By: Kurtis | Last updated February 26, 2019 
Healthy eating is not the easiest thing to do. Most often, the most delicious foods our taste buds are accustomed to are the least healthy ones. We always seem to crave for sweets, chips or deep fried chicken rather than for a piece of broccoli or lettuce.
And because we are so addicted to the crunchiness of the fried food, we pretty much started to fry everything, from our chicken and fries to our Oreo cookies.
The reason why deep fried foods are so irresistible
The reason why all those foods are so delicious is the Maillard reaction, or in simpler terms, the browning that occurs when cooking foods at high temperatures. That reaction occurs at temperatures above 285 degrees F (140 Celsius). It is at those temperatures that the food starts to brown and get that irresistible flavor. It becomes crunchy on the outside while still maintaining the softness inside. It makes your mouth water just thinking about it.
There are lots of examples of foods going through the Maillard reaction: toast when the slice of bread starts to get that brown color, roast meat, French fries and so on.
Why are fried foods bad for you?
As delicious as these deep fried in hot oil foods are, they are not as great when it comes to your health. When consumed in excess and over a long period of time, they can cause a lot of problems, such as heart diseases, due to the clogging of your arteries. Deep fried foods are very high in cholesterol, trans fats and calories, and they can also lead to diabetes, colon cancer and other afflictions.
In addition to direct health problems, deep fried foods also make you gain a lot of weight. Not to mention how messy it is to cook in hot oil.
Air frying – a great alternative to deep frying your food in oil
Air fryers appeared as an alternative to oil frying. The idea was to find a way to still be able to enjoy the crispy foods you love, while eliminating hot oil and all the problems associated with deep frying.
Air fryers are countertop kitchen appliances used for cooking with minimum to no oil. Instead, they use the principle of hot air circulation to cook your food. Most air fryers require as much as a single tbsp. of oil to make an entire batch of fries for instance. Foods cooked with air fryers have up to 75% less fat in them.
Benefits of using an air fryer
So here are the most significant benefits of cooking with air fryers:
- Your food will have considerably less fat in it and will be much healthier. Hence, you reduce the risk of developing heart diseases and all the other aforementioned problems
- Your food will still maintain its crunchiness and softness inside, so you won’t lose that much in terms of taste
- Air fryers are great tools if you are on a diet and want to lose weight
- Air fryers don’t produce that bad odor that occurs when frying your food in oil
- Air fryers are easier to clean and less messy
Quick tips on how to choose your air fryer
- Establish what kind of capacity you need. There are so many air fryers out there, in so many sizes and shapes, that it can be difficult to make up your mind. Do some math in your head and figure out how many people will benefit from the appliance. Do you live alone, do you have a family and kids? Air fryers can cook from 1.8 pounds of food to 4 pounds at once
- Pay attention to the warranty and return policy. Let’s hope you won’t have to use them, but in case your air fryer proves to be defective or unsatisfactory in any way, you should make sure there is a money back guarantee and a warranty service unit somewhere close to your home. Also, look for the manufacturer that offers the best/longest warranty
- Analyze the features of the air fryer. There are plenty of useful features to consider in an air fryer: a timer, temperature controls, alert for when your food is ready and more. Choose the appliance that is equipped according to your own needs and preferences
Read more on what to look for in an air fryer.
Krups Fry Delight – is it any good?
The Krups Fry Delight (AJ1000US) is a really popular air fryer, manufactured by a German company. Krups has been on the market for more than 170 years and makes a broad range of kitchen appliances, from air fryers to coffee makers, grills and others.
The Krups Fry Delight has a capacity of 2.5L, which means you can prepare up to 4 portions of food at once. You can make 2 servings of Fries in one cycle, in just 15 minutes.
Features
The Fry Delight weighs approximately 20 pounds and looks quite bulky, so make sure it has enough space in your kitchen. Its parts are dishwasher safe and the air fryer comes in black and white. The basket can be removed at a simple push of a button.
It has a minimalist design but looks modern and elegant. There’s a big dial on the upper left which acts as a timer, allowing you to set the cooking time. There is an orange LED that corresponds to the heating element and turns on and off while the air fryer is cooking.
The temperature controls are on top and you can adjust it from 300 to 390 degrees F.
Also on top, the Fry Delight has time settings for specific food types. This Krups air fryer allows you to fry, roast, grill and bake.
Krups boasts on the Fry Delight’s 3D pulse technology, which uses an upper heating element and an optimized air flow.
The Fry Delight can successfully cook all types of frozen foods, so you can still enjoy your guilty pleasures such as Fries and so on. It does a great job with most types of foods, it is affordable, solid and durable. Aside from the fact that it can be a bit bulky for some kitchens, there’s no reason not to recommend this air fryer.
Price. You can get the Krups Fry Delight for approximately $90.
