to ask what is the point of an air fryer?

[SnippedYerBarbour]

I've had an air fryer for a few months and I really think I must be doing something wrong because I don't see the point of it.

I've used it a few times to heat up frozen food, just to get the hang of how it works. Despite following all the instructions carefully, including batch size, I'm finding that things take up to four times as long to heat up as I'm told they should. And nothing's actually crispy, just warmed up.

What am I doing wrong? Or should I charity shop it?

I have an actifry and it gets bloody hot ! So think yours is either just crap or faulty.
I hate oven chips so love the actifry for French fries or home made chips as it’s less oil and less stink!

@SistersOfPercy
I was given the new actifry for free as I did a trial and it has two layers so you cook chips or whatever in the bottom and you can do onion rings in the top and as it doesn’t spin them round they stay in one piece!

*the top part doesn’t spin round I should add! The bottom part is the same

I hear you, Op, I had exactly the same problem.
Put a couple of chicken thighs in and it took
ages to just get them warm never mind cooked.
Honestly, a hairdryer would have cooked them quicker.
I gave mine away - it was useless.

Oh gods, I LOVE my air fryer!

Wrap chicken breasts in bacon, chuck them in for 10-15 at 190, bliss. Or pork tenderloin for 25-30.

It's good at tofu, chips, any beige-type freezer food, sausages...fast and easy, no added fat.

If yours isn't heating up, it's crapola. But a working one is fantastic.

anyone recommend a few brands? and size capacity for a large family!

Tefal actifry XL , decent size and can cook a couple of different things at once

anyone recommend a few brands? and size capacity for a large family!

I recommend the Philips XL - but it's only big enough to cook one part of the meal at a time - eg. 1 chicken, or 3 steaks, or a pack of sausages.

I think there might be things available to let you stack, but I don't have them (I just let the meat rest while I whack in something else if I need to)

We just whack all the bits that can get dirty in the dishwasher after, no problem so far (had it a good 6-8 months now)

I love mine I cook all.sorts in it and use it most days it's only a cheapy Aldi one .

It’s my most used kitchen appliance!, perfect for late night munchies. (Philips XXL)

Do you have some tips for real chips?

The philips recipe booklet has you dry them out at a low heat for a while first - I wonder if that's what's making them so awful.

I have a cheapish Tower one which I got from Amazon. Think it's a 4.3 litre size. I didn't want a spend too much as I wasn't sure it was going to be worth it but I use it a lot.

I never bother preheating it, just put the food in and turn it on. We like home made wedges made in it and the cooking time compared to making them in the oven is much reduced. Shop bought quiches warm up quickly and the pastry is perfectly crisp.

With that and my Instant Pots, I rarely use my oven and hob.

I just use mine for home made chips or mini roasties (if my oven is full). I use more oil than it suggests, though. Autistic DS2 will actually eat them, so it gets to keep its slot in my kitchen just for that.

Aren't they just halogen ovens? My Nan has been using her hallogen since the early 2000's

Mine is the old actifry, though. That paddle is brutal!

@FizzyIce yeah, mine is the old one and is just vicious lol

I have the breville halo as well. Love it. Use it more than my oven. Takes less time than an oven. All chips, (sweet potatoes fries lovely and crispy. onion rings, fish fingers, bacon, sausages, fish cakes, mushrooms, parsnips, I wouldn't be without it but there was a crap plastic thing that rotated and 'moved' (mushed) everything. Chucked that straight away. Much easier to clean that rather than the grill after bacon and fatty foods.

I love my air fryer. I can put a whole large chicken in mine and it will cook in about 90 minutes. Chips, onion rings etc can be added on a wire tray above the chicken 20 minutes before serving so the whole meal is ready for eating.
Minimal cleaning up to do and the chicken is lovely.

Proper Phillips ones aren't halogen, the knock offs might be though. My original version has a tightly wound element just like those that used to be on electric hobs and a fan that blows through it. Do loads of fresh stuff in it but anything frozen cooks in a half to two thirds what it says it will for the oven and manages a perfect crispy on the outside, moist in the middle.

I love my Philips one. Very very fast. Excellent for doing 3 baked potatoes for me and dc after they have been in micro first.

Gets all frozen stuff cooked really fast.

I bloody love mine. ESP the mushrooms