Do you use an air fryer or slow cooker

[Imperfectpolly]

I used to enjoy cooking but lately I am in a rut and have no motivation to cook.

I don't have an air fryer or a slow cooker and think buying these would help.

If you use a slow cooker or air fryer, what are your every day recipes?

I use my air fryer daily.

My slow cooker barely gets used as I hate the taste of anything cooked in it. Every tastes the same, like mush.

I love my air fryer!!

I love my air fryer but it has not helped me to be inspired to cook more. It is a useful tool that basically, like a microwave, allows me to more quickly and easily cook certain foods. Having said that, if you are only cooking for one person, it might be that not having to deal with the hassle of a big oven when you just want to cook one chicken thigh, it could be useful.

Whenever I get in a rut, I find that browing food magazine is particularly helpful. they're often seasonal, reflect what's in shops etc and I can often get inspired. Or I watch a few cooking shows or buy a new recipe book.

I have a Russel Hobbs Satisfry which has air fryer and slow-cooker functions amongst other features. I use it every day.
I live alone so am only cooking for myself. I also have arthritis which affects my mobility so having something easy to use at countertop level has made my life much easier.

Completely agree with @Bookaholic73. There is one outstanding dish we make with our slower cooker, but everything else is grim.

We use our air fryer everyday. Things we love in it: chopped up baby potatoes with a drizzle of oil and potato seasoning (there is a beautiful one we found in the Polish section of our local supermarket), Greek chicken, salmon etc etc.

Yes I use both all the time.

Typical slow cooker dinner for us is stewing beef with celery carrots onions garlic herbs and seasoning, bit of wine or water, overnight. Add baby potatoes for a complete meal. I don’t bother browning. Really any variation on meat veg and sauce works!

I think one tip to avoid grimness is don’t put too much liquid in.

I only bought an air fryer this summer, so still getting used to it. I'm sure are a lot more uses that I've yet to try.
I have a chicken recipe that comes out crispier in the air fryer than our regular oven.
Approx
1 cup panko and/or crumbies type breadcrumbs
1T paprika
1tea each of Italian herbs, garlic and onion powders (not the ones with added salt)
1/2 tea celery salt and black pepper

I coat chicken thighs or breast strips in the above mix- no need for egg and flour, just the above coating and cook in the air fryer.

When renovating, DH and I lived in caravan and used the slow cooker alot more than we do now. I even made a lasagne in it! Just as much faff so I wouldn't recommend. 2 recipes I often make it are pea and ham soup and a beef one.

Pea and Ham Soup/Stew
More of a thick stew, but it could be thinner out.
1 smoked ham hock/knuckle. I remove the skin and chop up
2 packets of quick soak peas- soaked per instructions
Any veg I have- carrots, potatoes, celery, onions chopped to bite size pieces
Add water and I leave it on low overnight and its ready by morning. It also freezes very well.

Beef Stew
Beef shin but sometimes add oxtails too if I can find them
A handful of pearl barley
Whatever veg I have, carrots, celery, onions, potato, swede etc
Garlic, herbs, Worcestershire sauce and beef stock

I also make a version of this but without the pastry and I add more veg. The pickled walnuts sound odd, but their vinegary taste really balance out the fattiness of the beef.
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/highland-beef-pickled-walnuts-puff-pastry-tops

I use both. I use the air fryer for cooking meat (steak, lamb chops, sausages, etc) and potatoes (chips, parmentier, etc). DH needs a low fat diet, and we can eat “normal tasting” chips with just a tablespoon of olive oil! It’s quicker and cheaper, than heating the grill or oven for these things. I have a Ninja with two drawers, and I don’t think either is large enough for roasting a large chicken?

I use the slow cooker for any dishes, with ingredients in a sauce like stew/casserole/bolognaise/chilli con carne. I don’t find my dishes mushy? I brown the ingredients and get them up to boiling point, before I put them in the slow cooker, with less liquid than usual. I have two - a small one for me and DH, and a family sized one, for batch cooking for the freezer.

I would go InstantPot (or other electric pressure cooker) over slow cooker any day, you get much better flavour. The slow cooker is only used for Christmas puddings in this house these days.

Also have an air fryer and use it a lot - main oven only goes on to bake or if it's something that won't fit, like a pizza.

Thanks everyone.

The air fryer sounds more popular. We had one previously and I know it cooked things super fast. What other air fryer meals do people cook?

I like the thought of having a slow cooker and the meals being ready when I get home from a day at the office. I'm surprised that this doesn't seem as popular any more.

Fajitas in the air fryer are restaurant quality so good

I didn't replace the slow cooker when it broke - nothing I made it in tasted as nice as when I'd slow cooked it on the hob or in the oven. I'm more likely to make something the night before and reheat it.

Airfryer gets used all the time - but there's only 2 of us, we do salmon in it, roasted veg, little pots of baked cheese - it's a handy piece of kit that cooks a bit quicker than the oven and means the whole oven isn't on.

I use both and get inspiration from
Taming Twins and Bored of Lunch on instagram.
i love the Chinese curry and noodles in the slow cooker & the crispy shredded chilli beef in air fryer

I have a large slow cooker, which I used to use for casseroles until I got my Ninja 15-in-1, which has a pressure cooker function. I now tend to use it only when I cook a leg of lamb, as that comes out lovely in there and saves oven space. My air fryer (non-Ninja!) gets used daily, plus the Ninja is used loads. Couldn’t be without either.

I use my airfryer so much. You can basically cook anything in it. I made yorkshire puddings the other day from scratch!

My air fryer is from aldi (see link below) and was one of the bigger capacities I could find- 11litres. It doesn't have drawers, but looks like mini oven with a flip open door and 2 metal shelves. There is also a circular, metal rotisserie cage for chips but I've only used it once and rotisserie hooks for a chicken- which I've never used. It would have to be a tiny chicken to fit and spin!

I said up threat that its great, but I have to move the shelves round because things on anything than the top shelf don't cook well. Its just DH and myself, no kids, but I'm unsure how people cook entire meals in them without them getting cold between putting the various ingredients/bits in? Yes, for crispy chicken, onion rings, crumbed mushrooms, chips etc its great, but I always have veg also cooking in a steamer on the stove top.

Before buying, read as many reviews as you can and think about what you/your family like to eat and want to be able to make in them.

www.techadvisor.com/article/2512528/aldis-air-fryer-oven-is-the-best-value-model-weve-seen.html

Air fryer and slow cooker regular user here. Air fryer gets used daily, slow cooker more in the winter. I do my roast meat in the slow cooker, roast parsnips and roast potatoes in the air fryer

I use both regularly.
I really can't understand why some people disparage slow cookers.
They produce good, tasty food if used correctly .