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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Husband unreasonable air fryer demands

223 replies

Anotherdayanotherairfryer · 17/08/2023 20:41

So. Can anyone solve an argument …
husband is demanding a ‘ ninja foodie flex drawer’ becuase he thinks it will be a good investment. on the other hand I think it’s a waste of money….. I mean we can afford it … but it feels extreme, we have an oven already ! Any one say it’s a life changer … if not I’m not interested !

OP posts:
egowise · 17/08/2023 22:03

I have the ninja duo.

Changed my life. I LOVE it.

alwaysmovingforwards · 17/08/2023 22:03

Anotherdayanotherairfryer · 17/08/2023 21:02

thank you for your replies. I’m don’t want thread to derail
down the recipe route , please can we focus on my original post - many thanks

I'll go against the grain of mn loving air fryers...

Have one, used it twice, now lives in the cupboard under the stairs waiting for me to have enough tat to do some eBay listings on a boring rainy Sunday.

I simply don't find using the oven particularly difficult or expensive. And both times I used it the food tasted inferior to using an oven. And seeing as I already have a nice oven in my kitchen, I'll continue to use that.

StillWantingADog · 17/08/2023 22:05

@FannythePinkFlamingo
fair enough but you should offer for free or to a charity before chucking, we’re living in a CoL crisis ffs!

our dump has a special place now where you can leave appliances in good nick which are distributed to families in need.
I’m sure a poor family would really appreciate it

CapEBarra · 17/08/2023 22:05

My favourite thing is baby new potatoes. Chuck them in the air fryer, add a teaspoon of oil and a twist of a salt and a pepper grinder, and set on 10-15 minutes at 200 degrees. Shuggle them a few times during cooking and serve.

OP, I bought one for my DP as a last minute birthday gift, and he left it sitting in the corner of a room for a few months. We decided to try it out one weekend, and after 2 days with the air fryer I popped into Argos on the way home from his and bought one of my own. When mine breaks I’ll go straight out and buy another. You don’t need a Ninja - a Tower/Tefal/own brand one will work just fine. The one I bought my DP was £95. Mine was £59, and they’re pretty much identical.

PyongyangKipperbang · 17/08/2023 22:06

Well as I say, if you are giving it away I would cheerfully take it off your hands!

Seriously though....Maybe you could offer it to a community kitchen? There are a lot around now providing food for people who are struggling, and demand will increase when the weather gets colder. A quick google or fb search in your local area will bring up several I am betting.

Solonge · 17/08/2023 22:07

Air fryers are healthier as cook with just a squirt of oil and much cheaper to run than your home oven. I bought one thinking it would be good for home made chips and I use it daily, for lots of things, life changer!

D1nopawus · 17/08/2023 22:08

Wenfy · 17/08/2023 20:45

Depends what you eat already. If you eat a lot of meat, processed food, or fried food then get it as it will definitely save you time and money. If, however, you mostly bake from scratch then it’s not really a decent subsitute.

Strongly disagree with this! Air fryer meat & fish is great as the moisture is maintained. Try roast chicken - crispy skin and moist flesh. It's also quicker and there's less washing up.

fisherhatesgravel · 17/08/2023 22:08

We've had ours a few weeks, I've been looking on TikTok at things cooked, one was a cheese toastie in 4 minutes, am doing tomorrow 😋

Letsrunabath · 17/08/2023 22:09

I think the problem people have is the name Air Fryer and as such they think about fried food, we have a instapot and it does all sorts, I cook from scratch and have an allotment so it’s a god send for when we have a glut of vegetables. 2nd best kitchen gadget we’ve ever bought. No 1 being the kitchen aid chopper that I buy as a wedding present or new house gift and everyone is a convert.

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 17/08/2023 22:10

That's a really good idea @PyongyangKipperbang. I do know our local dump actually has a little shop where they sell items for charity including electricals. I was actually quite shocked when DH told me they had a section for crutches and zimmer frames, I thought they would have been returned!

One thing I do need to do before deciding what to do with the ninja is to see if it still works as apparently it's been in the garage for a year so selling or donating might not be an option!

CrunchyCarrot · 17/08/2023 22:13

Wexone · 17/08/2023 21:25

I haven't got one. am the only one I gather from this post that doesn't. I dint see the point. I have two ovens that work perfectly well and I use regularly. I live across the road from a chipper so havnt cooked chips for years. I.also hate clutter on my counter. if wasn't in a rented house would have an electric tap over a kettle. toaster is stored away too. so I am with you on this one

Nor have I! I don't use my cooker's oven at all. I do use my combi microwave's oven for regular cookery as well as combi cooking. I just don't see the need for one.

However...OP if you can afford it, then why not give it a try? Perhaps you will like it?

