By Sarah Gill | Broadcast Reporter
Air fryers are the latest trend and there is a reason for all the hype. The easy to clean, easy to operate appliance can cook everything from chicken, to vegetables, to (fried) Oreos.
Air fryers are extremely time efficient. Most foods don’t take longer than 15 minutes to cook. This is also a huge plus for us college students! We don’t have a ton of time to sit in the kitchen to cook our meals. The ability to cook dinner in less than 15 minutes is a game changer.
Cooking with the air fryer is honestly so fun! My roommates and I love researching new recipes to try and seeing what different foods look like after being in the air fryer. It’s like a science experiment — that you can eat.
I am no health expert, but it makes sense that frying food in an air fryer is much healthier than frying food in a bucket of oil. An air fryer works by moving hot air down and around the food. You may spray oil on something to make it more crispy, but this is much less oil than you would need to submerge it in.
According to WebMD, “It cuts calories by 70% to 80% and has a lot less fat.”
If you live in a house with several roommates, the kitchen can become a crowded place. Luckily, your newfound passion with the air fryer will open up the oven for someone else to use. More people can cook and eat dinner at the same time, fostering a more family and community-centered place.
With the simple click of a button, the air fryer preheats and tells you to add food. You don’t have to worry about the food overcooking or burning because it is so easy to open and assess the food. The way it turns off when you open it up reminds me of a microwave or convection oven. There isn’t a “window” on most air fryers but who really looks in the window anyways?
While you’re eating your yummy, healthy meal, you don’t have worry about thoughts of cleaning the appliance looming over your head. It is effortless to take out and clean parts of the air fryer. The parts also cool down quickly.
The favorite foods I’ve tried are chicken tenders, fajitas and cauliflower tater tots. The chicken cooks in about 10 minutes. My roommates and I like to eat it with Chick-Fil-A sauce. Fajitas are effortless to make; you can put the chicken, onions and peppers all in the basket together. Cauliflower tater tots taste just like normal ones; you can’t taste the difference, but they are much healthier for you!
As far as sweets go, we have tried French toast sticks and fried Oreos. French toast sticks in an air fryer are more crispy than French toast made on the stovetop. The fried Oreos are no replacement for the Rodeo version, but it is a healthy, easy-to-make alternative. It is a nice party trick to show up with homemade fried Oreos.
Air fryers are easy to use, time efficient, healthier, easy to clean and so much fun to cook with! If you’re looking for something to make cooking in college easier, look no further.
