Benefits of Cooking in a Glass Air Fryer
Benefits of Cooking in a Glass Air Fryer
Air frying is often discussed as an alternative to traditional deep frying, particularly because it can produce browned and crisp foods with substantially less oil. But what does research actually say about the difference?
A study published in the Journal of Food Science by researchers from the University of Murcia in Spain, along with researchers from the University of Reading and Khon Kaen University, compared French fries prepared using air frying and conventional deep frying. The researchers found that the air-fried fries had substantially lower fat content while maintaining similar moisture and colour characteristics.
What the Research Found
The University of Murcia research compared the two cooking methods under controlled conditions. The researchers looked at factors including oil uptake, moisture, colour, texture, microstructure and sensory characteristics.
Their findings showed that air frying resulted in substantially lower fat content than deep frying. However, the researchers also found that air frying took longer and produced differences in texture and sensory characteristics. This is important because it shows that air frying can reduce oil absorption, but it does not produce exactly the same cooking result as deep frying.
More recent research published in LWT – Food Science and Technology in 2026 reached a similar conclusion. In that study, researchers found that French fries prepared using air frying had an oil content of approximately 1.2%, compared with 44.8% in the deep-fried samples under the study conditions. The researchers also reported that air-fried fries cooked for 20 minutes had comparable colour and texture to the deep-fried samples used for comparison.
Why Does Air Frying Use Less Oil?
The difference comes largely from how heat is transferred.
During deep frying, food is surrounded by hot oil, which acts as the primary heat-transfer medium. During air frying, heated air circulates around the food instead.
Research published by food scientists has found that this difference in the cooking environment can significantly affect oil absorption. Because the food is not immersed in oil, considerably less oil is available to penetrate the food during cooking.
A 2026 study using air-jet-assisted air frying also found significantly lower oil absorption in French fries and potato wedges compared with deep frying, while maintaining acceptable texture and sensory properties under the study's optimized conditions.
What About Crispiness?
This is where the research becomes more interesting.
Air frying can produce browning and a crisp outer surface, but the result is not necessarily identical to deep frying. Researchers from the University of Murcia found that air-fried French fries had similar colour characteristics but differences in texture and mouthfeel compared with deep-fried fries.
Another study published in Food Research International found that, under the tested conditions, deep-fat-fried fries were crispier than air-fried fries at comparable water loss.
So rather than saying “air frying gives the same crispiness as deep frying,” the more accurate statement is:
Air frying can create a browned and crisp exterior while using considerably less oil than traditional deep frying, although the final texture can differ.
Where Does the Glass Cooking Chamber Come In?
The research above primarily examines air frying as a cooking method, rather than proving that glass itself changes the nutritional value of food.
The main practical advantage of a glass air fryer is visibility.
A transparent cooking chamber allows you to observe the food as it cooks, making it easier to monitor browning, colour and cooking progress. This can be particularly useful when experimenting with different cooking temperatures and times.
So the benefits can be understood in two parts:
- Air-frying technology: less oil exposure and potentially lower oil absorption compared with deep frying.
- Glass cooking chamber: greater visibility and easier monitoring during cooking.
Keeping these two points separate makes the information more scientifically accurate.
How Domestica Applies These Ideas
Domestica's glass air fryer range combines hot-air cooking with transparent cooking chambers designed to make the cooking process easier to monitor.
The Domestica Lumera Air Fryer Oven with CarbonHeat™ Pro uses a 1550W CarbonHeat™ Pro heating system and dual 4L and 1.5L glass bowls. The product page also describes its LumiGlass™ bowls as food-grade and transparent, allowing users to see the cooking process while the appliance operates. It provides five cooking functions: air fry, grill, bake, roast and reheat.
Explore the Domestica Lumera Air Fryer Oven with CarbonHeat™ Pro
For users looking specifically for a dual glass bowl air fryer, the Domestica Aerion 5-in-1 Dual Glass Bowl Air Fryer uses a dual-bowl glass cooking format with hot-air circulation. The transparent bowls allow the cooking process to be observed while the appliance is operating.
Explore the Domestica Aerion 5-in-1 Dual Glass Bowl Air Fryer
These products demonstrate how research around air frying can translate into everyday appliance design: the cooking method focuses on circulating hot air rather than immersing food in oil, while transparent glass cooking chambers make the cooking process easier to observe.
What Should You Keep in Mind?
Air frying should not be presented as a method that automatically makes every food healthier. The ingredients, portion size, amount of added oil, temperature and cooking time all influence the final food.
Research from Nankai University also shows why cooking conditions matter. In a study of air-fried French fries, researchers examined how temperature and cooking time affected browning, physicochemical properties and the formation of Maillard-reaction-related compounds.
The researchers found that increasing air-frying temperature and time changed the physicochemical properties of the fries and increased browning and the formation of certain Maillard-related compounds under the tested conditions.
This means that temperature and cooking time are just as important as the cooking method itself.
The Takeaway
Research from universities and food-science researchers provides a clear reason why air frying has attracted attention: it can produce fried-style foods with substantially less oil absorption than traditional deep frying under certain cooking conditions.
A glass air fryer adds a practical advantage by making the cooking process visible. You can watch the food brown, check its progress and decide when it has reached the texture and colour you prefer.
Domestica's Lumera and Aerion bring this combination of air-frying and visible glass cooking into everyday kitchen appliances.
The result is not necessarily identical to deep frying, and air frying does not automatically make every food healthier. But as a cooking method, the research supports its potential to reduce oil use while still producing appealing browned and crisp foods under suitable conditions.
Research Sources
University of Murcia, Spain — Journal of Food Science:
Comparative study of French fries produced by deep-fat frying and air frying.
Research paper on PubMed
University of Reading / Khon Kaen University — Journal of Food Science:
Detailed comparison of air frying and deep frying characteristics.
Wiley research paper
2026 LWT study:
Effect of air frying instead of deep frying on French-fry quality and oil content.
ScienceDirect research paper
Nankai University — Frontiers in Nutrition:
Research examining air frying, browning and Maillard-related compounds in French fries.
Frontiers research paper