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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To hate my air fryer

179 replies

Champagneforeveryone · 02/04/2023 04:14

Ugly great bastarding thing that it is, taking up counter space and taunting me with its wasted potential 🧐

We bought a Ninja because everyone said they were the best. A man even accosted DH in John Lewis while we were carrying it out like our first born child to tell him how amazing it was.

Except it's not...

We don't eat a lot of freezer food so that's not been a benefit. I've tried things like chicken breasts but they just came out pale with a tough outer skin. I'm too scared to try bacon in case it's a similar travesty. Sausages were ok, but truthfully not any different to cooking them in the oven. I'm a little disillusioned, but perhaps I'm doing something wrong? Why is the feckless contraption supposed to be so much better than, you know... an actual oven?

OP posts:
Caspianberg · 02/04/2023 08:50

@TottyKnickers - why would my kitchen get steamy and damp boiling an egg? Do you not have lids on your saucepans? Or an extractor fan? Or a window?

Rosula · 02/04/2023 08:51

oohyoudevilyou · 02/04/2023 07:51

DH insists on "treating me" to whatever gadget is the latest kitchen craze. So I have an air fryer that I've used a handful of times to produce hard chicken pieces, a slow cooker that makes watery stew and makes the house stink for hours, a spiraliser that just takes up cupboard space and a hot water tap that is messy, awkward to use and makes crap tea. Fucking hate gadgets!

I know nothing about air fryers, but you're definitely using your slow cooker wrong if that is all that you are achieving with it.

NonJeNeRegretteRien · 02/04/2023 08:52

This is why we chose the instantpot duo instead…. We use it every day and it’s great.(sorry).

GCWorkNightmare · 02/04/2023 08:54

tabulahrasa · 02/04/2023 06:19

“Why is the feckless contraption supposed to be so much better than, you know... an actual oven?”

They are ovens, basically, hotter ovens, but ovens - things get a little bit crispier in them and cook a bit quicker are basically the practical difference.

They are however massively cheaper to run than ovens.

If you don’t factor in the time it takes to pay off the capital expenditure.

TicTac80 · 02/04/2023 08:55

I have the Ninja Dual air fryer (the slightly smaller one). Brilliant bit of kit. I use that, my Thermomix (had this 2yrs) and my Instant Pot (7yrs old!) more than I use my stove and oven.
The Ninja is fast and very cost efficient!

mightymam · 02/04/2023 08:56

Let me know if you're selling OP!

liveforsummer · 02/04/2023 08:58

I love my ninja - no, most things aren't any better than my oven, it's the same which is pretty much the point as it's quicker and easier to achieve the same result. Roast potatoes aren't quite as good but good enough to be worth the trade for simplicity and speed. You do need to experiment a bit to get the hang of the timings and which setting to use for some things but once in the know it's a game changer

montysma1 · 02/04/2023 08:58

donttellmehesalive · 02/04/2023 06:22

I went into JL to buy one. There were loads of customers and a member of staff dedicated to air fryer sales. She did a great job at explaining the benefits and was very knowledgeable. But after listening to what she had to say, my friend and I both left without one. Now I'm glad I didn't get one and friends tell me they never use theirs.

We literally never use our oven since we got the air fryer. It's so quick and my electric use has dropped .

Ireolu · 02/04/2023 08:58

Use mine everyday wouldn't be without it
It's great for beige food granted but so much more rice/cakes/stews/salmon/seabass/chicken/we use it to heat croissants that we freeze. All goes in and cooks quicker. We have a big ninja and have had it for 2 yrs. DS bought one and doesnt love it like us though. Barely use oven now but I hate my oven as it takes too long cooking anything.

liveforsummer · 02/04/2023 09:01

tabulahrasa · 02/04/2023 06:19

“Why is the feckless contraption supposed to be so much better than, you know... an actual oven?”

They are ovens, basically, hotter ovens, but ovens - things get a little bit crispier in them and cook a bit quicker are basically the practical difference.

They are however massively cheaper to run than ovens.

And massively easier to clean

Blondeshavemorefun · 02/04/2023 09:01

JackHackettsMac · 02/04/2023 06:31

I use mine every day. "Boiled" eggs take 7.5 mins with no need to boil a kettle. I also cook poached eggs on toast on mine, cooking the bread for 4 mins, turn it over and add the cracked egg and cook it for about 6 mins.
Fresh homemade chips take 20mins to cook and taste lovely.
A 2kg roast chicken takes just over an hour. No need to turn it over either.
I often cook frozen French pastries for Sunday breakfast. They take 15 mins from frozen and are perfect.

