Do Restaurants Use Air Fryers? (We Ask the Experts!)
If you’ve ever wondered how these dine-in restaurants consistently get just the right crispy texture from their foods each and every time, I’ve got a surprise for you.
Would you believe me if I told you they used air fryers?
The fact of the matter is, most restaurants will use an air fryer. The advantage is most meals are prepared in a quick, timely manner. Speed of service is key to all restaurants’ success. The use of an air fryer will produce better quality food at a consistent level, and increase business sales at the same time.
There’s a lot that goes into a chef and his/her air fryer. Let’s talk about it.
What do chefs think about air fryers?
Most chefs are replacing their old deep fryers with air fryers. It is because they’re more versatile, safer, and faster in getting meals out to the dining room.
Chefs love how an air fryer allows them to fry, roast, grill, or bake ingredients for their customers. A fryer’s versatility cannot be matched by another cooking device on the market today.
What types of food do restaurants usually cook in an air fryer?
Restaurants of all sizes believe their popularity has grown because of the versatility of their air fryers. It has lengthened their menu.
Air fryers cook a wide range of ingredients to perfection. On a given service, a restaurant’s kitchen might fry a steak, bake a chicken breast, broil stuffed peppers or fry breaded fish.
Plus, a chef can use their air fryer to prepare that evening’s dessert.
What types of foods do restaurants not cook in an air fryer?
Like most kitchen appliances, there are several types of foods that should not be cooked in an air fryer. It is very easy to burn these foods if they’re left unattended. Here are those food items:
- Wet battered ingredients
- Leafy greens
- Cheese
- Rice
- Pasta
Do chefs use air fryers at home?
Everyone wants an air fryer in their kitchen. Even the top chefs (Gordon Ramsey and Emeril) in the world have endorsed the product because of its versatility to cook several entrées.
You may have seen them in advertisements for various air fryers.
Do chefs prefer air fryers over deep fryers? Why?
Most chefs prefer air fryers over deep fryers because of the equipment’s versatility in the kitchen. An air fryer can cook French fries to fried chicken in a matter of minutes.
Plus, every meal sent out to the dining room is a healthier option than what is prepared in a deep fryer.
What’s the difference between commercial and consumer air fryers?
There is not much of a difference between commercial and consumer air fryers. The consumer air fryer is much smaller than a commercial model.
The difference comes down to the size of the heating element and the fan that creates the heat inside the cooking basket.
What are the advantages of restaurants using air fryers?
In today’s health-conscious world, air fryers offer more nutritional, delicious dishes to a restaurant’s paying customers. Most food items are cooked to perfection in a fraction of the time needed by other cooking devices.
It is quite beneficial to those restaurants that have a quick turnaround time with their customers each night.
Air Fryers are quick
Air fryers are designed to reach high temperatures in a matter of minutes. Thus, hot air is circulating faster, which guarantees the meal to be ready in half the time. Those precious few minutes are critical in the culinary food industry.
Air fried food tastes crispy and not oily
Contrary to what most people would believe, air-fried food does not taste like its deep-fried counterpart. The consensus among all is that each meal tastes like crispy baked food.
The main reason for this is that hot air circulates the ingredients. The results are a crispy edge with a baked middle. Never leave your food longer in the air fryer as this will make it crispier, but the inside will dry out with a tough taste.
Thanks to not submerging your food into oil, you also don’t get the heavy oily taste as much either.
Air Fryers can cook a wide range of foods
Air fryers have taken the cooking universe by storm. You can cook a wide range of food items inside your air fryer. Such ingredients include:
- Chicken
- Steaks
- Cauliflower Florets
- Fish
Consistent results
You can expect the cooking results from your air fryer to be consistent. Often, the ingredients will have a crispy exterior with a fluffy, juicy inside without much grease in the cooking basket.
Most experienced cooks believe the results will be tastier than a deep fryer.
What are the disadvantages of restaurants using air fryers?
More large-scale restaurants are adding air fryers to their kitchen, but they will become a disadvantage if the device is incorrectly used.
In a fast-paced environment, chefs will tend to overcrowd their air fryer, which comprises the cooking time. If left unattended, the risk of burning your food in the air fryer increases.
Small basket or tray
For the most part, it does not matter if your air fryer has a basket or tray. Both offer the same cooking results, which is faster than other devices. Chefs believe an air fryer basket cooks the food faster than those devices with a tray.
Difficult to clean
To cut down your restaurant’s cleaning time, buy an air fryer with a detachable basket. It is hard to remove the dried drippings from the bottom of a fixed basket after lengthy food service.
What are the 3 most popular commercial brands of air fryers that chefs trust?
The commercial air fryer market is very competitive. You will have to do your research before making a decision. Here are three of the most popular brands:
- Cosori 14-in-1 Smart Large Air Fryer
- Cuisinart AFR-25 Commercial Air Fryer
- Instant Vortex Plus Commercial Air Fryer
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