The New York Times is interested in this oil-free frying device, which now equips more than one in three homes in the United States. Its uses are varied and its annual sales exceed one billion dollars.
“How the Air Fryer Crisped America’s Heart” : this is the title of New York Times, which examines the cultural and commercial success of this device, which has been on sale for ten years.
Invented by Dutchman Fred van der Weij in 2005, presented for the first time by the Philips brand at a trade show in 2010, the hot air fryer first aims to imitate traditional frying using little oil, even not at all.
In their kitchen, where they spent a lot of time during the Covid-19 pandemic, the Americans however found that it could be used for many other things.
With a hot air fryer, you can prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner. For some, it has almost replaced ovens or microwaves for heating up frozen appetizers, leftovers, cooking entrees and desserts. Influencers on social media, especially on TikTok, have made a career out of sharing new recipes and unexpected ideas for using this device.”
Sales boosted by the pandemic
Cheesecake, lamb chops, beef tenderloin, crab claws: blogger and photographer Rebecca Abbott has made all these dishes in the air fryer and has a million members in the Facebook group where she shares recipes and tips .
Sales would have taken off in 2017 and would have been boosted by the pandemic, indicates The New York Times. “Last year, revenue in the United States reached just over $1 billion,” according to market research company NPD Group. “In 2020, some 36 % of American households had a hot air fryer”, and this figure would have increased further.
“We don’t know how long the love story will last”, underlines the newspaper, recalling that Americans are still the most fond of kitchen gadgets of all kinds and that other appliances “had their heyday on the countertop” before being returned. However, in the eyes of the Nigerian-born blogger Chinyerem Uguru, it is rather the oven that is now obsolete. The hot air fryer, she said, “will be there for a long time”.
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