I had some gift tokens through work, wasn’t sure what to do with them. Eventually decided to get an Air Fryer in the Boxing Day sales. $149.99 and I had $150 in gift tokens đ
It has changed my life, in the last month or so I have not switched on my oven. I have roasted leftover vegetables for soup, made excellent chips, cooked steaks, bacon, sausages, jacket potatoes and today made a perfect cheese on toast *
It’s also far superior to a microwave for reheating things. I am mainly cooking for 1 or 2 and it suits my purposes perfectly
Anybody else using this wonderful kitchen appliance?
* More healthy stuff starts in Feb, but one uses way less oil if any
No but I’m interested based on your OP!
This is becoming a meme.
Nihal on 5Live discussed this a couple of weeks ago on his short phone in section between 3.30-4pm off the back of the fact that 5 documentaries have been made about the greatness of Air Fryers.
He had five contributors who waxed lyrical about the greatness of the air fryer – all were blokes.
Maybe the hogging by certain men of the garden BBQ has finally moved into the kitchen in.a new form.
Perhaps…Mrs thep has flatly refused to countenance one in our Oz kitchen. We’ve got enough bloody kit cluttering the place up, were her exact words. Mind you, she once said the same thing about dishwashers.
But I’m off to Blighty later in the week, and I might sneakily buy one while I’m there. I’m intrigued, and the daughter swears by hers.
@dai which one did you get? Cooking for 1 or 2 sounds right up my street.
@mikethep
It’s a Ninja with 2 drawers, you can either set them to cook with different methods/temperatures/times or for larger servings set them up to cook identically. I find the flexibility very useful
https://www.ninjakitchen.ca/products/ninja-foodi-6-in-1-8-qt.-2-basket-air-fryer-with-dualzone-technology-zidDZ201C
That’s too big for my limited bench top space, unfortunately. I know there are smaller ones.
It’s actually fairly compact. I have little space also, living in a townhouse in a city. I push it into a corner and bring it out when it is running, you need to leave some room around it.
Are they cheaper in uk?
Apparently not – Dai’s cost CAD189.99 (GBP111). The same model costs GBP319.99, and that’s on Amazon FFS. I’m hoping that’s an anomaly.
Got it for $150 CAD actually (reduced)
That UK price is crazy
My wife swears by her Ninja, but scampi seems all she uses it for. My s-I-l does âroastâ chicken and all the trimmings in his, the outcome said to be edible. (I wasnât free that day.)
We got one with Xmas money as Offspring the Younger eats a lot of sausage, bacon and roasted chicken. I don’t think he’s turned the oven on since we got it – I had to turn the radiator at the other end of the kitchen up a bit to compensate. I’m hoping the next Leccy bill will be a lot lower this quarter.
Unfortunately they are not self-cleaning, not that he notices. The washing-up fairy takes care of that.
Cleaning is pretty straightforward though. They can go in dishwasher but I just soak for a while and then grease comes off easy. I love mine so much I might start sleeping with it
Steady, The Buffs!
Marvellous thing – my range cooker double oven has basically now become a hob with a clock and some extra storage space for pots and pans (the oven does go on sometimes, but when it does it feels like a novelty).
Also found some perfect sized glass dishes in Ikea that fit the drawers and save on washing up burnt on chicken and/or sausage gunk from the metal plates.
Baked eggs – that is my latest Air Fryer discovery of wonder.
(and to respond to Uncle Wheaty above – I take no credit for the baked eggs. That was wholly Mrs D – I just ate them, whilst patting her on the head saying “well done you”)
I was an air fryer sceptic until I witnessed and indeed consumed chips a la air fryer. Revelatory. No more guilty plates of hot soggy oven chips done in the microwave after a night out.
I hardly ever use an oven or a grill. I’m fond of a wok, saucepans for rice etc and a microwave (cooks fish really well). What would I do with an air fryer?
Fish might be better in there than a microwave. Not tried either method yet
Treat yourself to a rice cooker, Tiggs. Perfect rice every time. Mine was less than 20 quid.
I think I will.
It’s currently ÂŁ27.95 at the Dodgers. 0.3 litre capacity, serves 2, takes up as much worktop space as an electric kettle.
Wholeheartedly agree.
It amazes me that rice cookers are not as popular as they should be in the UK. You see so many cooking programs / celebratory chefs / etc telling you how to cook perfect rice, correct proportions of water etc etc – a rice cooker is so much simpler and, as Steve says, itâs perfect rice every time. Plus you can cook extra and it keeps it warm for lunch the next day.
I would guess that pretty much every household here in Singapore has a rice cooker.
