According to a study by the consumer organization Which?, hot air fryers can be up to three times cheaper to operate than conventional ovens.
According to new analyses, the operating costs of deep fryers, but also of microwaves, pressure cookers and slow cookers are lower than those of conventional ovens.
But Which? says any saving needs to be weighed against the purchase price, with air fryers costing up to £300.
Testers found that the cheapest and quickest way to roast a chicken is to use a pressure cooker, which costs 11p and takes 32 minutes, compared to 39p and 76 minutes in the oven. However, they pointed out that the cheaper method doesn’t produce as crispy a skin as regular roasting.
They found that making a “perfect” roast chicken in an air fryer would cost 18 pence.
The air fryer was the cheapest appliance for making French fries: it cost 10 pence for two portions of fries compared to 29 pence for the oven.
Baking a cake was also cheaper at 8 pence in an air fryer than at 24 pence in the oven.
For cooking soup, the induction hob and pressure cooker were the cheapest at 9 pence, while for steamed vegetables and jacket potatoes, the microwave was the cheapest.
Emily Seymour, energy editor at Which?, said: “Energy bills are a huge concern for millions of households across the country, especially as many are already feeling the pressure of the cost of living crisis and cooking is one of those everyday costs that really adds up over time.”
“There has been a huge surge in interest in air fryers and smaller cooking appliances in recent months and our research shows that in some cases the hype may be justified as we have found that cooking certain foods with these products costs less than with traditional ovens.
“However, the cost savings are quickly lost if you need to cook more than one portion, so if you are cooking large quantities, it is still better to use the oven.
“However, for quick, small meals, we have found that it is worth trying the alternatives.”
