All language subtitles for Air.Fryers.Are.They.Worth.It.2023.1080p.HDTV.H264-DARKFLiX

It's the kitchen gadget
everyone is talking about.

The world's in the grip
of air fryer fever.

We are talking about one
of my favourite cooking utensils

of all time,
and that is the air fryer.

It's a global market worth
£1 billion.

You can't swipe on your socials
without seeing thousands of recipes.

These were to die for.

Nd ass you can see, this is just
a parcel of deliciousness.

And while not everyone
is convinced...

My personal belief is that in a few
years, air fryers will be a fad.

...they have a legion of super fans
on social media

who claim they're faster,
save you a fortune...

And we spend about
£4,000 a year on oil.

...and even make fried and roasted
food less fattening.

But is it just a load of hot air?

Well, I'm going to be putting
in these claims to the test,

finding out how they work...

Aren't they just tiny ovens?

...what they're good...
Oh, they're really good!

...and bad at...
It's a bit hard, to be honest.

...before answering the question
on everyone's lips.

CRUNCHING
Mm!

Air fryers - are they worth it?

Air fryers are everywhere right now.

With popular models flying
off the shelves,

it seems like almost everyone's
got one.

Have you got an air fryer?
I have got an air fryer, yes.

Yeah, I have. I bought me one
for my wife for Christmas.

And, yeah, it's brilliant.
HE LAUGHS

If I can save some money on bills,
especially when bills are high now,

then I'm definitely going
to be going for that.

Big question of the day -
have you got an air fryer?

I haven't at the moment, but
we are thinking about getting one.

No, no, no. I just use an oven
instead of an air fryer.

But not everyone knows
what to do with them...

I do have an air fryer,
but it's still in its box.

Oh!

What do you cook in it?
I've put a croissant in there.

I do think that's quite mad,
but...it did the job.

It was actually quite nice.
You put a croissant in it?

It crisped up the outside.
It was soft in the middle.

I would recommend.

A crispy croissant sounds great,
but how about real food?

Er...probably some cod.

Fillet of cod or something.
Do homemade fish and chips.

It's an air fryer revolution.

A revolution, you say?

It's the biggest kitchen revolution
since the microwave.

More and more companies are
even putting air fryer instructions

on the packaging. See?

Fans say they save you money,
it's much healthier,

but could it really replace
my trusty oven?

For the next 30 days, I'm going to
be living off the air fryer diet...

Look at that! Nice and crisp.

...cooking as much of my food
as possible in one.

And I'll be joined on my journey
by some air fryer virgins. Ooh!

I've never used
an air fryer before,

so I don't really know
what to expect.

They'll be using differently-priced
models... Cool. All right.

It doesn't look too complicated.

The chicken breasts are done now.

...and letting us know
how they get on.

My next challenge is to see
if everyone eats it.

Good luck, guys!

Now there's one thing above all else
the air fryers claim to do.

Listen to this.

LOUD CRUNCH

As my crew here know,

the air fryer's big selling point
is making things crispy,

so I'm putting my new one
straight to the test.

The pork is salted, scored, chilled

and with a stick of lemongrass
and a spray of oil

given 30 minutes at 160,

then another 30 at 200 degrees.

Well, it smells great.
Let's have a listen.

BRIEF CRACK
It is crispy.

CRUNCH

It is! It's crunchy!
CREW CHEER

Oh, it's really nice.
I'm not sharing.

Oh, go on, then!

The crispy pork was a hit
with everyone. DOG WHINES

And there's a lot more inspiration
out there.

Air fryer fans rave about
perfect pancakes,

revolutionary roasties

and superb steaks.

So what strange magic is going
on inside this little black box?

I'm at the iconic Battersea
Power Station,

home of Shark Ninja,
Britain's best-selling air fryer,

to find out how they actually work.

Hi, Jen! Let's go.

My guide to delve in
under the bonnet is Jen,

director of engineering.

And welcome to the workshop.

What she doesn't know about
air fryers isn't worth knowing.

So, Jen, what is the big mystery?
Aren't they just tiny ovens?

Well, although it's called
an air fryer,

it is actually just an oven,
but there are some key differences.

You can see there's not
a lot of moving parts,

but they're all really important.

So if we start with
the heating element,

this is one source of heat
in an air fryer

and it's what we call direct heat.

So is that just like the one
in my oven at home?

So the heating element itself

is actually very similar
to your oven at home

and radiates heat down
on top of your food,

but it's the relative size
versus the cavity,

which makes the radiant heat
much better in an air fryer.

My pork belly did cook quickly,

but there must be more to it than
just the small space it's heating.

The radiant heat is only
a small portion of

what makes the food cook quicker
in an air fryer. Actually,

the fan is our most important
part of the system, really.

Air moves much faster
in an air fryer.

The air is pushed out and over
the heating element,

down through the food,

and any excess moisture
is expelled from the unit.

How does it cook faster?

What is that?

So this is a silicone chicken breast
representing a cold food load.

