Cost of Living - Shrinkflation is speeding up at an alarming rate

r4 radio programme about air frying last month, 90% of cookbooks, last year making money, were about air fryers - that says plenty about the UK diet (and something about energy saving aspirations)

Haven't heard Keir talk about instituting the high fat and sugar product placement/advertising restrictions, but banning energy drinks for children will help (and their dental needs)
Two things about air fryers

1. They offer a much healthier method of cooking over frying since their M.O. is the use of almost no fat to cook.
2. They are much more energy efficient than an oven.

What their sudden popularity should tell us is that many people are trying to be healthier, and use less electricity..

Since the recipe books are at least trying to cook from raw ingredients, I would hope that it is maybe a sign that people are looking for cheaper food sources as well, the recipe books won't be on how to shove your chicken nuggets in from the freezer and cook them.


And going by my wife's experiences in school, those least well off and on benefits who complain about things like shrinkflation by far spend an inordinate amount on 'fast food'..
And no surprise:
The density of fast-food outlets is greater in more deprived areas – almost as twice as high in the most deprived local authorities compared with the least deprived. Easier access to neighbourhood takeaway outlets has been shown to increase consumption of takeaways and is associated with higher weight

Although I would say that fast food in general has seen a meteoric rise since the pandemic, people in work who complain about the price of food etc all eat out way more than they used to.

We plan our meals as much as we can and prepare ahead of time, out food bill has gone up significantly, but nothing compared to some people in work complaining who eat out, they are spending 300% more than they used to and don't seem willing to change this, just complain because that's easier and it mentally validates their decision to spend more on takeaway.. (IMO)..
 
Two things about air fryers

1. They offer a much healthier method of cooking over frying since their M.O. is the use of almost no fat to cook.
2. They are much more energy efficient than an oven.

What their sudden popularity should tell us is that many people are trying to be healthier, and use less electricity..

Since the recipe books are at least trying to cook from raw ingredients, I would hope that it is maybe a sign that people are looking for cheaper food sources as well, the recipe books won't be on how to shove your chicken nuggets in from the freezer and cook them.


And going by my wife's experiences in school, those least well off and on benefits who complain about things like shrinkflation by far spend an inordinate amount on 'fast food'..
And no surprise:


Although I would say that fast food in general has seen a meteoric rise since the pandemic, people in work who complain about the price of food etc all eat out way more than they used to.

We plan our meals as much as we can and prepare ahead of time, out food bill has gone up significantly, but nothing compared to some people in work complaining who eat out, they are spending 300% more than they used to and don't seem willing to change this, just complain because that's easier and it mentally validates their decision to spend more on takeaway.. (IMO)..
I love my air fryer, but it would be a lie to say I use it to be healthier.

Deep/shallow fried still tastes better, but is more effort, mess, and requires buying oil. My air fryer is so used mainly due to convenience and leccy savings.
 
Yea and like ive told you before, il keep stating the facts whether it triggers you or not, which it clearly does, you have no argument as per usual.

You keep stating your "facts" in the manner that you do and I'll keep, as you put it, "attacking the way you present the case, rather than the message itself,"... Because the way you present the case IS the issue, not the message itself :)
 
We've had an air fryer for years and it gets used to cook chicken goujons, roasted cauliflower (which is ruddy delicious) and other roasted veg for the most part. We've got enough kitchen gadgets and a larger one that would get used a bit more doesn't make sense from a space point of view. It also isn't very good at frying eggs, asian cooking or italian cooking from what I can tell :p

They are basically cheaper to run ovens that work really well for the right thing. Considering how wildly popular they were/are you can tell what foods we eat a lot of in this country. Part of it is social media as well.
 
We've had an air fryer for years and it gets used to cook chicken goujons, roasted cauliflower (which is ruddy delicious) and other roasted veg for the most part. We've got enough kitchen gadgets and a larger one that would get used a bit more doesn't make sense from a space point of view. It also isn't very good at frying eggs, asian cooking or italian cooking from what I can tell :p

They are basically cheaper to run ovens that work really well for the right thing. Considering how wildly popular they were/are you can tell what foods we eat a lot of in this country. Part of it is social media as well.

Just to swing back around to disgusting animal flesh, air fryers do a suprisingly great job at Chinese style crispy pork belly. Really even cooking and great crackling.
 
It all depends on how you use them as well, I have one but also fry in shallow oil, one that's stable at high temperature.

