Martin Lewis, the renowned financial expert, has turned his attention to a ubiquitous kitchen appliance: the air fryer. While many of us have jumped on the air fryer bandwagon, touting its health benefits and cost-effectiveness, Lewis is here to burst our bubble.
Since the pandemic and the subsequent rise in living costs, air fryers have become increasingly popular. Advertisements claim they are a healthier alternative to traditional cooking methods, and that they cost less to operate than ovens. But is this really the case?
Lewis recently discussed the topic on his podcast, highlighting that ovens can sometimes be more economical than air fryers. He explained that microwaves provide even heat, while ovens only use intermittent heat to maintain the desired temperature once they’ve reached their maximum heat.
Lewis cited a specific example where ovens prove to be more cost-effective: cooking multiple jacket potatoes. “If you’re doing a full roast dinner and you’re cooking many jacket potatoes, it’s probably cheaper putting them in the oven than putting five or six jacket potatoes in a microwave,” he said.
However, Lewis didn’t entirely dismiss the air fryer. He acknowledged that for smaller quantities of food, such as a single jacket potato, the air fryer or microwave might be the more cost-effective option.
So, how can we determine which method is more cost-effective? Lewis provided a simple equation: find the wattage of the appliance, calculate the kilowatt usage, and multiply it by 34p ($0.42) per hour of use. This equation applies to both air fryers and ovens.
Lewis’s findings were supported by another source, The Money Edit, which concluded that air fryers can be cost-effective for small quantities of food, but more powerful models can have higher running costs.
In conclusion, Lewis advised that for small, simple meals, microwaves and air fryers might be the cheaper option. However, for larger quantities of food, ovens could be the more economical choice. As always, Lewis’s expert insight provides a nuanced perspective on the matter, encouraging us to think more critically about our kitchen habits.
