I love my grill, but standing over blazing flames in 90-degree weather isn't my idea of summer fun. Cooking indoors isn't much better -- the oven turns the whole house into a sauna, and firing up the gas range with the windows closed can hurt indoor air quality.
That's where the air fryer comes in. These compact powerhouses cook quickly while using far less energy than a traditional oven, making them a perfect heat wave solution. Sure, they give off a little warmth, but nothing like a wall oven. Plus, most air fryer recipes are done in a fraction of the time, so you can get back to relaxing faster.
But don't take my word for it, I ran tests to see how much an air fryer would warm my kitchen compared to cooking them same food in an oven. The results cemented the air fryer as one of the best summer kitchen tools, right up there with ice makers and blenders.
The numbers don't lie
A heat wave requires creative thinking to keep the home cool and an air fryer is my ticket to getting through those sweltering summer spells without starving. To see if air fryers belong in the summer cooking hall of fame, I ran tests to see how much the oven heats up the kitchen versus an air fryer.
Trendy air fryers are all they're cracked up to be, especially when it's hot out. David Watsky/CNET
I ran tests to see how much hotter an oven would make the kitchen
The air fryer turns out juicy chicken thighs in under 20 minutes. David Watsky/CNET
To find real-world differences, I roasted chicken thighs in my KitchenAid wall oven (less than 10 years old) and a 4-quart Dreo air fryer, according to two popular recipes from a well-known cooking site. I tested the temperature before, during and after to see how much of a difference each machine makes.
My Brooklyn apartment kitchen is on the small side, but it's not enclosed and opens up to the rest of the apartment. I kept the windows closed for the test, although it's worth noting that recent studies show cooking with natural gas in an enclosed kitchen can be a health risk.
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