Air fryer is rubbish

[Mexicantortilla]

I’ve bought a 2 drawer air fryer from Lakeland, I don’t get what’s so great about them? Soggy chicken nuggets……dry chips…… where am I going wrong? I put some oil on the chips, I shook them….i cooked and cooked and cooked hoping they’d change colour or something…..I did same with fresh chicken nuggets (M&S) it all had 35mins before I gave up and served as everyone was starving, they scoffed it all up but I chucked mine, not crispy or browned…..total pants
i put chips in a bag with oil and shook them to coat before going in the air fryer, my tefal that rotates is much better with chips but no good for anything else which is why I purchased this 2 drawer thing!

If I do ready made chips I never add oil. I’ve done chicken dippers once and they were really crispy. Maybe the Lakeland one isn’t much good? We have a Tower.

Agree it might be the brand you have? I got a Ninja double drawer one and chicken dippers get 10 mins at 200°- they're crispy and brown!

Mine was also shit.
It wasn't capable of cooking chips.

I don't understand the hoopla about them. They're just crap.

What temp are you setting it to? You might be putting it too low.

I just have a cheap one I dont even know the brand but everything comes out nice n crispy. I love cooking chicken thighs as they come out crispy with minimal oil. With chips I wouldn't put any oil on and I'd cook it at 200'C.

Something isn't right, I use mine for literally everything and definitely no soggy nuggets! I've got a double ninja

They're not crap people must be using them wrong. I hardly ever make chips in mine but I can roast a chicken, roast potatoes and other vegetables, sausages, fish, brown macaroni cheese or shepherd's pie, make cakes, scones etc. Anything you can do in an oven you can do in an air fryer.

Mine (a gift) is gathering dust in a cupboard - and I resent the space it takes up even there. I tried to cook a few things but it was shite. I don’t get the hype either.

I use ours for everything. The only time I use the oven is if it's too big to fit in the air fryer.
Never had soggy or dry food out of it and we've had it years.
My mam's however is crap

I cooked over chips tonight in my No ha AF500 mega drawer with removable divider.
I did 2 big portions of chips in one side 14 mins at 200. Did a frozen breaded fish in the other side 190 for 18 mins. Looked lovely and tasted lovely according to DH. It's his favourite.

I have a Ninja. For oven chips I don't add anything. For homemade chips, I spray with FryLight and salt, about 25 mins on 190 and they are perfectly crispy.

Hardly used my oven in the last year. Don't put oil in. Persevere as it is trial and error initially.

I don't have one but my friend uses her cheap, knock off version for everything, and I always am always very impressed with how nicely it all comes out. So maybe you're doing it wrong!

Fresh chips? Did you soak them first to get rid of the starch? Then dry them really well?
I've a duel drawer Haden.. much better than my old actifry.

I have a double drawer ninja one and it's really good maybe it's a case of you get what you pay for

Have had aldi and ninja ones, both brilliant for cooking crisp food. Are you sure the temperature is high enough and set on right cook setting? Band raw potatoes in, tiny bit of oil, perfect roasties or chios every time. X

I bought a small Lakeland one on impulse last year. Trusted the reputation of the brand and only read the bad reviews after it was dispatched. Apparently it's really poor at cooking chips/fries and getting things crispy.

I can't bear setting it up and all the mess just to be disappointed. So the box has sat sealed and unopened in a cupboard for nearly a year!

Mines from Costco 'Sur La Table'

It cooks everything nicely. I cook pretty much everything on 180° and for 10 minutes blocks.

Weird. I never need oil in my air fryer. It was a cheap 50 quid Tower brand one, I did pigs in blankets last night in it (lovely and crispy bacon) and I actually did roast baby potatoes in there tonight...absolutely lovely. Nuggets, fish fingers, chips. Everything i usually do in oven that can fit in the air fryer, I do in the air fryer.

I did ALL my Xmas party food in there last year. It's actually

It could be the brand. Years ago I had another one from Tesco that was piss poor in comparison to the one I have now.

Thanks everyone, they were frozen ‘oven’ chips McCain straight cut and I had it on 200 for 30 mins, I put the nuggets in the smaller drawer but where they touch each other they were not crisp! I’ll check out the reviews, it was not exactly heap at £150 tho! My daughter has an Asda one for £20 and raves about it!!!

You got a crap one. Same happened to me and I was like what is this craziness with everyone. Then I gotta ninja and I get it now

My Tower one is awesome, defo nothing soggy and does oven chips in about 15 mins. Did you have it on the right setting? Also don't use those silicone basket you can buy for chips (they are good for cottage pies though)

YOURS was crap. Mines fantastic

How big is yours that you can fit a whole chicken and roast potatoes?

Mines brilliant at cooking potato wedges or roast potatoes. You need to persevere.

Please dont use frylite, it ruins non stick coating

Buy a spray bottle and just use a pure oil that has a high smoking point