I cup rice, 2 cups water, boil until water’s nearly disappeared, lid on and allow to steam in the saucepan for 5-10 mins = perfect rice. A rice cooker is definitely not a piece of kit I lust after.
Another of my wifeâs passions; gadgets are right up her, well, she likes âem. So we eat rice every day. Sometimes with scampi.
My only complaint is they can’t do pizzas properly. The base stays put but the toppings are blown all over the inside of the oven.
Try Bake setting, less air going around. Haven’t made pizza but warmed up an old slice very well
There was a Radio 4 programme about them. Short version: cheaper to run and work well
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0018hjr
I do my best. Today, so far, I’ve done 11000 steps. And some of that was at work.
I recently bought a new oven. It’s a convection model and it has an air fry mode. I use that all the time for chicken. I get leg quarters from the market and bag them in marinade in the fridge. Then when it’s dinnertime, I put the pieces on a grill rack and air fry at 400 for 35 minutes. They come out perfect. It makes it easy to actually cook on a weeknight.
What I like is the simplicity. No need to warm it up just a little prep and chuck it in. And everything tastes great too
Iâm a big convert to air fryers. I bought a cheap 4L model from Dunelm that was ÂŁ24 in their sale. Unfortunately the timer jammed after 3 weeks. I was tempted to put up with it, but realised it would annoy me. The staff were great & said regardless of cost, you should take things back (One of the reviews said it cost less than a litre of scotch, which might have affected my thinking)
Like everyone else, itâs the speed & convenience; being able to cook chicken quickly straight from frozen. Itâs very easy to clean & food needs just a little spray of oil,
There does seem to be a cult around them & one story I read in a paper described them as âtrendyâ You will start to evangelise about them
I’m not sure I’d ever cook chicken from frozen, whatever the method.
Imperfectly thawed poultry retains a nasty aftertaste no matter how it’s cooked.
Pull your chicken out in good time if you don’t want an upset stomach.
Of course, air fryers come in hampers. (Now say it quickly!)
This applies (or should) to all frozen meat. Microwaving fucks with the muscle tissue too leaving a bad texture.
https://www.choice.com.au/home-and-living/kitchen/benchtop-cooking/articles/air-fryer-energy-costs-vs-oven?utm_source=et&utm_medium=email&utm_content=https://www.choice.com.au/home-and-living/kitchen/benchtop-cooking/articles/air-fryer-energy-costs-vs-oven&utm_campaign=Informer_P_VA_231109_630487&fbclid=IwAR2Fzn1lN56oTXmZtMrAtPp0swpm8SOOoDOQSpHsXs-vULn7xxsOZZB0du8_aem_AW5NvlwIdmCQmEFpD59Mhl4ZGAB-qwvVwtpMbnyXGh1wEAas73w0k840RlRnnntS11Q&mibextid=K35XfP
That’s pretty conclusive, isn’t it? I might get one then smuggle it back to Oz in my luggage. Faits accomplis have been known to work with Mrs thep.
For those of us with wonky lungs – I’m looking at you Mike, this is something to consider.
https://airqualitynews.com/indoor/air-fryers-pose-indoor-air-pollution-risk/?fbclid=IwAR3XiZrC_yj_7bwRKqgtDfm-LfjbthM2IfOS0VpfNbqmNCr34JwkSRXgjtI
For Facebookers the Aussie group My Efficient Electric Home have a search function on their page. Type in air fryer and there is a ton of info. Best tip so far, consider a square dish configuration.
Well, the gas cooktop I have in UK isn’t great for the lungs either…I wanted to swap it for an induction, but the rewiring would have involved hacking all the tiles off the wall. I usually cook with the window open and the range hood going full blast anyway, unless it’s raining sideways.
One last link. (I’ve been considering this item, hence my engagement on the topic). This one seemed to crystallise the threshold issue of “do you need one of these”?
https://www.choice.com.au/home-and-living/kitchen/benchtop-cooking/articles/should-you-buy-an-airfryer?fbclid=IwAR2AhBgVk295UQBHh-fw96oW3avQ1II-RD3gzfDX7Qf499A1oqyO7SetGis
We got one of the early models (Philips I think) about 10 years ago and agree it does a good job – it was great for chicken wings for the kids when they were younger.
I donât use it much these days as, being one of the early models, itâs pretty small capacity. Plus we donât have kitchen counter space to leave it out and I find that if itâs in the cupboard, I tend not to think about using it. I am thinking of getting one of the newer, larger ones though as I do see a lot more stuff being cooked in them these days.
