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Original poster

Is anyone else disappointed with the air fryer?

105 replies

NotElizabethBennet · 08/10/2022 16:37

It's just too small to be of any use, and the temperatures seem to be a bit off ie everything gets done very well, very fast regardless of what heat I put it on.

It does things like nuggets ok, and chips have been fine, but again, you can only do such a tiny amount in it, I can't really see how it's any good for more than 1 person.

I have friends who swear by it and say they've not had the oven on since they got it, but I don't understand how. There's four of us and I can't see how I could do anything other than a side veg in it and it be enough.

Anyone else? Or is it just me? :D

OP posts:
123rd · 08/10/2022 16:42

I'd heard the same tbh OP. I haven't bothered with one due to the inability to cook for more than 1-2 at a time

PurpleWisteria1 · 08/10/2022 16:52

Which one have you got?

Snugglemonkey · 08/10/2022 16:55

I have a ninja and cook in it a lot. Might it be that you need a bigger capacity?

MayThe4th · 08/10/2022 16:55

Unless you’re prepared to pay a couple of hundred quid for the double drawer one, they’re pretty much only good for cooking for one or two, or for the teens making snacks.

I have an instant pot duo crisp which has a pressure cooker as well as an air frier, but I would never buy just an air frier because A, they take up too much space, B, an air frier alone is fine if all you eat is oven baked food, and C, any one which is worth having is far too expensive. It’s going to take a lot of time to save the kind of money you would using an oven given you’ll already have spent £200 plus on a ninja or whatever they’re called.

But no-one will admit that they’re a bit of a false economy on their own.

serenghetti2011 · 08/10/2022 16:57

I’m family of 5 and cook loads in it, salmon, pork joint, chicken, chips, roast potatoes etc saves room when doing quick things so I don’t need to put the oven on. Not sure how small yours is, I have a ninja and it’s fab

Gr33ngr33ngr4ss · 08/10/2022 16:57

Depends what you bought.
.
The XL Tefal Actifry hold plenty for a family. So does my Ninja

It's going to depend on the capacity of your machine!

LadyKenya · 08/10/2022 16:59

I rate mine, and knowing what I know now, would have got one years ago. I use mine practically everyday, and hardly use my oven now. I have a large one though. I tend to use my hob to steam veg/rice in the steamer. I use the air fryer for things like chicken, fish, lamb chops, steak, sausages. I will do sweet potato chips, which do not take long. I give them a rub with a bit of olive oil before cooking them. The air fryer is really good for reheating leftovers as well.

Rockingcloggs · 08/10/2022 17:00

I have 3 ninjas! 2 x 9 in ones (Ones in the caravan!) and health grill max.

In our house they're worth every single penny - I can and do make full dinners in them. I have the large capacity ones though which are more than big enough to feed 3 people. I very rarely use the oven.

Having said all that, if I was to have just an air fryer then it would be of no use at all.

Hellocatshome · 08/10/2022 17:03

I havent bothered despite the hype because the amount I would have to pay to get one big enough for the family I wouldn't get back my initial outlay back in energy savings for years

Chicheguevara · 08/10/2022 17:05

I have a ninja foodi and I love it. I air fry everything from fish fingers to my home made granola. Amazing bit of kit and, when the oven died, I didn’t replace it.

CovertImage · 08/10/2022 17:08

They come in different sizes so if you have one that's only any good for one person, you have a small one and if it's cooking stuff too fast it's possibly a crap one

Gr33ngr33ngr4ss · 08/10/2022 17:08

I didn't particularly buy mine for energy savings. But it does seem to lower my usage.

I like it for hands-off cooking. One pot cooking. Fewer appliances. Crispy things without oil. Dehydrating herbs etc for wastage. Pressure cooking potatoes for roasties.

I do like a gadget. I cook a lot and I enjoy it so I guess, for me, it's the equivalent of my dad buying a new fishing rod!

