Air fryer: is it an 'oil reducing artifact' or a 'carcinogenic tool'? Come hear what the experts have to say
"When did you buy an air fryer! You didn't see an expert say some time ago that air fryer will cause cancer? Hurry up and return it!"
Some time ago, Xiao Yang took advantage of the big discount of 618 and quickly bought an air fryer—she was really greedy for various recipes on the Internet.
Coincidentally, just a few days after the air fryer was bought, Xiao Yang finally got some free time to try this "cooking artifact", and her mother came over. And as soon as he came, he began to accuse Xiao Yang of buying these bells and whistles every day, which was not only ineffective but also unhealthy.
"Didn't you see the follow-up? Many people later came out to refute the expert, saying that he exaggerated the facts... and the air fryer is oil-free cooking, and the food made is healthier ."
But in the end, Xiao Yang couldn't be more stubborn than his mother, so he had no choice but to return the air fryer that he had never used once.
In recent years, the air fryer has been welcomed by more and more people and has become a new favorite in the kitchen. Some people regard it as an artifact to reduce oil... Does the air fryer cause cancer, or does it make people "really fragrant"? ?
1. Will "air fryer" cooking without oil make the food healthier?
According to statistics, from January to May this year, the cumulative sales of air fryers on an e-commerce platform exceeded 4 million, and the cumulative sales exceeded 1.4 billion yuan, an increase of about 238% year -on-year . Is the advertised healthy cooking really healthy?
In fact, the air fryer uses fast air technology , there are heating pipes and a fan inside the pot, the fan will spread the heat of the heating pipes fully, each cycle cycle forces all the air through the food and the heater surface, making the whole space hot It rises and removes moisture from the food to create a cooking effect comparable to frying.
Compared to traditional ovens, the air fryer takes less time, consumes less energy, uses less oil , can even be oil-free, and is easier to clean than a traditional oven to bake the same food .
Source: Network
In this way, does the food made by the air fryer mean that it is healthier? In fact, it depends on different foods.
If you use the air fryer to bake foods with high fat content , you can achieve the same taste without putting oil, and at the same time, you can bake the oil originally contained in the food to reduce the fat content, such as pork belly, chicken legs, chicken wings , etc.
But cooking high-carb, low-protein plant-based foods , such as sweet potatoes and potatoes, can easily produce levels of acrylamide that exceed safe levels.
Acrylamide is a second-class carcinogen, so for friends who like to eat fried food, if you want to use the air fryer reasonably, then bake less starchy food.
2. Is the air fryer "really fragrant" or "carcinogenic"?
As mentioned earlier, when using an air fryer, food produces a substance during the cooking process - acrylamide, a substance classified as a Group 2A carcinogen . So does this mean that using too much air fryer will cause cancer?
In this regard, Gu Zhongyi, director of the Beijing Dietitian Association, explained that acrylamide is one of the by-products of the Maillard reaction. If the food contains carbohydrates and amino acids at the same time, during the high temperature heating process of 140 ° C to 180 ° C, it will The Maillard reaction occurs , so acrylamide is not unique to air fryer cooking.
As long as there is a Maillard reaction, there may be acrylamide , and it can even be said that most of the delicious food contains acrylamide to some extent.
At present, epidemiological studies of some occupational groups exposed to acrylamide and those accidentally exposed to acrylamide due to accidents have shown that acrylamide has neurotoxic effects .
However, there is currently insufficient population epidemiological evidence to show that food intake of acrylamide is significantly associated with the occurrence of certain tumors in humans .
However, although acrylamide is currently not harmful to the human body, it is not beneficial to human health. Therefore, it is necessary to choose a good cooking method during the cooking process to reduce the production of acrylamide.
1. Improve cooking methods
When cooking at home, the temperature in the pot should not be too high, and the use of stir-frying, frying and other methods to cook food should be minimized.
2. Balanced side dishes
Eat a variety of foods to reduce the intake of foods that are high in acrylamide. In addition, a balanced and varied healthy diet can also reduce the risk of cancer.
3. Fewer ingredients
When baking bread, consider adding less sugar to avoid a dark crust and reduce the production of acrylamide.
3. Use the air fryer scientifically, keep in mind 3 points
Many people have said "It's delicious!" after buying an air fryer, but there are still some tips to use the air fryer in a healthy and delicious way.
1. Do not pursue "oil-free cooking" too much
Whether it's an air fryer or a traditional electric fryer and oven, grease is inevitable. Air fryers still need oil in many cooking steps (such as heating vegetables, potatoes and other ingredients), but the amount of oil used is less than that of traditional frying.
The right amount of fat can also prevent the ingredients from burning quickly, so there is no need to pursue "oil-free cooking" too much.
2. Control the temperature and time
Yu Renwen, a clinical nutrition catering engineer at the Seventh Medical Center of the People's Liberation Army General Hospital, said that when conditions permit , try to use an air fryer with a cooking temperature of 120°C and a production time of about 10 minutes to avoid over-production. many potentially harmful ingredients.
3. Less fried starchy foods
Studies have shown that starchy foods are more likely to produce excess acrylamide when cooked at high temperatures . Although there is no clear evidence that acrylamide is carcinogenic to humans, if you are really worried, try to avoid cooking starchy foods when using an air fryer.
Overall, although acrylamide is a second-class carcinogen, it is not impossible to control acrylamide in daily cooking, as long as the correct method is used when using the air fryer, it will not be a big problem.
references
[1] "After testing the air fryer for two months, I have 5 suggestions that I must say". Eleventh Clinic. 2022-03-30
[2] "Can air fryers cause cancer? Or is it healthier to cook without oil? It's time to know the truth...". Popular Science China. 2021-12-06
[3] "Is the food made by the air fryer really healthy? 》. The Second Academy of Zhejiang University. 2022-02-25
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