To ask if you have an air fryer..

[Murphs1]

Do you use it much and can you cook family meals in it quicker than using your oven?
Im looking at the dual max ninja but it is a big investment and I’m not 100 percent sure I’ll use it enough. Need some inspiration!!

very tempted to get one as well. How easy are they to use? How do you know how long to cook things for ?

We've got a very small cheap one. Used most days to warm up leftovers or make kids lunches. It is good, but I don't think i could justify the expense or counter space for a big ninja.

lostinfusion
"very tempted to get one as well. How easy are they to use? How do you know how
long to cook things for ?"

It is very easy to use and components are dishwashable.
The Philips has an app that has many recipes and included the cooking times and temps. If you have wifi you can then remotely send the time/temp info to the fryer and switch it on. Or you can select a food type preset on touch screen. Or you could look up air fryer recipes on the web which will also give you the info.

oh the remote turning on and off sounds brilliant with the phillips one. I wish I’d have seen that as have taken the plunge and brought a 15 in one multi cooker. And a cook book!!

You can still access the recipes on the Philips App as a guest. The temp and cooking times suggested in the recipes should also work for your machine on air fryer mode, good luck 😁

Yes, Ninja dual and absolutely love it together with my slow cooker. I'm using the Bored of Lunch books which are excellent and calorie counted.

could you cook, say, a Young's frozen fish fillet in one?
There are never instructions on food packaging for air fryers so would struggle to trust some things.

I brought my ninja dual at Xmas and ive only used my oven twice since and that was just for pizza as it didn't fit in the AF. I use it multiple times a day. Absolutely love it!

Can I just say that if you cut the pizza into slices it cooks brilliantly in the airfryer. Actually tastes nicer too.

WE have the 15 in one and use it more than our oven.

pressure cook stews, curries, soups

air fry baked potatoes, oven chips, homemade fishfingers/chicken nuggets

slow cooker meals

There's a couple of fb groups which I find really helpful. There's also conversion charts on Google which are handy!

Yes, the ninja 15 in one. Has sautée
mode. And slow cooks, air frys, pressure cooks etc

Probably a bit late to this thread but just to say that I always suggest thinking about whatever kitchen/cooking issue irritates you th most and then deciding if the air fryer solves for that. So in my case, I mostly use the stove top but I find putting on the whole oven for some small side thing that goes alongside like garlic bread or a crumbed chicken fillet for DD just irritated me so much, and that has completely disappeared with an air fryer. But, for example, I almost never use it to cook whole family meals and that's okay because making a big stew on the stove top or in the slow cooker is fine for me, and I'm happy to do stir fries, pasta sauces etc on the stove etc.

Here's what I've used it for over the last week or so:

a small sirloin roast - for 4 people and that was surprisingly amazing and easy
Croissants
Garlic bread to have with our lovely fresh salad
Crumbed chicken breasts for DC
Chips to go with the fried cod I made on Friday
Ready made potato dauphinoise from M&S
Roasted tomatoes and onions for lunch (served on couscous with feta cheese)
Banana muffins for DS and his buddy to snack on
Honey and cumin roasted carrots

I regularly use it as a convenient way to heat up tacos/tortillas/wraps etc - 3 minutes in the air fryer (tops) no pre-heating, no faffing etc. I have also used it to cook chicken thighs and an individual Yorkshire pudding for DD. Baked feta is a popular weekend lunch time snack around here too. When we're all in and out at different times I often do use it for things like pre-made fish cakes etc as everyone just heats theirs up as they come in etc.

I barely ever turn my oven on now. I have a tiny one though and now am covering a big one!

Very little beige food here (apart from chips occasionally, which are fabulous in the Ninja drawer as you can give them a good shake so they cook far more evenly than on a tray in the oven).

Roast chickens, salmon, meats. Love new potatoes with the faintest spray of olive oil and salt, pepper, paprika, herbs, whatever on them to go with what you're cooking. Roasted veg are great. Jacket potatoes lovely and fluffy/crispy.

I'm another who barely switches the main oven on these days.

Yes we do. I dithered for ages hearing some people say they use it all the t8me and others saying it's a waste of money. I think we've only used our oven a handful of times since getting it rather than every day sometimes several times a day.

I was unconvinced by them, but got one as we were getting a new kitchen fitted and would be without an oven for a week or so.

Being able to make fish fingers and chips for the DC in 15 mins is great. No preheating the oven, and cooks quicker than the oven too. The DC are also great at using it.

Love it for rehaeating leftover pizza slices etc. And a quick cheese on toast.

We only use the big oven for meals if all 5 of us are eating together, roasts and pizzas.

I use my air fryer daily, I rarely use the oven.
I make casseroles and chilli con carne in it.
It's brilliant for reheating leftover fish and chips from the chippy, takeaway pizza etc the following day too.
I always use disposable liners in it to save messing about washing it. A quick wipe and it's good to go again.

I'm quite interested in the people who use it for casseroles - I cook my casseroles/stews long and slow - in the oven, on the stovetop, or in the slow cooker. And isn't that completely counter intuitive in terms of the air fryer? What is the benefit of cooking these sorts of thing in the air fryer vs on the stove top or oven?

Yes I use it all the time

today I’ve used it for bacon at breakfast then at lunch bean burgers

wish I had bought a larger one it’s brilliant

I really couldn’t see the point of them as I have a lovely big range cooker with 4 ovens but my son bought us the Ninja Foodie with the two drawers a couple of Christmases ago and actually it gets used loads.
Both sons work odd shifts and it’s fantastic for them to quickly cook something when they get in. Also my MIL lives with us. I cook a main meal for everyone at lunchtime and she gets herself something like a salmon fillet, pre cooked chicken breast or similar with salad for her evening meal. Doing them in the air fryer takes less time than preparing the salad.
I don’t think a day goes by that it’s not used.

We’ve had our Ninja Speedi just over a week. We are a family of 4 adults. We’ve done spag bol great result, lamb casserole was lovely and rich, DH said too rich, although I only put in stock cubes. DS did beef mince with rice, but didn’t cook the rice enough, but the taste was there, just got to get the rice right. Oven chips and garlic bread were a hit, everyone liked them better. I also put a toasted sandwich in today in the grill, that was lovely.

My gas oven isn't safe any more. I started by buying an Instapot as we mainly eat chill, curry, Bolognese etc.

There was an offer on Amazon last week for a Tower airfryer (back in my day - the 80's lol, Tower reigned) for £30. I thought why not?

Wow, it's brilliant! We a lot of chicken/rice dinners... Bash the chicken, marinate whack in the fryer for 10-15. Rice in the Instapot...

We had chow mein last night, all done in the Instapot on saute, noodles soaked by kettle and added.

Between the two, I think I'd be happy. I've done an entire chicken in Insta... Would do potatoes carrots on air fryer, stuffing too - just mix and match.

Me buying this 30£ one was a test really as to whether to go bigger. Maybe I will but there's only me and DD so it suits us.

Ps I also bought an airfryer lid for my Insta - it's nothing like the airfryer - it just heats rapidly from the top like a grill. Not worth the money.

We have an Instant 4 in 1 and it's brilliant. It gets used most days.
I bought it half price on the Instant site on a weekend deal last year, so it cost £50 or so.
Many things cook in it quicker than the time it would take to get the oven up to temperature.

Ooo I can’t wait to get it now, thanks for all the suggestions of what to cook that’s really helpful