Snugglemonkey · 17/08/2023 22:15

Wenfy · 17/08/2023 20:45

Depends what you eat already. If you eat a lot of meat, processed food, or fried food then get it as it will definitely save you time and money. If, however, you mostly bake from scratch then it’s not really a decent subsitute.

We do not eat very many processed foods. Or fried foods. We do eat meat, but not loads. I use my ninja loads though. I have one that does lots of things, slow cooking, pressure cooking, loads. I think it would be worth considering?

I use the air fry mode to heat quiche (which I bake from scratch), leftover pizza (which I make from scratch), potato croquettes (which I make from mash that I have made myself). You can do plenty in them. We go from simple things like heating croissants to mak8ng whole dinners.

We use it a lot.

OhcantthInkofaname · 17/08/2023 22:21

Get the biggest air fryer/convection oven you can. Crispy cauliflower is to die for...

DrFoxtrot · 17/08/2023 22:21

There are Blue Light discounts on Ninja products if that helps anyone including OP.

RedDedRedemption · 17/08/2023 22:22

Letsrunabath · 17/08/2023 22:09

I think the problem people have is the name Air Fryer and as such they think about fried food, we have a instapot and it does all sorts, I cook from scratch and have an allotment so it’s a god send for when we have a glut of vegetables. 2nd best kitchen gadget we’ve ever bought. No 1 being the kitchen aid chopper that I buy as a wedding present or new house gift and everyone is a convert.

I have it on my registry but nobody's bought it... yet! :)

I batch cook and find the air fryer great for reheating food. Waste of an entire oven to heat a couple of portions, but the microwave ruins the texture and heats unevenly

Pop in an oven-safe container.,.. you can even make soup in it!

TyneTeas · 17/08/2023 22:22

We vacillated for ages about whether and which one to get

Kept a list of what we ate ordinarily for a few weeks and then used that to work out what we could have cooked in it and to help decide one/two drawer, size etc

Had it a year now and love it

Snugglemonkey · 17/08/2023 22:24

PinkSparklyPussyCat · 17/08/2023 21:34

We've got a Ninja and it's a complete waste of money and I regret buying it. Our kitchen is too small to have it out all the time and the stupid thing is too heavy to lug in and out of the cupboard each time so it never gets used. I think it'll be going to the dump next time DH goes.

Seems terribly wasteful. Could you not put it on freecycle and find it a new home?

justasking111 · 17/08/2023 22:26

OH bought a large all singing and dancing microwave two years ago. Gleaming stainless steel. It roasts, grills, he can't understand the instructions so it's used for soup, baked beans, defrosting occasionally.

WiddlinDiddlin · 17/08/2023 22:29

We'd really need to know what you cook and how often and who for to tell you if its going to be a life changer for you.

I have a dual drawer ninja whatever it is - we use it daily, we rarely use our oven at all now and when the kitchen finally gets done we won't be having an oven, we'll have two air fryers (We have the instant pot that does pressure cook and air fry), and a combi microwave (probably, not totally decided on that but we do need a microwave) and probably a two ring portable hob.

Then ill be able to have whatever it is I want out on the counter, and not having an oven frees up a cupboard space for whatever it is im not using.

I also don't need a ton of pots and pans so that saves space too.

We cook frozen convenience stuff, from scratch stuff, meat, veg, everything really!

Snugglemonkey · 17/08/2023 22:31

Anotherdayanotherairfryer · 17/08/2023 21:50

Thank you all for your replies really helpful I think the way to resolve this is to invest in the silicone liners and hold on to the thought of an easier Christmas dinner ! I will leave the post here , but do continue to thrash out the pros and cons of the air fryer offerings

I don't have any liners at all. I do use some old cake tins for items that might fall through the racks. I have the ninja 14 in one and it is super easy to clean. Even when I make casseroles etc, the dirt just slides off.

Mindovermatter247 · 17/08/2023 22:31

Air fryers are amazing… I’ve had for years, before they became super popular. The only thing we do in the oven nowadays is pizza & lasagne… everything else else oven worthy gets chucked in the air fryer…
it takes half the time and is actually cheaper…

Trenda · 17/08/2023 22:32

My oven is used for storing frying pans now.

I have a costco dual air fryer and use it to cook and bake equally. I do pizzas in it by cutting them in half and cooking each half in its own drawer. Once cut up in slices no one can tell how it was cooked.

Mindovermatter247 · 17/08/2023 22:32

Pork belly in the air fryer is absolutely heaven 🤪

Eyesopenwideawake · 17/08/2023 22:32

I have a 4 oven range cooker sitting forlornly (and dusty) in the corner and a very smug Ninja Foodie Max Pro who is used daily, fawned over, polished and generally adored in pride of place on the worktop.

And much lower electric bills.