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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Not to have oven

31 replies

ostwest · 14/04/2023 14:44

Refurbishing our kitchen. AIBU not to have an oven at all, but buy decent air fryer? Those of you who have air friers, could you do without an oven?
There are 4 of us. Pre-teens ask mostly for crispy, fried food (which they don't get because of oil), and I just had a thought we don't need an oven.
Am I a bit daft?
Do not have air frier atm.

OP posts:
Sewingdufus · 14/04/2023 14:47

I think it’s a bad idea and I love my air fryer!

A kitchen without an oven would really make me reconsider buying a house, especially if the kitchen was not in need of replacing apart from lacking an oven. A single air fryer would be sufficient capacity for making Christmas lunch nor my first choice for baking.

ComtesseDeSpair · 14/04/2023 14:48

Surely there will potentially be times in the next decade where you might need or want to oven cook something? I’d go for a basic range one just in case. I only use our oven three or four times a year or so, but it’s useful to have.

HelloMrBond · 14/04/2023 14:51

Is this a late April fools joke? I’m the first to concede that air fryers are handy, very handy, but by no means can they replace an oven. How would you cook a roast meal, lasagne, bake a cake etc etc… the list goes on

TimeForMeToF1y · 14/04/2023 14:51

Tbh that sounds crazy, what do you cook that you never need an oven? I can't imagine that

AtomicBlondeRose · 14/04/2023 14:52

My photo app reminded me it’s a year since I bought my dual drawer air fryer and I think we’ve had the oven on twice in that time. For the price of a crap oven you could buy an additional air fryer - the mini oven type - which would do the very few things the drawer one can’t, and can be stored away. My stupid oven would be much better use as storage space.

Iudncuewbccgrcb · 14/04/2023 14:52

Air fryers are great but not ideal for e.g making a cake or doing a big roast dinner.

You can fit a small chicken in mine in one basket and potatoes in the other, but it's not the same as a proper roast.

caramac04 · 14/04/2023 14:52

I’ve got 2 Ninjas, 1 air fryer and an 11 in 1 foodie. Still wouldn’t give up my double oven but I often cook for 6-10 people.

AtomicBlondeRose · 14/04/2023 14:53

I make roast dinners, cakes and lasagna-type stuff in my air fryer all the time! Bread, crumbles, brownies, everything.

YellowHatt · 14/04/2023 14:53

Surely better to go for the cheapest, most basic oven than not have one at all? Do you ever cook bigger meals that won’t fit in the air fryer eg Christmas dinner?

Do not have air frier atm.
Especially as you’ve never had one to work out of it works for you or not.

Also there’s the obvious issue of if you ever sell then you’re seriously limiting your chances of the best offers.

caringcarer · 14/04/2023 14:53

I don't fry food except a fried agg. Instead I use my oven to cook food like sausages/bacon. I am not keen on air an fryer. I roast in the oven , cook lasagne, shepherd's pie etc. I would not buy a house without a cooker or space for one.

dietcokelime · 14/04/2023 14:55

I think it's a bit daft if you don't even have an air fryer at the moment to compare it to!

I'd never buy a house with a kitchen planned around not having an oven if that's a consideration for you in the future.

I've got a giant ninja air fryer and whilst it's getting used a few times a week it doesn't replace the oven imo.

OhSmitty · 14/04/2023 14:58

When I remodel I plan to move the oven to corner in the kitchen we don't use. Keep a cheap oven but move it out of the useful kitchen space. I use our ninja foodie daily, the oven is used once a month for big tray bakes or pizzas.

horridjobescapee · 14/04/2023 15:01

How would you bake or batch cook?

horridjobescapee · 14/04/2023 15:01

How would you do Christmas dinner?

dudsville · 14/04/2023 15:02

My brother and sil live this way and they're happy! But they are only the two of them and they never host big meals.

gogohmm · 14/04/2023 15:03

House or small flat? Even if you only use it for pizzas and the occasional roast, wouldn't you miss it. I wouldn't buy without a minimum of a double oven or potential to fit because I actually cook from scratch

Inthesamesinkingboat · 14/04/2023 15:04

At the very least leave space and put a cupboard front there so when you come to sell it is easy to slot one in and this can be pointed out to buyers (or if you change your mind). As someone who only used a microwave for 3 years I can see the attraction

Original poster
ostwest · 14/04/2023 15:05

Thank you for your useful input, Everyone. I had an impression that I could do a lot of baking in the air frier.
I might need to buy myself an air frier and try not to use an oven for some time in our old kitchen to see how it goes.
The house will be our forever house, not too bothered about selling.

OP posts:
Crikeyalmighty · 14/04/2023 15:05

Really depends what you eat- air fryer no good for making saysalmon in a sauce , (but guess you could use hob or microwave) a lasagne , need a big one for a roast- however if you get a big one that can roast, don't bake much and do a fair bit in microwave you could get by- I could!

nokidshere · 14/04/2023 15:12

I love my air fryer and use it daily for 3-5 people. But I still wouldn't get rid of my oven even though I've only used it twice since December.

HelloMrBond · 14/04/2023 15:14

AtomicBlondeRose · 14/04/2023 14:53

I make roast dinners, cakes and lasagna-type stuff in my air fryer all the time! Bread, crumbles, brownies, everything.

So let’s say you’ve got a nice sirloin of beef to roast, a tray of roast potatoes, cauliflower cheese, Yorkshire puddings, roast parsnips. How on earth can you cook multiple things at once in an air fryer? The mind boggles.

SmallAngryPenguinWoman · 14/04/2023 15:16

AtomicBlondeRose · 14/04/2023 14:52

My photo app reminded me it’s a year since I bought my dual drawer air fryer and I think we’ve had the oven on twice in that time. For the price of a crap oven you could buy an additional air fryer - the mini oven type - which would do the very few things the drawer one can’t, and can be stored away. My stupid oven would be much better use as storage space.

My sister doesn't use her dishwasher to wash dishes, but as a storage cupboard for all her tupperware. No idea why she bothered putting a dw into her house, you can barely finish a cup of tea before she has the cup whipped out of your hand, washed, dried and put away 😩

AtomicBlondeRose · 14/04/2023 15:17

I have two drawers. Cook beef in one, roast potatoes in the other. Beef should be rested anyway so take out to rest and put cauliflower cheese in (takes half the time of an oven so easy to do). When roasties are done, take out and cover, do Yorkshire puddings in there. Easy.

HurryShadow · 14/04/2023 15:31

I have an air fryer so the majority of our dinners are cooked in it, with two exceptions:

  • roast dinners. Mine is not big enough to do meat, yorkshires and potatoes all at the same time. I will always let my meat rest, but my spuds must be piping hot. The air fryer is just too small for my epic yorkshires.
  • pizzas. Even if you could fit one in there, you'd have to have either multiple air fryers or a mahoosive one if you wanted to do more than one at a time.

My DM has declared that her air fryer is rubbish for pies, but I've not tried one in mine.

Whataretheodds · 14/04/2023 16:57

Pre-teens ask mostly for crispy, fried food

This is a bizarre reason to go without an oven.