Air fryer for dummies - pls help

[FredAgain]

So I'm thinking of getting an air fryer. We are a family of 4, with 2 strapping lads, so cooking for up to 6. I'm not sure if I need to cook 2 things at once, or just go for one big compartment.

I don't know loads about them, but I do have very other gadget on the planet and I do a lot of cooking from scratch, and my DC are coming home raving about things they ate at their friends from the air fryer.

I don't want it to take up too much room as most of my worktops are taken up with other things.

Any recommendations please. I don't know where to start. I am more interested in getting a suitable and effective one so won't focus on the budget yet.

I love mine and very rarely use the oven now, I do think you need a couple though as they're not really big enough for a family of 4, I quite often have both of mine on the go.

If you can only afford one then think about what you like to cook, I've got the 15 in 1 ninja which is a big pot style one, it's great for curries, chilli, stew, casserole etc as its got a pressure cooker or slow cooker function.

For meat I use the xlgrill as it's got the probe that you put in the meat, I use it all the time for chicken breasts which it does to perfection, it's also good for tray bakes, toad in the hole, frozen chips/nuggets.

Things like bacon and sausage are fine in either.

They are both pretty big, I keep one on the worktop and have cleared a shelf in the cupboard for the xl grill.

My teen uses the ninja dual constantly for things like frozen chicken/spring rolls etc. We use it for salmon, roasting veg, chips.

I can't post a photo but I cook roasts in ours (rare beef) the only thing I cook not in an air fryer is vegetables and frozen pizza

We have a shit oven that we're in the process of getting rid of but I cook a lot of curries and meatballs etc, that all goes in the air fryer. Cook the chicken in one drawer, sauce on the hob. Naan (home made) in other drawer

When might the two strapping lads be leaving home?

A Ninja Speedi is fine for 2-3.

If we have to cater for 4 or 5+ we just use the regular oven

You will need a 9 litre one minimum in size

Once you get to the point of considering buying more than one airfryer I'd be using the oven!

Ours (with hungry teens) is great for snacks, bacon/sausages for breakfast, chips, potatoes, garlic bread, heating up pies, sausage rolls, spring rolls, roasting veg. We also do salmon, chicken breasts, prawns etc.

The airfryer is probably used every day but for family-sized roasts, stews, casseroles, pasta bakes etc. I'd still use the oven.

We are a family of 4 and have the Ninja Dual (larger size). It is absolutely fantastic and I'd immediately repurchase it if it ever broke. The capacity is really good, e.g. I cooked a whole bag of oven chips in one of the drawers tonight. Give them a shake halfway through and they're perfect.

I've roasted a whole chicken in one drawer before, it does fit more than you think in there!

We use it all the time. It hasn't completely replaced the oven but it's particularly good for heating up a few bits that you don't want to heat the entire oven for e.g. part baked rolls with soup or cooking some spring rolls to have with stir fry etc

I have one that can either be one large compartment or two small independent ones. Fantastic. It’s is quite big though

Ninja now have a 9 litre dual that is stacked instead of side by side so a much smaller footprint than the normal dual one.

I was given the ninja stack for Christmas and it has been amazing. It has two racks so effectively four “layers” - did all the roast veg at Christmas dinner in there with the pigs in blankets on the racks above the roasties and parsnips. Use it most mornings for frozen or fresh (the pastry in the tennis ball tube) pains au choc / croissants, bacon, sausages. Chips, any frozen potato or fish product really - the oven and grill have only been on a couple of times this year for a big dish of lasagne and pizzas. Also love that I get an extra 10
mins lie in as not having to preheat the oven for croissants! And the drawers and trays are fully dishwashable…

RiRa,

Which size do you have? I definitely want the Ninja stack air fryer but not sure whether to get the 7.6L or 9.5 L.

I will be roasting a big chicken quite a lot.

They seem to be on offer in some places.

I have the 9.5l, it’s absolutely capable of a chicken I reckon.