Air-frying equipment is not known to cause cancer, but the process of air frying does result in the formation of certain compounds, like acrylamide, that are linked to cancer development. Acrylamide is classified as a probable human carcinogen.
 
I love my air fryer, but it would be a lie to say I use it to be healthier.

Deep/shallow fried still tastes better, but is more effort, mess, and requires buying oil. My air fryer is so used mainly due to convenience and leccy savings.
Sounds even better then, if the alternative would be deep/shallow frying and the air fryer through sheer convenience / leccy savings also steers you down less fried food, then great!

Our air fryer was only bought to do the occasional air fried chips whilst sticking to a slimming world diet, so purely to lose weight, convenience/leccy was not a consideration.
 
It all depends on how you use them as well, I have one but also fry in shallow oil, one that's stable at high temperature.

Air-frying equipment is not known to cause cancer, but the process of air frying does result in the formation of certain compounds, like acrylamide, that are linked to cancer development. Acrylamide is classified as a probable human carcinogen.
How does an air fryer cause these compounds when it's just a fast oven, one would expect an oven to cause the same compounds to form.
 
How does an air fryer cause these compounds when it's just a fast oven, one would expect an oven to cause the same compounds to form.
I am assuming it's over cooking in both maybe , I know sooty BBQs are the worst
Use my ninja a fair bit , then air fryer, but yesterday did a curry so a longish onion fry time in oil.
Not over worried myself as the red wine will see me off first
 
tbh i stick so much mustard on my pea protein ham (Tesco reduced section a while back) its no different from the taste i remember , cant cope with realistic fake beef burgers though, noticed my soya milk has gone up 10 percent and bag of family tomatoes was over 2 quid ,seasonal maybe ?
 
Its also because they are super lazy. Normal food isn't that expensive. Making pasta sauces is cheap. Potatoes are cheap. Rice is cheap. Ultra processed food really isn't that cheap, its just easy and people hate the idea of taking responsibility for their diets. The number of poor and overweight people is shocking. Thats because their diets and what they spend money on is stupid and bad.
I use passata or chopped tomatoes instead of pasta sauce. It’s cheaper 40p v up to £2 and is healthier- 100% tomatoes v sugar, additives etc.

Then add veg, herbs, spices etc to tomatoes depending on what I’m making.

Ultra processed foods. Parents give their kids this rubbish all the time and dictate to them and others that “he doesn’t like …” foods that they never eaten. Heard of kids trying these foods that they “don’t like” and actually liking them.

Parents let your kids decide what they like and don’t like in the food
 
I use passata or chopped tomatoes instead of pasta sauce. It’s cheaper 40p v up to £2 and is healthier- 100% tomatoes v sugar, additives etc.

Then add veg, herbs, spices etc to tomatoes depending on what I’m making.

Ultra processed foods. Parents give their kids this rubbish all the time and dictate to them and others that “he doesn’t like …” foods that they never eaten. Heard of kids trying these foods that they “don’t like” and actually liking them.

Parents let your kids decide what they like and don’t like in the food

Conversely, we have a friend who is very earth mother, organic everything and she complains about her little boy not eating much. We were at a friends boys birthday and they had potato smiley faces and pizza and she said "he probably won't eat much". He demolished pretty much the whole bowl on his own :p

But yes, I don't know many kids that are picky eaters whose parents cook their food and they have a varied diet.
 
I use passata or chopped tomatoes instead of pasta sauce. It’s cheaper 40p v up to £2 and is healthier- 100% tomatoes v sugar, additives etc.

Then add veg, herbs, spices etc to tomatoes depending on what I’m making.

Ultra processed foods. Parents give their kids this rubbish all the time and dictate to them and others that “he doesn’t like …” foods that they never eaten. Heard of kids trying these foods that they “don’t like” and actually liking them.

Parents let your kids decide what they like and don’t like in the food
If I let my daughter pick her meals she'd choose curly fries, pizza and baked beans every time - I don't know if it's because she's early onset teenager or perhaps she doesn't like my cooking!
 
I know some single mothers that come into the food bank that work 3 jobs, are exhausted in the extreme and can do little more than make the bad choices, because the bad choices are easier, and that needs to be addressed heads on
Its obvious that certain people should not be having children, if you cant afford them don't have them. Change your circumstances to enable you to have kids.

There are situations where relationships break down and some mothers end up single which is a bit different, you cant foresee every eventuality.
 
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