Every product has some advantages and disadvantages. These factors can change the buying intention of customers. In recent years air fryers are gaining popularity because of their unique healthy cooking technology. It uses a very little amount of oil to cook food instead of frying them in oil. So it reduces the consumption of calories from our daily meals.
Everyone is telling about air fryers’ advantages but today we will discuss the disadvantage of air fryers. I have also an article on advantages of the air fryers.
But from my own experience, I have shorted 12 disadvantages of air fryer but they are not major problems. In the last, you can decide for yourself that Should you buy an air fryer for your kitchen?
Here are the 12 disadvantages of air fryer
#1. Not an ideal choice for a large family
Air fryers come with limited cooking capacity. If you belong to a large family then cooking in an air fryer will be a headache. You need to cook a large amount of food in multiple batches. After every cooking, you need to clean the air fryer and again use it for cooking. It’s a very long and hassle process.
The biggest air fryers have 10 quarts to 15 quarts of cooking capacity. Using these air fryers you can only cook 6-7 servings in a single batch of cooing. For parties, small gathering air fryers are not the best choice. If you overcrowd the basket the hot airflow obstructs and you will get raw and undercooked food. So for small family and personal use air fryers works brilliantly and give you a hassle-free cooking experience.
#2. Bulky design
Another disadvantage of the air fryer is its bulky design. The basket-style air fryers are very bulky to store in the cabinet, oF you do not have enough space in your cabinet then you have to leave the air fryer on your countertop. Which will cover a large cooking space and make cooking uncomfortable while using other appliances.
#3. Take extra time to cook food
Air fryers take extra time for cooking than a deep fryers. Air fryers use hot air to cook food and need to be preheated before every cooking. The cooking time also depends on the size of your air fryer and brand. A good quality air fryer takes less time than a regular cheap air fryer. But in most cases, an air fryer is slow than traditional ovens. While a traditional fryer takes 10-15 minutes for cooking the air fryer takes 20-25 minutes. So air fryer is not an ideal choice for large families, parties, and gatherings.
#4. Peeling the coat
Another common disadvantage of air fryers that peeling off the upper thin coat of the basket. Most of the baskets are coated with Teflon. But using the Teflon-coated air fryer at high temperature for a couple of months the upper thin layer starts peeling and produces flakes. These flakes contaminate the food and make them unpleasant and unhealthy to eat. But an air fryer with stainless steel basket, ceramic-coated air fryers, and glass air fryers are the best alternative to Teflon-coated air fryers.
#5. Noisy
Air fryers are a little bit noisier than ovens. Because the air fryer has an in-built powerful fan that sucks the air through the heating elements and distributed the hot air evenly. Air fryers also have another ventilator fan that maintains the inside moisture and ventilates the hot air through the rear exhaust.
The noise of the air fryer fan differs between models. But it can produce noise up to 65 decibels. So the sound may be noisy for your members. You should always use an air fryer in an open space and ensure that the wall should be 2 ft away from the air fryer.
#6. Air fryer smoke and odor smell
While cooking in the air fryer white smoke comes out through the air vent. So the new users are afraid that their air fryers are defective. But that’s not true. The white smokes produce because of food residue, highly fatty food, extra oil, etc. When the air fryer’s high heat wave evaporates the oil and burns the food residue these smoke problems come out. But it’s not a major problem but blue smoke may be a sign of a technical problem.
Odor smell is another disadvantage of air fryers. Always clean the new air fryer with mild detergent and preheat them before cooking. Might be this problem will be solved.
#7. Overcooked burnt food
Because of not using a high amount of oil for air frying in the air fryer the hot air dried out the surface of your fries. If you are negligent while monitoring your fries they will be overcooked and taste burnt. So be alert while cooking in the air fryer you can set a timer for the best result.
#8. Food turns into dry
Air fryers use rapid air technology to cook food instead of frying them in a deep oil fryer we all know that. To cook food, a healthy version of fried food air fryer needs a very little amount of oil. But without oil, the food turns very dry. The hot air crisps the outside but without oil, it becomes very chewy in texture. So always a little amount of oil used in the air fryer for cooking will give you a perfect delicious taste of fries.
#9. Expensive
A regular air fryer cost $50-$70 with air frying and two-three extra modes. But a Good quality with loaded feature air fryers costs more than $100. The stainless steel air fryer is made of high-strength steel material which enhances the decor of your kitchen. The ceramic air fryers are free from BPA compounds. The $100 above air fryers are comes with a digital control system, preset modes, LCD, timer setting, safety features, and many more. So investing in a good quality air fryer will be more expensive than regular common air fryers.
#10. Hard to clean
After every cooking, you need to clean your air fryer. But cleaning the air fryer is not easy. Most of the time food residue is stuck in the holes and very difficult to remove. So you need sharp objects for removing them but the sharp object can damage your basket. If you use an abrasive sponge there are also chances of basket coat damage. The heating elements area also needs to be clean but your hand will face difficulties reaching there etc.
But the basket is waterproof and dishwasher safe. You can use mild detergent and warm water to clean the air fryer basket. You can also put them in your dishwasher.
#11. Create harmful compounds
Here is the ninth disadvantage of air fryers Everyone is telling us air-fried foods are healthy but that’s not 100% true. When cooking muscle meats, beef, pork, fish, and poultry in the air fryer at a high temperature. It can produce polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heterocyclic amine substances. These compounds are related to cancer risk according to the National cancer institute. So you should cook them at a slow temperature and always use a cooking thermometer probe to check the inner temperature.
#12. Short power cable
Most air fryers come with a short power cable. This is not a disadvantage but if your electric outlet is far from the countertop then it will be a very annoying problem. The common length of the air fryer power cord is 90cm-95 cm. So always choose the right place for your air fryer where the power outlet is near the countertop.
Wrap it – should you buy an air fryer?
Every product has some upsides and downsides. But a smart buyer always compares the advantage and disadvantages of the product before buying. If you find some advantages over disadvantages then you should buy that product. Air fryers are the newly introduced kitchen appliances.
They are small and easy to use. They also offer healthy meals using very less amount of oil. Air fryers come with versatile cooking modes with a smart digital control system. It crisps your fries without sacrificing the original taste. And very much inexpensive compared to microwave ovens. So, in my opinion, you should buy an air fryer for your kitchen.