Martin Lewis has explained which kitchen gadget is cheapest to run, dispelling myths that air fryers are always the most economical option.
The popular item has become a household must-have, making cooking more simple - and most of the time cheaper - than using the oven or microwave. But the Money Saving Expert has revealed that air fryers might not be as cost-effective as you think, reports BirminghamLive.
During an episode of The Martin Lewis podcast, he explained the key differences between the oven, microwave and air fryer as well as an equation to work out how much they cost to run. Lewis said: "A microwave gives you consistent heat whereas an oven is warming up to full temperature and then topping it up so it isn’t running at full power the whole time...
READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community
"If you were doing a full roast dinner and you were cooking many [jacket potatoes], it’s probably cheaper [putting them in the oven] than putting five or six jacket potatoes in a microwave because each additional object you put in a microwave, you need to keep it on longer because a microwave just heats the individual object".
Lewis noted that if you cook a single jacket potato, which only needs around 10 minutes, it will be 'far cheaper' to do in a device like a microwave. This goes for your beloved air fryer as well, as heating a jacket potato in your oven will take around 'an hour and a half', and is therefore more expensive.
But if you fancy getting really technical, and aren't too heartbroken about not always using your air fryer, you can work out whether it's best to use your oven or air fryer for each meal using a handy equation. Martin continued: "General equation is, find the wattage of an item, then work out how many kilowatts or what fraction of a kilowatt it’s using, then multiply that by 34p per hour of use.
"The problem with the equation for heating equipment is an oven is going to be about 2,000W. If you had a 1,000W microwave and you put it on for 10 minutes, one KWH for a sixth of an hour, a sixth of 34p is about 6p, shall we say? So it’s 6p turning the microwave on for that amount of time. So yes it’s a very useful equation."
The same equation can be used for air fryers too, as Martin explained: "An oven costs 21p to use on average and a 800W air fryer costs 13.6p to use. But if you own an air fryer that is a lot more powerful, you could be using near enough the same energy as an oven. For example the 2,000W air fryer costs 34p per use, that’s 13p more than an oven.
"And the biggest factor is the quantity of food you’re cooking. [...] Cooking the same thing twice in an 800W air fryer could cost you more than 26p, which is more expensive than cooking in the oven."
Lewis concluded: "If you're cooking something small and simple in there, it's probably cheaper in the microwave and similarly the air fryer."
READ NEXT:
HMRC warns tax credits claimants will need to take action to keep receiving benefits
'We live rent-free in stranger's homes around the world - we've now saved thousands'
House prices for first-time buyers hit record high of £225,000
Millions of households miss out on discounted broadband - find out if you are eligible