If we put a cold food load
into an oven,

it effectively has a jacket of
cool air that surrounds it.

In a conventional oven, where
the cavity is much bigger,

as the air warms up, it first
has to warm the air of the jacket

before it can cook the food.

In an air fryer, the air is much
faster and much hotter,

and that effectively

blows the jacket of cool air
off the food load,

enabling it to cook quicker
in an air fryer.

So, Jen,
is this the future of cooking?

Well, actually, the broad technology
has been around since the 1940s.

Yes, inventor William I Maxson
paired a fan and a heating element

for his Whirlwind Oven,

designed to give US soldiers
a hot meal on long flights

during World War 1.

But with a top temperature
of just 100 degrees,

this early ancestor of the air fryer

was designed for heating up
frozen meals

rather than cooking from scratch.

The invention of the microwave
blew away the Whirlwind Oven,

its speed and convenience making it
the must-have kitchen gadget

by the late '70s.

But you can't crisp up chips
in a microwave,

so dedicated Dutch designer
Fred van der Weij

solved the low temperature problem

and debuted his new
Rapid Air Technology

at a trade show in 2010.

So he figured out how to miniaturise
the technology for domestic use,

and here we are.

So it's not really a fryer -

it's an oven that cooks quickly
using hot air.

But how does it get food so crispy?

Brace yourself. We're going on
an adventure to find out.

The Crystal Maze?

I suspect some sort of giant analogy
might be on the cards here.

Ah, yes - that'll be it.

Hello. Hi, Denise.

Meet Dr Jakub Radzikowski, molecular
biologist and Cordon Bleu chef.

Dr Jakub, I'm intrigued.
Why am I here?

OK, Denise, so imagine
you're a chicken nugget.

So, are you ready to be cooked?
I am indeed.

All right, let's go.

It might look like a set
from a game show,

but it's actually great
at demonstrating

how an air fryer works.

I hope.

All right, Denise. Are you ready?

I'm ready!

You're sure? I think so.

All right, let's go.
KLAXON BLARES

RUMBLING

In a conventional oven,
air is heated from below.

Particles of hot air then rise
from the bottom,

gradually cooking our chicken nuggets
from beneath.

But in an air fryer, the hot air -
our glittery tokens -

hits Denise van Nugget
on all sides quickly,

cooking the outside much quicker
than the inside.

More like dunking me in
a deep-fat fryer would.

I'm cooked!

SHE LAUGHS, KLAXON SOUNDS

So, how was it, Denise?

Well, I'd say I'm a bit crispy
on the outside now,

but how is this like an air fryer?

So, essentially,
in a deep fryer you use oil,

and the oil is great at
transferring heat.

Air is not as great
as transferring heat to the food,

but if you use a powerful fan
and move the air around,

the air can reach all the surface
of the chicken nugget.

It can dry it out.
The temperature can be

high enough for something called
the Maillard reaction to occur,

and Maillard reaction is when
protein and sugar react together

and they create this nice, brown
colour and a lot of flavour as well.

Ah, the Maillard reaction -
the scientific name for crispy.

So the food seems like
it's deep-fried, but it's just air?

So the air in an air fryer is
fast enough to penetrate

under thick food particles
like potato skins,

but not fast enough to shred
your food to pieces.

Yes, the air in some air fryers
can reach up to 43 miles an hour.

That speed kind of limits what kind
of foods you can cook

in an air fryer, so if you put
something like a soup,

it will splash all over
and it will make a big mess.

So air fryers get similar results
to deep frying,

but using air instead of oil
to make food brilliantly crispy.

But they aren't so great
for liquids, delicate foods,

or the kind of thing you might
boil on the hob.

I wonder what else they're good for?

So, these are my chocolate egg
croissant balls.

Coming up, I'll be showing you some
mouthwatering air fryer creations.

Oh, they're really good! So nice.

And joining professional testers

to reveal which models
are worth your money.

These look a bit more
overcooked, I think,

and, actually, some of them
are a bit burnt.

Earlier, I took on the role
of a lifetime...

OK, Denise, so imagine
you're a chicken nugget.

...to find out how air fryers
get our food so crispy.

In an air fryer, the air is
much faster and much hotter,

and that effectively blows
the jacket of cool air off the food,

enabling it to cook quicker.

But it didn't explain why
they're suddenly everywhere.

It feels like Britain's
gone air fryer wild.

One report says 30%
of UK households have one

and 22% plan to buy one
in the next 12 months.

But some of you love them
more than others.

Only a quarter of people in the East
of England have taken the plunge,

rising to a third of households
in the West Midlands,

while just under half of all
households in Northern Ireland

have one already.

But it's online where air fryers
have really taken off,

leading to a new generation of cooks

who've converted the machine's
social media cult status

into real-world success.

And none more so than Belfast's
own Nathan Anthony,

aka Bored Of Lunch.

If there's one dish you need to make
in your air fryer,

it's this air fryer Caprese chicken.

With two million followers eagerly
devouring his every recipe

and a best-selling cookbook
to his name, he's in my kitchen

to show me some of the top things
my air fryer can do.

