New Delhi, Dec. 16 -- Kitchen appliances often come with bold wattage numbers printed prominently on the box. For frying appliances such as air fryers, electric fry pans and deep fryers, higher wattage is frequently presented as a sign of faster cooking and better results. The assumption feels logical. More power should mean quicker heating and improved frying. Yet, the reality is more nuanced. Wattage alone does not determine how efficiently or evenly food is fried. To understand what higher wattage truly offers, it is important to look beyond the number and consider how heat is generated, distributed and controlled.

Wattage indicates how much electrical power an appliance consumes at peak operation. A higher wattage appliance can draw ...