Tell me about air fryers, Guru. Fad or fixture?

AAir fryers are, at least, more yo-yo than Pogs, having enjoyed several fleeting surges of popularity, though GaGu can’t be sure that a new swathe of hot-boxes won’t already be cluttering up recycling centres by the time you read this. Such is the fickle nature of people, and the limited counter space of the British kitchen.

This clearly shouldn’t be the case. Guru’s furred, sentient arteries have asked him to clarify that although air fryers are not ‘better’ than cooking in a fan oven – whatever that’s supposed to mean – and neither is air fried food more delicious than deep-fried death morsels, air fryers do hold some major advantages over both.

Air frying reduces the heating space and ups the air speed, which makes it faster than oven cooking. It’s far more efficient, which is extra important in an era where energy companies are increasingly pushing their luck. It’s healthier than proper frying, though Guru suspects you’re clever enough to know that less oil means more good. And more advanced air fryers – those with a rotisserie that move the food as it cooks, like the £170 Breville Halo – can really help with crisping up the outside of things, though they’re not typically too great for casseroles.

Guru absolutely advises buying an air fryer whether you just want nice chips or something more complicated. But make sure you’ve got somewhere to store it when you’re not using it, and avoid the temptation to become some militant advocate for the artform. You can cook as much as you like, but going on and on about it is about as interesting to Guru as hearing about your dreams. And he really does not care that your brain made you think your teeth fell out while you went back to school in only your underpants.