So this recipe, Denise,

shows you what an air fryer
is really good at.

Today, we're making halloumi fries.

Do you know what? I absolutely love
halloumi, so this is amazing.

So the first thing that
we're going to do

is cut our halloumi into fries.

Whatever shape and size
that you like.

We have some crushed-up
cornflakes, about 40g,

and I'll mix that with one
tablespoon of paprika,

just to give it more flavour,
a bit of smokiness.

It really adds to the fries.

And we're going to coat
the halloumi in this.

Drain off any excess and then
coat in the cornflake crumb.

And the finer the crumb, the better.

Then just a quick spray of oil.

These are ready to go in.

180 degrees for ten minutes.

BEEP, FAN WHIRS

So whilst those are in, we need to
make a quick sweet and spicy dip.

Add in about half a teaspoon
of paprika into some light mayo.

A tablespoon of sweet chilli sauce
and then the last one is Sriracha,

so this is the spicy. If you like it
really spicy, add more.

So, when did you first get
your air fryer?

I first got my air fryer
after I finished university

and it was just a quick and
easy way to make food

after a long day of work.

And then how did the book idea
come about?

I was posting a lot of
air fryer recipes online

and then a couple of different
publishers contacted me

and said, "Would you be interested
in writing cookbooks?"

And people really got behind it.

Air fryer influencing
is big business,

with one in five 25-to-34-year-olds
confessing their purchase

was inspired by watching
recipes on TikTok.

So, what cooks really well
in an air fryer?

Anything that you would
traditionally deep-fat fry,

that all turn out really well, and
just using a fraction of the oil.

BEEPING
And that's them ready.

These would never get so crispy
in the oven,

especially with so little oil.

And you don't need a fork
for this one.

Oh, they're really good! So nice.

Also, it's actually quite easy.
Ten minutes.

Like, look how quickly we've
made that. It's so easy.

Next, Nathan's determined to show me
there's more to air frying

than chicken nuggets and chips -
or even halloumi fries.

Some salt and pepper, so...

You can't have prawns without a wee
bit of salt and pepper, can you?

Prawn pil pil - and honey, miso
and soy aubergines.

BEEP, FAN WHIRS

My friends are going to love this!

It's very good. Very spicy.

Yeah, but I like it. Yeah?

And he's not done yet.

We're finishing with
his signature dish,

a viral sensation with
over 4 million views.

So, these are my chocolate egg
croissant balls.

The beauty of this is
there is no art to it.

Take your triangle up, roll it
into your croissant shape.

You don't even have to be perfect.
I'm using creme eggs.

Now, there are lots of other
chocolate eggs that you could use.

How's mine looking?
Great. How's mine?

Fantastic.
HE LAUGHS

OK, so now give them just
a bit of an egg glaze.

Literally just quick and dirty.

Beautiful. Is that nicely covered?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

All we need to do is pop these
in the air fryer

for eight minutes at 180.

So there we have my
chocolate egg croissant balls.

I can see why they went viral,

although maybe not something
I'd eat every day.

So, how many calories do you think
is in this? I dunno.

Like, thousands, probably.
360. Is it?! Yeah!

That's a starter, main and dessert
all done in the air fryer.

You can definitely cook more in them
than I'd have thought.

And it's not just Nathan
who's been getting creative.

Our home testers have been
pushing the limits

of their new machines, too.

Don't let the name fool you -
they aren't just for frying.

And I'm gonna do something
with these.

Look at that, look.
Picture of health.

Right, beefy kebabs tonight.

Like little kofta-y things. Usually,

I would do these in
the oven or the grill,

or we'd stick them on the barbecue,

but we're going to give
the air fryer a go.

So what I want to try today
is something that is on the box,

which is cake.

No idea what this is going
to be like.

I normally steam vegetables.

Judging by the size of our family,

not 100% that that's gonna be enough
to feed us in a oner.

I have now popped the cake
into the tin.

Ooh, hot.

But it's clear some people are
finding them more practical than others.

Oh, that looks really good.

I cooked them in two batches
in the end, for ten minutes.

I'm still not too impressed
with the racket,

but I guess you're not really
gonna get around that

cos it's got to blow the air
around somehow.

Everyone's tucking in.

What do you reckon? Mm!

Nine out of ten! Nine out of ten.

Yeah, it's got a nice texture,
hasn't it? Nice texture.

Nice texture, yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yep, it's an air fryer win.

And, of course,
what you can do with one

depends on which one you buy,
and trust me -

the choice can be overwhelming.

There's so many different models,
from the very basic

to ones with built-in
meat thermometers

or even ones that steam-cook, too.

And should you be worried about
the space they take up

or the noise they make?
FAN WHIRS

They're all different,

but some are as loud as
the average washing machine.

So, is it worth spending loads
on a pricey one?

Thankfully, help is at hand.

Hi, Hannah. Hello.

I'm at the Good Housekeeping
Institute

to meet senior homes writer,
Hannah Mendelsohn.

