One in three households will use a deep fryer to help prepare part of their Christmas dinner, a 37 per cent increase on the previous year, data suggests.
The use of halogen ovens has increased by almost three-quarters compared to last year, and these appliances often cook food faster than traditional ovens.
Air fryers use a similar amount of energy as ovens, but reduce energy costs by cooking food in half the time, USwitch says.
Halogen ovens use halogen bulbs to heat food, and although they are typically more powerful than traditional ovens, the faster cooking times mean they use less energy.
Regarding the benefits of air fryers, food influencer Amy Sheppard said: ‘I find myself cooking more and more dinners in the air fryer.
‘It’s really convenient as there is little to no preheating, they are easy to clean and much quicker than using the oven.
“The fact that Uswitch has calculated that it costs less than half the price to cook a turkey crown in a deep fryer rather than an electric oven is a brilliant bonus.”
Elise Melville, energy expert at Uswitch.com, said: “Household budgets are tight at this time of year, so it’s no surprise to see cooks turning to energy-efficient appliances to save money when preparing Christmas dinner. “.
He added: “Appliances such as deep fryers, slow cookers and microwaves are often the most energy-efficient kitchen devices for cooking, especially if you are not preparing enough food to fill the entire oven.”
“Christmas is one of the few times of year when households use the entire oven, meaning it can be more cost effective on the big day.”
While around eight million people turn to the fryer this Christmas, 1 million households will use a toaster on Christmas Day and 900,000 will fire up the barbecue for their festive feast, according to the data.
According to USwitch, the average household of four would need to spend around £2.61 on energy to prepare Christmas dinner this year, and the cost of cooking a 5kg turkey at 160°C in a fan oven for three hours and a half would be around £1.72.
Last yearcooking the same meal would have cost £2.94.
How much does it cost? USwitch has indicated how much it will cost to prepare a Christmas dinner
How much will Christmas dinner cost?
The cost of an average Christmas dinner for four has risen 6.5 per cent on last year, to £32.57, as the price of turkey and vegetables rises, according to Kantar figures.
The increase is significantly higher than headline food inflation of 2.6 percent, which is again higher than November’s 2.3 percent, according to Kantar.
Despite rising prices at the checkout, supermarket sales for the first time in history are expected to exceed £13bn during the four weeks of December.
Sales of assorted sweet biscuits and cheese crackers doubled in November compared to the previous month, while 8 per cent of shoppers bought a Christmas pudding.
The proportion of spending on premium own-brand products reached 5 percent in the last four weeks and is expected to rise to almost 7 percent in December, Kantar said.
Fraser McKevitt, head of retail and consumer insights at Kantar, said: “Monday December 23 is likely to be the busiest day for supermarkets this year, although there are clear signs that shoppers are already stocking their cupboards.”
“Many of us take the opportunity to treat ourselves this time of year and retailers are launching seasonal product lines to help us celebrate in style.”
Last month, Tesco achieved its biggest market share since December 2017 at 28.1 per cent, up from 27.4 per cent in 2023, as its sales rose 5.2 per cent in the 12 weeks to December.
Sainsbury’s share rose 0.3 percentage points to 15.9 per cent, and spending at its checkouts was 4.7 per cent higher than last year, Kantar said.
