How air fryers are one of best money-saving swaps you can make – now you can win one of 100 in The Sun’s competition

IT IS Air Fryday in your cost-saving Sun.

Despite the new energy price guarantee, millions of people are struggling to make ends meet as the price of bills and food rocket.

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But one of the best money-saving swaps you can make is to use an air fryer rather than your traditional oven and hob.

The kitchen appliance costs just ten pence a DAY to run — six times less than an electric hob cooker — saving you nearly £200 a year.

Today your favourite newspaper is giving away a HUNDRED of the money-saving air fryers.

Plus, each winner of the family-sized appliances will also receive a £20 gift voucher to spend at Iceland or Food Warehouse stores, so you can stock up on food and essentials of your choice.

While most people associate air fryers with cooking chips and doughnuts, they are so much more versatile.

Jenny Tschiesche, author of the Air Fryer Cookbook, shares some of her top recipes on this page, including all-day breakfast and roast chicken.

For our brilliant giveaway, we have teamed up with Iceland and The Food Warehouse, who from tomorrow will begin selling air fryers at a huge discount to help cash-strapped shoppers save money.

Its Tower 4L air fryer will cost £35, compared to the normal price of just under £50.

For a chance to be one of our lucky winners, log on to sunoffers.co.uk/icelandairfryer before midnight next Friday.

Just leave your details and we will draw our winning entries at random.

Experts at energy firm Utilita have worked out that by using our air fryer prize you will be able to cut the cost of electricity to cook a roast dinner by 80 per cent.

Iceland’s popular butter basted chicken breast joint takes 90 minutes to cook in an electric oven, at a cost of £3.78 in energy.

But in an air fryer the same joint takes just 50 minutes and costs only 65p, saving £3.13.

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Meanwhile, you can save 89p on electric by cooking sausages in an air fryer and 76p on four breaded cod fillets.

There has been a huge surge in demand for the energy-efficient appliances since it was revealed how much money they can save you, with 4.5billion #airfryer views on TikTok.

Iceland’s managing director Richard Walker says: “Our customers, many of them Sun readers, are now entering extremely worrying times.

“We are helping customers cut costs when it comes to cooking food and these air fryers will reduce energy bills this winter.

However, there is still a high chance that people are going to have to choose between staying warm this winter or having a hot meal.

“So through a series of initiatives, Iceland is on a mission to Save Hot Dinners this autumn and beyond.”

• Air fryer Cookbook by Jenny Tschiesche (Ryland Peters & Small, £16.99). Photography by Clare Winfield © Ryland Peters & Small

JENNY’S TOP AIR FRYER RECIPES

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ALL-DAY BREAKFAST

(Serves one)

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YOU NEED:

• 1 medium tomato, sliced in half
• 1 large flat Mushroom, thickly sliced
• 2 slices bacon
• 2 eggs (whole and in their shells) Tomato ketchup, to serve
• Hot buttered toast, to serve

METHOD: Preheat the air fryer to 180C. Add the tomato halves to the preheated air fryer and air fry for 3 minutes.

Add all the other ingredients and cook for a further 6 minutes.

Serve everything together, with the eggs in egg cups.

Add a generous dollop of tomato ketchup and hot buttered toast if you wish.

SCOTCH EGGS

(Makes 3)

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YOU NEED:

• 3 boiled/cooked egg
• 350g shop-bought prepared and seasoned sausagemeat
• 2 tbsp plain flour (gluten-free, if you wish)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 130 g dried breadcrumbs (gluten-free if you wish)
• Chutney, to serve

METHOD: Preheat the air fryer to 180C. Peel the eggs.

Divide the sausagemeat into 3 equal portions using wet hands.

Flatten each into a thin layer, then lay the egg in the centre and wrap the sausage meat around.

Roll each round in the flour, then dip in the beaten egg, shaking off any excess as you go, then into the breadcrumbs.

Make sure each one is covered in the breadcrumbs all over.

Add the scotch eggs to the preheated air fryer and air fry for 14 minutes (no need to turn during cooking).

Eat either hot or cold, with your chutney of choice on the side.

CHICKEN FAJITAS

(Serves 3)

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YOU NEED:

• 2 boneless chicken breasts, sliced into strips
• 5 mini (bell) peppers, sliced into strips
• 1 courgette, sliced into ¼in thick discs
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 28g packet fajita seasoning mix

To serve (optional): Wraps, sliced avocado, chopped tomato and red onion, grated Red Leicester cheese, plain yoghurt, coriander, lime wedges for squeezing.