There's barely an appliance on Earth
she and the team haven't tested here.

I did invest in a really good
washing machine

just because my machine's
on constantly. Yeah.

I think it makes such a difference.
Yeah.

Where better to find out

if a more expensive model
really is worth the money?

So, if you're thinking of buying
an air fryer,

what are the questions that
you should be asking?

Whether or not they want
one basket or two baskets,

whether it'll fit in their kitchen,

if all the programs that it has are
things they're going to use,

whether they want
touch-screen buttons or dials -

there are a lot of things
to consider.

In the test kitchen today,
we'll be looking at three air fryers,

all with different features
at a range of prices.

First, the Amazon Basics, a small
41 single-compartment device

with simple manual controls
that retails at around £65.

Next, the Salter Dual,
with digital controls

and two baskets
for a higher 7.4l capacity.

It sells for around £110.

And last, the Russell Hobbs SatisFry
air fryer and multicooker.

It holds 5.51,
but it's a slow-cooker too,

and costs a bit more - £140.

You can also get ones that steam,

ones with a paddle
that move your food.

You can get some with rotisserie
attachments, some that bake.

The possibilities are endless.

With premium models
costing around £250,

you could end up paying for features
you just don't need.

I mean, there's so many to choose
from my head's starting to spin.

So, with the help of
senior tester Blossom,

we'll be looking at everything from
ease of use to build quality.

SWITCHES CLICK

But the most important test of all

is how they cook the nation's
favourite air-fried food - chips.

BEEP

When we test chips,
we're looking for how they cook.

So, are they greasy?
Are they not?

Do they have that nice colour
that you look for

and do they crisp up nicely?
SNAP

We also want to know
how quickly they'll cook

because part of the reason
air fryers are great

is because they're speedy.

Our second test is
the fairy cake test.

When we test these, we're looking
for that golden colour

that you get in the oven,
and also how well they rise,

because this tells us how the air
is moving within the air fryer

and if it's doing its job properly.

Seeing them work,

you can bank on the testing team
leaving no metric unmeasured

in the pursuit of check-box triumph.

Right, I think it's a 14. Mm. Look.

I think this could be
a new career for me.

So, what did we learn?

Shall we start with Amazon? Yes.

I'm actually quite impressed
with this one.

I think that the chips look
a really good colour.

Chips, I'm really impressed with.

Yeah, they're all really
consistently golden,

which looks very appetising.

And the cupcakes
are consistent, as well.

You don't get that same precision.

You can see that the cupcakes
have a bit of movement,

which means that the air isn't
circulating as well as it might,

but that aside,
it's still fared pretty well.

This is a great buy

that more than stands up to
some of the much pricier models.

These look a bit more
overcooked, I think,

and, actually, some of them
are a bit burnt.

Yeah, they're a bit uneven

and I think I would definitely lower
the temperature next time.

Everything was cooked using the
manufacturer's instructions in our test,

but you might need a bit of trial
and error to get the best results.

The same with the cupcakes,
actually.

These ones are a bit brown,
but a few minutes less

and they might be
really nicely gold.

But the two baskets
are still really beneficial

if you're feeding a family
or a bigger household.

This is the Russell Hobbs.

I have to say, the cupcakes,
I am very impressed.

Yep, these would score
the highest marks

out of the ones we've tested today.
They are a really, really

nice colour and they've
risen fairly evenly.

And the chips are also really evenly
cooked and quite golden brown,

so it's performed very well.

So, Hannah, do you think it's worth
spending that little bit more?

It's all about how much
YOU want to spend

and what you need
for your kitchen and home.

An air fryer might be right for you,

but do consider how many hungry
mouths you have to feed

and how much worktop real estate
you're prepared to sacrifice.

The really attractive thing about
the Russell Hobbs, as well,

is that it's not just an air fryer.

It's also a slow cooker, so you can
get all your appliances into one.

I'm really impressed with
the Amazon Basics one,

which does the job
without bells and whistles.

But if you want the all-singing,
all-dancing model,

then it might be worth just spending
that little bit extra.

OK. "Do not fill with oil -
it's not a deep-fryer.”

Well, yeah, that kind of goes
without saying.

Hannah and I only tested
three machines,

but we've sent seven households
around the country

a wide variety of brands
from functional to flashy.

So how do they rate them so far?

Yeah, it's a bit weird
how the start button

looks like the play-pause
button on a hi-fi system.

Oh, here we are,
down to the last minute.

OK, they have spurted a little bit,

but, honestly,
that's probably no worse

than it would've been
if I'd put them in the oven.

Yeah, so far,
pretty impressed with it.

While it's working well for Kiran's
single-person household... Mm!

Right, so it's got
a fill line there,

a max fill line so you
can't go above.

...Size is an issue for David.

At this point in time,

I can't see an air fryer
replacing my oven.

This one just isn't
really big enough.

If any of our testers
are struggling with

the limitations of their new devices,

there's a ton of air fryer hacks
to try.

