Are air fryers useful and worth the money?

[MumblesParty]

DS is (hopefully) going to university in September, self catering, shared kitchen with cooker, microwave etc. He’s never been interested in cooking and I plan to teach him some stuff before he goes. He’s found various recipes on TikTok that involve air fryers, so has asked for an air fryer for his birthday next week.

Are they worth getting or are they no better than a standard oven?

thanks

They're quicker and cheaper to run than your normal kitchen oven. However if he's in halls then I'm assuming he won't need to worried about the electric bill?

I think they can be very useful and I use mine most days. I'd be a bit worried about having one one in a shared kitchen, people don't always look after other people's belongings!.

I love mine and I’d have loved one at uni (and hammered it!)

He might not be allowed it in his Halls. I’d check that first

They're specifically banned from lots of uni accommodation due to risk of fires if unattended, so I'd have a chat about the types of recipes there interested in and how to make similar things in the oven

The instant pot with air fryer could be a great option. It turns of itself once the timer runs out so should be safe.

I have a multi cooker and a mini oven type.

I think that they are excellent and am thinking of remodelling the kitchen slightly to get rid of my free standing cooker.