I have no desire to own one, the only scenario I can imagine in which I would buy an air fryer is if my stove stopped working for good, and I didn’t fancy the cost of a new one…then a solution could be to buy an air fryer and a microwave oven instead (but I’d probably rather buy a new stove in installments…)
But judging by all of the endless talk about prepping for war and disasters that we get in the newspapers every day, the wise thing seems to be to buy a Trangia cooker – a portable stove. đ
Talking about portable stoves: any love here for the Remoska? I bought one on the advice of my sister – I donât think Iâve used my gas oven since I got itâŚ
https://www.remoska.co.uk/?gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI-fyTltr_gwMVDohQBh0IgwdLEAAYASAAEgKVjvD_BwE
I’m cooking a shoulder of lamb tomorrow. 4.5 hours at 150C. How can an air fryer match that?
It canât obviously but ours has a temperature probe* for smaller joints and it really works fabulously, taking the guesswork out of temperatures and cooking times.
*oh grow up!
Iâm chopping up some logs tomorrow. How can a dishwasher match that?
It’s not intended to match that. I do such things about 2 or 3 times a year so I will at least use my oven on those occasions otherwise not at all now
Massive food and cookery ponce writes: I have one and itâs great. Best non-deep-fried chips Iâve made at home, quick, takes no pre-heating thus saving energy, has basically taken over weeknight dinners. (I have a Ninja with the double drawer.)
I’m getting the impression that the AW is not very animal friendly.
LET THE BODIES HIT THE FLOOR!!
Yeah! I apply the five second rule, too. I have to be careful about the dog, though.
Yes, don’t try to eat the dog. They don’t like it.
Does anybody use those silicon inserts that Instagram keeps advertising to me?
They’re OK for mushrooms, but a bit rubbish with chicken and sausages.
Yes they save the gunk filling the drawers and easy to lift out, but I find a glass dish works better
Ta.
I bought a load of the the parchment paper inserts which I use for really messy stuff. I did get a silicon insert, but still havenât got round to trying.
Most of the time I use a little cake tin. Itâs small enough for the air to circulate around & being metal, heats up & ensures the underside of food cooks well.
Air fryers are great. But an Instant Pot pressure/slow/rice/every other type of cooker is where the magic is.
I use both. Cast iron dutch ovens are fabulous too.
Couple of years old but this review put me off air fryers
https://www.theguardian.com/food/2022/feb/15/air-fryers-miraculous-kitchen-must-have-or-just-a-load-of-hot-air?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other
Odd. I read that as a positive review!
đ¤
As someone who over the years has bought every single new-fangled cooking “gadget” and then consigned them all to the back of the larder (pasta maker meet bread machine and, by the way, that’s One Pot pressure cooker guy in the corner) I was looking for a 5 star, glowingly positive view. I didn’t get the impression that Felicity (who back in the day I knew reasonably well) went rushing out to buy one.
I’m just re-seasoning my cast-iron skillet – now that’s something every kitchen should have!
What time of year do you season your crèpe pans, Lodey?
When I’ve used the crĂŞpe pan to fry eggs, tomatoes and bacon in…….
You devil…..
You devil!!
Iâm appalled.
Itâs appallingâŚsurely the skillet is for your fried breakfast?
Your crèpe pan is for crèpes!!
You savage!
I live on the edge, rules mean nothing to me (never liked Vienna either)
Do you have a fish kettle by any chance?
Asking for a friend…
He does, he’s probably making toast in it or something, the absolute recidivist…
Some blooming hyacinths are what’s in the fish kettle
I do toast in my air fryer.
That’s pathetic. There’s probably instructions in the operating manual for doing toast .
People like you think you can bring the government down by wearing one sock inside out. You’ve got to put your back into this rebellion lark. Look at Lodey, our very own Carlos the Jackal. He calls it the Langedoc, he’s actually in Guantanamo Bay. La luta continua â
Operating manual we don’t need no stinking operating manuals
We don’t need no thought control
They do stink after a while, with all the gravy stains
Funny the review says not good for chicken wings, that is the one thing that pretty much everyone says the air fryer is perfect for. And soft boiled eggs? Huh? Use a pan. They won’t be boiled in an Air Fryer
Another recent convert here. Mrs H and I are completely won over by our Ninja – air-fried chicken a seemingly impossible combination of crispy and succulent. Healthier than other ways of cooking too apparently. It has started a cooking revolution in our household, and I was an extremely sceptical adopter.
Given comments are in the sixties, how does an air fryer go with corsair chicken?
Almost makes it look edible.
Now comments, like everything else on the Afterword, are in the 70s.