With the availability of several food processing devices, you may want to know the reasons to own an air fryer as a prepper before doing your kitchen shopping. Remember that preppers want the best of the lot & that’s what most consider the air fryer to be.

Air fryers are becoming better alternatives to stovetops, ovens, toasters & other baking, dehydrating, or frying devices. However, choosing the ideal device can be tricky since many of us are unaware of all available options. 

While few of us are familiar with air fryers, others may not be…

So, first off, What Is An Air Fryer?

Simply put, an air fryer is a device used for frying foods, but instead of using oil, it combines strong air convection with a high temperature in an enclosed space. Unlike other previous gadgets with this mode of operation, the air dryer fries foods instead of baking them. 

However, to ensure some foods get the ideal flavor & texture, they have to be lightly rubbed with oil. Examples of such foods are turnovers, bread & other pastries without adequate surface oil. This oil coating can be done using a pastry brush, or just rub a quarter teaspoonful of oil on your hands & rub all over the food.

Other foods with natural oil, say chicken (with its skin), do not have to be coated in oil. All that is needed to be put in the basket & set the appropriate time & temperature for the particular food.

4 Primary Reasons to Own An Air Dryer as a Prepper

Now that you know the basics associated with an air fryer, here are four fundamental reasons you should own one.

Less Oil is Better for Health

Although several oils are considered healthily available for use, there are reasons to be wary of them. First, many of these oils are not 100% healthy most of the time, and you have to factor in the fact that the high temp can change the oil structure. This may increase the trans-fats in the oil and cause other issues. 

With an air fryer, however, there’s no need to be worried. The device uses no oil for most foods, and even when it does, it’s usually very little. Some people do dry off foods after frying in a conventional deep fryer. However, regardless of how hard you try, the oil content of these foods will never be as low as what you get by using an air fryer. I mean, come on, an air fryer uses no oil at all. That’s that.

Now, when selecting an air fryer, you may be tempted to go for one with the hottest (highest) temps, but it isn’t advisable. I often advise that you pick one whose temperature setting is between 200–300°. This is because the lower the temp, the lesser the risk of trans-fat increase — when you use oil.

Easier, Cheaper & Safer than the Conventional Deep Fryer

I’m sure you’ve used a traditional deep fryer several times, no? If you have, then you should know how challenging it can be to keep the device connected to the power cord. When you consider cleaning the gadgets, avoiding splatters & burns, and handling hot oil, it is apparent that even the most convenient deep fryers don’t measure up to the ease of simple air fryers. To clean the latter, all it takes is to wipe up two small items. 

The sizes & shapes of air fryers available today differ a lot. The small-sized models save space & are more portable while the larger ones allow you to make more food at a time while ensuring that it is safer & easier to do so, as you won’t be turning the device off & on repeatedly. Personally, I prefer large-sized models.

Eat a Wider Range of Foods With a Better Taste

Except you use a traditional deep fryer every day & have enough time for its maintenance, you will be wasting a lot of oil. This is why. You can hardly use oil for other food after using an entirely different class, especially after storing it. Remember, when storing oil, it is bound to go rancid after some time regardless of how well it is strained. 

What happens if you wish to make spring rolls, try out squash & see how good you’re with apple turnovers but can’t afford the time or resources to over 3–4 days? It is obvious, isn’t it? The oil goes bad and can no longer be used.

With an air fryer, however, this does not matter at all. There’s no need to reuse oil, much more store it for future use. Therefore, you can use your fryer whenever you choose to & make any food in it. If today, you fry fish & decide to make pastries tomorrow, there’s no issue whatsoever. This ability to try out plenty of foods without much expense is why I usually suggest a toaster oven with an air fryer to others. The ovens will offer the perfect chance to air fry foods (large or small). 

Takes Our A Lot of Devices

Depending on the air fryer model that you settle for, another good thing about them is that they can replace an oven, a broiler & a dehydrator. The catch is that you select a device with adequate space to broil in and has a temp setting that is low enough for dehydrated foods. 

If you find a model like this, you can easily drop all other gadgets at home while going camping or whatever. There’s no debate. If you’re cutting down on the gadgets in your kitchen to pack easily in case of an evacuation, a device with multiple uses, such as an air fryer, has to be at the top of your list.

Concluding The Reasons to Own an Air Fryer as a Prepper

The 4 points above aside, there may be even more reasons to own an air fryer as a prepper — although they depend on preferences. An air fryer can work for dedicated cooking exercises, which other devices cannot. It is also easy to operate & needs no special timer. 

However, you have to be willing to clean your air fryer regularly; else, foods will come out with a peculiar bitter taste. Fortunately, it takes no time to take care of a fryer.