@JackHackettsMac please tell me
More about boiled eggs

Hard boiled or dippy ?

aholidaynotacarpark · 02/04/2023 09:02

Ireolu · 02/04/2023 08:58

Use mine everyday wouldn't be without it
It's great for beige food granted but so much more rice/cakes/stews/salmon/seabass/chicken/we use it to heat croissants that we freeze. All goes in and cooks quicker. We have a big ninja and have had it for 2 yrs. DS bought one and doesnt love it like us though. Barely use oven now but I hate my oven as it takes too long cooking anything.

How do you do rice in an airfryer? That could be revolutionary!

Ours get used a lot. If you get the timings right chicken / fish / bacon can be delicious. We've taken it camping and cooked roast chicken al fresco edict was very satisfying!

WordtoYoMumma · 02/04/2023 09:04

When you cook chicken in the oven, how do you do it? Are you using the same method in the air fryer? I season and wrap in foil - oven or air fryer same method but air fryer much quicker.

I do garlic stuffed chicken wrapped in bacon, in tin foil,.bunged in the air fryer, it's amazing.

I use mine every day.

Ireolu · 02/04/2023 09:04

aholidaynotacarpark · 02/04/2023 09:02

How do you do rice in an airfryer? That could be revolutionary!

Ours get used a lot. If you get the timings right chicken / fish / bacon can be delicious. We've taken it camping and cooked roast chicken al fresco edict was very satisfying!

Show quote history

Pressure cooker too. It's the ninja with the dual lids so it steams too...

TottyKnickers · 02/04/2023 09:04

Bolied eggs are 7 minutes on the 130 setting

Tiggy321 · 02/04/2023 09:05

Its a small oven that's all. I love mine. Use it frequently. Heats up in seconds. Bake cakes in it, roast vegetables, meat, potatoes, basically anything. It's way more economical than heating a big oven for a few things.

Blondeshavemorefun · 02/04/2023 09:05

JustDanceAddict · 02/04/2023 07:51

I have a basic ninja which air fries, roasts, reheats and dehydrates.

we use it a lot - chicken is amazing in it as is fish. Comes out v moist. Also do chips from scratch which we never do normally and sometimes cook frozen breaded fish/chips etc. dh heated up hot x buns yesterday. Dh has even bought one for his office (he owns his own company) so he can cook at work - he did an omlette in it the other day.

@JustDanceAddict how did he do the omelette please

sst1234 · 02/04/2023 09:08

If you use your oven a lot but don’t get much use out of your air fryer, you’re doing it wrong.

SoupDragon · 02/04/2023 09:09

Sausages were ok, but truthfully not any different to cooking them in the oven.

They are the same as the oven because that's all an air fryer is - a small oven. They are far quicker and cheaper in an air fryer though!

I've barely used my oven since getting one. If I'm making fajitas or a stir fry I do the main bit in the air fryer and, in the case of the stir fry, just do the veg in the wok. Far superior with a lovely caramelised sauce.

I did buy mine because I was fed up with the DSs putting the main oven on to heat one tray of breaded chicken and for days when it's only me or me and DD, but now the only thing I use the main oven for is family pizza night (if it's just DD and me I can make two pizzas in the air fryer)

Aprilx · 02/04/2023 09:09

We bought a small one as we are only cooking for two. We rarely have frozen food in but when we do we always defrost first. Chips we make from fresh potatoes, I would say they take 15-20 minutes. I have done a small whole chicken in there and it was perfect, in fact everything we have cooked in it has come out really well.

BeansOnToast32 · 02/04/2023 09:09

My favourite use for the air fryer is cooking a whole chicken at 170 for 1hr, it comes out perfectly cooked but really juicy with lovely crispy skin. Much better than cooking in the oven.

I also do my salmon fillets in it.

user1471538283 · 02/04/2023 09:09

As I do as little cooking as possible I will never get one. I wonder if these will become the bread maker of this time?

Some friends have them and think they are great. One friend in particular doesn't stop talking about it ...

piscis · 02/04/2023 09:10

I absolutely love my Ninja and I use it pretty much every day, but mine has 7 functions.
I love the air fryer function too and chips are amazing on it, however I don't think I would buy it if it only had that function as I don't use the air fryer function more than once or twice per week.

I think that once an appliance is going to take counter space, better to have as many functions as possible in one.

SoupDragon · 02/04/2023 09:11

I also do my salmon fillets in it.

me too. Salmon fillets and roasted vegetables all in one.

Changeau · 02/04/2023 09:12

blebbleb · 02/04/2023 04:25

I don't have one but I've eaten food cooked in one and it was dry, hard and horrible. Perhaps it was used incorrectly but I wouldn't buy one for that reason. Silly fad. They will be all over Facebook marketplace in a couple of years.

This! My MIL has a really expensive one and it's really crap. Maybe if you eat a lot of chips they are worth it?

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