With the festive season in full swing, the age-old question of how to cook the Christmas dinner most efficiently is back. Financial guru Martin Lewis has delivered a definitive verdict on whether to use a traditional oven or a trendy air fryer, aiming to help households save on soaring energy costs.
The Energy Efficiency Showdown
During an appearance on ITV's Good Morning Britain in 2023, the founder of MoneySavingExpert.com was asked about the trend of cooking the festive meal in an air fryer. Lewis expressed scepticism if the switch was purely for energy-saving reasons when cooking for a crowd.
He explained that the primary benefit of an oven is its capacity. "The benefit of an oven is when you’re cooking a lot for a lot of people and you can fill all the racks and have it on consistently," Lewis stated. In contrast, he pointed out that "air fryers are good for small things that cook quickly."
His crucial warning was that if you need to use an air fryer multiple times for different components of the meal, you might end up using more energy. "If you’re gonna have to use your air fryer 15 different times for different items, generally on energy usage you’d be better off to use an oven," he advised.
Martin Lewis' Simple Rule of Thumb
Later, on The Martin Lewis Podcast (available on BBC Sounds and Apple Music), the money-saving expert broke down a straightforward method for calculating appliance costs. His rule centres on understanding wattage and how you use an appliance.
First, find the wattage of the appliance. Lewis used the example of a heated gilet at 50 watts, costing about 1.7p per hour, to illustrate how heating a person is cheaper than heating a whole room.
He then provided the key metrics for kitchen appliances:
- An oven is typically 2,000 watts, costing roughly 68p per hour to run (based on a 34p per kWh unit rate).
- A microwave is around 1,000 watts.
- An air fryer's wattage varies but is generally high, similar to a small oven.
"So if you've got a turkey in there that may well be effective if you're cooking lots of stuff in there and it's on for a couple of hours," he said regarding ovens. "But if you've got something small and simple in there, it's probably cheaper and that's where the microwave and also the air fryers tend to come into their own because they're better at cooking single objects."
The Final Verdict for Your Festive Feast
The core conclusion from Martin Lewis's analysis is that the best appliance depends entirely on the scale of your cooking. For a large, traditional Christmas dinner with multiple dishes needing simultaneous cooking, the conventional oven is likely the more energy-efficient choice. Its larger cavity allows you to cook everything at once, making use of the energy consumed over a sustained period.
However, for smaller gatherings, singles, or couples, or for cooking specific side dishes, the air fryer can be a champion of efficiency. Its smaller size means it heats up faster and doesn't waste energy heating a large, empty space.
Ultimately, Lewis urges caution against assuming the trendy appliance is always the cheapest. This festive season, the smartest move is to plan your cooking strategy based on the size of your party and the menu, using his simple wattage rule to make an informed decision that keeps your Christmas both merry and affordable.