KangarooKenny · 08/10/2022 17:10

I like mine. I don’t do whole meals in it though, just smaller things.

user26189065 · 08/10/2022 17:10

We just have the original Ninja one and it's good for things like sausages and fishfingers but there are only two of us

WhatWouldTheDoctorDo · 08/10/2022 17:11

Another ninja foodi owner here. Used the air fryer function for bacon this morning, the teen had some fish gingers for lunch (air fryer again) and we'll use the pressure cooker function for dinner tonight. Tomorrow's Sunday roast will be done using combi-meal function. Fewer pots and pans and quicker than using oven (or high we haven't had on for weeks).

That said, I wouldn't get anywhere as near much use from a stand alone air fryer, even a large capacity one.

Handsnotwands · 08/10/2022 17:15

mine has lots of functions so although it’s great for quickly doing oven stuff it also does “sun” dried tomatoes, “Greek” yoghurt, fruit leather, amazing scotch eggs etc.

I think it saves quite a bit by allowing you to make your own stuff that’s quite expensive if you buy it ready made

Bearsporridge · 08/10/2022 17:20

I’m a bit baffled by the love tbh. It is handy for a quick snack, cooking for one, or a side dish. But if I’m putting the oven on I usually fill it, so I tend to cook everything in the oven or everything on the hob.

HighlandCowbag · 08/10/2022 17:27

We have one. I mainly use it for chips, wedges and occasionally stuff like waffles and nuggets for ds.

It's OK. I did a pork loin joint in it the other night. The meat was lovely, moist pork and crispy crackling but it was very smokey when it got hot, and was a pita to clean afterwards. It is dishwasher safe, but the dishwasher definitely didn't get it clean, and then I had to clean all the filters on the dishwasher to get rid of the oily grease. I did empty and wipe it out beforehand.

If it was just me I'd probably use it more but the capacity is pretty small, can do enough chips for me and dh, with maybe a few spare.

slowquickstep · 08/10/2022 17:28

Mine cost £20 ( half price in the sale) and it is fantastic, between that and the slow cooker i rarely use my cooker anymore.

Hearthnhome · 08/10/2022 17:30

Love mine. It sounds like you have bought one with a too small capacity for your needs. Dd has a smallish one at uni and it is only good for one.

But we have one that we use for 2 of us.

I did bacon and sausages this morning. A quiche at lunch for us all and now there’s some nuggets and sweet potato fries in it for DS.

Talia99 · 08/10/2022 17:38

I live alone and use it for things like chicken Kiev, salmon etc., things where I’d have been heating an entire oven for a small amount of food. However, today I was batch cooking, which is really only a normal family size meal and I used the regular oven.

I have a cheap one (£40) and it’s probably already saved me the cost in electricity but I doubt I’d have one if I was cooking for a family. Also, it browns the top but not the bottom (more like a grill) so I have to either wrap the food in foil or flip it over - I assume that’s because it is a cheap one.

Calmdown14 · 08/10/2022 17:45

Love ours. Didn't want it but husband banged on about it til I gave in when a Salter one was on offer on an Amazon lightning deal.

It's an 8 litre but one drawer. Fits a whole roast chicken with a few roast tatties around it. Just cooked a ham joint beautifully.

We just put it in a little tin foil dish. I use them if it's either something messy or when I don't want the things in it mixed up. I can see the appeal of two drawers but it's more limiting size wise so we opted for one.

As a sceptic as to their use, I am now converted!

VerbenaGirl · 08/10/2022 17:47

Depends massively on what size AF you have…

BatteryPoweredMammy · 08/10/2022 17:52

I guess it depends what you tend to cook. I'm cooking for teens mostly. Maybe you bought one that was far too small? I wouldn't bother with anything less than 4.5L as a minimum.

I've just bought a second 7L capacity drawer one as I use my Tefal actifry (with the stirrer) all the time.

I love that I can cook chicken wings and goujons so they're crispy on the outside and proper chips in the Actifry are amazing. Plus hardly any oil so much healthier too. I can do stir fries and roasted veg and it's so much quicker than waiting for the oven to warm up.

Eeksteek · 08/10/2022 17:52

For me the entire point is that it’s small. I use it when I don’t want to put the oven on for a single baked potato or handful of chips for DD or a chicken Kiev or couple of chops for me. If I’m doing any more, I put the big oven on and stuff it full of dinner, a dessert and some baked spuds and roasted veggies to reheat later.