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Original poster

Do I need an air fryer? Or a pressure cooker?

29 replies

BrutusMcDogface · 26/08/2022 11:17

Hi! I know everyone uses these things but I’m just wondering if they’re really worth it. Which one of the above is most useful?

For context, two adults and four children aged 5-12. Both adults need to lose a bit of weight! We only have a single oven which can be a pain. I am a teacher and during the week, we all eat unhealthy and quick/crappy food 😔 I really want that to change.

Any and all thoughts very welcome! Thank you!

OP posts:
Georgyporky · 26/08/2022 13:00

I've got both, use them regularly, & couldn't choose which one to keep if I had to.
However, the PC can cook a large amount of food very quickly, but my AF couldn't make a meal for 4 people without using other pans etc.
Also, my AF is quite tall & heavy & has to stay on the workbench, but the PC is really a very large saucepan & sits on top of my FF.
Check the sizes of AFs, I've had mine years & there might be larger ones now.

mateysmum · 26/08/2022 13:06

We have both and they do very different things. The air fryer is great for cooking most quick cook things and reheating leftovers, but unless you get one of the double ones, it won't cook meat + veg + carbs. But I love mine. I switch my Aga off in the summer and use the air fryer frequently.
I have an Instant Pot which is a pressure cooker and does lots of other things as well. It is best for foods that need long slow cooking and I've just done some delicious pulled pork for lunch.
Instant Pot now do a model with an air fryer lid. See HERE . I don't know if it's any good, but worth a look.

Timeforabiscuit · 26/08/2022 13:07

What do you cook most of? Pressure cooker would be good for joints of meat and stews of cheaper cuts, air fryer for flash cooking or roasting quickly.

The problem is what you put in them, I have a two drawer air fryer which is brilliant for, Mediterranean veg, diced butternut squash, its also excellent for fish fingers, sausages and chips.

However with 4 children, I'd go towards the pressure cooker as the large airfyer does for four adults, but you'd have to use it cannily for 6 I think.

Anunusualfamily · 26/08/2022 13:13

Instant pot and ninja do a combo machine I have the instant pot and love it

whereamu · 26/08/2022 13:14

I don't like my in pressure cooker instant pot thing. It makes all the food taste the same bland flavour. May be just me.
I keep considering an air fryer rather than putting the large oven on everyday. Not sure if it would work out cheaper or not as I would have to pay a lot for a large air fryer!

Irridescantshimmmer · 26/08/2022 13:20

I have both but use the electric pressure cooker every more often where I batch cook 5 meals which helps me keep costs down, saves me time because I don't have to cook every day and also saves me money......yayyyyy!

I make mostly one pot meals containing meats and mixed veggies which are low fat, low salt healthy and balanced because I have T1 diabetes.

MugginsOverEre · 26/08/2022 13:33

I only use my air fryer for oven chips. It's just big enough for 5 servings and does make them much better than the oven does. But sadly that's about it. It's just taking up space in the kitchen. I'm planning on using it at Christmas for something as my oven and hob are always overflowing with pans, trays and tins. I know there'll be something that can be made delicious in it. After all, they do make tasty food very well.
If I had a smaller household or a bigger air fryer then I think I would use it a lot more.

Original poster
BrutusMcDogface · 26/08/2022 17:09

Thank you for your responses!

We probably cook more one pot type things (curry etc) joints of meat or pasta dishes. It seems like I’d probably only use an air fryer for chips or the kids’ beige foods!

I’ll look into pressure cookers I think.

Thanks again!

OP posts:
Original poster
BrutusMcDogface · 26/08/2022 17:11

mateysmum · 26/08/2022 13:06

We have both and they do very different things. The air fryer is great for cooking most quick cook things and reheating leftovers, but unless you get one of the double ones, it won't cook meat + veg + carbs. But I love mine. I switch my Aga off in the summer and use the air fryer frequently.
I have an Instant Pot which is a pressure cooker and does lots of other things as well. It is best for foods that need long slow cooking and I've just done some delicious pulled pork for lunch.
Instant Pot now do a model with an air fryer lid. See HERE . I don't know if it's any good, but worth a look.

Ooh! That looks great, @mateysmum ! Might tick our boxes. Thank you!

