My best kitchen friend is the Philips Air FryerWant to know why? Then you have to read this.I wrote this review some time back in 2016. It’s been three years of the journey with the Philips air fryer and it’s still going strong. But updating and republishing this as it’s very important for awareness about always using healthy ways of cooking.

I thought I was busy when I was a medical student. The God’s were having a good laugh then. I became a mommy in 2012.I also joined as a teacher in a medical college in the same year. We shifted to a small town in India. Then managing baby, home and job were so exhausting, busy was an understatement!

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So what does this have to do with a  Philips Air Fryer?

Everything.I was always an okay cook. Not greatly experimental.Occasional glitches and mostly okay. Now with a baby in tow, it became interesting.I managed to burn anything which was not strictly being boiled. Sometimes even boiled stuff! I didn’t have the time, energy or the state of mind to cook. Also, I wanted to concentrate on losing weight.

Enter my cook as a lifesaver(not really!)One and a half-year of the cooking experiment … no weight loss. I went into the full investigative mode and decided to use my little grey cells!

What an investigation into my cook’s cooking habit revealed.

My darling cook who cooked the evening meal was lovingly using about 4 liters of oil for cooking for 2 adults for 1 month. So for 2 years, she used approx  96 liters of oil. That’s a whopping  96×(no. of cal). So it was really no surprise that I hadn’t lost my pregnancy weight. What’s surprising was I didn’t gain even more weight! Anybody who has a cook knows, how difficult it is to make them sauté or steam food and do slow cooking.

So what happened to the pregnancy weight?

It went on a yo-yo mission. I had a list of excuses to dish out when anybody talked to me about losing weight. 1) It’s slowly melting

2) You shouldn’t hurry the process or diet too severely as then the body goes into starvation mode.

3) It’s water weight.

4)It’s the water in this town. It makes you fat(not scientific  I know).

Now you can have 10 different excuses for other people, but what about yourself?

What happens when you seem to feel tired, depressed, and angry every time you look into the mirror. Not a good thing at all! I realized I needed to take a real deep look into the problem. The good thing was I started blogging since 2014 and that was about the time my hubby wisely said the doctor needs to heal thyself”.Maybe while helping others you will find your way!

Doctor needs to heal thyself.Maybe while helping others you will find your way!

I have framed those words in my brain.No, seriously doctors are notoriously self-important and can find the longest list of reasons why something can’t be done. It’s known as a differential diagnosis habit! Anybody who has tried to lose weight knows how helpful the Internet is. Right! There are allopathic, homeopathic, naturopath, chiropractor, fitness trainers, weightlifters dietician, anybody who has lost weight giving you free and paid tips. Now if you have loads of money and naive, you will believe all of them or most of them who seem authentic.

The problem is most of the science behind weight loss, building muscle, looking good living healthy is as clear as muddy water. Most people who are advising you online may have the best intentions. But they are sourcing data and knowledge from goodness knows where.

Research papers on similar topics after being reviewed by the Cochrane reviewers, get validated and only then accepted as Scientific truth.

After that, it gets placed in textbooks and used by doctors to make treatment decisions. So whatever you are following may be only a half-truth. It’s always better to avoid drastic diet or exercise. They are difficult to keep up. Do more harm than good.

I knew the science behind diet, exercise, weight loss, and health so what was stopping me? Then God intervened. Shah Rukh Khan was advertising a particular brand of Air Fryer. Being an SRK fan I keep a watch on his endorsements.

But I didn’t buy the one he endorsed, because it had a less favorable review. (I buy stuff only after intense review research) Also, the warranty for the one I wanted, was for a longer duration. What really interested me was the air fryer can actually fry without oil.

Even recipes needing deep-frying may be using up to 80% less. Now, most Indian dishes including vegetarian dishes often need light or deep-frying. Then the onion, spice mix needs to be cooked in oil. So depending on the number of veggies used the oil content in a dish, progressively increases. This Is where my Air fryer is a rock star!

Exactly how does the air fryer fry food?

Air fryers fry food by a process called Rapid Air Technology. There’s a fan in the upper part of the machine together with a grill.

