Everyone living in an apartment in Japan knows what it is like wanting to bake some amazing pastries or make your own artisanal bread and lacking an oven to do so. Today we will introduce you to one of the most useful kitchen appliances you can have in your Japanese apartment for anything that needs to be baked: an air fryer. Keep reading and discover 5 reasons why you need an air fryer in Japan!

Reason number 1 to get an Air Fryer in Japan: Alternative to Ovens

If you struggle to find bread you like, or if patisserie cakes are out of your budget, an air fryer might just be the solution to your problems! Air fryers make baking in a Japanese apartment possible.

Since ovens aren’t usually used in Japanese homes, anyone looking to cook or bake using an oven will normally purchase a small toaster oven. The downside to toaster ovens is that they are so small, particularly in height, so it can be difficult to bake bread or cakes. With larger air fryers, such as the Cosori air fryer, however, you can successfully bake delicious cakes and even artisan loaves of bread.

Air fryer doughnuts are the hidden gem of the air fryer universe. They taste just like the original deep-fried version but without all the oil and mess. Here’s one of the best air fryer recipes for Nutella doughnuts – you can substitute the active yeast for dry yeast (which is much easier to find in Japanese supermarkets).

Reason number 2 to get an Air Fryer in Japan: Convenient for Small Apartments

Very little smells, smoke, or steam escape air fryers. They’re a smart solution if you have any problems with smells from your cooking passing into your living space.

Air fryers are easy to clean and there’s no real grease build-up on the appliance, so it won’t get your apartment messy either. They’re typically quite small so they’re easy to store, even in small apartments. The Gourmia air fryer is particularly good since it is a square so it can fit into cupboards easily.

The small size means they’re great for cooking economically for one or two people without using much energy, saving money on bills. However, air fryers aren’t suitable for cooking main courses for numerous families.

Reason number 3 to get an Air Fryer in Japan: Japan Life Upgraded

If you don’t have much time to cook, the air fryer can be a great option for speedy and easy meals, you can chuck most frozen food into it and it cooks very quickly.

With an air fryer, ‘Japan life’ can be made much easier and healthier for vegans and vegetarians. The air fryer opens up so many doors; from tofu ‘fried chicken’, fried baby bamboo takenoko to jacket potatoes, French toast, and roasted chickpeas, there are so many vegan and vegetarian air fryer recipes to try.

Reason number 4 to get an Air Fryer in Japan: Fast Food Made Healthier

If you’re wondering what to make for dinner in an air fryer, a satisfying place to start would be converting any fried favorites into a healthy but equally delicious meal. With an air fryer, you don’t need to use any oil and the food should still crisp up. Some air fryer recipes do call for a splash of oil, but it’ll still be a lot less oil than you’d usually need.

Reason number 5 to get an Air Fryer in Japan: Getting Creative with Your Own Air Fryer Recipes

Once you’ve figured out what the best air fryer is for you, it’s time to start experimenting. As a general rule, most foods you fry or bake should work in an air fryer. You’ll want to avoid air fryer recipes with anything grain-like or powdery – it’ll likely just blow around everywhere. You might also want to avoid cooking anything with cheese or very runny batter since it will get messy!

That being said, some of my favorite experiments have been homemade pizzas, vegan lemon drizzle cake, vegetable pies, roasted pumpkin seeds, and wholegrain bread.

The Best Air Fryer in Japan: Cosori Air Fryer, Gourmia Air Fryer, Innsky Air Fryer

Looking for the best air fryer? Our top three favorites include the Gourmia air fryer, the Cosori air fryer, and the Innsky air fryer. Having said that, there are still so many other good air fryers available. When buying an air fryer, we’d recommend considering where you can store it, as well as checking the capacity of the air fryer to make sure it’s large enough. For an easier clean-up, avoid any air fryers that have a net-style basket and instead choose one with a sturdy metal basket.

The American Cosori air fryer is a great choice as a mid-range convenient air fryer. they have air fryer recipes specifically for the Cosori air fryer on their website. It features a lot of different pre-sets, such as ‘warm-up’. There are plenty of specific accessories available to purchase for the Cosori air fryer too. A big selling point of the Cosori air fryer is that some components are dishwasher safe.

A Gourmia air fryer is a rectangular shape, so it’s great for cooking square or rectangular meals and the smart shape can make it feel like you have even more space to cook, even if the capacity is the same.

The Innsky air fryer might just be the best air fryer for you. One of their 10-in-1 products is simultaneously a convection oven, air fryer, dehydrator, rotisserie, toaster, and more. The Innsky air fryer is also known for its easy-to-clean non-stick basket.

The air fryer can be a convenient addition to any Japanese apartment, particularly for healthier cooking. You can make indulgent French fries, fried chicken, bacon, doughnuts, and much more with the tiniest amount of oil. If this is not enough when you are thinking about what to make for dinner in an air fryer, you can even cook your usual fish, meat, and vegetables in an air fryer too. If you want to get more experimental, try putting fruit into an air fryer – it could turn into a delicious caramelized dessert, or try thin slices of apples for some crispy apple chips.