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Original poster

Do I need an air fryer?

141 replies

Triceratopsrock · 26/08/2022 23:38

We don’t do too baldly on electricity use. So far about £150 PCM for a 5 bed detached family home. Oil for heating at about £70 PCM.
electic price rises are going to cripple us on top of childcare.
looking at my smart meter over the past month of so, most of what turns it red is the oven. Children are fussy twats and we eat way too many nuggets etc cooked in the oven.
will the outlay of an air fryer save me money? Assuming I need a big one as er are a family of 5.
also fuck of grammar police, it’s Friday and I’m deep into my Lidl rosé!

OP posts:
Ariela · 27/08/2022 00:20

If you've a combi microwave I'm not sure you do?

TightPants · 27/08/2022 01:20

Bumping for you OP as I’m considering one too!

rocksonrocks · 27/08/2022 01:37

Grin at fussy twats

Realistically nuggets take, what, 8 minutes in the air fryer? Compared to 20 in the oven? I think there's deffo a saving there.

Will be looking for air fryers shortly for the same reasons.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Cost of living General food
FlowerArranger · 27/08/2022 01:44

I'm another one who is considering an AF, but I'm not quite sure how they work.

I panfry a lot of chicken breasts and fish, especially salmon. I also oven roast a lot of vegetables, such as bell peppers, aubergines, cauliflower etc.

I don't want to accumulate kitchen gadgets unless they are of real use to me. So...... yeah or nay?

Suzuki00 · 27/08/2022 01:45

Bought a cheapo air fryer from wilkinsons after Christmas and have used it enough to now invest in a ninja.

smashes out a buffet or frozen food in a third of the time, and does an amazing job with most raw meats.

tonight I air fryer’ed bacon, and it was crispy by the time i had chopped some salad and set the telly up. Instant layman’s Caesar!
I plan to get the oven professionally cleaned then not use it again this year. Ok maybe that’s an exaggeration but honestly, I’ve barely used it at all! Never looking back.

5zeds · 27/08/2022 01:48

I think a waste of money. Surely it would be cheaper to use the oven you have more efficiently than but a mini oven which is all an air fryer really is.

Sparklingbrook · 27/08/2022 03:19

Love ours. There’s a thread here

www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4619826-please-talk-to-me-about-air-fryers?reply=119533580

RayneDance · 27/08/2022 06:39

I couldn't do without ours
I love it and it cooks things in less than half the time.

Roast tomatoes with a fry up. Burger's, sausages...all taste better...take minutes to Cook.

Clymene · 27/08/2022 06:43

They're so much cheaper to run than an oven. I haven't turned my oven on since I bought one. I guess if I were doing roasts or something but we don't really eat them.

carefullycourageous · 27/08/2022 06:46

They are apparently much cheaper but the better thing to do is eat less meat that you cook in the oven.

Get your fussy twats to eat some lentil.sauce made on the hob Grin

Suzuki00 · 27/08/2022 06:52

Reading back, my early hours reply was very meat and frozen centric - but it does gorgeous roasted veggies quickly too. Cauliflower, asparagus, carrots, onions, you name it.

A real favourite in this house is red pepper thirds/halves , filled with goats cheese and seasoning. Opulent but the scrummiest lunch time idea with little to no clean up. This is a 1-5 minute dish in the air fryer, 45mins in the gas oven.

Suzuki00 · 27/08/2022 06:52

15 minutes NOT 1-5.

Suzuki00 · 27/08/2022 06:53

Jesus, mobile formatting.

fifteen minutes not one to five.

Kam610 · 27/08/2022 06:54

My airfryer is the best thing I have ever bought. I very rarely use the oven now, as I can cook the majority of our meals either in the air fryer or on the hob. We are a family of 4 and I have the Ninja Dual, so can cook 2 different things at once.

RayneDance · 27/08/2022 07:04

Suki they would be burnt to a crisps 15.mins in mine
7.mins at most!

itsgettingweird · 27/08/2022 07:05

Also considering one.

I batch cook a lot and use the microwave to heat dinners but we have pizza once a week and other days ds likes nuggets and chips which takes 45 minutes of oven.

I'm sure an air order will be an investment by April next year!

Mrsuntidy · 27/08/2022 07:12

Highly recommend one. We use ours all the time- can even do roast potatoes and pizza in them. We only have a cheap one but it is so much better than putting on the whole oven. We also have fussy kids here so lots of nuggets.

GhostFromTheOtherSide · 27/08/2022 07:14

Tbh I would get a multi cooker as it has multiple functions, I have the instant pot duo crisp and it air fries, slow cooks, pressure cooks, roasts, sautée’s (useful when using the pressure cooker or slow cooker as everything is done in one pot) and some things I haven’t tried yet.

An air friar is useful if you have the space to have an ad-hoc cooker for nuggets and chips or if you don’t generally cook from scratch, but it won’t replace your oven.

WhereAreWeNow · 27/08/2022 07:20

We love ours. If your kids eat lots of things like nuggets then it'll work really well for you. It's brilliant for frozen food. It does frozen chips in half the time they take in our oven and they come out much nicer and crisper.

BertieBotts · 27/08/2022 07:27

They are great for nuggets etc, as you're not heating up a whole oven for just that small amount, especially if you tend to eat separately. I can do a portion of nuggets and chips/potato shapes for DS2 and 3 together or a portion for one adult or maybe one not-too-hungry adult and one older child. Or can do a portion of chips for up to about 3 people in the fryer while we cook something on the hob to go with.

Also great for things like baked potatoes, part-baked rolls, garlic bread - anything that is tiny in the middle of a huge oven.

Asvan · 27/08/2022 07:30

Following with interest.

Which air fryer would people recommend for a family of 6?

I'm also thinking of getting one but want one which could cook our full meal in one go rather than in separate batches.

Also, can I make thinks like lasagne or shepherds pir in it?

Itwasntright · 27/08/2022 07:35

I saw something online that said after a microwave, an air fryer is the cheapest cooking appliance to run. An electric oven is an average of 87p per day to run, an air fryer is 14p and a microwave is 8p.

I love mine. You can cook pretty much everything in it. Nuggets are done in about half the time. It does bacon really well as well. Chips are pretty close to the delicious oily ones my nan used to make without the oil.

The only thing i tried to make in it that went badly was chicken thighs on the bone. It didn't cook them evenly and they were still raw inside but overcooked outside.

I got a cheap one from lidl for £30-40 it does 3 portions but because it cooks everything so quickly i just put it on twice to cook enough for 5 of us. I will probably upgrade to a bigger one.

WhatIsThisPlease · 27/08/2022 07:36

Absolutely love mine, most things cook way faster, it's a much smaller area to heat and be preheating required so definitely saves money when compared to using the oven.

Salmon is one of the best things we cook in ours. It comes out crispy like it's been pan fried. Chicken breasts are great too.

I got a Ninja 3.8l one for my family of 4 but sort of wish I'd gone for the next size up.

Vecnasnurse · 27/08/2022 07:40

I'm also in the market for one so following with interest! Would a cheap one like the £30 one from Aldi still be economical or do you need to fork out for a Ninja?

I've already got a slow-cooker and a camping gas stove for heating up beans, sauces, noodles, etc. Once I get an air fryer the oven can go fuck itself.

stillherenow · 27/08/2022 07:42

I'd like one but not sure it's an economy if it's essentially 60p a day cheaper than an oven that's going to take quite a while to make a saving as they're not cheap to buy!