Air fryer popularity warrants dedicated cooking instructions, says Leatherhead Food Research

Half of the adults in the UK who own an air fryer say they struggle with knowing how long to cook food in it according to a survey by Leatherhead Food Research.

Most air fryer owners (64%) say they would cook more with them if timings were included on cooking instructions labels.

The survey also reveals that nearly a third of UK households (30%) own an air fryer. Of the UK households that don’t currently own an air fryer, 22% of them plan to buy one in the next 12 months, with the most popular reason for purchase being to reduce energy bills.

In response to this trend, Leatherhead recently added air fryers to its UKAS-accredited cooking instruction generation and verification services (UKAS accredited testing laboratory no. 9365).

Natasha Burton, head of cooking instructions, says manufacturers of products that are commonly cooked in these devices want to be sure that consumers can achieve safe temperature and time combinations.

“With 56% of owners using their air fryers weekly, and 67% saying they expect to use them more due to increased energy prices, there is a clear need for dedicated cooking instructions,” Burton explains. “This is becoming a mainstream cooking technique for a wide range of products. While chips are the most popular, we found that a quarter of owners also use their air fryers for wet fish and vegetables. Being able to cook food more quickly, cheaply and with less fat is a winning combination for many people. By including air fryer cooking instructions on-pack, manufacturers enable consumers to cook food safely and achieve the desired sensory qualities.”

According to Leatherhead’s survey, the top ten foods for cooking in an air fryer are: chips (73%), potatoes (48%), breaded chicken products (47%), sausages (44%), chicken (44%), breaded fish products (42%), fish (26%), vegetables (25%), beef burgers (24%) and bacon (24%).

The survey was conducted online between 16-19 September 2022, and the total sample size was 2063 adults. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults.

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