“Did you know that if you put two eggs, tomatoes and garlic in your Airfryer you can cook a delicious breakfast?” On TikTok or Instagram, it is now difficult to miss recipes for slimming chicken wings using a hot air fryer, a sort of mini-oven allowing you to cook with little oil.
At Galaxus, it shows: between 2019 and 2023, Airfryer purchases increased 14-fold, now constituting 80% of total fryer sales, especially among those under 35. This machine has only existed since 2010, but most major brands have started using it.
After purchase, feedback was mixed. Many note that “compared to the oven, it’s much faster and it often comes out better, like for fries,” reports Gabriel. “My boyfriend is addicted to gadgets and I found it stupid, but to make cool things, it works really well,” concedes Lucie. Besides, I don’t dare to fry because once, I almost started a fire.”
“On the other hand, we sell it to you like a deep fryer, but that has nothing to do with it,” Gabriel says. It’s a mini-oven that dries out less. And compared to a frying pan, you don’t add any or very little fat.” Yann, who was hesitant, said he gave up because his friends who had one were complaining about “soft fries”. The machine also has a size problem (read below).
Even star chefs are not completely closed to it. “I tried it once, and I might try it one day, even if well-made oil fries shouldn’t be greasy,” smiles Benoit Carcenat, chef of the year 2023 according to Gault&Millau. But it’s like comparing a beef or vegan steak: it’s different. Afterwards, so much the better if it can make people want to cook. But you always need more space in the cupboards!”
Nutritionist in Lausanne, Eva Clivaz confirms that it is a good way to eat light and motivate yourself to cook balanced meals, especially if you are in a hurry. But in dietary terms, “heating above 180°C releases harmful components and eliminates vitamins. Not to mention that I am often described as having a dry and flavorless result. I rather advocate allowing yourself to eat fat, to indulge yourself, but not too often. The ideal remains steam.”
Classic oven or Airfryer?
The big concern is the capacity of the machine. “Impossible to cook food for 4 at once,” regrets Gabriel. This is the concern of Coralie, mother: “I’m happy, but I should have taken a much bigger one, I can’t fit everything. But I hope that energetically speaking, it’s better than my big oven.”
Indeed, if the machine is greedy, it is less so than a conventional volume oven, and heats up more quickly. But it is another device, the design of which always has an environmental cost. “If you only use it twice a year, it’s not worth it,” summarizes environmental engineer Sébastien Humbert. But if it meets your needs, why not; the main thing is to choose the most eco-friendly version, and to use green electricity. And why not try to find it second hand.” A certain number of Airfryers have already ended up on Marketplace.
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