Demand for energy efficient air fryers has rocketed by 3,000% in a year as people attempt to offset soaring fuel bills this winter, figures suggest.

The kitchen gadget, which is capable of cooking a wide range of food, has been found to be significantly more cost effective in terms of energy use than cookers.

Research by Utilita found that air fryers run at an average cost of £55.71 a year, while an electric cooker runs at £335.57 a year.

Another study by Hometree in September found that while an oven with an average wattage of 3kW costs about 34p to run for 20 minutes, a 1kW air fryer would cost 10p.

The appliances have a heating element on the top with a large fan to distribute the heat, meaning that they do not need much time to pre-heat and the food cooks quickly and evenly.

There is very little you can’t cook in an air fryer

Air fryers sell from about £60, but more expensive ones can cost more than £200.

The top-selling air fryers have risen in popularity by more than 3,000% since this time last year and are up 2,000% since the summer, price comparison website PriceRunner said.

Sales of the most popular air fryer on the site, the Ninja AF400UK, have risen by more than 22,000% since October last year.

PriceRunner consumer spokeswoman Evelina Galli said: “Air fryers, as we know, are massively popular right now and our data backs this up, with the most popular models on our website seeing more than significant increases since this summer alone – up 7,000% on some models – although we actually started seeing an uprising in air fryers back in 2020/2021 when they were all the rage on TikTok.”

The figures come as Iceland launched The Big Cooker Switch Off Challenge, encouraging customers to switch off their ovens for a week and use more energy-efficient appliances such as air fryers, microwaves and slow cookers instead.

It followed a survey by the supermarket that found more than half of Britons (53%) planned to either reduce the number of hot dinners they eat or cut them out completely

We are asking our customers to join us in The Big Cooker Switch Off Challenge, so they can see just how easy it is to solely use appliances that are going to save them money

Its own research suggested that households could save up to £426 per year by switching to more energy-efficient cooking appliances.

Iceland Foods managing director Richard Walker said: “Choosing between heating and eating shouldn’t be a decision anyone ever has to make, we must do what we can to save hot dinners.

“This is why we are asking our customers to join us in The Big Cooker Switch Off Challenge, so they can see just how easy it is to solely use appliances that are going to save them money. It’s going to be these small changes that could mean having a regular hot meal this winter.”

The supermarket’s line of air fryers sold out in less than a week last month, but they are due to be re-stocked at the end of November.

Kitchen retailer Lakeland also said it had seen unprecedented demand for its range of air fryers, with more stock expected later this year.

It reported more than 1,500 views of the Lakeland Digital Crisp Air Fryer in 24 hours alone.

Lakeland consumer spokeswoman Wendy Miranda said: “There is very little you can’t cook in an air fryer.

“Our recent survey found that social media, particularly Tik Tok, is the first place Gen Z turns to for cooking inspiration and kitchen hacks, so no surprises that nearly five billion searches have been racked up.”