METHOD: Preheat the airfryer to 180C.

Combine the chicken, peppers, courgettes and olive oil in a bowl. Add the fajita seasoning and stir to coat.

Add the coated vegetables and chicken to the preheated air fryer and air fry for 12 minutes, shaking the drawer a couple of times during cooking.

Check the internal temperature of the chicken has reached at least 74C using a meat thermometer – if not, cook for another few minutes.

Serve immediately, alongside the serving suggestions or your own choice of accompaniments.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH SIDES

THE air fryer is one of the quickest yet tastiest ways to cook a whole chicken, resulting in crispy skin and moist chicken.

The challenge is having an air fryer large enough to cook everything at once, but essentially everything, bar the gravy, can be prepared in the air fryer then reheated on plates when ready to serve.

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I would recommend doing the Yorkshire puddings last so they look impressive when served.

(Serves 4)

YOU NEED:

• 1.5kg chicken
• 2 tbsp butter or coconut oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD: Place the chicken breast-side up and carefully insert the butter or oil between the skin and the flesh of each breast. Season.

Preheat the air-fryer to 180C. If the chicken hits the heating element, remove the drawer to lower the chicken a level. Add the chicken to the preheated air-fryer breast-side up.

Air fry for 30 minutes, then turn over and cook for a further 10 minutes. Check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer.

If it is 75C at the thickest part, remove the chicken from the air fryer and leave to rest for 10 minutes before carving.

If less than 75C, continue to cook until this internal temperature is reached and then allow to rest.

SIDES

Roast potatoes:

YOU NEED:

• 1kg Maris Piper or King Edward potatoes, peeled and chopped into 5x5x5cm
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt to taste

METHOD: Soak the potatoes in cold water for 30 minutes. Drain well.

Toss in the oil until well coated. Sprinkle with salt. Preheat your air fryer to 180C.

Cook the potatoes for 25-30 minutes, tossing regularly.

Yorkshire puddings

(makes 4):

YOU NEED:

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tbsp plain/all-purpose flour (gluten-free if you wish)
• 100ml milk
• 2 eggs
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

METHOD: You will need 4 ramekins. Preheat the air fryer to 200C.

Using a pastry brush, oil the base and sides of each ramekin, dividing the oil equally between the ramekins.

Place the greased ramekins in the preheated air fryer and heat for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a food processor or using a whisk, combine the flour, milk, eggs and seasoning until you have a batter that is frothy on top.

Divide the batter equally between the preheated ramekins.

Return the ramekins to the air fryer and air fry for 20 minutes without opening the drawer.

Remove the Yorkshire puddings from the ramekins and serve immediately.

GRAIN-FREE MILLIONAIRE’S SHORTBREAD

(Makes nine pieces)

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YOU NEED:

For the base:

• 60 g coconut oil
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 180 g ground almonds
• Pinch of salt

For the middle:

• 185 g dried pitted dates (soak in hot water for at least 20 minutes, then drain)
• 2 tbsp almond butter
• 90g canned coconut milk (the thick part once it has separated is ideal)
• For the topping:
• 125 g coconut oil
• 4 tbsp cacao powder
• 1 tbsp maple syrup

METHOD: Preheat the air fryer to 180C.

To make the base, in a small saucepan melt the coconut oil with the maple syrup and vanilla extract.

As soon as the coconut oil is melted, stir in the almonds and the salt and take off the heat. Press this mixture into a 15 x 15cm/6 x 6in baking pan.

Add the baking pan to the preheated air-fryer and cook for 4 minutes, until golden brown on top. Remove from the air fryer and allow to cool.

In a food processor, combine the rehydrated drained dates, almond butter and coconut milk.

Once the base is cool, pour this mixture over the base and pop into the freezer to set for an hour.

After the base has been in the freezer for 45 minutes, make the topping by heating the coconut oil in a saucepan until melted, then whisk in the cacao powder and maple syrup off the heat to make a chocolate syrup.

Leave this to cool for 15 minutes, then pour over the set middle layer and return to the freezer for 30 minutes.

Once it has set, cut into 9 squares to serve.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk