I made pancakes in an air fryer to save the bills – and I was shocked by the results
I had hoped that my air-fried pancakes would be soft and fluffy – instead they were chewy and rubbery, and honestly, they made me a little nauseous.
Shrove Tuesday is here and millions will be making pancakes – but not me, I'm trying them in the air fryer.
4
It's notoriously difficult to master cooking pancakes – I usually end up burning the pan or the batter, or both, which makes a big mess.
So when I was scrolling through TikTok recently and saw people cooking their food in an air fryer, I had to give it a try.
Since I'm also trying to save on my energy bill, I was curious if it would be cheaper to cook them this way, instead of on the stovetop.
I am one of the many people who has invested in an air fryer because the savings on energy bills can be significant.
Research from Utilita shows that households can save £77.82 a year by replacing their oven with an air fryer.
I am happy with the cooking results: I have previously prepared a roast in my air fryer and it was delicious.
So how would pancake making go? I put it to the test.
Ease of cooking
I have a Tower Family Airfryer, with a capacity of 4.3 liters, which costs £44 on Amazon.
I couldn't put the batter directly into the air fryer container because there are holes in the bottom and it would fall right through.
So I used my special air fryer hobs, which I bought from Amazon for £7.99.
They are made of silicone material and are round: the perfect shape for making pancakes.
I started by making a simple batter mixture of two eggs, plain flour and milk.
The main problem was figuring out how long to leave the mixture in the air fryer.
Some videos I saw on TikTok told me to leave it on for a few minutes – some said as long as seven.
In total, my pancakes took four minutes and 40 seconds to cook.
It was so simple, I just poured the batter into the silicone containers and let them cook.
I like my pancakes to be a little thicker than pancakes, so I poured in a healthy size of batter.
Taste test
4
4
When I took my pancake out of the air fryer, I had high expectations.
The batter had turned golden brown in color and I hoped they would be soft and fluffy on the inside.
I pulled the silicone baking tray off my pancake and turned it over – and that's where it all went downhill.
The other side of the pancake was pale and shriveled – it looked like the skin that forms on the top of milk when you heat it up.
It didn't look appetizing at all, but I cut myself a piece and held it up for closer inspection.
I expected the batter to hold its shape, but it had no structural integrity – instead it was droopy and wobbly on my fork.
I put it in my mouth and started chewing.
It was chewy and rubbery – exactly what I thought it would taste like eating the sole of a shoe.
The taste was fine after I coated it with sugar, but I couldn't get past the strange texture and I had to throw it in the trash.
Costs
My pancake may have been a flop, but was making it in an air fryer worth the cost?
Experts say air fryers are much cheaper to run than an oven, but I was surprised when Uswitch broke down the running costs and told me I had spent more running my air fryer.
My air fryer has a wattage of 1,500 and it took me four minutes and 40 seconds to cook my air fryer – which works out to just over 3p.
But cooking one pancake on an electric stove costs just over 4 cents.
It means that cooking my pancakes in an air fryer costs just over 1 cent less.
Pronunciation
I would not recommend making pancakes in an air fryer.
Although it was easier than using a stovetop as there was no fiddly turning required, the end result was very disappointing.
I'm going to use my stove next one time.
Do you have a money problem that needs to be solved? Get in touch by emailing money@the-sun.co.uk.
Moreover, you can join us Sun Money chats and tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories.