THE cheapest way to cook popular food including chips, soup and jacket potato has been revealed once and for all by Which?.
Shoppers have been loving air fryers and slow cookers recently as they appear to be key money-saving appliances.
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Many households have been using energy-saving hacks since electricity prices went up from around 17p per kWh last winter to 34p per kWh now.
Among those hacks, homeowners have been switching out certain vampire appliances like the oven for air fryers and slow cookers in order to be energy-efficient.
But, of course, how much any appliance costs depends on which model you have and how often you use it.
For example, if you used a 900-watt air fryer for 20 minutes, it would cost about 10p per meal – but the purchasing cost could be anywhere between £30 and £300.
Energy experts Which? tested a range of popular meals using whichever appliances could work, like the air fryer, pressure cooker and oven to have a better understanding of which cooked the food the quickest – but also to the best standard.
Emily Seymour, Which? energy editor, said: “Energy bills are a real concern for millions of households across the country, especially when many are already feeling the pressures of the cost of living crisis, and cooking is one of the everyday costs that really mount up over time.
“There has been a surge of interest in air fryers and smaller cooking appliances in recent months, and our research shows that the hype could be justified in some cases, as we’ve found these products cost less to cook certain foods than conventional ovens.
“The cost savings will soon be lost if you have to cook more than one batch though, so it’s still better to use your oven if you’re cooking large quantities.
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“But for quick, small meals, we’ve found that it’s worth trying out the alternatives.”
You’ll especially want to be sure with chicken – and any other kind of meat – that you’re cooking it properly to avoid health hazards.
Here’s what they found.
Roast chicken
Pressure cooker – This took just 32 minutes to cook, making it the quickest method on the list.
It was also the cheapest, costing just 11p to cook.
However, if you’re after quality, it didn’t have the crispiest finish.
Oven – The oven cost 39p and took 72 minutes to cook the chicken – but Which? noted the meat was a bit dry.
Air fryer – Air fryer fans will be pleased to know Which? thought it made the best roast chicken – costing as little as 18p. And it took 53 minutes.
That means if you cooked roast chicken once a week for a year, it would save you £11 to make with an air fryer compared to an oven.
Halogen oven – This took up more energy than the oven, costing 40p to cook the chicken and lasting 54 minutes.
But you can get the same or better quality chicken using a cheaper method – like the air fryer.
Chips
Air fryer – This only cost 10p to cook two portions of chips and took 23 minutes, making it the cheapest and fastest appliance.
However, you’ll need to have a bigger air fryer if you’re planning to cook for a group of people, as some fryers with one basket only serve up to two/three portions at a time.
Oven – It cost almost three times as much as an air fryer (29p) to cook two portions of chips, and also took 33 minutes.
Halogen oven – Tt was slightly cheaper to cook the same amount of chips in a halogen oven compared to a regular one – at 23p.
But it took the longest at 35 minutes.
However, Which? said the quality of each result was largely very similar.
Cake
To bake a cake, Which? tested:
The air fryer – Tt only cost 8p. And the results were “delicious”. It also took just over half an hour to bake.
The oven – This took twice as long as the air fryer to bake, timed at 56 minutes, and it was also three times more expensive, costing 24p.
However, do keep in mind sizing – an air fryer is much smaller than an oven, so you’d only manage a small cake in that.
Basically, if you’re planning to make a large cake fit for several guests, it might be best to use the oven.
The pressure cooker – This cost 2p to bake but the process lasted even longer than the oven at 65 minutes.
The halogen oven – This also took 72 minutes to bake, although it costs only 7p.
Soup
The hob and the pressure cooker were actually the cheapest methods to make soup with – both costing 9p each and taking 25 and 19 minutes respectively.
And they both had high quality results, Which? said.
Slow cooker – If you don’t have much time to lend to your cooking, this option might be useful.
You don’t have to do much and you can let it cook in the background.
But it did take 180 minutes to cook.
It was also 22p more expensive than the hob or pressure cooker – costing 31p.
The pressure cooker was the quickest – taking 19 minutes to cook – and cost 9p, but Which? gave top marks for quality to the hob.
Steamed vegetables
Microwave – This was the cheapest option for steaming vegetables as it’ll only set you back 3-4p. It took five minutes to cook the veg.
Hob – Although this was slightly more expensive than the microwave, costing 7p, Which? believes it had the best results.
It also took a little longer than the microwave, cooking for 9 minutes.
Pressure cooker – This cost over 7p and lasted 12 minutes.
Which? noted it overcooked the broccoli though, so you’d be better off using one of the above methods.
Jacket potato
Microwave – This was the quickest and cheapest appliance, costing 5p and taking eight minutes to cook a “soft and fluffy” jacket potato.
Air fryer – This took 48 minutes and cost 13p, but it may not be best for more than one potato at a time because there isn’t space in most fryers.
Pressure cooker – This cost just 9p and lasted 32 minutes.
Slow cooker – Again, if you don’t have much time to spend making this, you could use a slow cooker.
But it’ll take 300 minutes and cost 51p – by far the priciest and longest cooking time.
Oven – The oven cost 37p to cook the potato for 68 minutes, but it “cooked well with a signature crispy skin”.
We also listed here how much appliances can cost you as you move to save more money around the house.
We also explained here whether air fryers are cheaper than running ovens in general terms.
