Air fryer

[crafters_corner]

Does anybody own an air fryer?

If so, would be grateful for an honest opinion - pro's, con's.

Thank you.

[theElench]

I do, they're great for pies It always seemed a bit extravagant to pre-heat the oven to heat one solitary pie, even more so now. Took about 30 - 35 mins. In the air-fryer, the instructions say 15 - 18 mins. at 200C. They seem to be stressing the [I]speed[I] aspect. I've got better results by doing 140C for 10 mins. + a few more at 200C, to browm the top.

Also good for sausages and lamb-chops.

I bought mine after someone I work with, who loves fish and all other sorts of sea-food told me they were great for cooking that sort of thing.
I asked a couple of friends who both praised them. One said "You won't use your fryingpan ever again once you get one." (Not quite true. What about eggs??) Great for bacon and it keeps all the white gunge it produces out of the oil in the frying pan.

I haven't really begun to explore beyond the basics yet, but I'm more than pleased with what I've done so far.
The one I have is 4.3 litre capacity, ideal for a single person but wouldn't be much use for a family or even a couple IMO.


My biggest "Con": It's about 1 foot tall so won't fit into any of my kitchen units, unless I re-arrange some shelf space, which would then cause more problems. So it has to migrate around the work-tops depending on which are in use.


Glad I bought it, although prices seem to be falling (as they did with micro-waves?). When it's time to buy the next one I'll get one with digital controls, these things are quick and dials with clock-work timers and vague temperature settings aren't good enough IMO.

[Mandart]

We use a halogen oven which is very much the predecessor of the air fryer, been using them for about 10 years now and we use it more than the normal cooker! It's just an all round better device, cooks quicker, food seems to taste better and is more economical.

Only downside is as TheElench said, you can't simply put it away, but it takes pride of place on our dry work surface.

[crafters_corner]

Thank you both for the info.

Mandart: I once owned a Halogen oven but sold it because it was soooo big and needed the space.

The Elench: Is that a 'raw' pie or re-warming a shop bought? I have pie for dinner tonight and the oven will be on for 35 mins with nothing else in it. Such a waste.
Always a bit suspiciious about 5* reviews on Google so pay more attention to the negatives. Chips seem to be a bit 'iffy' and, although only a once weekly treat, I was hoping to replace the deep fat fryer now than oil is so expensive - plus the health benefits to consider. And, what about roast potatoes? I suspect they are more like cube chips?
The Cosori seems to be a good buy but there are warnings about the extreme heat on worktops - do you use a silicone mat? Maybe the bigger the air fryer the more risk of that.
My granddaughter loves her little one, but I suspect she would just pop a chicken breast for one in and have it with salad and that kind of meal.

Will bear in mind what you have said re. size and take another look at the Cosori - apparently a whole chicken will fit. Hmmmm - cupboard space being another consideration. I suspect that once it goes into the cupboard it will stay there

Edit: Have just looked at the Cosori dimensions: 4.7 litre. Would you consider that big enough for two?

[theElench]

That's a shop bought pie, my past attempts at pastry haven't gone too well

I found chips (from scratch) more than a bit iffy, this was very soon after I bought it. Despite stirring them in a bowl with some oil I found that, although they cooked well, they browned and crisped patchily. I could probably do better now having had more use and experimented a bit. I haven't bothered as frozen chips come out perfectly without all the mucking about. (Have you guessed yet that I'm not a very enthusiastic cook and value convenience and getting a reasonable result with the least time spent in the kitchen, important?)

With practice I can now produce a pie & chips, both perfectly cooked, crispy and browned together by judicious timing and taking the pie out while starting to cook the chips. Replacing it a few minutes later as the chips brown.

The person who recommended the fryer to me for fish has told me she has done baked potatoes in hers successfully and I haven't noticed any excess heat. But then, only doing re-heating or small things like chops, it hasn't had prolonged use. I hadn't thought about that aspect, perhaps I should!

I can't really comment about a 4.7 litre size and what might fit into it. The basket in mine where food is placed for cooking is about 20cm dia. by about 10cm height. 4.3 litres is probably 5 - 6 pints(?) and definitely would not fit into the basket, so I'm guessing that the "Capacity" the manufacturer quotes is quite possibly the whole of the space inside. Some of which cannot be used to hold food, as it should be within the basket.

Hope that helps

The person I work with will be back from holiday next week, so if you have other questions, I can perhaps get more useful info. from her.

