to think that air-fryers are just a passing fad?

[EeesandWhizz]

I know that they are everywhere do everything right now, but I'm sure that they'll soon join the steamers, breadmakers and George Foreman grills living in the back of the kitchen cupboard. The slow-cookers can stay on the worktop.

I bought a second hand Ninja Foodie, and to be honest I don't really get it. Do many people that cook from scratch really use them instead of the oven and hob? Or is it more like Pampered Chef that produced a lot of things for people that are not confident cooks that they didn't really need?

I am going to try cooking a 40 minute meringue in it later today though, so that might make me change my mind - I usually leave mine overnight in the oven for maximum crispy gooeyness, but an almost instant pavlova sounds fab!

Just go for two equal sized baskets.

Use our ninja double at least 3/4 times each week, as does our youngest who lives with us. Our eldest/her husband cook their family’s Sunday roast in theirs as well. I’ve never tried that.
we use our bread maker about the same too. Much nicer than shop-bought bread.

That's one of the ones I'm looking at, and for that very reason. It seems so much more flexible. On a superficial level, I'm just not keen on how it looks! I haven't got an unobtrusive spot in my kitchen, so I'm trying to decide whether I can live with it 😏

You've already got the holy grail - and it's actually a trinity, for completeness 😂

If you're pining for another kitchen gadget, get a Foodi. That will add pressure cooking & steaming to your rapid food repertoire as well as doubling your existing potentials.

The Foodi and Speedi both do steam baking/roasting, which is a revelation in terms of both speed and quality.

That's fair - it is pretty big. I used to have a smaller one in a different place but I have a handy corner where it's kind of hidden away.

That said, even if I didn't have that space, I wouldn't get rid of it!

I don't have one but reading this I wonder if you think it would,be good for my elderly mum?

She has a mix of a few ready meals (currently baked in the oven), some roasted veg, quiche , chips baked spuds that kind of thing.

Would it be a godsend or a faff for a lady who struggles with arthritic hands and standing lifting /bending ?

I'd value opinions, and even better if you think it's a useful idea, some model recommendations

Thanks

Also another daft question if you had, say, a ready meal in its own tray that you reheated/baked how do you get it out of the deep basket as I guess you wouldn't be able to get an oven glove in and you couldn't tip it.

Or am I missing the point ?

Honestly, I think it could potentially be a bad idea with arthritis. I burn myself quite frequently on mine because it’s quite cumbersome to remove the cooking basket (this is in the 14 in one),

Just me still using my bread maker then? 🤣

I use mine about twice a week!

The best thing for a ready meal in a tray is surely a microwave, do people put ready meals in air fryers, my air fryer uses more electric than a microwave

My ninja completely replaced my oven. I have 2 ninjas, havent used the oven for 13 months

I'm not elderly but have RA so bending, lifting and using my hands can be painful.
The Ninja 3.8L is perfect for me, bought it for £68 in flash sale on Amazon, but currently on sale for £145 so worth waiting till a good deal comes up.

Best things about it are:
No more bending, the drawer is very light and cleaning up is quick and easy.
I worried about getting timings right until I realised I can easily pull out drawer to check food while it's cooking. I use a cooking thermometer to check if it's ready (no more overcooked or dried out chicken and salmon!).

I use a strong pair of Marigold washing up gloves to quickly lift things like ready meals out of the drawer.

I've had one for well over 10 years, so for me, No they are not a fad.
But then I regularly use my breadmaker too.

Oh and my multi cooker, gosh I love that thing, curries in half an hour, gorgeous pasta dishes, the pressure cooking part gets used so much.

Great tip about using marigolds @Anselma- have been finding it a bit of a faff getting things out, but will try that.

I am waiting on a new breadmaker, the nice top of the range Panasonic one was reduced over BF and I have one on back order from Lakeland, it should come next week. I used my old cheap bread maker a lot and also made jam in it as it just made a couple of jars which was plenty for us, using a variety of our garden fruit

You can get oven style ones rather than basket ones - that might suit better?

This is just an example, not a recommendation - I've never tried one.

https://direct.asda.com/george/electricals/kitchen-appliances/air-fryers/black-20l-air-fryer-oven/050107531,default,pd.html?cgid=D59M02G02C01

Depends on the instructions. Some ready meals say best cooked in oven (so OK for Air Fryer), others best in microwave.

The weird thing is they don't actually fry. The cook like a normal oven. I don't use any oil in mine. It's just a mini oven so the name air FRYER doesn't fit what it actually does

Another benefit for elderly people who might be getting a bit more forgetful is that when it’s finished, it beeps & turns itself off. No need to worry about something overcooking or burning.

I think an air fryer would have been brilliant for my grandmother if they’d been around at the time.

If you don't use your oven much, you are not going to use an air fryer. Just like how a bread maker would be pointless for me because I don't make bread.

I have been using air fryers for nearly 6 years. Almost daily. I prefer the duel basket one because I already had an Instant Pot for eggs, soups, stews and for frying things. Anything that is not a liquid gets reheated in the air fryer. Anything that should be baked gets baked in it. Anything that should be roasted gets roasted in it. Anything that should be crispy gets crisped in it.

They will only be a fad for people who don't use them.

That's down to Tefal I suspect, and their Actifry - widely marketed for low fat chips. Air fryers came from that initial concept.

It's a shame though, as people don't realise that it's basically an oven - I have a friend who, when I was waxing lyrical about my versizone said that she wouldn't use one as she doesn't fry anything.

I absolutely love mine. It heats up quicker than my oven and it cooks quicker too. There are so many functions, it's amazing.

I know you won't believe me but my mum has bought 3! Each with slightly varying functions but still. I think they are here to stay.

I've had mine 8 years, still used most days