Can I put an M&S ready meal in the Air fryer?

[Wintersgirl]

Evening all, just as the title says really! Just fancied not cooking tonight as DH and the teens are away for the night, I've read the instructions on the pack and it mentions heating in a conventional oven and microwave but not air fryer, I've googled it and it says you can but I'm not sure, anyone done it? Thanks in advance..

Yes, but why would you not microwave it?

Airfryer is just a small oven, be careful of the container if its plastic, perhaps put the meal in a oven container. If its in foil it will be fine

I always do 20 degrees less than on the packet for airfryer stuff but you know your fryer better.

Just wondering that's all...

Does OP have a microwave, why would you assume she has

In any case microwaving food isnt always as nice, particularly for a crispy top

If it says don't air fry, then I wouldn't tbh. Can't you just microwave it?

Thank you, very helpful

If it’s suitable for the oven yes…..not suitable for the oven no

What is the meal

I know! Microwave I think is on it's way out as it's not geting that hot these days

Chicken Jalfrezi!

The takeaway one without rice?

Looks gorgeous

Move it into a oven proof dish and I would cover it in foil and a bit of water in it, airfryers are very dry due to the fan, you dont want to cremate it

Also the fan oven instructions are 160 which is low anyway, so lowest setting on your airfryer and watch like a hawk

Yeah, anything that can go in an oven is fine.

since the stroke I use more prepackaged food, like mash or a mix of green veg. In the year since the stroke I've only had one container warp.

i sometimes decant into a glass dish, but it's more washing up & more difficult for me to get out of the airfryer.

I do everything at 180° for 10 minutes to start with.

Enjoy.

As per a pp above, “air fryers” are misnamed.

It’s just a marketing ploy. They don’t “fry” anything.

They are just mini ovens that heat up quickly due to their size and also contain the heat in closer proximity to the food for the same reason.

Because of that the “oven” instructions on prepared food need to be adjusted - often with a lesser time, temperature and sometimes by swapping packaging (for example plastic trays that were designed to sit in the middle of an oven don’t fare well when a centimetre away from the “sides” of an air fryer).

Yes that's the one!

Thanks everyone, much appreciated...

I would assume there’s no problem as long as the food is in something that can safely go into the airfryer.

But otherwise, an airfryer is just a mechanism to heat food up, you don’t need to do anything special. Just like with a microwave, you use microwave safe containers and adjust cooking times & temperatures, you’d do the same with an airfryer.

I don't think it said you couldn't just didn't say you could. If you can cook it in a conventional oven you can cook it in an air fryer.

My understanding is that manufacturers dont like to put airfryer instructions on food because the airfryers all vary so much in their ferocity and functioning so they cant give consistent instructions the way you can for the average gas or electric oven

Secondly, they would have to put some research into testing out their recipes in airfryer conditions and they cant be arsed/it would cost a load of money, so they dont bother.

Ah yes - sorry, I misread. If it simply didn't mention an air fryer but could go in an oven, I agree that it should be fine.

So many people have air fryers these days, I really don't understand why manufacturers don't all amend their instructions to reflect this now. I rarely use my oven nowadays!

Should have read this before I posted!

Like you I use some glass containers which I also found difficult to remove from the air fryer drawer. I used a long strips of tin foil which I criss cross at the bottom of the drawer. Place the dish on top then tuck them away slightly. You can then use the strips like a handle.

I bought some little tin dishes in the cancer research shop, I think they sell them in Dunelm too, some round pie tins, oval pie tins and small mini loaf tin and a sqaure sort of bake tray, very small but they would be good for decanting a ready meal into and they have edges round them to pick them up easier

OP, how was the curry?

Thanks. I tried that, but I don't have any feeling in my right hand now, so can't balance things. I have a convoluted method that works 'ok' when it absolutely can't be avoided, but if it comes in a container that can go in the oven I put it in the airfryer,. For the things I do myself (other veg/veggie sausages etc) I have a couple of silicon liners/containers (whatever you call them) that live in the airfryer that I use a 'fish slice' or tongs to get out. It's all much more of a faff now, but I get there in the end 🙄🙇🏻‍♀️

In over a year of doing this several nights a week, I've only had one 'plastic' container (from a dish you could cook in the oven) warp.

It was lovely thanks!