OP posts:
SingingWaffleDoggy · 26/08/2022 17:15

We have a Ninja Foodi and it was our best purchase ever. You can cook anything in it and the steam roast function cooks a lovely moist whole chicken with crispy skin in 50 minutes. Very quick and convenient

Original poster
BrutusMcDogface · 26/08/2022 17:16

Maybe roast parsnips? 🤔

OP posts:
Original poster
BrutusMcDogface · 26/08/2022 17:16

BrutusMcDogface · 26/08/2022 17:16

Maybe roast parsnips? 🤔

Oops, that was meant to be in response to @MugginsOverEre

OP posts:
Original poster
BrutusMcDogface · 26/08/2022 17:21

SingingWaffleDoggy · 26/08/2022 17:15

We have a Ninja Foodi and it was our best purchase ever. You can cook anything in it and the steam roast function cooks a lovely moist whole chicken with crispy skin in 50 minutes. Very quick and convenient

Is that the ninja foodi 15-in-1 thing? Does it take up enormous amounts of space on your worktop?

OP posts:
FourTeaFallOut · 26/08/2022 17:25

I don't think a day goes by when my ninja foodi doesn't get used. I love it. It is quite big though.

Original poster
BrutusMcDogface · 26/08/2022 17:30

Our kitchen isn’t massive, and has the most ridiculously small amount of workspace for a 4-bed family home (in my opinion!)

HOWEVER- if I get rid of the corner of junk, I could squeeze on in! 😉

OP posts:
Original poster
BrutusMcDogface · 26/08/2022 17:31

*one

OP posts:
MoodyTwo · 26/08/2022 17:46

We have the ninja 11 in 1 , hardly use our oven anymore

Nachtvlinder · 26/08/2022 21:47

@whereamu you mentioned you don't like your Instant Pot because it makes the food tastes the same and is bland. Does it cook like a slow cooker then? I had one but chucked it out for the very reason that your IP tastes.

Can anyone verify this?

My dishes will be curries, spag bol, stews, pulled pork etc.

There's a new version of the Instant Pot that has an airfryer component to it - I wonder if the AF part is effective at all?

SingingWaffleDoggy · 27/08/2022 13:55

@BrutusMcDogface its the 16 in 1. It’s got the temperature probe and has the steam roast functions as extra. Worth keeping an eye out for deals.
It’s huge but ours lives in the utility room on top of the washing machine

picklemewalnuts · 27/08/2022 14:14

Pressure cooker best for healthy cooking. Baked beans, pulled pork, curries, soups, risotto etc. really good.

Air fryer is good for cooking beige food- oven food, chips, nuggets sausage, bacon...
It's good for other things too, but it's easy to eat more junk (or perhaps better junk).

Cococushion · 27/08/2022 14:38

We have the instapot with pressure cooker function and an air fryer lid as well. It is quite large and if I had to do it again, I’d get a smaller instapot and a separate air fryer

Original poster
BrutusMcDogface · 27/08/2022 15:35

All really good advice; thank you!

OP posts:
Original poster
BrutusMcDogface · 27/08/2022 15:36

picklemewalnuts · 27/08/2022 14:14

Pressure cooker best for healthy cooking. Baked beans, pulled pork, curries, soups, risotto etc. really good.

Air fryer is good for cooking beige food- oven food, chips, nuggets sausage, bacon...
It's good for other things too, but it's easy to eat more junk (or perhaps better junk).

Thanks for this! The insta pot is looking like it might be more beneficial to us.

OP posts:
picklemewalnuts · 27/08/2022 15:41

There's an instant pot with air fryer lid. I don't have one. People who do rave! You can pressure cook the meat, then brown it. Whether it works as well as a separate air fryer I can't say!

If you go IP, feel free to message me about using it. People can find it a bit intimidating. I feel like I've found my way round it and just go by instinct now.

Cococushion · 27/08/2022 15:47

I have the IP combo pickles. The air fryer part works well, although I don’t know how it compares to a stand-alone air fryer. The thing is it is really big! I have a separate counter dedicated to it!
And I can only pressure cook or air fry at a time. With two separate ones, I could pressure cook a stew and air fry potatoes at the same time.
so while making dinner, I tend to use the big IP only for air frying and my smaller IP for pressure cooking.