Why can an air fryer fry things with just one drop of oil?

Air fryers have become popular in the kitchen with the feature of "a drop of oil can fry a crispy taste". The core technology behind them comes from the innovative design of air circulation heating.

Traditional frying relies on oil as a heat transfer medium, while the air fryer quickly heats up through the built-in high-power heating tube （usually up to 1500-1800W）, and then forms a 360° high-speed hot air flow by the top fan. This hot air flow rate can reach 20m/s, which can penetrate the surface of food like "invisible oil", taking away moisture while forcing out the fat of the ingredients themselves (such as meat fat, natural fat of French fries), forming a crispy taste on the outside and tender on the inside.

For example, when roasting chicken wings, the fat of the chicken wings themselves will be extracted to the surface in the hot air circulation, and a crispy crust can be formed without adding additional oil, and the fat intake is reduced by more than 60% compared with traditional frying. For ingredients with low oil content, just brush a drop of oil, and the hot air can make the fat adhere evenly, so as to achieve the purpose of simulating the crispy taste of fried food.

In addition, the Teflon-coated liner inside the fryer reduces food sticking, and with precise temperature control (usually set to 100-200°C), it can avoid burning caused by local overheating. This principle of "hot air replacing hot oil" not only retains the delicious taste of fried food, but also reduces the use of oil, becoming the mainstream choice for healthy cooking.

The emergence of air fryers has redefined the concept of "frying". Through the combination of aerodynamics and thermodynamics, oil-free or low-oil cooking has become possible, which meets the dual needs of modern families for health and convenience.