I compared the energy cost of using an air fryer vs an oven, and the results were astounding

In the midst of the current soaring energy prices, and in the mind frame that I should be trying to cut spending wherever I can, I have become increasingly curious about exploring alternative options to my every day energy use in the hope that I can find cheaper ways to live.

I discussed the topic with a friend of mine, Ellie, and she revealed that according to her smart meter - which sends daily graphs to her phone informing her of how much energy she is using, and how much she is spending throughout the day - she believes the most expensive time of an average day to be meal times. So, I decided to embark on a mission to discover the most cost effective way to cook food between an air fryer and an oven.

To do this effectively, I enlisted the help of Ellie so that I could use her nifty smart meter to review the cost of the spike in energy at the exact time that I cooked with each of the appliances. Her energy supplier is Bulb, which is one of the UK's leading suppliers of green energy.

Read more: I worked from home all day and this is how much my British Gas smart meter charged me

A flashback to GSCE science reminded me that I had to control my variables in order for this to be a fair and accurate test. I cooked the same meal, vegan cauliflower wings, at the same time of 12.30pm over the span of two days. To ensure that the readings would convey only the energy used to cook our food, I made sure that no additional energy was being used in the time surrounding our cooking.

After arriving at Ellie's for day one, we prepared the cauliflower and set up her impressive Ninja dual air fryer. The original recipe called for 30 minutes in the oven, so we decided to cut that time in half and set the air fryer to 200 degrees for