Around two thirds of UK households (65%) now own an air fryer, with 86% using it at least once a week. Yet in the absence of dedicated cooking instructions, 35% of owners say they ‘mainly guess’ what to do.
Chips remain the most popular product for air fryer cooking, but more than half of owners use the appliance for frozen and chilled products such as breaded chicken (57%) and sausages (56%). Breaded fish products (50%) and party foods (41%) are also popular choices.
As air fryer cooking becomes embedded in consumer routines, food manufacturers are investing in the generation and validation of on-pack cooking instructions across a growing range of products.
Natasha Burton, Head of Cooking Instructions at Leatherhead Food Research, says verifying that products consistently reach food-safe time-and-temperature combinations is critical. However, manufacturers also need to ensure consumers enjoy the product.
“Texture is a big part of the overall sensory experience, so our science-led cooking trials assess factors such as crunchiness, crispiness, or succulence as well as temperature. We carry out thousands of air fryer cooking trials every year, delivering reliable on-pack instructions so consumers don’t have to rely on guesswork.”
Leatherhead Food Research
For more information visit:
www.leatherheadfood.com/service/cooking-instructions
+44 (0) 1372 822 278
All figures cited relate to fieldwork undertaken between 19-22 December 2025 on behalf of Leatherhead Food Research. Total sample size was 2,074 adults. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).
