Will an air fryer change my life?

[Mlanket]

Pondering whether I should buy an air fryer, will I use it or will it take up space on the counter?

I forgot a couple of things to add to my list
Jamies korean chicken and cabbage tray bake thing
also a home made chicken curry

This is incorrect.

An air fryer is not "in your opinion" a small fan oven.

An air fryer "in actual factual fact" is a small fan oven.

So, yes, no good for big meals. But brilliant for small tasks/small portions.

We've got one, they're ok but absolutely not life changing.

I wouldn't buy a Ninja personally - I ordered one directly from them and when it arrived it was scratched inside and smelt of chips. It was clearly a return and the more I thought about it, they must have been selling returned items as new, otherwise how on earth could a used unit end up mixed in with new stock.

I've got an Instant Pot versazone now. It's better than having 2 fixed smaller drawers as you can use it with it without a divider, so can fit larger items in. Each side can still operate independently if you want to divide it in half.

I'm ambivalent about ours. It's great for baking, pizza, oven chips, baking potatoes/sweet potatoes. For roasting veg I prefer the oven - I like to use a really large flat tray and spread the veg out, you can't do as much in the air fryer, even using the whole big drawer. We don't eat meat, so no need to cook a chicken, chops, sausages etc. Chips and pizza only once in a while and only have roast potatoes on Christmas day, so not much use there either!

In terms of cleaning, our is really easy - take out the drawer, half fill with hot water and washing up liquid, soak for a few minutes and then any mess just slides off. Quick brush and rinse, it's done

Overall, I would say it's quite useful, but not at all essential.

Yes I like the fact that its much cheaper than running the oven for OH's obligatory chips and breaded fish. Everything is much quicker/lower temperature to cheaper to cook.

I considered buying one but realised that my combination microwave does much the same thing, and more.

My mum lives abroad in a hot country and has one similar to this. Its large enough to cook a whole chicken! I'm off to aldi to check the capacity of this one, because it doesn't say online.
https://www.aldi.co.uk/9-in-1-air-fryer-oven/p/839897820808900

It says on the front of the box 11l

That looks a really nice one, I like the ones with shelves and it seems to have varying functions which is important

You think it would actually say what the 9 functions are.

You can't do that in a standalone AF. You need a multicooker. I have a Ninja Speedi which you brown off onion, mince on the the sear/saute function.

With mine you could cook a cottage pie in it. Sear/saute a mince mix, top with mash potato and a bit of cheese if you wish. Close lid, put onto bake/roast for 15 mins.

@soupfiend I completely missed that it said 11L on the box!
Now wondering if that is big enough? 🤔

We are a family on four, two adults and two young kids. We bought a dual basket air fryer which has a removable partition so you can cook with either two seperate drawers or one big one. https://www.costco.co.uk/Appliances/Small-Kitchen-Appliances/Cooking-Specialty/Sur-La-Table-Digital-Air-Fryer-Dual-Basket-104L/p/6898

I was very hesitant as most of my cooking is bolognaise, curry, chilli, etc., and so i thought i wouldn't use it much. I was wrong.

We regularly do:
Garlic bread (quicker and not heating a full oven for a wee bit)
part bake baguettes/rolls
baked potatoes (microwave first)
roast vegetables for cous cous dish
roast aubergine for curry
roast baby potatoes
Halloumi (to add to salad)
croissants (shop bought dough)
puff pastry pinwheels
Chips, burgers, nuggets, etc

I have also done cookies and cupcakes but i find figuring out the timing on those a bit trickier.

I do think there is an element of snobbishness at play on this thread, as I have said upthread.
I have no idea why the opinion persists that air fryers are only good for beige or freezer food and, as some posters are at pains to point out, they don't eat 'that kind of food' so an air fryer is not for them.
Also a bit 🙄at those who can't wrap their heads around the fact that is it just a small oven. so you can only cook what you would be able to cook in an oven. You can't cook eg lasagne from scratch in an oven, you need to use a hob first to make it, then layer it and cook it in the oven. That's what you do with an air fryer, so the fact you can't make it entirely in the air fryer isn't a failing.
I have concluded that the 'oh no, it's not for us' mentality comes from three things:

1. It has the word 'fryer' in its name;
2. Air fryers were massively embraced during the cost of living crisis, so many common people bought them
3. Following on from 2, the retailer Iceland (faint) was the first to include air fryer instructions on its packaging.

so I can well see how a fryer used by common families who shop in Iceland may not be the target aspirational MN demographic ...

I’m guilty of thinking they’re a bit working class. Therefore, I don’t have one.

Wow...I hadn't even considered this was a class issue?! How bizarre.

😂

I'll be honest, we have the Ninja combi and I find the pans too big for 2 of us particularly if we are cooking separately which we normally do, so have a think about what you actuallly do eat and cook, do you have a lot of waste or left overs

Oh I think it is, @Comedycook
You just need to read some of the posts on this thread.

Yes. It’s all a bit naff isn’t it? That bloody hideous looking thing in your kitchen.

Because kettles, toasters, microwaves, blenders etc are so beautiful in comparison....

Well who knew I was common by the choice of my kitchen gadgets?????

I don’t think a simple kettle is comparable to the hideous “busy working families who watch ITV” of an air fryer.
But you know - enjoy your nuggets

I'm getting one to use in the summer when I turn the aga off. No idea what class that makes me 😆

Oh no @JC03745

Thoughts and prayers

Safer for my disabled teen with a restricted diet to use himself than the cooker. Gives him independence. I have stopped using it for healthier fare. Whilst you can of course clean the drawer I am concerned the rest of the interior is uncleanable and presumably now coated in saturated and trans fats from his beige diet, and I assume some of this recirculates on use onto other food stuffs? Could be purely coincidental, but I never had raised cholesterol until owning an air fryer.

Like fabric conditioner!!!!