Air fryer...if I don't care about cost or time

[BrassicaBabe]

Well of course I do! But I'm trying to understand.....

I GET that the airfyer is faster. And I GET that it is cheaper than my oven. BUT does it fundamentally cook any different to my fan oven?

It reads just like a fan oven. But where do these "amazing" and fat free chips come from for example?

Please put me out of my misery and incessant scrolling!!

TIA

You need some fat, but not as much as for a larger oven because the air circulation is better. The chips are good, I wouldn't say 'amazing' - if you have ever made 'Slimming World chips' that's what they are like.

I do home make chicken nuggets for my children and they come out nicer / crispier in the air fryer. Same with the home made chips or roast potatoes, air fryer makes them crispier. My son prefers oven chips if they are done in the air fryer.

But I use mine for ease and speed above all else so if you don't care about these things there might not be a lot of benefit for you!

I don’t know the answers but I do love my air fryer it definitely makes things crispier. I had tempura prawns yesterday and they were very crispy on outside but moist on the inside. Whereas they seem to dry out in the regular oven. Possibly it seals things on the outside much like a fryer but without all the extra fat.

I'd think I'd like an air fryer for the convenience of cooking a small amount of things such chicken Kiev's while your using the hob to cook mash and veg. As opposed to heating a big oven for a small amount. Also not needing a lot of oil to cook is appealing. I'm in 2minds about a dual basket or a single one at the moment

I only really cook sausages in mine, it's one of the small Ninja ones

Main benefits for me are that it's instantly at the correct temperature and doesn't need to warm up for ages like an oven. I like cooking chips in the air fryer basket as I can regularly shake them and they don't stick to a baking tray in the oven. Food does need a lot less oil than an oven and does seem to come out crispier in a much quicker time. It's much easier to clean as it's just a basket and not baking trays and eventually an entire oven to clean.

We have the Ninja 15 in 1 so it does so much more than just air fry . It bakes just like an oven , so cute down time and energy as it's not hearing up the space of an average oven.
It can also prove / bake bread , you can also pressure cook in it as well . and roast.
We probably don't use it to its full potential , but definitely use the traditional oven a lot less.

Depending on what you like to cook, it is better than a conventional oven for making things crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

The main benefit of mine is time. I can cook the kids dinner in 15 minutes. It's also easier for DC to use themselves because it has a heatproof handle and a timer so won't burn the house down because it got left on. DS10 is starting to make himself quick snacks in it now.

I also like that I can cook Mccains French fries in it without them all burning at the ends. But that's just me. I'm yet to see the fabled electricity savings. But my oven and hob are only 3 years old anyway so probably more efficient than people's that are 10-15 years old.

I don't think there's anything else to get. It's way quicker ( and cheaper) therefore more convenient. I feel it gets a better crisp on things as it's hotter quicker. But a fan oven can do that. I'm not sure what else you're looking for. The things you mention are the appeal.

It boils down to how good your current oven is, and the kinds of food you regularly cook.

My oven was cheap and rubbish took ages to heat up, and didn't circulate air well - air fryer won hands down on everything that would fit in it. It cooked evenly, quickly and no preheating.

Now I have a fancy pants induction oven, it's more even, but for small quantities I don't like wasting a whole oven of heat so I use the airfryer for sausages or meals where I don't need multiple oven shelves.

I still use the airfryer every day, even with a decent oven, so even in a small kitchen I don't resent the counter space, which for me is the biggest indicator of it being a good gadget.

It's just a tiny, really efficient fan oven.

Great for warning things up, cooking frozen food, chips, roasting chicken/salmon fillets etc. I havn't mastered baking in it yet though.

Feck it. I should just give in and buy one. Nothing is going to satisfy my bloody curiosity or the marketing pull 🤣🤣

Thanks all!

I've got a Ninja 400 Dual Zone, things like steaks cook in 8 minutes, the M & S Saltimbocca pork steaks come out amazing in 12 minutes, fish cooks in 8 minutes, bacon comes out crispy in under 10 minutes, I can do a whole chicken in one side & roast potatoes in the other, a joint of pork in one side, stuffing in the other & while the pork is resting cook the roast potatoes & veg.

I have mine away. I just couldn't get on with it.

*gave

Some things just don’t work.
So yesterday back from holiday I picked a bag of frozen grilled veg out of the freezer which was meant to be done in a frying pan. I was also making hamburgers on the hob so I spritzed it with oil and put it in the preheated airfryer for 10 minutes.
A resounding fail. Too wet and it just turned out messy.

Chicken nuggets, yes.
Frozen croissants, definitely.
Home fries, OK.
6 minute steaks, great.
Roast chicken, hmm.
Cake, NO!

Chinese chicken in the air fryer is absolutely amazing 😂
Other than that everything else is the same out of the oven.
But i have two autistic children and an autistic partner and cook four different things every meal 😩so for me it's totally faster

A whole chicken is a lot nicer done in the air fryer than from my fan oven. I have no idea why but the whole family agrees! Freezer bits also better. Banana loaf - not so much...

I caved in and brought an airfryer a couple of months ago, not an expensive one just a Daewoo 5.5ltr £69. I use it pretty much everyday, today I've cooked a whole roast chicken in it and the family love it. I also follow the bored of lunch instagram guy for airfryer and slow cooker recipes. Some nice recipes on there.

I prefer the way some food tastes when it comes out on my air fryer compared to the oven. Chips is the best example - they just taste better. And roast potatoes - I do them in my air fryer with hardly any oil and they come out lovely.

I was sceptical at first and thought it’d get shoved in a cupboard never to be used again but I genuinely use it every day.

It doesn't cook anything that much better / different to a hot oven. But it's quicker as it takes a few minutes to heat it up. My iven takes ages to heat up, so it is definitely a time saver. Things like nuggets and skin on chicken thighs do come out crisper imo, but that could also be just that it's actually hot when I put things in it.

Something I've never worked out regarding air fryers: can you cook things like shepherds pie, lasagne etc in them? So stuff that's assembled in a baking dish and put in the oven, as opposed to 'loose' things like chips?

I found it really helpful, It’s just less faff than pans, clean up is easier, cooking is faster pre-heating is faster, it’s on my counter so I can just chop and chuck in, no over gloves etc. chips are a bit shit though.

Adult DS left his here when he moved house. I’d use it but there’s no manual so I’m not sure if timings. How long does a chicken take?

I have a question.
Just got my 1st one, a Ninja dual drawer one.
Can I make thinks like green Thai curry, say, that uses a whole can of coconut cream...basically anything in a sauce?