The Top 10 Reasons Why I Love My Air Fryer

How much do I love my air fryer? Oh, let me count the ways ... Despite its name, an air fryer is not really a fryer at all—it's a countertop convection oven that turns foods crispy and golden almost without any oil. But the air fryer goes way beyond fried foods! This tiny powerhouse can cook just about anything you place in it quickly, efficiently, and healthily. The only tricky thing is finding the best recipes that the entire family will enjoy. (Don't worry, I've got you covered with some amazing air fryer recipes.)

Top 10 Reasons I Love My Air Fryer

1. Saves Time

Due to their smaller size, air fryers heat to cooking temperature much faster than a traditional oven. It takes about 3 minutes for my air fryer to reach 350 degrees, saving me tons of time in the kitchen.

2. It Doesn’t Heat the Whole Kitchen

During the dog days of summer, the very thought of turning on the oven usually leads to me ordering expensive take-out. Here’s where the air fryer really saves the day: with an air fryer, there is no need to heat the whole kitchen to make a homemade meal.

3. Makes Kid-Friendly Foods 

It makes baked potato night a breeze. Delivers a perfectly crispy grilled cheese in under 5 minutes. From chicken tenders to French fries, the air fryer is a countertop warrior at making kid-friendly meals for the whole family.

Make a whole dinner of food kids love in a big guy like the Ninja Air Fryer Max XL. Photo courtesy of Ninja

4. Tons of Yummy Recipes

With a little research, there are an insane amount of recipes available on the internet! From these 39 Air Fryer Recipes That Will Make Eating More Delicious, to the entire air fryer recipe library at Allrecipes, there are so many ideas out there when you need a little mealtime inspiration. 

5. Cooks Just About Anything 

Air fryers get a lot of credit for making our favorite fried foods healthier, but did you know that you can cook just about anything? Everything from sugar cookies, hard-boiled eggs, baked potatoes, steaks—you can even avoid the dreaded soggy zoodles!

6. Multi-Tasking Champ

Think of your air fryer like a kitchen Swiss Army Knife—it can do so many things. This multi-tasking powerhouse will make the time you spend preparing meals in the kitchen much more efficient. The inner racks let you cook more than one kind of food at the same time. So layer up those proteins and sides and you have yourself a complete meal in minutes.

Pizza (like my delicious homemade pepperoni pizza here) reheats perfectly in the air fryer. Photo by the author

7. No More Soggy Leftovers

Sure, microwaves are quick, but they have a way of leaving reheated leftovers soggy and deprived of flavor and texture. Use the air fryer to perfectly reheat pizza, crisp up leftover tortilla chips, and keep your chicken tenders, well, tender! We use our air fryer to reheat so much pizza (like our amazing homemade pizzas that we make for family pizza night!) that it is almost worth purchasing one for this task alone.

8. Makes Comfort Food Healthier 

Unlike traditional frying methods, air frying doesn’t rely on covering your food in calorie-laden oil. This means you can make veggie fries, fried chicken, donuts, potato chips, chicken wings, and more using little to no oil at all.

Many models can go straight into the dishwasher, making cleanup a snap. Photo courtesy of Ninja 

9. Makes Minimal Mess

No need to worry about hot oil splattering all over your cooktop, with an air fryer there is minimal mess. The enclosed basket captures all the messy bits, making clean-up a breeze.

10. Frozen Foods

It’s true, frozen foods are already pretty convenient. But somehow when you cook them in an air fryer they magically become even more convenient. Instead of zapping fish sticks and chicken nuggets in the microwave, you can throw them into your air fryer and get delicious results. The magic doesn’t stop at lunchtime: For breakfast try putting your frozen pancakes, waffles, biscuits, and cinnamon buns in the air fryer and savor the delicious results.

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