[crafters_corner]

Your input has been very useful thank you

I have spent hours researching different air fryer models and the reviews to each. Why do I want an air fryer should be the best place to start.
Well.....obviously, to save fuel with the bills about to soar. Here, depending where you look, the tests vary from saving around £65 pa to zilch. Which does one believe?? Plus, would an air fryer replace the need for my fan oven to be on for over two hours on a Sunday - cooking the joint and then cranking up the heat for perfectly crispy roast potatoes. Aye, there's the rub...

It would seem that I could cook a whole chicken in a square drawer fryer, but the potatoes would then have to be cooked separately - not much energy or time saved there. So, a two drawer Ninja is the way to go there. But WHAT A BEAST!!! as big as my microwave.

My current thought is a Ninja Instant Duo Crisp Pot which pressure cooks, roasts, air fryers, etc etc etc. and not quite as big. Will give that one some more thought.

As for chips, The Elench.... looking at hundreds of reviews, frozen chips is the way to go. And, tbh, I find McCain's perfectly acceptable - who am I kidding - far more acceptable than my fresh potato efforts.

So, I will deliberate and cojitate a bit more and then measure my cupboard space after removing other 'really must have' gadgets.

Thank you so much for your time and advice, it really is very much appreciated.

[crafters_corner]

Update: Finally took the plunge and settled on a Cosori - the digital but not the internet one. Brilliant for part-baked rolls, Gregg's Steak Slice, CheeseToastie, Jacket Potato.....a real boon when OH was away last week oven was used once!!! Going to attempt roast potatoes today.
As you say, theElench, they do take up a fair bit of workspace but I consider the saving in fuel worth a jiggle around with my Tassimo, knife block etc.
My slight problem is finding a decent oil sprayer - can you recommend? I purchased a Misto but sent it back as I was getting a 'stream' rather than a 'spray'.

[theElench]

Good morning, sorry for the delay in replying -- the last few days have been a bit hectic.

I'm not familiar with Cosori but as I said, when I replace the one I have, I'll be looking for one with digital controls for the accuracy of temperature and time settings.

I've had the same problems with sprayers. I bought two different bottles of "oil spray" at the supermarket, thinking they would deliver something like a mist of oil, but both produce a thin jet.

My first attempts at "from raw" chips have looked distinctly odd, some parts brown and crispy, others almost white. Although all parts cooked perfectly. No matter how much I stir, shake or toss them about I've found it very difficult to get an even coating unless I use a lot of oil. Which is defeating one of the reasons for using it -- reducing how much oil is used. Before I try again I'm thinking about giving the nozzle a gentle squeeze with pliers. The type with gripping grooves, to see if that breaks the jet up. (I'll let you know how that works)

I must admit that apart from some Fish Fingers and warming a Quiche or two, I've hardly used the fryer at all lately. With the hot weather, I've not been eating hot food very much at all. Cooking for one I've found that with a microwave, slow cooker and air fryer my oven is probably going to be redundant apart from a few shared lunches with friends and celebrations like Christmas.

[crafters_corner]

Hello, thank you for your reply.

I returned my Misto to the seller who informed me that I had left the instructions INSIDE which were soaked in oil. What a silly place to put them!!! He has cleaned it and assures me that it is no spraying a fine mist. I also purchased cheap ones - one from Poundland - which were useless.

I do think air fryers have a place in the kitchen, but can't see how they could every replace an oven entirely. But, I did find it very handy when OH was away for a week.

Successes so far: Gregg's frozen steak slices - exclusive to Iceland - excellent. Part-baked bread rolls - golden and crispy - very good. Cheese toastie - oozy and crispy; Jacket potato - part baked in micro and finished in air fryer - very good - fluffy and good skin; roast potatoes - okay: crisp but in a hard way.l

So, I shall persevere and will try McCain's frozen chips which, apparently, give much better results than from fresh.

[theElench]

I agree that it won't ever replace my oven (with hob), I wouldn't contemplate trying to cook a meal like Sunday lunch, for several people, it would be impossible without using the oven to keep things warm. But generally I cook only for myself, using the fryer makes heating the oven for one item un-necessary and is much quicker and economical.

After a couple of attempts at chips from raw, I've given up and have tried several different brands of "oven chips". All turned out very good and by juggling time and temperature settings heated a bought-in pie plus oven chips at the same time. Both finishing at the same time and well cooked.

I've found that ignoring the suggested time/temperatures, reducing the temperature and only putting the temperature up to max. to crisp/ brown things at the end works well.
So instead of 15 - 18 mins. @200 for a pie, I do it for 8 mins. @ 140. Add chips and cook together for 10 mins. @ 200 -- near perfect result. If chips are not quite crisp enough, remove the pie and finish the chips for a couple of extra mins. at 200.