Would I benefit from an air fryer?

[Featherfox]

Hi all.

Thinking of purchasing an air fryer as everyone is raving about them but I am wondering if it’s for me. On a lot of reviews, people mention they add oil etc. Must you add oil to every single dish? I currently oven cook things like salmon, sausages, oven chips, jacket potatoes etc with no oil and so I’m wary of buying something that will increase the amount of oil I’m using. I predominantly only use oil in a dish that I’m cooking on the hob for the meat / garlic / onions.

Any guidance or tips would be most welcome.

Thank you in advance

I use mine daily. Quick, easy to clean i never use oil unless its a joint of meat to crisp it up

Another question...I’m not focused on avoiding fat at all - I’m definitely in the ‘anything for more delicious flavours’ camp; but I’d love to be able to use a little less oil/fat for cost cutting purposes. So if I use an air fryer and add less oil than usual would I genuinely get the same delicious dish at the end of it, or a weird, tasteless, cardboardy taste (imagining the popcorn out of one of those air popping gadgets from back in the day...most depressing popcorn ever 😆)?

@Yorkshireteabags I think that’d be a huge advantage for me - I absolutely hate cleaning the oven, hence I don’t do it often enough!

I have two adults in my family so dont want a large air fryer. Can anyone recommend one

I just put any old normal oil in a spray bottle.

Top tip - balsamic vinegar is so much better from a spray bottle too.

I am one adult and I have a large air fryer but I am a pig.

Air fryers are small convection ovens. If you would put oil on it in a fan oven, then add oil for an air fryer, if not then don’t. Why are you restricting oil though? Fats aren’t unhealthy. Having oil on roasted vegetables for example will distribute heat better, stop vegetables turning leathery, help make them crispy and evenly brown, and carry flavour from herbs and spices more effectively.

My sister adds oil but I never add oil.

I love my air fryer. I barely use the oven!

@FrankGrillosFloof 🤣🤣.

We have a large on too. 2 adults and one toddler DC.

Sorry for repeating an earlier post, but air fryers are small convection ovens. I’m not sure how much fat you normally use, but I usually use just enough to coat the vegetables (unless it’s for roast potatoes!). You’d need the same amount for the same effect in an air fryer, as it’s by having the vegetables coated in oil that heat is effectively transferred and even distributed, but oil fills in small gaps in vegetables and stops the vegetables getting dry and shrivelled.

Do they generate a lot of heat? We don't use our oven in the summer because the kitchen gets too hot to eat in if it's on! Can someone recommend a good brand? How about an Aldi one?

@toastofthetown thanks! I don’t use an inordinate amount or anything - your average Mediterranean-style approach, I guess. A good glug whenever I think it’s needed. Sometimes a bit extra if I’m feeling generous! I cook everything from scratch for various reasons so I don’t use foods such as oven chips or battered fish where there might already be fat added to assist in cooking.

I wasn't pushed on trying it when we bought it now I use it daily.

We've recently got an air fryer a couple of weeks ago and it's absolutely amazing. We just got a really basic cheap one from Asda own brand. The one drawback is you can't cook things seperate eg if I was doing nuggets and chips you have to cook one first then the other as there's only one shelf compared with an oven. I've heard you can buy dividers but haven't got one myself yet.

I agree the name "fryer" is a.bit of a misnomer and it's basically a small very effective fan oven.dont know about the energy use yet as only had it a.few weeks but we've barely used the oven and in the heatwave the kitchen was alot cooler with the air fryer on compared with having the oven on!

Alot of the time I was putting the oven on to warm things eg taco shells so I don't do that anymore just pop them in the air fryer. We've done freezer food eg nuggets and chips, homemade chicken nuggets, halloumi fries, warmed up croissant, tacos, wraps etc. Cooked salmon fillets in it but I left them too long so they were a bit dry. Toasties.

I’ve got the ninja foodie max. 2 basket one.

I felt the same but 3 months on I think I’ve used my oven once!

Im doing seasoned chicken breast in it tonight, onion rings and mozzarella sticks in the other basket and just put it with salad. I love it.

We are a family of 5 - what size would we need?

Not at all

I have the Tefal Actifry the rotating one and only use it for home made chips, wedges or sweet potato fries. They do have a slightly different taste a much stronger potato taste as very little oil is used.

Actifry are rubbish and nothing like a proper airfryer

I have had a couple, wouldn’t be without one now!

I have the Tower 10 in1 air fryer that looks like a mini oven. It’s fantastic and the little shelves are way better than the baskets in other ( and my previous) air fryers.

Rarely use the big oven now, and never use it in the week!

I don't use mine much - the small basket size means it's not much use for family meals - but as it's just me tonight I tried making home made crisps in it. They turned out more of a cross between crisps and chips, but they were very good.

Omg air fried salmon! We are having tonight. It’s literally the best OP 👌

I bought a COSORI 5.5L 1700w Air Fryer after a few mumsnetters on here recommended it. It has nearly 56 thousand 5 star reviews on Amazon, and you can read reviews at bbcgoodfood.com and goodhousekeeping.com (along with some of the others mentioned in this thread).

I've not needed to use my main oven since I bought it in Feb this year. I've cooked the usual suspects - chips, wedges, nuggets, baked potatoes, sausages, bacon, meat joints, roasted whole chickens, pizza, veggie tray bakes and a variety of ready meals. It's been fantastic.

It’s doesn’t need heating up and takes less time and is a smaller unit than an oven so I imagine uses less energy for all those factors.

I spray a couple of squirts of the 1-cal oil spray on the base plate before preheating for 2 minutes. Otherwise the only oil I use is for home made chips (par-boiled sliced potatoes, drained and tossed in a teaspoon of oil). I’ve not used oil for anything else. I rarely use my oven now.