Did the Conservative leadership campaign spark an air fryer frenzy?

They have been around for years, but this Christmas it seems you can’t turn around in a shopping centre without bumping into an air fryer-related promotion.

Or worse, empty shelves after hordes have swarmed on a successful sale.

Indeed they are now so popular, Argos said it sold 1.6 air fryers per minute in the first week of September 2022.

So, is this new, and where did it come from?

Looking at Google trends data for the past 12 months, interest in air fryers has remained fairly steady (apart from a Christmas / January sales bump at the start of the year).

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But from the end of August onwards, they suddenly rocket in popularity with almost three times as many searches.

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So what was happening in August?

The month was largely dominated by both the ongoing energy crisis and the Conservative’s first leadership contest, with Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss battling it out to become prime minister.

Ms Truss, the frontrunner at the time, claimed there would be no new taxes or energy rationing if she was elected, as she dropped hints about further cost of living support.

A source on Mr Sunak’s campaign said that Ms Truss would not be able to afford tax cuts and a new cost-of-living plan.

But crucially, neither seemed able to provide concrete plans to voters.

Tumbling wholesale costs gave households a rare dose of good news on energy bills, as it sparked hefty cuts to the latest estimates of 2023’s price cap.

But the respite was brief, with prices in wholesale markets soon rising again and no clear sign of a permanent solution to the crisis.

The skepticism around Downing Street’s ability to help households weather the storm may be one the reasons people rushed to grab an air fryer as with lower cooking costs, it is one way to help keep bills down.

The top-selling air fryers have risen in popularity by more than 3,000% since this time last year and are up 2,000% since the summer, price comparison website PriceRunner said.

Sales of the most popular air fryer on the site, the Ninja AF400UK, have risen by more than 22,000% since October last year.

Three times cheaper than ovens

The appliances have a heating element on the top with a large fan to distribute the heat, meaning that they do not need much time to pre-heat and the food cooks quickly and evenly.

Research by Utilita found that air fryers run at an average cost of £55.71 a year, while an electric cooker runs at £335.57 a year.

Further analysis by Which? found the gadgets can be up to three times cheaper than traditional ovens.

But Which? said any saving would have to be weighed against the initial outlay, with air fryers costing up to £300.

The testers found that the cheapest and quickest method of cooking a roast chicken was with a pressure cooker, costing 11p and taking 32 minutes, compared with 39p and 76 minutes in an oven, but they pointed out the cheaper method did not produce the crispy skin from normal roasting.

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They found that an air fryer would cost 18p to cook a “perfect” roast chicken.

Air fryers also use less oil, which is not only healthier but also saves a few pennies.

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