This is a device that no lack of air ! In just a few years, the airfryer has established itself as THE centerpiece of the kitchen, relegating grandma’s old pots, pans and other cast iron pots to the cupboard. What is this toupee about? Pushing us to completely review the way we prepare the great classics. Fries without oil, crispy nuggets, roasted vegetables in the blink of an eye… His credo: cooking at home, cooking healthy, without sacrificing taste or pleasure.
The advantages of the airfryer
The hot air fryer, or airfryer, has the potato. In 2023, the French bought no less thana million airfryersaccording to Gifam. Last February, the Group of Home Appliance Brands revealed the results of sales of household appliances for the year 2023. For the (almost) do-it-all machine, it’s a real plebiscite. In fact, no other product category has recorded such performance over this period. “It’s truly the star device of the moment. In one year, the airfryer has multiplied its turnover by three”welcomed Gifam.
Speed of cooking, absence of preheating, versatility, ally of healthy and quick eating… Does the airfryer only have faults, at least on the nutritional level? If until now it was relatively spared from criticism, the machine has just been pointing the finger by researchers from Gazi University, Turkey.
This starchy food becomes carcinogenic if cooked in an air fryer
Turkish researchers point out that the use of the airfryer can lead to formation significative d’acrylamidea chemical compound known for its toxic and carcinogenic properties, especially when cooking foods high in starch. The academics compared three methods of cooking potatoes, after having carefully rinsed them or soaked them in water: traditional frying in oil, cooking in an airfryer and cooking in the oven.
After analysis, the authors of the study indicate that “The highest acrylamide content was found in air-fryer cooked potatoes (12.19 ± 7.03 μg/kg). It was followed by deep-frying (8.94 ± 9.21 μg /kg) and baking (7.43 ± 3.75 μg/kg).” Note that the difference between the acrylamide contents of potatoes depending on the cooking methods was not not statistically evident.
Soaked potatoes contained less acrylamide
However, the acrylamide content of potatoes that had been soaked in water was lower than that of potatoes that had only been washed. Furthermore, it was observed, in a statistically significant manner, that the soaked potatoes contained less acrylamide when cooked by frying. The observation turns out to be perfectly logical, since soaking in water reduces the starch level.
The researchers concluded: “Although air fryers, which have become widely used as an alternative to frying in recent years, provide fries with less oil, their role in the formation of acrylamide must be studied in more detail.” File to go through…
