Air fryers cook food by circulating hot air around it to produce a crispy texture. The cost of an air fryer varies depending on where you shop and what model you buy but prices start from around £30 for a basic model.
Benefits of air frying
1. Reduced energy costs - air fryers use less energy that traditional ovens. This helps you to save money, as well as being better for the environment.
2. Quick and easy - air fryers cook food quickly and easily so you can have a meal ready in minutes.
3.Healthier - air frying gives you the taste and texture of deep fried foods but with minimal oil, which reduces the amount of fat and calories in your meal.
4. Versatile - air fryers can be used to cook most of the foods you would cook in a traditional oven including potatoes, vegetables, meat, fish and even desserts.
5. Safer - as air fryers are self-contained devices and don't use a lot of oil, there is less risk of splashes and burns.
Tips for air frying
1. Pre-heat your air fryer - just like a traditional oven, air fryers need some time to heat up before you start cooking. However, this should only take a few minutes.
2. Don't overfill it - air fryers often have a small internal capacity. Follow the guidelines for your model as overfilling can result in undercooked food.
3. Reheat leftovers - use your air fryer to reheat leftovers while retaining texture and flavour.
4. Check your recipe - air fryers cook food more quickly than a traditional oven so you might need to decrease the time and temperature when cooking. You can find air fryer recipes here.
Cutting the cost of cooking
With energy prices increasing, we need to consider not just the cost of buying food but also the cost of cooking it. In this section, we look at cooking methods that use less energy.
Air fryers
Image of air fryer
Slow cookers
Slow cookers cook food more slowly and at a lower temperature than frying, boiling or baking. They are one of the most energy-efficient ways to cook and therefore can save you money. Prices start from around £30 for a basic model.
Benefits of slow cooking
1. Use cheaper cuts of meat - slow cookers are great for cooking cheaper cuts of meat as they become tender during the long cooking process. You can also use less meat as slow cooking extracts a meat flavour that flavours the whole dish. Try bulking out your recipe with extra vegetables instead.
2. More convenient - for most recipes, a slow cooker can usually be left unattended all day. This makes them a convenient way to cook when you are busy.
3. Retains nutrients - as food is cooked at a lower temperature for a longer time, fewer nutrients are destroyed compared to other cooking methods such as boiling or steaming.
4. Better flavour - the longer cooking time allows for better development of flavour in many recipes.
5. Less washing up - in most case you will only have to wash the slow cooker rather than several pots and pans.
Tips for slow cooking
1. Ingredient placement - put tougher cuts of meat and root vegetables in first as they will be closer to the heat source. More delicate foods such as broccoli should go on top.
2. Don't add too much liquid - the liquid should just cover the food. Adding too much liquid could cause the slow cooker to overflow and the food won't cook as well.
3. Don't lift the lid - removing the lid during cooking releases heat and steam and so food will take longer to cook.
You can find more slow cooker tips and recipes here.
Benefits of slow cooking
1. Use cheaper cuts of meat - slow cookers are great for cooking cheaper cuts of meat as they become tender during the long cooking process. You can also use less meat as slow cooking extracts a meat flavour that flavours the whole dish. Try bulking out your recipe with extra vegetables instead.
2. More convenient - for most recipes, a slow cooker can usually be left unattended all day. This makes them a convenient way to cook when you are busy.
3. Retains nutrients - as food is cooked at a lower temperature for a longer time, fewer nutrients are destroyed compared to other cooking methods such as boiling or steaming.
4. Better flavour - the longer cooking time allows for better development of flavour in many recipes.
5. Less washing up - in most case you will only have to wash the slow cooker rather than several pots and pans.
Tips for slow cooking
1. Ingredient placement - put tougher cuts of meat and root vegetables in first as they will be closer to the heat source. More delicate foods such as broccoli should go on top.
2. Don't add too much liquid - the liquid should just cover the food. Adding too much liquid could cause the slow cooker to overflow and the food won't cook as well.
3. Don't lift the lid - removing the lid during cooking releases heat and steam and so food will take longer to cook.
You can find more slow cooker tips and recipes here.
Image of slow cooker