Because it's small, using an air fryer can often be cheaper than using your oven for the same meal. This makes it ideal for preparing smaller amounts of food for one or two people.
Air fryers use less than half the amount of energy as a conventional oven, and can even use less than a third of the energy of some high-end ovens. This means that not only will an air fryer save you money on your energy bill, but it will also help to reduce your carbon footprint.
While air-fryers are considered quite energy-efficient, there are a few models that consume 1500 to 1700 watts, whereas a microwave uses around 1200 watts for a cooking session of around 30 minutes. They might consume an additional two to seven watts in standby or reheating mode.
An air fryer can help add air frying or convection baking capabilities to your kitchen and offers a convenient size when preparing a single batch of chicken wings, bacon, salmon, zucchini fries or other fried favorites. However, an air fryer can't replace a conventional oven when it comes to capacity.
Based on 2023 electricity prices (taken from averages in NSW) it will cost around $0.50-$0.60 to run an Air Fryer for an hour. An electric oven will cost around around $1.20-$2 to run. The running cost will depend on your electricity deal and how powerful your oven and air fryer is. While this doesn't sound like a lot.
Microwaves, slow cookers and air fryers
Using slow cookers, microwaves and air fryers when you can, are all great options for low-maintenance, low-cost, low-carbon cooking. Microwaves: When comes to cooking quickly and cheaply, microwaves are going to be your best friend.
Slow cookers have low wattage, so even cooking something for 8 hours will use less energy than an oven or hob. On average, slow cookers usually use about 1.2kW over the course of eight hours, which means it will only use around 162.5w per hour, which works out at just 5p per hour.
The downside
Air-frying also produces high temperatures at a very rapid rate, thus making it extremely easy to burn food. And charred food may be carcinogenic. In addition, Cucuzza adds, because most devices cook 1 to 3 pounds of food at a time, it can be challenging to air-fry meals for a large family.
Because air fryers cook so fast and at high temps, foods like chicken wings, french fries and most frozen apps will get crispy on the outside without drying out on the inside the way they might when stuck in the large oven for 30 or 40 minutes.
Another called it “a total gamechanger when it comes to cooking”, while Gordon Ramsay claimed the results are like food “cooked in oil, but [the air fryer] locks in the juice and the flavour is extraordinary”.
Which is better between air frying vs. oven baking? Air-frying is a healthier alternative to deep-fried foods, but oven-baking often preserves good nutrients while filtering out the bad ones, making oven-baked foods even healthier than most air-fried foods.
Is it cheaper to use an air fryer than a microwave? Both appliances are fairly energy efficient when compared with lots of other kitchen machines (such as energy-sucking washing machines or ovens), but as mentioned, most experts agree that microwaves tend to be cheaper to run than air fryers.
By most measures, air frying is healthier than frying in oil. It cuts calories by 70% to 80% and has a lot less fat. This cooking method might also cut down on some of the other harmful effects of oil frying.
Research from Uswitch.com has said that an air fryer running on 1,000 watts costs 17p per 30 minutes of use and 34p per 60 minutes of use. Meanwhile, a 1,500W air fryer costs 26p for 30 minutes and 51p for an hour, whilst a 1,800W air fryer costs 31p for 30 minutes and 61p for an hour.
It's generally cheaper to run an air fryer than an oven. A 1,500 W air fryer will currently cost 17p per 30 minutes of run time, or around 51p per hour.
An air fryer is simply a small oven that runs on convection heat. The heat is circulated around a tight space by a powerful fan that lies just below or behind the heating element. Just as in a standard oven, it is perfectly safe to use aluminum foil in the air fryer.
The pros are that air fryers are versatile, easy-to-use, and very quick allowing you to make healthier food efficiently in your own kitchen. Despite this, these rather large devices quickly take up space on your kitchen counter or in your cupboards and can be tricky to clean.
Microwaves, slow cookers, electric pressure cookers and air fryers all consume significantly less energy than ovens, so using these instead, if possible, will save you money. “Microwaves are particularly energy efficient,” Dr Reynolds says.
Slow cooker
Slow cookers are among the kitchen's most energy-efficient appliances.
"Cooking in the air fryer uses less than half of the energy required to cook the chicken or the jacket potato in the oven," says Greg. "So, cooking in the oven costs more than double what it costs in an air fryer."