PARENT OPINION: A love letter to air fryers.

Here’s a fun fact for you, I haven’t cleaned my oven in a year, and yet my oven is still clean. How is this possible? Because... I don’t actually use it. 

As a busy parent, I love my air fryer. Not only has it saved me precious time in the kitchen, but the food it's cooked up over the years has been absolutely delicious – I couldn't imagine cooking without it.

My air fryer obsession began in a house that had a conventional (so, not fan-forced) oven, which took forever and a day to heat up... and eternity to cook anything in. It really took the quick out of the quick-and-easy kids’ meals, so I bought an air fryer… and the love affair has grown from there.

Seriously, I cook everything in it. And, with three kids who are constantly hungry, but also fussy (none of them like the same food), I’m often cooking three different meals at once. 

If I can be frank and point out one teeny problem with the air fryer, it would be that it’s too small for several items, like pizzas. Fortunately, McCain's Cheesy Vegemite Lil' Pizzas fit perfectly into my air fryer and more importantly, my kids love them – all three of them, and that NEVER happens.

Only 5 minutes (you read that right!) in the air fryer and these little pizzas are ready, making them the perfect after-school snack. My kids love them so much that they've officially become a part of our Friday afternoon routine. Since all I have to do is pop them into my air fryer and they're done within minutes, I can spend more quality time with my kids after a busy week of school and running around with extra-curricular activities. 

Now, if you haven’t jumped on the air fryer bandwagon yet, let me tell you about your new bestie (and if you’re already there, feel free to nod along).

Image: Supplied.

Cooks food faster than an oven.

Air fryers heat up in just a few minutes, so by the time you’re done chopping veggies (or, ahem, removing the gourmet meal from its packaging) it’s ready to go!

Uses less energy than an oven.

Turns out when you love an appliance, you don't mind doing a little investigating about their stats. According to Canstar Blue, air fryers are also much more energy-efficient than standard ovens to run (if you're a numbers person: costs are about 34c/kWh less). 

If you’ve also had the experience of breaking out into a cold sweat upon seeing your power bill, cost of living and everything else – GET YOURSELF AN AIR FRYER.

Food is cooked with less oil compared to oven-cooked food.

Yes! Always a good thing, and with their nifty little trays, a lot of it drains right out, resulting in a less oily meal in comparison. 

More temperature control settings than an oven.

Mine has the option to air fry or roast and has specific settings for certain foods – like fries – to give you the perfect time and temp without having to activate your brain. 

Easier to clean an air fryer than an oven.

Yeah baby! The last time I cleaned an oven, I did the deep clean thing where you take off the door and pull it apart to reach the internal glass. Super easy! But you know what is NOT easy? Putting it back together. The air fryer, however, has its little pull-out basket which goes straight in the dishwasher. 

Image: Supplied.

Air fryers don't heat up your kitchen as much as an oven.

I don’t know what it’s like in other parts of Australia right now, but I believe the scientific descriptor for Brisbane is “hot as all heck”, and that won’t change until late March. The air is so wet you could drink it, so the last thing you want to be doing is turning on an oven. 

Air fryers take up very little space.

I don’t have a huge kitchen and yet the air fryer lives permanently on my bench. Which is a good thing, because I use it multiple times a day. 

Yep, multiple times a day. Because it isn’t just used for dinner – sometimes it’s breakfast (some bacon or a croissant comes out perfectly), lunch on weekends or during school holidays, and after-school snacks obviously.

I joke a lot about this, but I truly don’t know what I’d do without my air fryer, because there is simply not enough time in the day (nor patience in my soul) to do dinner the old-fashioned way. Are you convinced yet?

Take snacking from ordinary to extraordinary with McCain Cheesy Vegemite Lil' Pizzas, available from your local Coles and Woolies.

Feature Image: Getty/Canva/Mamamia.

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