Prue Leith totally changed her mind on air fryers after enacting this one simple (and free!) piece of advice – if yours is gathering dust, listen up
It'll make a world of difference
Prue Leith's career in cooking spans the writing of bestselling recipe books, a long stint as a much-loved judge on The Great British Bake Off and now... air fryer advice, of course.
For many, taking to one of the best air fryers isn't a straightforward process. In fact, they can take a bit of getting used to – with Nigella Lawson's gradual warming to these ultra-useful appliances serving as just one example – even despite all of their well-documented time-saving benefits.
Luckily Prue Leith has imparted some excellent advice for those out there who have invested in an air fryer but might not be using it as much as they need to get their money's worth – and it's all about placement. Here's what she had to say.
During an appearance on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show to promote Prue Leith's Cotswold Kitchen, the culinary star discussed her newfound appreciation for air fryers, after initially shunning them.
Prue told of how she was loaned an air fryer by a friend but was skeptical of their merits – stating that she couldn't see what appeal it held over using her oven or a simple frying pan instead. But in time, she was encouraged to at least give one a trial run.
To get into using it, Prue had one simple tip that made all the difference: moving it to 'where she could see it', rather than hiding it away in her kitchen. Once it was more visible to her, Prue says she started to understand the benefits of an air fryer everyone had been raving about for so long.
Cleaning an air fryer basket at the Ideal Home test centre.
For Prue, the biggest highlight is the ease of cleaning of an air fryer's small removable baskets over the monumental task of cleaning an oven (which let's be honest, gets done far less than all of us would like to admit to).
In the clip, Prue discusses the pitfalls of the high maintenance of an oven, saying 'If you've roasted something in the oven, the oven is a mess. And it takes longer to clean the oven than it did to roast the chicken!'.
The renowned chef goes onto say that with an air fryer, she likes how there's no such fuss. 'So the wonderful thing about an air fryer' Prue says, 'it's like a non-stick frying pan – you just rinse it.'
Testing one of our top-rated air fryers at the Ideal Home test centre.
If you've struggled to get into using your air fryer – maybe you received one as a gift or invested a little while ago – switching up your placement of it can help tenfold. I reckon one of the worst places to put an air fryer if its gathering dust is somewhere out of your direct eye-line, so if you can sacrifice a little bit of worktop space (even as part of a trial run) then I'd recommend giving it a go.
Of course, we'd all love to have the space for an appliance garage in our kitchens (or even pantries!) but if your space is a little on the cosier side, like mine, then there are other innovative solutions I've seen work. Below you can find a selection of product ideas that might help you kick your air fryer usage into gear.
One idea is utilising hob space by placing your air fryer on a chopping board that sits over it. This one is especially good for that as it's raised on small feet, too.
Our Editor-in-Chief was converted to using these appliance castors for her multi-cooker years ago to improve her use of it and she's never looked back!
If you want something more neutral, this slider is perfect for all sorts of appliances and will be inconspicuous under your air fryer.
Can you see yourself converting to using an air fryer like Prue Leith has? These appliances can certainly save you a lot of time and clean-up energy if you do.
