantalizing taste and a crispy exterior. Even though they are mainly used for frying food, you can expect to use a large amount of oil with the deep fryer. This means that if you are a health conscious foodie, you may want to cut down on amount of food you consume after it's been fried from a fryer.

On the other hand, an air fryer uses lesser amount of oil, making them more approachable. Despite these distinctive features, many people still find it hard to settle on one of these two. If you find yourself in this situation, you can use the following checklist to decide on the right one for you.

​Healthy Cooking

1. Use the proper oil

​You don't need to be a professional nutritionist before knowing that a deep fryer is not your best shot if you want to eat healthy foods. This is because it uses a large amount of oil to fry food. When you dunk the food you want to fry into the machine, it spills oil around the food until it is fully cooked. An air fryer on the other hand uses lesser amount of oil. You just cover the item you want to fry with oil before placing it in the machine. In newer models of air fryers - which often uses advanced technology - you can expect to use less than 70% of oil compared to when frying with a deep fryer . This is why most health conscious individual goes with an air fryer over a deep fryer.

You don't need to be a professional nutritionist before knowing that a deep fryer is not your best shot if you want to eat healthy foods. This is because it uses a large amount of oil to fry food. When you dunk the food you want to fry into the machine, it spills oil around the food until it is fully cooked. An air fryer on the other hand uses lesser amount of oil. You just cover the item you want to fry with oil before placing it in the machine. In newer models of air fryers - which often uses advanced technology - you can expect to use less than 70% of oil compared to when frying with a deep fryer. This is why most health conscious individual goes with an air fryer over a deep fryer. Choosing the right oil for your deep fryer is half battle won. Once you know the type of oil you want to use, you will need to fill up the fryer with it, taking care not to over-fill or under-fill it. If you have a model that have a minimum or maximum fill line, it becomes even easier as you have a ready gauge to guide your measurement.

Features

2. Turn it on and start operating

​If you are only interested in buying a fryer that has abundant number of features, you will come to discover that both types are similar in terms of features they come with. Depending on the functionality you are looking for and the price of the item, you will often find features like thermostat, adjustable heat control, digital screens, and cooking pre-sets among wide variety of brands. Thanks to the cooking pre-sets, you can prepare food with your fryer without having any incident. In terms of ease of use and convenient features, air fryers have the upper hand. Both should also have a button where you can switch the machine off/on. By looking through the features of each type, you should be able to select one that meets your requirements and tastes.

If you are only interested in buying a fryer that has abundant number of features, you will come to discover that both types are similar in terms of features they come with. Depending on the functionality you are looking for and the price of the item, you will often find features like thermostat, adjustable heat control, digital screens, and cooking pre-sets among wide variety of brands. Thanks to the cooking pre-sets, you can prepare food with your fryer without having any incident. In terms of ease of use and convenient features, air fryers have the upper hand. Both should also have a button where you can switch the machine off/on. By looking through the features of each type, you should be able to select one that meets your requirements and tastes. To start using your device, you need to turn it on by plugging it in and using the switch button to power it up. After that, set the temperature and time and ensure that you obtain the right level of temperature for the oil without going over that. You also need to maintain a temperature between 350 degrees F and 375 degrees F which is the suitable range for most of the cooking you will be doing. If your device comes with a thermostat, you don't have to bother too much about the temperature as it will automatically determine the correct temperature. However, if it doesn't come with one, you may have to get yourself a thermometer to select the right temperature for the oil.

READ NEXT: 4 Reasons your deep fat fryer is foaming.

​Size

3. Pat your food dry

This is another factor you have to put into consideration when comparing air and deep fat fryers. If you have a small amount of space, you may want to look at air fryers as they are usually smaller in size. When frying with an air fryer, you don't need to fully immerse the food you want to fry in the machine, which explains their smaller capacity.

However, if you have enough space on your countertop and don't mind adding another appliance regardless of size, you can go with a deep fryer . Typically, you are going to get the same capacity whichever you choose, but only the real estate in your kitchen will determine which one you go with.

This is another factor you have to put into consideration when comparing air and deep fat fryers. If you have a small amount of space, you may want to look at air fryers as they are usually smaller in size. When frying with an air fryer, you don't need to fully immerse the food you want to fry in the machine, which explains their smaller capacity. However, if you have enough space on your countertop and don't mind adding another appliance regardless of size, you can go with a deep fryer. Typically, you are going to get the same capacity whichever you choose, but only the real estate in your kitchen will determine which one you go with. Before drying any kind of food, make sure it is dried and doesn't have any traces of water. You can make use of a kitchen paper towel or cover the food in some dusting to remove any traces of water. For example, freshly cut potatoes can be wiped with paper towel so that there is no water on it before throwing them into the fryer. Not doing this may cause some dangerous spilling of oil that may be injurious to you or children around.