Technical Description  

 

Qaasid Bajwa 

The City College of New York 

Writing for Engineering: ENGL 21007 

Professor Jacobson 

01 November 2022      

  

1. Introduction 

An air fryer is a cooking tool that is essentially a small convection oven with a slightly different design that has been gaining popularity since its introduction in the 1940s. The science used for air fryers is called rapid air technology. A fan rapidly circulates heated air around the food inside the cooking compartment, which is a basket. Because air fryers are small appliances, they can cook food more quickly than a traditional convection oven. The airtight cooking chamber likewise ensures that hot air is contained and does not get released during the cooking process (Severson, 2021). The main benefit of an air fryer is that the food is healthier because oil is not used in the cooking process. Another benefit of using an air fryer compared to a traditional oven is that the air fryer cooks food evenly inside the basket, while regular ovens cook unevenly, making it necessary to constantly turn the food around. An air fryer takes away the need for turning over the food. All that you need to do is monitor the time and the temperature. The following pages will go into detail about the history and parts of an air fryer.  

 

Figure 1. Phillips Air Fryer Parts (Source: TableSpoon Kitchens, 2018) 

2. History 

2.1 First Air Fryer 

The first air fryer was created in the 1940s by William L. Maxson. He also invented many other things that we use today, such as frozen meals and tv dinners. Originally, these frozen meals were for servicemen and airplane pilots in World War II to replace the food that they were formerly eating (Severson, 2021). “To cook frozen meals, he invented the Whirlwind Oven, an oven built from aluminum and steel that used a 120-volt DC motor powered by either gas, kerosene, or electricity” (Severson, 2021). He installed a fan in the back of the oven, which built the foundation for the convection technology used in air fryers today. An image of a Maxson oven is shown in Figure 2. However, these Maxson ovens only heated to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, and eventually lost out to the microwave and toaster oven, which were more powerful (Severson, 2021). 

 

Figure 2. Whirlwind Oven (Source: Newair, 2019) 

    2.2 Modern Air Fryer  

Companies began to build on Maxwell’s ideas for the next several decades, and in 2010, the Philips Air Fryer was released, which is the first version of the modern air fryer we use today (Severson, 2021). The air fryer was initially launched at the IFA (an electronics fair in Berlin) in 2010, and it began attracting a lot of attention from people in Western Europe. By 2015, the Air fryer was known worldwide and become the No. 1 brand for low-fat fryers across the world (Severson, 2021). A major development from the Whirlwind Oven to the Philips Air Fryer was that the air fryer could heat up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, which made it more popular for consumers to buy because the food was cooked faster. 

3. Parts 

There are three main components to an air fryer: the base, the basket, and the basket base. The base is the largest component of the air fryer, as seen in Figure 1. The base is where the air fryer’s temperature and time settings are. The air fryer basket and basket base are placed inside it when cooking food. Because the basket has holes in it, the basket base catches anything that falls through the holes, such as crumbs and spices. The basket is where the food is held and cooked. 

       3.1 Air Fryer Base 

The first part of an air fryer is the base. This is the biggest part of the air fryer and has many subparts as well. The air fryer base has many subparts within it that help the air fryer function. The first thing that is noticed when using an air fryer is that the base has many buttons on it. These buttons have various functions, such as choosing the temperature you want to cook at, the amount of time you want to cook at, and different cooking settings. These different cooking settings include air frying, defrosting, roasting, reheating, dehydrating, and baking. The reason that the air fryer works in the first place is because of the electrical plug that is on the back of the base. Another thing that is noticeable is that the air fryer base does not have any holes in it, meaning that the heat is trapped within the basket base. There is also a timer on the air fryer, which is useful for people to know how much time is left. It is very easy to adjust the time, and the air fryer beeps when the timer is done, which is similar to a microwave. Figure 3 highlights all these features mentioned. 

 

Figure 3. Air Fryer Base (Source: Amazon, n.d.) 

 

         3.2 Basket Base 

The second part of the air fryer is the basket base. The basket base attaches to the air fryer base and holds the food. This is where the crumbs and other things that spill over from the basket go. Because the basket has holes in it, the basket base does not have any holes, making it airtight. This makes the food get heated up faster because no air will leave the basket. The basket base also allows you to keep your food clean and makes it easy to dispose of trash. Both the basket base and actual basket can be washed in the dishwasher for easy cleanup (TableSpoon Kitchens, 2018). Figure 4 shows an example of what a basket base and basket look like. 

 

       

Figure 4. Basket Base + Basket (Source: Best Buy, n.d.) 

  

        3.3 Basket 

The final part of the air fryer is the basket. This is where the actual cooking is done. There are two subparts of the basket: the heating element and the fan. The fan inside the air fryer circulates the heat to cook the food. The heating element of the air fryer is another critical part, as it produces extremely hot air in the basket base, allowing the food to receive enough heat to be cooked (Family Guide Central, n.d.) The basket has holes in the bottom to allow excess heat to escape. Some models also have vents near the top of the basket to help with this problem. This allows the food to cook evenly without burning. Additionally, the basket helps release any dripping fats, and allows them to drip out and down to the bottom of the outer basket (Family Guide Central, n.d.).  

4. Conclusion 

In conclusion, an air fryer has three main parts: the air fryer base, the basket base, and the basket. The air fryer base has five subparts: the temperature settings, the time settings, the different types of cooking settings, the electrical plug, and the timer. It is the biggest part of the air fryer. The basket base is the second part of an air fryer and attaches to the air fryer base and holds the food. This is where the crumbs and fats go after seeping out from the basket, and this keeps the food clean. The basket base is airtight, and the basket sits in the basket base, which is the final part of an air fryer. This is where the actual cooking is done. The basket has two subparts: the heating element and the fan. The fan circulates the heat to cook the food. The heating element produces hot air, which is how the food is cooked. The air fryer is something that people can use over microwaves as a healthy alternative because you do not have to use oil within the cooking process.  

 

Works Cited 

Amazon.com: NuWave 3QT Brio replacement base tray and Fry Pan Basket … (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2022, from https://www.amazon.com/NUWAVE-Brio-Replacement-Base-Basket/dp/B09HSWF96G 

How the airfryer was invented – airplanes and Frozen Food. NewAir. (2019, May 1). Retrieved October 28, 2022, from https://www.newair.com/blogs/learn/how-the-airfryer-was-invented-airplanes-and-frozen-food 

John. (n.d.). Air Fryer parts fully explained: 8 Core Componentsif(typeof ez_ad_units!=’undefined’){ez_ad_units.push([[728,90],’familyguidecentral_com-medrectangle-3′,’ezslot_8′,104,’0′,’0′])};__ez_fad_position(‘div-GPT-ad-familyguidecentral_com-medrectangle-3-0’); Family Guide central v4. Retrieved November 1, 2022, from https://www.familyguidecentral.com/air-fryer-parts-fully-explained-8-core-components/ 

Ninja Air Fryer Black/Gray AF101. Best Buy. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2022, from https://www.bestbuy.com/site/ninja-air-fryer-black-gray/6269234.p?skuId=6269234 

Severson, K. (2022, January 20). Evolution of the air fryer. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved October 29, 2022, from https://www.chicagotribune.com/consumer-reviews/sns-bestreviews-kitchen-evolution-of-air-fryer-20210927-2mbkczxubjarpe6wiihj67im5u-story.html 

Tablespoon. (2018, October 24). How to use an Air Fryer. Tablespoon.com. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://www.tablespoon.com/meals/how-to-use-an-air-fryer