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Air fryers have become more and more popular in recent years as Brits look for quicker alternatives to traditional ovens for preparing meals. These small kitchen appliances require minimal or no oil, making them a healthier cooking option whilst simultaneously reducing energy consumption - welcome news for household budgets.

However, shoppers are now discovering an even cheaper alternative costing under £35. Halogen ovens are being hailed as a great substitute for air fryers at a lower price point. These devices feature a glass bowl topped with a lid containing halogen bulbs and a fan mechanism, which generates infra-red radiation when activated to produce heat.

The internal fan then distributes this heat evenly around the food for thorough cooking.

You can purchase a Crystals 17L halogen oven from Amazon for only £33.97. Fans of the Amazon model have given it a strong rating of 4.2 stars out of five, with numerous reviewers commending how swift and straightforward it is to operate.

One customer commented: "This is my 2nd halogen air fryer and I love it. I did borrow an air fryer for a couple of weeks but as soon as I got the halogen one delivered I went straight back to it and I haven't looked back. You can cook anything in it even a cake which I have done."

Another customer said: "I use it to cook two different meals for two people. Thanks to the extension it can also a small turkey! I prefer it to any typical air frier as the main cooking bowl is made of glass."

And another wrote: "Easy to use for a variety of recipes, more energy efficient than a conventional oven. Very good piece of equipment."

Though some customers pointed out that the lid was quite heavy, and the tongs provided weren't the best quality.

One purchaser commented: "This was sent back as we think it was very easy to burn yourself as the tongs are not up to the job and the lid is hot and heavy to handle compared to the the normal ones with a handle."

Back in 2022, Energia conducted research suggesting households should consider using microwaves and air fryers for cooking, as it often proved cheaper than using a conventional oven. Their team of experts worked out precisely how much electricity each appliance uses, and what that would equate to in terms of cost per hour of usage.

Oven

The average energy consumption (wattage) for an oven is 1575, which translates to a running cost of 50p per hour.

Air fryer

The average energy consumption (wattage) for an air fryer is 1500, which means it costs 43p to run per hour. Hence, using an air fryer for 30 minutes would cost 22p.

Microwave

The average energy consumption (wattage) for a microwave is 1750, which means it costs 57p to run per hour. Therefore, using a microwave for five minutes would cost 0.04p.