I'm a bit peckish, so I'm going to
air-fry one of my favourite snacks,

which is onion rings.

Tight on space?

Going to use this little device here.

Wire racks can double the capacity,

but still let the hot air
reach all your food.

Stick 'em in the air fryer!

And as a little spritz of oil
really helps crisp things up...

I am going to spray
my salmon fillet with my oil.

...one of these spray bottles
could be a smart buy.

And what about the mess?

This makes it even easier.

Get yourself one of these little
silicone trays to put your food in

and then you have less
washing up to do.

But no amount of hacks
can change one fact -

you're unlikely to find one
as big as your oven.

What does mummy normally cook with?
Just one little tray like this? No.

So, can they really cook enough
to feed a family of five?

OK.

Meet the Soroyas from
London Colney...

...and the Robins family from Moseley.

Both families are preparing
the nation's favourite meal -

a classic Sunday roast.

They're cooking exactly
the same ingredients,

but where the Robins are using
their standard 561 oven...

...he Soroyas are still figuring
out their new appliance

and working out how to fit
one large chicken,

roast potatoes, carrots AND peas

into its significantly smaller
8.51 capacity.

Ohh!

So, my first problem
with the air fryer

is that I went to close the drawer
with the chicken in

and it was too tall,

so I've had to just clean
the front of the air fryer

because the juice ran down.

Then I reread my recipe

and it is supposed to be
breast-side down,

so that might be why.
Let's give it another go.

Join me after the break

to find out which family triumphs
in the race to the roast.

Bit smoother.

I'm on a mission to find out

if air fryers are really
all they're cracked up to be.

Chips, I'm really impressed with.

Yeah, they're all really
consistently golden.

And having tested a few
with the experts,

I want to know how our
home testers are getting on.

Two of our households are in
a head-to-head race

to cook Britain's favourite
family meal - a roast dinner.

We've got to pick the potatoes
around the chicken flat. OK.

For the Robins in Moseley
with their spacious electric oven,

it's all about timing.

It's all right. It's getting there.

Their 1.9kg chicken should roast in
a little over an hour and a half,

and the other vegetables
need to be cooked to match this.

I feel like we're a bit behind.
It's all right.

The Soroyas, though,
are doing the exact same meal

in their much smaller air fryer.

It says you can mix it
with the potatoes,

so do you want to put them in?

Put them to bed.
It's definitely a bit of a squeeze!

It's hot. Oh, look at that.

Roasty-toasty! Yeah.

Is this the animal's body?
This is the chicken's body, yeah.

Believe it or not, the whole meal
was prepared in the air fryer -

peas included - in one hour.

It was quicker than we thought,
wasn't it? Mm. Much quicker.

But the Robins had to wait an hour
and 45 minutes for their dinner.

Sorry tea's late, guys.

But speed isn't everything.
How's the taste?

Really nice. Yeah.
Chicken's really moist, isn't it?

Both families got moist chicken,
crispy roast potatoes

and delicious veg.

I'm enjoying it. The same textures.

The air fryer cooked it
in almost half the time,

so I'd call that a win,

but I think it would struggle
if there were more mouths to feed.

Given we all need to consider

the importance of saving energy
in our everyday lives,

can an air fryer save you money, too?

I've come to Nottingham Trent
University to meet Amin Al-Habaibeh,

Professor of Intelligent
Engineering Systems.

Hi, Amin. Hello. Hi, Denise.

So nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you, too.

And I think he might be hungry -

he's asked me to bring
a sack of spuds.

Amin, why potatoes?

To be able to measure accurately

if air fryers could save you
energy and money,

we are going to do
the baked potato test.

So we're going to work out which is
cheaper - the oven or the air fryer.

Can we use any potato for that?
No, Denise. This is science.

Let's have a look what
you've got here. Da-da!

DENISE LAUGHS

That one? Hmm...

No, it's too small.

So we want to go slightly bigger.

Amin wants very specific spuds.

Oh, no. No? No.

Ones that weigh around 300g.

If I'd have known how fussy
he was going to be...

No. We need another 50g.

...I'd probably have done
this bit at home.

Might not have been
as much fun, though,

pulling that trolley through town.

Yes! Yes!

Finally! Now time to prepare them.

Am I doing a big prick
or a little prick?

HE LAUGHS

We will measure how much energy
each equipment will use

using off-the-shelf power meter.

These power metres measure
energy used in kilowatt hours.

By checking what our supplier charges
for one kilowatt hour,

we'll be able to work out
which cooking method is cheaper.

And now we will preheat
our oven to 200 degrees.

The large oven needs
a long preheating time

to get up to temperature,

which will certainly add to
the total energy it uses.

In she goes!
Get cooking, good-looking.

And now you can see we consumed
0.39kwh to preheat the oven

while the air fryer is still at zero
because we haven't used it yet,

so already the air fryer
is ahead of the oven.

Because the air fryer can reach
its 200-degree cooking temperature

so quickly, we can chuck
the spud straight in.

There you go.