The grill quickly becomes hot when the machine is switched on. The air in the air fryer gets heated up. Then by their “special technology “and the fan, they circulate this very hot air all around the food from all sides.

Basically, it’s very quick moving, very hot air. This helps to cook the food quickly. The machine gets heated up within 3 minutes. It’s preheating time is much, faster than the regular oven!

Convection oven and Airfryer what’s the difference?

The basic concept of the food getting cooked by hot air appears to be the same. But the difference is the speed with which, the air in the air fryer is rapidly circulated, to decrease cooking time.

Is Air fryer Better than regular Deep-frying?

If you love deep-fried food.If you want to be healthy.If you don’t want to have 10 medicines to lower your blood cholesterol by the time you are 40. Then stop using a deep fryer. Stop deep frying. You are blocking your arteries with fat!

So for frying the best choice appears to be Air fryer.

It can fry food with 80%less oil is the official claim. But for vegetables, I have seen a light browning can be achieved with zero oil.(Super tip: For chicken, I generally marinate it with curd for 2 hours before putting it inside the air fryer. The natural fat in the curd helps cook the chicken, keep it moist as well fry it nicely in the air fryer.)

My cook still does the cooking. The changes I have made:

1)I keep chicken marinated with curd for 2 hours before I put it in the air fryer. 2) I use a brush to lightly coat the food with a layer of oil if I want an extra taste. 3)I air-fry all my veggies in the air fryer with zero oil..yippee There’s a light crispness to the veggies. And the taste is retained. So you are drastically cutting down on the oil use. Only oil needed for the masala mix!

Philips is quite honest when they say you can use zero oil to air fryer, but food taste may be improved according to requirements by brushing more oil over the food.

Why will I Never Deep Fry again?

Personally, I love the texture and taste of air-fried food. It has no oily aftertaste. Your fingers have little or no oily residue. My main problem with cooking initially, was the time it took to fry or sauté the individual elements. My Philips air fryer has totally eliminated this problem.

• Just marinate your veggies, fish, chicken, or mutton in a suitable spice mix.
• Put it in the Philips air fryer basket.
• Adjust the settings.
• Switch on the machine.
• Sit and relax while your food gets fried and cooked!

Pros of My Philips  Air fryer

• Easy to use
• Time Saver.
• Little or no oil cooking possible.
• Cooks quickly saves time.
• Clean up is easy.
• Parts are removable, dishwasher safe.
• Helps you live healthily.
• No risk of oil splatter and other risks of traditional deep-frying

I have stir-fried vegetables, with zero oil and they taste fine. The more oil you add helps enhance the taste of the fried substance, to some extent. For Indian cooking, if you generally lightly fry veggies before adding the masala, then air fryer is God’s gift.

Does the Philips  Air fryer have any cons?

) It Does take up a little space on the counter.

2)Cleaning between the nooks and crannies can get irksome. I use liquid soap in warm water. Soak it for some time. Use a stiff plastic brush to get rid of the oil stains in tricky places.

3)Electric bill. (It’s cost-effective if you weigh, time saved versus money).

4)Suitable for a mainly small family of four. An air fryer can fry up to 700g of food at one time.

So did I lose weight? Yes, I did I lost 5 Kg in 2 months just by using the air fryer. The best part is it helps you change the way you eat. The value of an air fryer is more than just frying.

Who Would Benefit Most From An Air Fryer?

• Busy mums who want to cook healthy for their family and be healthy.
• Busy professionals who don’t want to compromise on healthy eating.
• You don’t like the messy cleaning up after deep-frying food.
• You love fried food and don’t want to give it up.
• You love fried food and still want to lose weight.

I had planned to share my views on the air fry for some timeThe reason I waited was to see whether the changes I made to our frying habits were sustainable. I am happy to report that my family enjoys air-fried snacks and dishes. However, don’t forget that exercise and a good diet are both important for a healthy lifestyle.

Have you used an air fryer? What’s your opinion about it? Comment below to let me know.

 Updated 2021

I still use my first Air fryer. Have inspired my sister to buy one and love how easy it makes my cooking. During the Corona lockdown and even after I no longer have a cook. So my trusty air fryer is a lifesaver for all the preps of frying fish, veggies, and everything between.