第1717期:The popularity of air fryers

For many time-poor, health-conscious people, the must-have kitchen gadget at the moment is an air fryer. From top chefs to humble students, many are singing the praises of the device that seems to be flying off the shelves at shops and online. One British department store reported sales increased by 400% in 2021. But are they really the best thing since sliced bread, or is the hype all just hot air?!

对于许多时间紧迫、注重健康的人来说，当下必备的厨房小工具是空气炸锅。从顶级厨师到不起眼的学生，许多人都在为这款在商店和网上热销的设备大加赞赏。一家英国百货公司报告称，2021 年销售额增长了 400%。但它们真的是自切片面包以来最好的东西，还是炒作只是空话？！

If you got one as a present, or bagged one in the sales, you'll already know the benefits. An air fryer avoids the need to deep-fry food in hot and often unhealthy oil. Instead, the food is cooked by having very hot air blown on it at high speed – it doesn't actually fry but bakes the food.

如果您收到一件作为礼物，或者在促销活动中买到一件，您就会知道其中的好处。空气炸锅避免了在热的且通常不健康的油中油炸食物的需要。相反，食物是通过高速吹过非常热的空气来烹饪的——它实际上不是油炸而是烘烤食物。

The technology sounds simple, and Dr Jakub Radzikowski, Culinary Education Designer at Imperial College London, told the BBC: "You could compare it to drying your hair with a hairdryer." The combination of a powerful fan and a smaller compartment makes the air fryer more efficient and reduces the time needed to pre-heat it. In addition, because the food is cooked in a basket, excess fat will drip to the bottom, so you don't have to eat it. And it's good to know air fryers use less energy than a conventional oven because of the shorter cooking times needed.

这项技术听起来很简单，伦敦帝国理工学院烹饪教育设计师 Jakub Radzikowski 博士告诉 BBC：“你可以把它比作用吹风机吹干头发。”强大的风扇和较小的隔间相结合，使空气炸锅更高效，并减少了预热所需的时间。另外，因为食物是用筐子煮的，多余的油脂会滴到筐底，不用吃。很高兴知道空气炸锅比传统烤箱使用更少的能源，因为所需的烹饪时间更短。

Some people may question how versatile they are and whether they can be used for cooking whole meals. But experts have prepared crispy sweet potato fries, chips, and chicken and fish, quickly and with good flavoursome results – cooked to perfection. Dr Jakub Radzikowski's favourite is chicken legs or thighs, which he says after 20 minutes gives you something that's "perfectly juicy inside" with a skin that is so crispy it "shatters like glass".

有些人可能会质疑它们的用途有多广泛，是否可以用来做一顿饭。但是专家们已经准备好了酥脆的红薯薯条、薯片、鸡肉和鱼肉，而且速度很快，而且味道很好——煮得恰到好处。 Jakub Radzikowski 博士最喜欢的是鸡腿或大腿，他说 20 分钟后，你会得到“内部非常多汁”的东西，外皮酥脆得“像玻璃一样破碎”。

If this whets your appetite, remember that, because of the air fryer's size, there is a limit to the amount that can be cooked in them at one time. So your oven may still come in handy. But if you're on a budget or in a rush, it might be worth giving one a try and seeing what amazing meals you can serve up.

如果这激起了你的胃口，请记住，由于空气炸锅的尺寸，一次可以烹饪的量是有限的。所以你的烤箱可能仍然派上用场。但是，如果您的预算有限或时间匆忙，可能值得一试，看看您能提供哪些美味佳肴。

gadget 小器具
air fryer 空气炸锅
chef 厨师
singing the praises 大加赞扬
flying off the shelves 抢购一空，畅销
the best thing since sliced bread 非常好的事物
hot air 大话
deep-fry 油炸
bake 烘烤，烘焙
fat 油，脂肪
oven 烤箱
versatile 多用途的
meal 一餐，一顿饭
crispy 酥脆的
flavoursome 美味的
cooked to perfection （饭菜）烧得恰到好处
juicy 多汁的
whet your appetite 勾起兴趣
serve up 做出饭菜，盛饭，分菜