To think that an air fryer is only useful if you don't already cook much?

[MyOldCaravan]

Everyone seems to have one and raves about them. But I honestly can't see the benefit, other than cooking things a bit quicker

I already have a microwave/combi oven, gas hob, slow cooker.

For things that need heating and crisping, eg croissants there's a setting on the combi oven that does that. All veg cooked in a steamer on the hob.

Don't tend to eat chicken nuggets/oven chips etc much.

So why would I need one?

you might not need one.

I find it mostly useful because in a small hot flat, living space right next to cooker, it doesn't add to the heat.

also the fact that it cooks fast when I've just walked in, including something from the freezer that would horrify a cook. I no longer enjoy cooking, which makes the airfryer great.

This weekend I used it to:

• roast vegetables
• bake bread
• cook patatas bravas
• make a lentil bake thing which would have taken 90 minutes in the oven

And to cook some fish fingers too!

I would say it doesn't do anything that other kitchen appliances can't do or that it does the things they do better. But it is much cheaper to run and quicker.

I do lots of cooking and find an air fryer really useful. I don't have a combi/microwave though. I cook lots of unprocessed food in it - veg, tofu, salmon. I live on my own so it's much more economical to use an air fryer than to heat up the oven to crisp up one croissant.

I already have a microwave/combi oven

The oven part of this is already doing the job for you.

an air fryer is just a small oven.

I think they really come into their own for people who live in one or two - person households with limited kitchen space. They seem to do a good job in those circumstances. I remain skeptical about their benefits in larger spaces.

Most people don't have combi microwaves, so I can see why you wouldn't need one if you already had one of those.

You can cook small amounts of anything you'd do in an oven so they're great for cooking for 1-2 people - or a larger air fryer could cook for more people. As well as being quicker, they use around half the amount of electricity due to heating a smaller space, so cheaper to run.

So good for roast vegetables, marinaded chicken etc.

Assuming you're not just here so people can tell you that you're so much better than people who live on nuggets and chips, that's probably about it.

I can't cook! And my oven costs a fortune so I love my AF!

It's just a small hot oven. There is just 2 of us in the house so we use it instead of the oven lots. Things recently include, part baked bread, risotto, baked feta, quorn, heating croissants and roasting veg.

I want one, any recommendations for a small one for 1-2 people?

You probably don’t. My oven is old and not great at browning. I use my air fryer for meatballs (would have previously used oil in a pan so AF is faster and healthier), chicken schnitzels (ditto), chips (regular and sweet potato), roast/smashed potatoes. I buy frozen crumbed whiting fillets and can make fish tacos in 15 mins. No preheating and doesn’t heat the kitchen up (it’s summer where I live so this is an important consideration). I probably use it once a week but it saves a lot of time when I do.

I'm an excellent cook and I love mine. I make everything apart from chips and mozzarella sticks from scratch.

It's actually the best gadget I've ever bought. Its basically a small oven. It's much cheaper than my beautiful but inefficient range cooker.

I made a great crumble in mine yesterday.

Your post title is different to your post, and, as a PP said, you have a combi microwave already. You don't not need an air-fryer because you already cook a lot, you don't need one because you have a combi microwave. We cook loads, but find our air fryer really useful - especially for reheating things, as we don't have a microwave.

You know you don’t have to get one right? You don’t have to justify not having one? I see posts like this quite a bit and it’s baffling, if you don’t want one don’t get one? It’s not as if you have to, I don’t have a tumble drier, dish washer but I wouldn’t start a thread explaining why I don’t…

😂 no it's not about my fabulous diet! Kids have grown up, so we don't tend to eat much in the way of nuggets and fish fingers any more. DH refuses to eat oven chips as he likes them double deep-fried 😯

How did the crumble go?

I did crumble in mine and it blew most of the crumble off the top of the dish and I had to wipe burnt crumble mix off the inside of the bowl and heating element.

Surely its personal preference?

i love mine because:
i am one person so smaller amounts cooked quicker
eat a lot of chicken and sweet potato which cook amazing in there
it saves me money on heating oven
can cook single portion items like mini pizza, ready meals in foil packets etc
less washing up

Yes it is a bit. I was thinking it might be more use for a young person just starting out in cooking who doesn't already have lots of gadgets

I don't have one - me and DH both love cooking.

But I can see that they would be great for someone who isn't keen on it and just wants a quick meal.

I know but I'm just wondering if it would really be a benefit or a waste of money, so just looking for some guidance really.

Example - yesterday I did a mini fry-up for DH and me.....couple of sausages and rashers each. Ordinarily, this would need me to fire up the grill, dig out the enormous grill-pan, spend 15 minutes or so grilling, watching, turning, using plenty of electricity, throwing heat across the whole kitchen.....then have a big greasy grill pan to wash up.

Instead, it all went in the air fryer, was done to perfection in 8 minutes, no wasted energy and just a small non-stick drawer to wipe out.

It's marvellous for all those little things it's not worth putting the oven on for....single trays of roasted veg, a couple of salmon steaks etc etc.

Having said that, my mum decided against one, because she has a combi microwave oven, just like you, OP, and for her that fulfils the same purpose.

I don't see the point either. I was going to get one but after much research decided I didn't need one. My electric bill isn't too bad so no point spending £100+ to possibly save a few pounds.

FYI, my airfryer was less than £50 (good old Costco).

We also have the Costco air fryer, it's brilliant.

Most of the people I know in RL who go on about how great they are cooking for one or two people.

IL were gifted one they have many gadgets but still like it but they tend to want to eat most of the time and occasionally cook for pleasure- I suspect DH and I after kids leave home may well end up in that camp - so may find one useful then.