In order to attain maximum science...

Say cheese! Cheese!

...Amin's got all the best toys
in his lab.

Looking hot, Amin!

This thermal camera
doesn't just show

the heat escaping from
Amin's big brain -

he'll use it to show
the mass of heat generated

by our two cooking appliances.

Oh, wow! You can see that
there's a lot more going on

with the conventional oven.
Because it's larger in size

and there is significant
air mass inside it,

so by heating all that air mass,
it heats also the surfaces,

and it loses more heat.

So my air fryer needs less energy
put into it than my oven does.

Yes. Air fryers are heating a much
smaller space, less air mass,

therefore, the air fryer
is much more efficient.

Let's check our potatoes.

It looks good.

That took 40 minutes to do.

And that is 0.31kwh.

Despite cooking at
the same temperature,

the spud in the oven isn't ready yet.

So, what should we talk about?

So, when you cook them
in the air fryer,

can you get that crispy outside
or... Yeah, yeah.

Yeah. And then, of course...

Thankfully,
before the small talk runs out,

Amin pronounces the potato done.

That took 1 hour and 20 minutes
to be ready. Finally!

And it consumed 0.89kwh.

So the air fryer cooked the potato

using less energy than it took
to preheat our oven.

Using the price of my energy bill,

I know this will cost 40p to cook
in the electric oven

while using the air fryer only
will cost 14p. Wow.

That must add up to quite
a lot over a year.

And to reveal just how much
of a saving that could be,

Amin's got a bit of a surprise
for me.

So, Denise, I have
four appliances here.

Which one do you think is the most
efficient one to cook with?

Um, I'm going to stay loyal
to my air fryer.

Not quite. OK. Can I guess again?

Slow cooker? No.
SHE GASPS

Microwave.

Yes.
CREW LAUGH

That's right - the microwave is
the cheapest of our four appliances

based on average household use
over a year.

The humble microwave
costs £21.20 to run,

followed by the air fryer -
£37.24 a year -

the slow cooker - £42.20 -

and, yes, the electric oven costs
a whopping £223.54 a year.

Shame on you, electric oven!

So are you telling me
I should just ditch the others

and cook everything in my microwave?

Absolutely, if you are looking
for energy efficiency,

but you won't get crispy food
in the microwave.

And that crispy food
can be very tempting,

but I've been trying to
steer clear of spuds.

Chop your spring onions in.
Oh! Look at that.

Cooking as many different things
as I can just using my air fryer.

BEEP Look at that for a
delicious omelette. There we go.

That looks so good. Look at that!

Time for a real challenge, though.

It's the weekend and I'm craving
my favourite curry -

a chicken tikka masala.

But will an air fryer fake away
replace my usual Indian takeaway?

Got my chicken here marinated
in a blend of spices,

but will the air fryer give it
that authentic char?

I really want to put my air fryer
to the test, so, yes -

even the rice is going in.

Here, after rinsing
one cup of white rice,

I'm adding one and a half cups
of boiling water

and I'll tightly cover it with foil
to keep the moisture in.

I'm putting my rice and my chicken
into the air fryer

for 25 minutes at 200 degrees.

Well, the masala has definitely
got the authentic char.

Ooh!

The big rice reveal.

Da-da!

Oh...

Ooh...

It's a bit hard, to be honest.

Hmm. I'm not sure.

Assistant producer Nikki's
going to give it a taste test.

Tuck in.

So, what's the verdict?

Hmm.

That's good.

So you like the chicken tikka masala?
Mm-hm. What about the rice?

It's not bad. It is a bit hard.

It's a bit hard. A bit chewy.

So maybe a splash
more water next time.

My air fryer might still need
a bit of figuring out,

but the journey continues

and there's a question lots of
our testers have been asking.

I wanted to get an air fryer

because I wanted to think
about the health benefits

and I've heard about how they're
supposed to be healthier for you.

I've seen a lot of chat online
about the possible health benefits

of switching from deep-fried
to air-fried food.

And some of the claims in the media
are pretty dramatic.

20 minutes.

Let's have a look at what's inside!

Ooh.

Air fryers might be a better
way to fry your food...

I do like the prospect
of using less oil

and being able to, you know,
still eat the things I like

and just potentially
have fewer calories

because they're being cooked
in a different way.

But what if they encourage people
to eat more fried food?

They're meant to taste like
a popular chicken...

SHE LAUGHS
Chicken restaurant.

I've got the potatoes out.
They look quite nice and crispy.

So, what does this mean
for our diets?

I'm meeting Dr Fabrizio Ortu,

lecturer in chemistry
at Leicester University

to put those claims to the test.

Dr Ortu. Call me Fabz, please.
Everyone does.

Fabz. Follow me.

Many stories about
healthier air-fried food

base their claims on comparing
the raw ingredients,

so to get accurate results,

we want to test how many calories
are in the cooked version.

Luckily, Fabz has a high-tech method.

So I would like to introduce you to
my friend, the bomb calorimeter.

