When someone as talented and celebrated as Prue Leith sings the praises of a kitchen appliance, we are all for listening. Especially when the British restaurateur is singing the praises of an air fryer.
Whether you've already got one of the best air fryers on the market or not, it's impossible not to know about the beloved appliances. And while there are a few common air fryer annoyances that can prove irksome, there's no denying the convenience and efficiency of the machines.
So whilst we're already big fans, we were ecstatic, and pretty surprised, when cooking legend Prue Leith jumped on the hype.
Prue Leith's reason for joining the air fryer party
Here at woman&home, we've tested all the best air fryers out there and learned just about every air fryer hack there is. So it's pretty safe to say we're team air fryer and we're loyal to the cause.
Speaking to Virgin Radio, Bake Off judge Prue Leith recalls, "Well, rather belatedly somebody lent me an air fryer because they thought I was being funny saying who needs an air fryer, what’s the matter with a frying pan and an oven? So it sat in my kitchen, and I didn’t really use it much."
However, like most of us, Prue was quickly drawn to the air fryer, and the appliance didn't sit on her kitchen counter unused for long.
"Then I thought, this is stupid, I should try it. So I moved it to where I could see it, so instead of picking up the frying pan, I sometimes [would use the air fryer] and then I discovered that what it is so brilliant at," starts Prue.
Aside from the sheer amount of food you can cook in an air fryer, there are many other benefits, from low-calorie cooking to easy, mess-free cleaning. And Prue apparently couldn't agree more; it turns out that cleaning an air fryer was what got her hooked.
"You know if you’ve roasted something in the oven, the oven is a mess and it takes longer to clean the oven than it did to roast the chicken – so the wonderful thing about the air fryer is it’s like a non-stick frying pan that you just shove and rinse it under the tap," she explains.
If you're tired of wondering how often you should clean your oven, then you've probably considered getting an air fryer or have one you couldn't live without. While they take a little getting used to, once you've cracked the code, they're a breeze and make cooking dinner much quicker and healthier.
"You have to make an effort to use it because it’s not in your head, but it does do the job very well. It’s brilliant for things like bacon or chicken thighs and roasting things," points out Prue. "And it crisps up a pie without making it soggy. If you put it in the microwave, it gets soggy."
In the battle of air fryer vs microwave, there's a clear winner, and we'll take the side of a cooking legend any day of the week. If Prue is on team air fyer, then we're more than happy to stay on the same side.
w&h's air fryer top picks
There isn't another air fryer like this on the market, but it's a true hero. The attachment on top clips onto special Ninja glass air fryer dishes. It cooks food in the same container that you could use for storage. I can fit all this in a drawer, which is remarkable given that most air fryers can't even get in a cupboard.
With a whopping 9-litre capacity, the Salter can feed at least six people without breaking a sweat. The side panel offers 12 handy pre-sets that'll stop your food from burning, and you can keep an eye on what's cooking with a handy viewing window. It even comes with clever accessories that transform two drawers into four shelves.
The Tower often gets overlooked, but it's an impressive oven. The clear viewing window makes it easy to keep an eye on your food, and you'll have 10 different pre-sets that take you from baking and roasting through to dehydrating. For the price, it's exceptional. Compared to every other oven, it's remarkable. To me, that's unmissable.
Should you still be wondering what's better for your home, an air fryer vs oven, then it's best to weigh up just how much you cook in the oven. When cooking larger quantities, ovens are a clear winner, but air fryers are consistently better for quick, smaller meals.
