Is anyone else disappointed with the air fryer?

[NotElizabethBennet]

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

I bought a little one to give to dd at uni, and tried it for a week. When I’m cooking in the oven I tend to fill it - meat, potatoes, some roast veggies, etc. So an AF that’s big enough for 4 of us would have to be one of the large double drawer ones. I compared electricity costs and my (newish, efficient) oven is cheaper. Ovens take longer but they don’t use full electricity the whole time they’re on, as air fryers do.

Dd loves it though. Cooking for one, in a student house with an old crap oven - the AF is definitely a win.

It was a gift, I didn't buy it.
i think it's 4.5l, so not the largest available but not tiny either.
i know lots of people love theirs, which is great, I was wondering if there was anyone else not that impressed.
i don't see how to do enough of anything on it tbh. If I'm doing salmon then it'll fit 1 large or two small filets. I need six for us for dinner so there'd be no point air frying.same with fish fingers, chicken wings, potatoes etc etc.

The only thing it's been good for has been small or single portions, so if I do couple of chicken nuggets for ds2 for lunch. But that doesn't at all justify having a whole gadget! And it's huge, takes up a lot of counter space. Having more than one surely totally defeats the point of it? Why not just use the oven?!

I'm finding myself trying to come up with things to use it for and really struggling. I wanted to love it after hearing so many people rave about it.

Ours is 8L and does a whole meal for four. Meat in one drawer, sides in the other. 4.5L single drawer would be too small for us.

And yes we are the ones who don't ever use the big oven now ! But that's because we just do everything we did do in there in the air fryer as it's faster and easier to clean and our air fryer is the perfect size for what we eat. We use it pretty much every day but I've used big oven once in six weeks: to do some big pizzas when we had people round.

I had a single one which I thought was OK but not really big enough. I've bought the tower dual and I absolutely love it. I didn't buy it for energy saving. I bought it because I hate cooking and it just seems to make things so much easier.

I take any recommendations for food stuff on the internet with a pinch of salt tbh. People rave about slow cookers and I find they produce funny tasting slop.

Basically anything that goes in an oven, can go in an air fryer and it’s half the cost (energy wise).
So if you never used your oven much then it won’t be much use to you. Definitely get a larger one if the size is the issue though!

You know what they say about a bad workman and his tools! 🤣

I agree about slow cookers in the main. Every stew just tastes of slow cooker. But useful for other things if used right.

But I'd really miss my Ninja.
I'd part with my crepe maker, omelette maker, slush machine, sous vide and slow cooker happily. And the popcorn maker if it wasn't safer for DS.

It sounds as though yours is too small for your needs. I got one a couple of months ago but I researched which one would be best and got a 12l Vittini for £99, not a well known name but it has a drop down door like a proper oven so you're not restricted to what fits in a drawer.

I can get a standard 10"? Flan dish in there. It has 2 shelves so I can do 2 X 10" pizzas at the same time.

Also has a rotisserie function, so far we've done a chicken, beef joint and pork joint, all more succulent (and far quicker) than done in the oven. Tomorrow we're going to try a rotisserie duck.

I think smaller ones are probably not worth it unless you are only cooking for one and I would recommend NOT getting one with just a drawer.

I love Mine
someone gave me a smaller one and I loved but because it was too small I went and bought a larger one from Costco £50 and it is really good and we are the family of 5 and I have been using it nearly a year.

I love mine, but I made sure I bought the largest capacity air fryer I had space on the counter for. Best kitchen gadget I have ever purchased.

I bought one to replace my halogen oven.
The halogen oven was much more useful.

That's handy. I live on my own and am fed up with everything being for 2 or more people.

No I love mine. However there is only me and DS11 but I've not used my oven since and we have a Sunday roast most weeks too. I've have a Goodmans combined halogen/air fryer.

Another ninja foodi nerd 🤓. Absolutely love it. Bacon butties done in 7 mins, cooked to perfection without fat spitting all over the hob or cleaning the grill or oven. Chicken wings are delightful. As it's also a pressure cooker, rice and pasta are cooked in 12 mins without having to watch over it. Curries taste just like takeaway.

The only thing it's been good for has been small or single portions, so if I do couple of chicken nuggets for ds2 for lunch. But that doesn't at all justify having a whole gadget!

Its obviously too small for your requirements! I have the double draw Ninja, during the week theorems onky dh and I and having got it only a month ago, I haven’t used the oven since (during the week). When we have other people at the weekend I do use the main oven, but the AF is saving a lot of money energy wise.

Favourite things so far for me are
any roasted veg, which takes around 15 mins, roasted cod- which is so tender. Roasted new potatoes, and bacon which comes out so crispy.

Totally depends on which one you have got. There's a lot of difference between a £30 basic air fryer and a £300 ninja foodie.

The problem isn't the air fryer though, it's just that you have one that isn't big enough for your needs. Don't be disappointed in something for being too small. Air fryers are amazing.

Having just bought one, the 4.5l is just about big enough to cook for 1 or 2 people. For 3 or more I'd use the oven.

It's easy to clean, but certainly no easier than bunging baking trays into the dishwasher.

I did sausages today and was impressed, mainly because I didn't have to stand over them in case they burnt.

Hi,
Would you recommend the instant pot duo crisp? I already have a basic instant pot but would like to upgrade.

This has just come up on QVC

I've got the 12L Vittini too - not attempted to use the rotisserie yet and have found chips to be rubbish - any tips please?

I've been umming and arhhing about whether to get one then Iceland did their cheap offer for the 4l. Its going to be perfect for DD when she comes home late after work. She's a bit of a chicken nugget/burger fiend and it makes me twitch when she puts the oven on for six nuggets 😱

Your air fryer is too small. That's why you don't understand how wonderful they are. The first one I bought was small, and I felt the same as you do. I now have a big one and absolutely love it.

You bought the wrong size. I love my ninja two drawer, it's the smaller one but can fit a medium sized chicken in it.