Air fryer yes or air fryer no. The debate is on the table. For some it is the invention of the year: cooking with much less fat, ease of use and number of recipes (the internet is full).
However, for others it is not such a wonderful machine: too much energy consumption, little capacity, a device that takes up too much space and a series of criticisms that already enter the field of health and, therefore, we must evaluate if they are really true. . Let's look at the case of this Instagram video.
Below we go into detailing its main criticisms, with the help of two expert food technologists: Javier Morallón, professor of biology and expert in food technology; and José Juan Rodríguez Jerez, professor in the Area of Nutrition and Bromatology at the UAB and doctor in Veterinary Medicine).
Can cooking at too high temperatures destroy vitamins and other nutrients? You have to be careful, because some heat-sensitive vitamins can be destroyed, such as B vitamins or vitamin C. "They can be degraded by excess temperature and oxidation when a food is fried," says Dr. Rodríguez Jerez.
Morallón breaks a point in favor of cooking temperatures, which also help destroy antinutrients and make vitamins and other elements (especially proteins) better absorbed than if the food has not been cooked. "Be careful with the raw veganism trend, because here we can be losing many nutrients, and that is not recommended," he explains.
"But yes: it is true that the vitamins mentioned, subjected to too high temperatures, can be lost. And at the same time, fats reach the smoking point and begin to burn and lose properties," he continues.
Furthermore, when a food rich in carbohydrates is roasted too much, acrylamide appears, a potentially carcinogenic toxin. "It's Maillard's reaction," says Morallón. "What you cook starts with a yellowish color and then becomes more golden. So far, so good. But anything that becomes brown or charred-tanned black is no longer advisable to eat. The darker the color, the more substances begin to be generated. toxic substances, such as aromatic hydrocarbons, heterocyclic amines, acrylamide, etc.," he points out.
In any case, Morallón adds that, "compared to a conventional fryer, 90% less acrylamide is generated."
Both experts agree that, if the diet is balanced, there is nothing wrong with cooking with the air fryer from time to time. "It's all about quantities," they clarify. "Those who eat French fries constantly for a long time, if they are very toasted because they like them crunchy, may have problems," adds Rodríguez Jerez.
"The problem is not the machine, but the lack of variety in the diet. When microwaves came out, there were also many opinions against supposed exposure to the waves," he maintains.
Morallón sees no danger here: "Aluminum is one of the most common metals in the Earth's crust, there are a lot of foods that contain aluminum and our body is perfectly capable of managing these particles and eliminating them through the kidneys." In addition, he makes it clear that it does not come off so easily, that the aluminum in kitchen utensils has a protective coating and that the law is quite restrictive in this regard. It is not necessary to suffer for that.
It's not like that. Experts indicate that in recent years European regulations have also restricted many toxic components of utensils that come into contact with food. Javier Morallón recommends that we renew all silicone utensils that are older than one or two years and buy new ones, which are manufactured - above all - in the European Union, to ensure that they do not release any toxic elements.
Other nutrition experts say that "cooking with less oil" is relative. "These devices blanch many types of foods that are not recommended: nuggets, frozen ridges, croquettes, etc., many of which are already pre-fried, which is why they look so good in the air fryer," says Morallón.
"But if you didn't eat that, now suddenly you will start eating it, and it doesn't matter. The air fryer can be a Trojan horse for many foods that don't interest us at all. They gave me a gift. over and over I went to return it," he confesses.
"We will have to see if the arrival of air fryers is consolidated as happened with microwaves and mobile phones. In a period of one or two years we will be able to verify it," says the UAB professor. "It will depend on whether the public considers it comfortable and practical or whether the inconveniences of excess time, energy consumption and space occupation weigh more."
This article was originally published on RAC1.
