What is the cheapest way to cook?

Thanks in part to higher energy bills, many people are looking for ways of cooking that won’t send their gas and electricity usage soaring. 

As a result, air fryers in particular have become “the most sought-after kitchen appliance”, said The Money Edit.

Air fryers along with microwaves and slow cookers all consume “significantly less energy than ovens”, said the BBC, so using these instead, if possible, will save you money. 

Limiting oven use to only “special occasions is the single most impactful thing an individual can do”, Sarah Bridle, professor of food, climate and society at York University, told the BBC. The author of Food and Climate Change Without the Hot Air added that ovens are “particularly inefficient” because they’re often uninsulated, so “you end up heating the whole kitchen”.

An average electric oven costs 21p an hour to run, said Ideal Home, and uses between 2,000 to 5,000 watts of energy, added Direct Energy. That is more than 100 times higher than the energy consumption of a slow cooker.

But which oven alternative is the cheapest? 

Air fryers 

Air fryers are worktop appliances, so they naturally have “a smaller capacity than a traditional oven”, said ExpertReviews. But they “can cook food much faster than a traditional oven, often with more even results”.

Plus, if you are swapping deep frying for air frying, the website added, “you’ll definitely be making a positive change to your diet, with a significant reduction in the amount of fat you consume”. 

Air fryers have proven to be so popular that retailers have frequently run out of them, said The Money Edit. The cost of air fryers can vary from as low as £30 to more than £300, according to the financial website, depending on the model you go for, the number of baskets it has, and its capacity. 

The cost of running your air fryer will depend on how powerful it is, the model, and how long you use it for, said MoneyWeek, adding that the average air fryer uses between 800 to 2,000 watts (W) of power.  

If you used an 800W air fryer for 30 minutes every day, it would cost you just under £50 annually, explained MoneyWeek. “To keep the costs down further, make sure you’re only keeping them switched on as long as they are in use.”

Microwaves

Microwaves may not be as versatile as conventional ovens, conceded the Talented Ladies Club, but don’t discount their usefulness. After all, they can make reheating, defrosting and melting a breeze.

Article source: https://www.theweek.co.uk/business/personal-finance/959930/what-is-the-cheapest-way-to-cook