Chip shops switch to air fryers as the price of cooking oil soars Business

Restaurant bosses said they had been forced to swallow particularly high prices for cooking oil in recent weeks, with Mr Dogus saying a 20-litre can had skyrocketed from £16 to £48. Deep-fried dishes can also be more energy-intensive, which means restaurants have to spend more on their utility bills.

Pressure is mounting in the restaurant industry, although those heavily dependent on oil are most at risk. Mr Dogus said it was “not the same whether you are a kebab shop or an Italian takeaway”.

Estimates suggest that one in three fish and chips could collapse in the next six months, if rising costs do not level off soon.

However, there are still challenges for the air fryer.

Andrew Crook, president of the National Federation of Fish Fryers, said the process can work for chips, but thick British fries are more difficult to cook.

He said the group instead teaches companies how to make their oil last longer by managing it better and using technology that could absorb oil impurities.

It comes as restaurants battle to cut costs and avoid passing on increases to customers.

Mr Dogus, whose umbrella group represents takeaway giants such as Just Eat, said many restaurant bosses had already raised prices to cope with inflation, but further price increases could be on the horizon.

He said: “I also run a few small restaurants, and we raised our prices about a month ago, hoping that will keep us going all year. But ingredient prices have gone up again and one of our flat kebabs, for example, which we make at a loss, so we will have to increase this price in a week or two.”

Prices for meat and fish, in particular, have soared in recent weeks, prompting pub bosses to start altering their menus.

Earlier this week, the chief executive of Young’s, one of Britain’s biggest pub chains, said the company was replacing chicken with pork and salmon with trout due to high prices, and was following ingredients daily.

Marston’s, meanwhile, said it had reduced the size of its menus in order to cope with runaway inflation.