Air frying has been one of the biggest trends in home kitchens in recent years - and the cooking
method is becoming increasingly popular with restaurateurs. As well as healthier results, air
frying has many other benefits, including lower costs and reduced risk of injury and fire.
An interview with Lilly-Marie Schmidt, Director Food & Packaging Supplier Management at
Rational, about air frying in professional kitchens.
Question:
What is air frying exactly?
Schmidt:
Air frying or hot air frying involves cooking products with hot air. This circulates around the food,
creating a crispy texture. Air frying is frying without oil.
Question:
What are the advantages over conventional deep frying?
Schmidt:
The main advantage is that no oil is needed for air frying. This eliminates the need to buy, store and
dispose of frying fat, saving money and time. Another aspect is the safety and well-being of the kitchen
team. Without hot fat, there are fewer fat particles in the air. This prevents health problems and avoids
greasy odours on hair and clothing. Hot oil also poses a risk of burns and increases the risk of fire. And
of course, cooking the food with air instead of fat also has an effect on the results: It contains
significantly fewer calories, unhealthy trans fats and acrylamide because the oil, some of which is on
the product itself, is not heated as much. In some cases, the taste may even be better and the texture
more consistent than with conventional deep frying.
Question:
How is that possible?
Schmidt:
With air frying, you are not dependent on the quality of the frying fat - if it varies, the taste and
consistency of the food will also vary. In addition, colours and flavours are better perceived as they are
not masked by fat. Of course, the food quality also depends on the equipment. In addition to classic air
fryers, you can also use Rational’s iCombi Pro or iHexagon for air frying - handy if you already have a
cooking system like this for frying, baking or steaming in the kitchen. If you want to air fry with the
iCombi Pro or iHexagon, all you need is the CombiFry, a cooking container with a mesh-like corrugated base structure that ensures hot air reaches the food evenly. Your food will be crispy on all sides.
Question:
For which hospitality establishments and for what number of meals is the process suitable?
Schmidt:
Air frying in the iCombi Pro or iHexagon is suitable for any business, as the method is very flexible: Whether you want to produce large or small quantities, cook in mixed loads with other products, or keep air fried food warm and regenerate, it can all be done with ease. For example, à la carte restaurants can cook a portion of falafel at the same time as other products, sports stadiums can
produce large quantities of air fried chips in a short time, or schools, hospitals and nursing homes can offer delicious and healthy food. Air frying with the iCombi Pro or iHexagon is very easy to use
compared to a conventional deep-fat fryer and thanks to the intelligence, the cooking temperature and time are automatically adapted to the quantity and condition of the product, ensuring excellent and reproducible results.
For more information on the iCombi Pro, iHexagon and CombiFry and recipe inspiration, visit rational-online.com.
