Origin of AirFryers

Air fryers were invented to make French fries. They use less oil, but in order to get the crisp outer layer that people seek, a tiny amount of oil is needed. Otherwise, the outside gets dried out.

How the Air Fryer Crisped Its Way Into America’s Heart

Fred van der Weij, an inventor in the Netherlands, was just looking for a way to crisp a French fry without deep-frying when he started developing the air fryer in 2005. Before his invention, he said, alternative methods for making fries at home took too long, with disappointing results. A convection oven, for instance, dried them out.

“It was kind of a holy grail that many companies were looking for — to make better French fries,” he said. “To find a way to make the handling much easier and the results much better would be a very big potential, that was clear. But I did not expect it would be as big as it is right now.”