Air frying

i used to work at williams sonoma so it was easy to tell what people were into in regards to food and cooking trends. one of the ones that never really fell off before i left was air frying. when you work there you also pick up a bunch of product knowledge.

i learned that air frying is pretty much a fan blowing hot air around. but isn’t that just convection? working at ws has made me very wary of gimmicks and fancy relabels for old tricks. is air frying one of them? this has been bothering me for years.

I've been seeing these "Air Frying" Contraptions at local stores, and it sounds like baking to me. What's the difference?

[For non-Americans, in case you guys haven't seen it.] ()

Any secrets or success stories in case my grill doesn't pull through today? Thank you!

Does anyone know a good air frier?? I have a family of six and I've heard that air frying is so much more beneficial

TLDR;

What's your go-to Northern Irish snack to throw in the air fryer?

So, today (literally hours ago), I've been introduced to the wizardry that is the air fryer. I'm already deep into the rabbit hole of air frying everything in sight, and I reckon I could end up trying to air fry my car keys by the weekend.

But, since I don't want to reach the point where I'm munching on a crisp, golden brown Biscoff and Brylcreem ice cream (though the temptation is real), I thought I'd ask my favourite sub about Northern Irish snacks that might tickle the palate when air fried.

Now, I know Tayto crisps are our crowning glory, but what happens if you air fry a Tayto cheese & onion crisp sandwich? Does it reach a level of transcendence? How about a second-hand copy of Belfast Boy, a really rare With Actual Truth chapter in it where Belfast's answer to Gregory from Gregory's Girl shits himself in front of Dee Hepburn during a raging bonfire?

What's your go-to Northern Irish snack to throw in the air fryer?

I love french fries but need to avoid oil due to diabetes. Has anyone air fried potatoes before and is the taste the same as deep-fried french fries?

Considering a purchase of an air fryer, however I am unable to find information online about the following health concerns/questions.

1. Most websites compare air frying to deep frying and claim it's healthier. I mostly saute my food - in comparison to sauteed food, which is "healthier"?

2. Is air frying really any different to baking? If so, how?

Loving my air fryer and making potatoes into fries; I’ve just been cutting up a regular ol’ Russett potato into fry shapes, sprinkling on some sort of zero-calorie seasoning and letting ‘er rip. However, in eating fries last night from a restaurant I was reminded of the noticeable taste difference and was wondering what else I could do to improve/enhance the taste without adding copious amounts of calories. I know the restaurant fries are cooked in oil, but I’d rather not use that; I’m also trying to avoid butters, eggs and such. Any thoughts on what else I could use to beef up the taste? A tiny amount of extra calories might be OK, but close to zero would obviously be ideal!

Thank you!

I’ve read somewhere that both methods can increase cancer risk but the difference is the compound created. Which one is more cancerous? And which one is healthier overall? (Sorry if I worded things weirdly my English is not good)

Hi all,

I've spent the last few years really focusing on changing my diet. After my first couple years of college I gained like 45lbs and was weighing in at 190lbs and at 5'9", I was definitely chubby and lacked energy all the time. In highschool I played sports, so I got away with bad eating habits and combined with drinking, it all added up fast. I first began trying to get in shape with the goal of "having a six pack" immediately after that, and thought running and lifting would get me there. Took a couple years to realize it all started in the kitchen. Then I spent the majority of a year eating a 1200 calorie a day diet, and I did achieve my goals. I actually weighed 135lbs, and was definitely cut like I wanted to be, but I hadn't hit the gym much and lost a lot of muscle. I also couldn't keep that diet up as it was strict, and not to mention 135lbs didn't really seem "healthy" either. Even going to the gym was hard because I didn't have the energy to push myself.

Now, over the last couple years, I've really been focused on just eating healthier and having some self control. I'm not so much trying to get cut anymore and really just want to maintain a healthy life long diet. I actually really like cooking, and instead of forcing myself on a diet I don't like, my new approach has been to find healthier, lower calorie substitutes for foods I actually like. Turkey tacos and burgers, zucchini pastas, homemade low calorie breads and a light meringue crust pizza. A lot of that's been killer and even my non-calorie conscious friends and family members love most of it. One of my favourite tools has been the air fryer. I've been able to get at least decently crispy foods out of it and it's allowed me to add some nice "fried" sides to dishes and feel like I'm eating full meals. But I tend to avoid most oils. Just so many different beliefs on which are good and which are bad, and honestly for the most part, I just haven't needed them. But one day I tried making "fried" brussel sprouts. It was one of my favorite foods in my go to the gym and running for a six pack phase. Usually they were deep fried which negated any health benefits from the brussel sprouts lol. Unfortunately, they just didn't taste right with out the crispiness they had with deep frying. Honestly, most air fried things lack that extra crispy taste. So I've finally decided I want to find a oil substitute for frying things. I'm not talking deep fried, but instead I'd still be air frying, I'd just like something that I can coat foods with to get to that extra level of crispy and add some of the taste if possible. Every time I look up oil substitutes on Google I get back the same lists of alternative oils, or oil substitutes for baking. So I figured I'd ask y'all.

Does anyone know of low calorie frying oil substitutes or methods? Please don't suggest other oils and tell me why they are healthier than _____ oil and how just using a little is fine. I understand and appreciate that, but that's just not my goal.

Thanks in advance.

I asked for suggestions on " best" cooking methods. Air fryer came up a lot. I am shocked at how f' ing amazing it was. So thank you for that. Next time, frying in butter.

Edit: sorry no pic . Too good

Follow up: what are some ways to cook vegetables to both preserve nutrients and make them yummy?