Air fryers, what do you make in yours? Are they good for single people?

[SpookedMackerel]

I’m wondering whether an air fryer would be a helpful appliance for DF.
He now lives alone, and having not really done much cooking before, he has thrown himself into it in his late seventies.
But he’s finding it hard to bend down to the oven, his kitchen is quite small and narrow and the oven is low.

I thought an air fryer would be a good idea, but he is put off by the word “fryer” (health issues mean he is careful around fats/cholesterol etc), and also thinks it will take up too much counter space.

So, I thought I would buy one for our family, invite him for dinner a few times when using it, then encourage him to “borrow” it.

But are they actually any good? I have never used one myself. What would be some good recipes to showcase it? He is quite adventurous with food, but actual recipes ideally should be simple, healthy and not too expensive. I know you can cook chips and frozen food etc in them, but I don’t know about healthier things.
Could you cook a whole meal for one?
Can you reheat food in them too?

They're really good for small portions. Ours is a little one and used for quick hash browns at breakfast, French fries, fishfingers (can get 4 in) and croissants (keep temp low and only 2 mins or ot cremates them).
They heat up almost immediately and are idiot proof. We have the disposable paper liners as my teens don't bother to wash it. It doesn't need any oil, it's just a small oven.

I love mine and use it for everything but favourites are

Steak
Chicken breast (especially marinaded)
Baked potatoes
Any veg

You can use traditional cookware like Pyrex, which I do use occasionally. But I find it difficult to manoeuvre them out of the drawer at the end of cooking. So I mostly use foil trays which are easy to pick up with tongs or an oven glove.

If I had space in front or to the side so that I could take the (hot) drawer completely out, it would be easier, but I'm stuck for space in my tiny kitchen.

I'm definitely going to get one with shelves next time!

@DinnaeFashYersel What timing/temp do you use for your steak? I love a bit of steak, but not tried it in the air fryer in case I got it like boot leather!

I'm single and love mine!! He'll want silicone tongs to take things out if you're worried about burns.

I don't eat things like chips or nuggets. I make crispy tofu, roasted vegetables, mini frittatas with a silicone muffin tin, chickpea patties, beef kofta (honey and Co recipe), even mini sourdough loaves and other baking projects.

With wax paper liners I make single servings of baked pasta, just keep cooked pasta, cheese and cooked veg in the fridge and assemble as needed. Friends do kale chips and nachos but I haven't tried yet.

12 mins at 200c for everyone else who like medium
15 mins for me as I like well done

Brush the outside with olive oil using a pastry brush and season

Even my well done is still juicy

Oh thanks @DinnaeFashYersel , I'll be trying that very soon!

I was reluctant to get one but DD bought one for DH for Christmas, and we use it a lot. I have silicone liners and some greaseproof ones. It's a two drawer one and they can go in the dishwasher but it was sometimes a pain if we needed to use both drawers and one was waiting to be washed. Plus the drawers take up a lot of space in the dishwasher whereas the silicone liner is quite small.

It's great for one person as you don't need to heat up the whole oven for a small amount. I have just done two part baked rolls for lunch in it, and I have heated up ready meals that aren't suitable for the microwave like a single portion lasagne. The only thing that I have never managed to make work as well as the oven is banana bread (and presumably other cake), it was a bit burnt on the top and still too soggy on the inside. For baked potatoes I microwave and crips off in the air fryer for about 5 or 6 minutes.

Your oven must heat up a lot quicker than mine!

Yes but get a decent 5l one, so he can put a whole meal eg chicken breast and roast veg in it. The dinky ones are a bit pointless

Can you use normal cookware in them or does it have to be paper or silicone? I think he has Pyrex oven dishes that he tens to use.

I only use baking parchment or foil to sit things on or to use as a sling. But then I don't tend to use my air fryer for things with a lot of liquid. I prefer nice slow cooking with my not-a-la creuset for that kind of thing. But foil dishes work well on the ninja and can be picked up with tongs. I doubt that you'd ever get a pyrex dish out again!

12 minutes for steak ? it's only 4 minutes on a griddle pan on the hob.

Foil dishes - perfect! He always washes and saves them from pies and things for using for gardening, so hopefully he will have a stash somewhere that aren’t full of compost or seedlings or whatever.

My grill airfryer is steak in four , it’s like a bbq.

Seriously though, no cookware is needed! Madness

Many years ago, I did a Food Hygiene course.
We were told that foil containers should never be re-used for food.
The "pleating" at the corners contains minute food scraps that cannot be removed, & can harbour bacteria.

I use a silicon liner that fits the AF basket. it goes in the dishwasher, & saves having to wash the basket every time.

I was just about to say the same thing, a multi cooker is a great accompaniment for an air fryer. Multi cookers are good for stew type meals, pasta, and rice.

I got my dad the same one I have which is really quite small, if you are using it to replace an oven I would suggest one with two drawers.

I use silicone liners to separate food.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CQVJ821C?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

When my dad visited I used the airfryer and sent him home with a meal to cook.

On the steak front, Sainsbury's £12 meal deal includes a 'ranch steak' with garlic butter that takes 6 mins per side to cook.

This is a fairly good look at the different ones.

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/air-fryers-are-they-worth-it

Although I'm guessing by now you have already bought one.

The would be a game changer for him !

Air fried roast chicken is succulent.
Sausages.
Roast vegies.
Really like oven chips
Homemade potato wedges
Some airfryers are very light to manuvore.

Love ours, only purchased a little one to try it. Amazing- will need to clean it each time though, that’s why some posters are saying food tastes greasy maybe. But it’s very easy to clean out.

Going to get one for DM a she finds the oven hard to get to.

Jacket pots 10 mins microwave, 10 mins air fryer- beautiful.
Roasties - boil then Chuck on air fryer- lovely crispy roasties. You just need a spritz of oil, a tiny spritz!
Sausages, fish, chicken, beef, I’ve put carrots in there to get nice crispy ones, bread rolls, toasties. So quick, you don’t have to keep checking them either.