Anything that we put in,
it will burn it,

and what it does at the end,
it gives us a number

which is the calorific power
of whatever we put inside -

in this case, food.

Fabz and colleague Phil are testing
deep-fried or oven-baked dishes

against air-fried versions

to find out which of the foods
is higher in calories.

I spotted some fried chicken here

and I can see someone
has had a nibble out of it.

Yes, that would be me.

We cannot just put any food in there
so we need to prepare it first,

and that's what I've been up to
over the last few days.

The dishes have their water removed
to give us a more accurate figure.

So I have some deep-fried chicken,

but what I also have is
the air-fried version.

Well, this one definitely
looks healthier

and more like the chicken
that I cook.

Definitely drier.

While the bomb calorimeter
sounds exciting,

sadly, all its magic happens
in a sealed chamber,

so while Phil tests the samples,

Fabz has a demonstration to show me
what's actually going on inside.

This is called -
are you ready for it?

The Screaming Jelly Baby Test.
Screaming Jelly Baby Test.

Could you please hand me our victim?

I have to be honest,
I have eaten all the red ones.

Let's go for a green one. Yeah.

GAS HISSES
Now, a jelly baby any colour

contains just 22 calories,
and this is what it looks like

when those calories burn all at once.

In the bomb calorimeter,

that reaction heats
a small volume of water.

By measuring the change
in temperature,

we can work out
exactly how many calories

the food being burned contains.

I'm now regretting eating
all the red ones.

After Fabz has processed
the samples in the lab,

I'll be meeting dietitian
Dr Louise Durrant,

who will analyse the results,

and what I'm about to discover
could blow your mind.

Wow. I think that's a big difference.

I've been investigating claims
that air fryers

are a healthier way to cook
fried and roasted food.

Someone has had a nibble out of it.
Yes, that would be me.

So I'm meeting dietician
Dr Louise Durrant

from the British Nutrition Foundation

to get the truth behind
the headlines.

Can switch into air-fried food
from deep-fried or oven-baked dishes

slash the calories?

So, we probably all know that
the food that we choose to eat

can have an impact on
our calorie intake,

but what fewer people are probably
aware of is that the way they cook

might also have an impact on the
number of calories in their food.

But just how big an impact?

So here we have some
air-fried doughnuts.

And here are our
deep-fried doughnuts. Mm!

So here we have 21% more calories
in the deep-fried doughnuts

compared to our air fried doughnuts.

Wow. I think that's a big difference.

So I wouldn't necessarily recommend
a diet that's heavy in doughnuts,

but if you are going to cook
doughnuts at home,

you're better off air-frying your
doughnuts than deep frying them.

So have a healthier treat. Exactly.

So, here we have
the air-fried chips.

With 22% more calories
in our deep-fried chips,

It's quite a difference.

So there's some data
out there to suggest that

air-frying versus deep-fat frying
could lead to a 70%-80% reduction

in the calories in food.
Wow. That sounds like a lot.

It does, but what we've seen today
is obviously a lower difference

in the calorie content when we've
compared the two methods of cooking.

Lots of manufacturers make claims

that using their air fryer
might be healthier option,

but typically they've compared using
an air fryer to deep-fat frying,

and most people don't
deep-fat fry at home

and might use other methods
like oven cooking.

So now we're going to
look at an example

when we've used the oven
to roast some food.

So here we have our
air-fried aubergine,

and we use five light sprays
of olive oil,

but when baked in the oven,

the recipe called for five
tablespoons of olive oil,

so this dish contains
a difference of 65%.

That is a big difference.

Foods like aubergine soak up oil,

so switching to a way of cooking
them that needs less of it

could be a massive diet change.

So if you're going to choose this
as part of your five-a-day,

you've got to air fry it, surely?

So, there are other cooking methods
that require less oil

than deep-fat frying
or sometimes oven roasting.

So if you are dry roasting
or grilling,

typically, you don't use any oil.

And, also when you're
cooking vegetables,

you could microwave them
or boil them.

So it is fair to say there
can be some health benefits

from using my air-fryer. Exactly.

So our limited test
showed the difference

may not always be as big as
the numbers in the press,

but it seems clear that
calorie savings of air frying

over traditional frying
or some roasting techniques

do add up over time.

I just can't get over
those aubergines!

Our home testers are now
mastering their machines.

How's the chicken? Dry?

A lot less dry than what we
normally have. OK, brilliant.

What I'm going to make
today for dinner

is something called tandoori paneer,
so it's a vegetarian Indian dish.

It's a good opportunity
to use the grill function

in the active frying grill.

Although nothing's perfect.

We washed the air fryer in the sink,

but it was... A palaver.

A bit of a palaver,

so we'll definitely be putting it
in the dishwasher next time.

And one couple went head-to-head

to test the most important thing
of all - taste.

We decided to cut a rack of ribs
in half and do half...

Half in the oven... Yep.
..half in the fryer. Yep.

Oh, they look really good.
They're sizzling.

You can hear that.

There's just something
more about it.

More ribby.

