A senior lifestyle reporter has tested three methods of cooking sausages – frying pan, air fryer and oven – and found a clear winner. The oven produced the most succulent sausages, scoring 10/10, while the frying pan scored just 4/10 due to uneven cooking and a burnt flavour.
Frying pan method disappoints
To fry the sausages, the reporter set the hob to medium-low and coated the pan with a light layer of olive oil. Once heated, the sausages were placed in the pan without touching. They were left to cook completely on one side before being turned, avoiding constant movement.
This approach took considerably more time than expected, with some parts of the meat difficult to cook evenly. In total, it took approximately 25 to 30 minutes to ensure they were fully cooked. The result was a grease-splattered hob, a scorched pan and sausages that were unevenly cooked and charred in several places. While they had some crispness and retained moisture, the burnt flavour was overpowering.
Air fryer delivers juicy results
Cooking sausages in the air fryer required virtually no attention and took comparatively little time. The sausages were given a light coating of olive oil spray and cooked for 23 minutes at 180 degrees. They were not pierced beforehand to keep the juices locked in, and the basket was shaken halfway through to prevent sticking.
The sausages looked noticeably more evenly cooked than those prepared on the hob. They were wonderfully moist and far less greasy, as the air fryer basket allows excess fat to drip away freely. This method scored 9/10.
Oven wins with succulent texture
The oven method, which the reporter had never tried before, involved preheating a fan oven to 180 degrees and lining a baking tray with foil. The sausages were placed on the tray and cooked for slightly over 30 minutes, being turned over midway through.
The sausages cooked far more consistently than those in the air fryer. The interior was moist and packed with flavour, while the casing achieved a delightful crispness without becoming excessively chewy. This technique also required practically no washing up – just throwing away the foil and giving the tray a quick rinse. It scored 10/10.
