Airfryer help..

[CupOfCoffeePlease]

So I realise I'm about 10 years late to this game...

But. My kids want an airfryer. We have a really small house/kitchen etc so i hadn't been keen but they see recipes on ticktock...
(Recent one was bang bang halloumi)

The kids don't always want what we eat (one veggie, one with sensory issues - both autistic) and think they could magic themselves up things quickly if they had an air fryer...

So. Are they quicker!? What is good!?

Do I need a huge one? (We'd still have an oven and induction hobs and microwave so wouldn't be our "only" oven.)

Do I need 2 drawers?

Do I need to spend money or is a basic one good? I'd rather not have to buy twice

It will often be the teens using it but there are 4 of us.

Bought one for our daughter still living at home. Big present for her 25th birthday. Its huge ! Only had it a month but everything we’ve tried has been amazing. Moist chicken skewers, crispy bacon 😋

actually not been keen on homemade chips in it but maybe we are not experienced enough yet.And now I’m dieting so no more chips for me.

speed of cooking isn’t really any quicker.

Daughter’s is the Ninja Foodi megazone.

Speed of cooking is much quicker. You take a 1/3 off the time it says on the packet and it heats up a lot quicker than an oven so definitely a lot quicker overall (and much more energy efficient/cheaper on your electricity bill). You probably won't use your oven much once you've got it! We love our air fryer and barely turn the oven on anymore. I don't think you need to splash out on an expensive one. I would say 2 drawers is pretty useful though as you can, for example, put chips in one side and fish fingers in the other etc. If you like fish, highly recommend salmon in the air fryer - cooks quickly, little mess, crispy skin and succulent fish fillet!

Thankyou both.

Fortified - that one looks fab but is 200 quid and was hoping not to go that high for us (completely understand as a birthday present though!)

Yes we were discussing 2 drawers. Might help if doing frozen food so we cna have veggie dinasaurs in one and meat in the other 😂.

I really don't have a clue though what I'm looking at!

I have a basic one from B&M that cost £35 and it's brilliant! Cooks quickly and evenly, takes up hardly any space and is cheap to use.

I have just bought one from Lakeland for £100. It is two drawer, one being 5l and the other 3.
Fabulous so far!

With a veggie, two drawers the best solution as we have same. Sign up to Ninja to get 10% off first order. Then leave it in your basket for 24 hrs and they will send you another 10% off. I think they also do student discount but I might have made that up.

I LOVE ours, meat eaters and veggie here so we separate using 2 drawers. I've only had my oven on about 4 times in 3 months but appreciate its summer also.
I like not having to wait for it to heat up and my eldest (12) can also use it easily.

https://www.bmstores.co.uk/products/tower-air-fryer-4l-black-and-silver-390600 is the one I have

I have a big single one I can still cook two things you start it off with food in half then add the other food when the cooking time is right. It's fine as long as the temps are similar. Mine takes a whole chicken my son has the dual and has to do breasts or leg joints.

We have the 11l Tower air fryer with 3 shelves, a rotisserie and drip tray. It’s fine for two of us but wouldn’t be for four (DS and family borrowed it and think the same). Preheat takes less than five minutes plus we’re only heating the space we need - money saved.

We have a smallish ninja with one drawer ( it was the only one in stock when we had the kitchen refurbed , and it cost £150 , last autumn when they were in short supply )
Only 2 of us at home most of the time , but it’s fab
Just had lovely salmon fillets with crispy skin

I've got a cosari one because it looks nice on my counter! Today I've used it to warm pastries, cook egg bites and frozen fries (which it does a fab job on - I season before cooking). Jackets and veggie skewers are easy wins too!

Ooh I've had egg bites from starbucks and love them. Can you buy them /make them?!

You can! https://www.melaniecooks.com/air-fryer-egg-bites/23015/
I just use cheese instead of all the bits, but you can add what you like!

They'll have them in Lidl this week

I had a basic one drawer one but it was far too small for us and o cldnt cook several things at once. I upgraded the the double ninja at Easter and it's fab. It was on offer for less than £200 but sure I seen it more recently for about £150 which annoyed me but it's possibly back up in price again.

I've even done a roast chicken in it! I think for you it would be wise to get a double one. My oven really only goes on for pizza now.

It's a bit of trial and error if you've never had one. I find it cooks much and quicker and I'd lower the temp a little from what packet says. Not sure if it's because it's a much smaller space but I don't cook as high as packaging suggests as I've burnt some things doing that.

If you’re not looking for something too expensive, a Tower one will be fine. I’ve had two now, both have served me very well. Speed of cooking is definitely quicker - jacket potatoes take half the time of a standard oven. It’s brilliant for warming things up too.

I have this one - EMtronics EMAFDD9L Dual Air Fryer Extra Large Family Size Double XL 9 Litre with 8 Adjustable Pre-Set Menus for Oil Free & Low Fat Healthy Cooking, Easy Clean Metal Interior, 99-Minute Timer - Black https://amzn.eu/d/29prm9v £89.
It's great to say cook chicken in one side and wedges in the other.
Bought it about 8 weeks ago and have used the oven about 3 times (compared to probably5 times a wek). 1 adult 3 teens and definitely a 2 draw one is best. 2 teens have asd and afrid so often have to do two different variations on a meal. Do lots of jacket potatoes, chicken, fish, pork.
I bought because I'm having kitchen refitted in a few weeks and thought I could use it to cook properly meals it would save getting takeaway/eating sandwiches for a week. It's saved lots of time and probably electricity to already.

I love the ninja foodie grill max. Sacked off the drawer airfryers after over ten years and wouldn’t look back. Big enough to cook multiple things all in one big tray

I was dubious about airfryers because of the hype, and despite enthusiasm from friends resisted for a long time. I finally bought a two drawer Ninja and absolutely love it (cooking for 2 of us). I didn’t want one that also slow cooked (already got one) or pressure cooked (terrifies me). I just wanted an air fryer (it also roasts, dehydrates etc) and it is amazing. It synchronises, so cooks 2 different things at 2 different temperatures and has them ready at the same time. Totally recommend it. A real game changer for both frozen and fresh cooking.

I use mine every day, mostly cooking for DS.
I have a large tower pan style one that I cook most stuff in and a Tefal Actifry I use just for chips. It makes brilliant chips whether cooking from frozen or fresh as it turns them slowly whilst cooking.

For fresh chips, you need the right sort of potato and you need to soak the freshly peeled and cut chips in cold water for about 20 mins to get rid of the excess starch. This is vital if you prefer chips that are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside.

Oooh fresh chips!