Martin Lewis has issued a cautionary note to air fryer enthusiasts who might be tempted to cook multiple items at once. The popularity of air fryers is soaring, with culinary enthusiasts using them for everything from pot roasts to vindaloos.
However, the Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis has highlighted a potential downside: relying on your air fryer over your conventional oven could end up costing you more. These gadgets are superb for cooking 'small things that cook quickly', but Lewis pointed out that loading the air fryer with various foods can increase energy consumption and bump up your bills.
During an appearance on ITV's This Morning, he said: "Air fryers are good for small things that cook quickly. If you're gonna have to use your air fryer 15 different times for different items, generally, on energy usage, you'd be better off to use an oven. So it's an interesting thought."
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Research by Which? also indicates that while air frying in small batches can lead to significant savings, these benefits diminish when preparing larger meals. Steph Kipling from Which? said: "The savings soon drop off if you have to cook in batches. So if you're cooking a large amount of food, the oven or hob may still be the most economical choice."
However, the cost-effectiveness of an air fryer should be evaluated on an individual basis, as different machines and basket types will incur varying costs. For instance, Tech Radar suggests that a 1500-watt basket used for approximately 30 minutes daily will cost about £1.78 per week, while a 2400-watt air fryer used for the same duration will cost £2.85 weekly.
Electric ovens, conversely, typically consume between 2,000 to 5,000 watts of electricity per hour, although this also depends on the heat level being utilised. "General equation is, find the wattage of an item, then work out how many kilowatts or what fraction of a kilowatt it's using, then multiply that by 34p per hour of use," Martin explained in a recent podcast.
Steph further noted: "The air fryers we've tested cost anywhere between £30 and £250 to buy. So even though it may save you money compared with using an oven, it could be a while before it starts to pay for itself if you go for a pricier model."
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