That is really good.

Ooh! Ooh. It was...

...the air fryer. So the fryer won
the taste test? The air fryer won.

I would definitely, definitely
do that again.

It's definitely like
an eight out of ten.

I've been part of a few
exciting experiments

learning about energy savings
and health benefits,

but there's one thing
you can't test in a lab.

Can air-fried chips really taste
better than deep-fried ones?

Who better to decide than
a crowd of hungry footy fans?

To test this, I'm meeting Dane Vince,

head of operations at a unique
football club. Hi, Denise.

Welcome to Forest Green Rovers, the
world's first vegan football club.

Yes, but greener than green
Forest Green aren't just vegan -

they also recycle the away fans' wee,

use electric lawnmowers
to cut their organic pitch.

And in the never-ending search
for sustainability,

they're going one better.

Dane can't wait to introduce me
to their latest signing -

a giant air fryer.

This one is a bit bigger than
the one that I've got at home. Yes.

On a typical match day, we can sell
1,000 portions of chips to our fans,

and we're changing the way
that we now cook them.

That's a lot of chips,

so why are you switching
from deep-fried to air-fried?

So it's all about sustainability
and reducing our impact,

both in terms of energy
and also oil use.

And we spend about £4,000
a year on oil,

so it's quite a substantial amount.

That's a lot of money,
so big savings to be made.

With the cost of cooking oil
rising 65% in a year,

air-frying could be
the cheaper choice.

Yeah, it's a very significant
saving for the club

and, obviously, it's a healthier
product as well for supporters.

Dane's already converted,
but what about the manager?

Do you never cook your own chips
in an air fryer?

I've never cooked
my own chips in my life.

I'd normally just go to
a fish-and-chip shop.

In Cup A, we have the traditional
deep-fried chips,

and in Cup B we have
the new air-fried ones.

Give me that there.
You pull the back.

You've obviously never done
this before, have you?

There, go on. You get the front one.

But which will the fans prefer?

What do you think? Good?
Yeah, they're nice.

They kind of remind me of,
like, McDonald's-style fries,

so they seem naughtier
than they actually are.

As you can imagine, it's not
difficult giving away free chips.

Tell me if you've got
a good crunch on them.

They taste the same. Do they?
They taste the same to me.

So while the players got to work...
Come on, then, boys!

...so did I.

What one do you prefer out of
the two? You like A?

Despite the air-fried fries
being lower in calories...

This one. Oh, you like that one? OK.

...people didn't seem to notice
a huge difference in taste.

I'll go B. You're going for B? Yeah.

Ooh, controversial!

If I told you there's a lot less
calories in the air-fried chips,

would you choose them over
the deep-fried chips?

Yeah, definitely.

Yep. For sure.

You've chosen the air-fried chips,
which are healthier.

I need to go. All right.

Cheers. Thank you.
I finish these myself, then!

Time to let Dane know the score.

So I can reveal that 48%
went for Chip A,

but 52% went for Chip B,
which means...

...the air fryer chips won.

Fantastic. That's great news.

It's a little bit closer than
I thought, to be fair.

For me personally,
the air fryer wins hands down,

but, you know, we'll get there.

They may have only just
edged it on taste,

but when you add in the lower cost
and potential health benefits,

they seem like the way forward to me.

So is this the start of
something bigger?

So do you think we're going to see
these sort of bigger air fryers

in restaurants, pubs
around the country?

I do think so.
I think it's the future.

You know, the energy savings,
the environmental savings,

and the better product, as well.

So, will air fryers soon be
popping up in our local chippy?

Only time will tell.

But after weeks of testing,
what are our volunteers' verdicts?

So, did it live up to the hype?

For me, no.

I can't see myself going,
like, 100% air fryer

and, you know, getting rid of
the oven any time soon.

When we are all at home,
I still use the oven

in preference to the air fryer
purely because of the space.

I'll be glad we've got one.
Oh, yeah. Yes, we are.

Yeah, we are. Yeah.

I'm pretty happy with the air fryer.

I'm definitely going to
keep hold of it.

I love it. I do. I love it so much.
It's, um...

Yeah, it's been a real asset.

I think it's a win, definitely.

I love it. It's now definitely
pride of place in my home.

I started my air fryer journey
not quite knowing what to expect

and, yes, there have been
a few surprises along the way.

CRUNCH
I've found out how they work.

What is that?

They're not really fryers at all -
and, yes, they're faster...

It was quicker than we thought,
wasn't it? Mm. Much quicker.

...cheaper... That took
40 minutes to do.

Using the air fryer only
will cost 14p.

...and could even be healthier.

So this dish contains
a difference of 65%.

That is...a big difference.

As well as much more versatile
than I expected.

So nice. And also,
it's actually quite easy.

Ten minutes. Like, look
how quickly we've made that.

So, air fryers - are they worth it?

Well, one thing's for sure -
mine's definitely not going anywhere,

and as far as I can see,
Britain's obsession

with the air fryer isn't either.
These bad boys are here to stay.

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