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Original poster

Is an air fryer really worth it?

40 replies

Flockofbirds · 07/10/2022 21:29

I don’t understand the current trend in air fryers - please help me see what people see in them?!!

Are they not just small counter top ovens?
What makes them so special? Are they really worth it?

thank you!

OP posts:
GhostCastle · 07/10/2022 23:48

It’s trial and error @LilacPoppy. If I’m cooking chicken, I cut into a chunky piece to see if it’s white inside. Just the same as if it was on the hob or in the oven.

AtomicBlondeRose · 07/10/2022 23:53

Why would you do fish fingers in the oven and chips in the air fryer? That makes no sense.

I have a dual air fryer and have used my oven less than five times in about six months. It’s like the oven you always wanted - instantly hot, super efficient and easy to clean. Instead of the endless disappointment of “it’s not done yet” you find yourself in a world of “it’s already cooked!”. If air fryers had come first nobody would ever have invented the oven.

Amipreg1 · 07/10/2022 23:55

We've had ours for about 4 weeks now and I've only needed to turn the oven on 3 times since then.

They cook things so much quicker and save on electricity.
I wouldn't be without it now!

JW13 · 08/10/2022 00:06

Have had ours a week and very pleased with it. DH says sausages cooked in there are the best ever. I made a cheese toastie for lunch with was great. We bought some silicone baskets from Amazon which are easier to clean and means you can cook 2 different things without them mingling. Looking forward to trying the potato recipe PP posted above!

Ilovetocrochet · 08/10/2022 01:49

LilacPoppy · 07/10/2022 23:35

I would worry about food poisoning, how do you know how long to cook things for?

There are thousands of recipes on line with cooking times in an air fryer! The best thing though is to use a meat thermometer to check that it is cooked thoroughly. I find I overcook food more than undercook it!

Furries · 08/10/2022 02:15

I love mine, had it around 6 weeks and have hardly put the oven on.

Mine is a dual drawer air fryer, which is great - eg meat or fish n one drawer, potatoes etc in the other drawer.

I don’t understand why anyone would get a single drawer version, it will limit the way you cook. Would be interested to hear views re why anyone went for single drawer.

CrabbyCat · 08/10/2022 07:17

@Furries mine is the Ninja Foodi Grill max. I went for one larger single tray (it opens from the top so doesn't have drawers at all) because I wanted to do doughnuts in it, which need to be in a single layer. Similarly, I'm doing battered chicken bits in it later this week and they need to be in a single layer too. Two drawers would just loose me space with the dividers between the drawers and make it all fiddly. There have been a couple of times I've had the oven grill on as well as doing chips in the air fryer but a dual drawer wouldn't have helped that - for example earlier this week I was doing pork steaks with toppings which couldn't be stacked so wouldn't have gone in a drawer anyway.

I wasn't looking for a replacement oven when I got an air fryer though, I was looking for something that can cook things in a different way to my current oven.

PriamFarrl · 08/10/2022 07:51

Furries · 08/10/2022 02:15

I love mine, had it around 6 weeks and have hardly put the oven on.

Mine is a dual drawer air fryer, which is great - eg meat or fish n one drawer, potatoes etc in the other drawer.

I don’t understand why anyone would get a single drawer version, it will limit the way you cook. Would be interested to hear views re why anyone went for single drawer.

I went for a single drawer as there are only two of us, I have a small kitchen, and I didn’t know how much I’d use it.
if I was buying it again now though I would go for the double.

High5InALowRide · 08/10/2022 08:40

CuriousCatfish · 07/10/2022 23:07

I rarely use mine. You can only do one thing at a time. Just another thing gathering dust like the slow cooker.

This, I sold ours but I wonder if I'd got a massive 2 drawee one it would be better. Can't see how that's more efficient than just having the oven on though but then I tend to fill all 3 shelves of my oven if it's on so that probably helps. I wouldn't get another as I don't want more clutter but friends rave about them. I think I've only made 1 meal this week that would have been suited to it as well so there's your own cooking style to think about.

SoupDragon · 08/10/2022 08:47

I got a 2 drawer one and it suits us perfectly. The adult DSs used to put the whole oven on to cook a single tray of breaded chickens fillets for lunch so this is far better for that.

This week I cooked burgers on the hob, roasted vegetables in one drawer and sweet potato fries in the second. I also cooked burger buns from dough in one drawer before the other stuff.

SoupDragon · 08/10/2022 08:49

Can't see how that's more efficient than just having the oven on though but then I tend to fill all 3 shelves of my oven if it's on so that probably helps

It's more efficient because it's a smaller space, doesn't need preheating and is on for a shorter amount of time. However, if you usually fill your oven, you're right. It probably isn't for you.

i bought mine specifically for those times I would be putting the oven on for a small amount. I've been pleasantly surprised at how good it's been for general cooking though.

Afterfire · 08/10/2022 08:51

I don’t understand the attraction. Even with jacket potatoes as posted upthread you could put the oven on whilst you’re doing them in the microwave and then bung them straight in the oven for the same amount of time and they’d be done! The amount of energy saved by not pre heating is minimal. And they’re expensive to buy - you’d be just as well off putting the ££ you’d spend buying one on your energy account and using your cooker.

TooMuchToDoTooLittleInclination · 08/10/2022 10:10

If you were doing,say,sausages in a dual drawer AF, and, say, roast vegetables in the other. Do you need to keep turning them etc. I can't see how you can cook more than one layer?

in , say, a ninja 2 drawer, how many average sausages would you get in one layer

do you need silicon liners to cook things like lasagne?

I obviously gave a mental barrier over AF's as I just can't get my head arohnd how people are using them or why they're using them instead of the much cheaper work top mini ovens.

AtomicBlondeRose · 08/10/2022 10:14

You can just dump them all in, never mind about layers. I could do, I dunno, 12 sausages in a drawer. Open the pack, jumble them all in, start it cooking and give it a shake every now and again.

I warmed 12 individual sausage rolls in mine yesterday in one drawer with no problems. Chips for four in the other. Roast veggies for 4 fine too.

NotLactoseFree · 08/10/2022 14:18

THey're like a microwave in that they cook certain foods quickly and easily, just different foods to what you'd do in a microwave. So it really does depend on what you need it for. For us, it's great for the smaller things that take a long time in the oven and that are annoying to turn the oven on for. So, for example, in the last week or so:

  • frozen croissants for breakfast (8 minutes vs 18 + pre-heating time)
  • Taco shells - 2 minutes, no pre-heating time
  • Chicken nuggets and chips for DD in about 10 minutes (vs 30+)
  • Salmon fillets in 10 mins. Also, I don't like frying salmon because it stinks out my house so use the oven usually. But I like the texture of fried salmon. So air fryer works.
  • Sausages - about same time as frying them but much less effort

I've also done a big batch of mini spanakopita and now they're in the freezer for quick and easy snacks straight from the freezer.

I also regularly do roasted veg for lunch.

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