Air fryer - Are they useful?

[ramarama]

I"m looking at a £100 small Ninja one from John Lewis.

It's just me and one five year old, so primarily I'm looking for something to cook his chicken/oven chips/fish fingers etc, without having to preheat the oven.
Will also use it to cook chicken breasts and maybe even make jerky, but i'm not really interested in it as an alternative to deep fat frying (eg chips) because I don't make those anyway.

Wondering if I'm being sucked into a gimmick? Does anyone find theirs really saves them time each evening? If it saves me 10 mins each mealtime in prep, it would be worth it.

Any advice welcome.

I had a Phillips air fryer and loved it. However it had a design flaw and after a time the handle no longer securely attaches to the base, which makes it dangerous to use IMO. This same problem occurred with both air fryers I bought. They are amazing though and things do cook a lot faster than the oven - I used it all the time for breaded items such as chicken goujons and fishfingers; meat items like home made beef burgers, bacon, sausages, steak, and chicken; vegetables - e.g. mushrooms and peppers for fajitas or chips/sweet potato wedges etc or making/reheating baked potatoes; warming up scones and croissants or making cheese on toast or similar. Typing this out I’m wondering if I should order another...

I have an actifry and honestly it's brilliant. I use it at least 3 times a week for various things.

It's absolutely ancient, probably about 20 years old as I inherited it from my grandmother. But it still does the job perfectly (also reluctant to upgrade due to the sentiment, which i appreciate is strange for a kitchen appliance

I have one and love it. Reheating frozen food is their fortè.

The one I have is a boxy one that looks like a microwave, and it bakes cakes, breads and casseroles as well. They're so efficient, you could almost live without an oven.

I'd go for it. It will pay for itself in reduced cooking time and energy savings With just the two of you a smaller one would be perfect.

I have the instant pot vortex. Absolute game changer. It makes food taste amazing and so efficient
I can roast a chicken in an hour. Amazing crispy bacon. Even oven chips taste great
Roasted veg, salmon, roast potatoes
I wish I got it years ago

I must admit I don't understand what they are, and how all of the various models differ. I think I'd like one, but I get a bit overwhelmed 😄

Look mine and use it most days. Useful for all kinds of things over and above the obvious oven chips & fish fingers e.g:

• Fab for roasting veg which can then be blended with stock for a delicious soup.

- Great for freshening up bread/baguettes. - Perfect for making stuffing balls that are crisp and crunchy on the outside.

Loads of people rave about them. I must be missing something because I can't understand the appeal.

Can you use one for making fish and chips (from scratch)?

I just bought one and have used it daily.

Just cooked duck breast with crispy skin and aubergine with tomato and Parmesan. It was very tasty

I love mine, similar to others above. I bought it somewhat cynically for my partner a few years ago, but we use it almost every day for most things that you can put in an oven. Even a whole chicken!

In fact we'll be upgrading ours soon as it's not really big enough and it's getting on a bit.

This makes me think I should use mine for more than chips...although it's worth having one just for homemade chips!

I've had three and use it regularly.

Ooh thanks everyone, this is useful. Think i will take the plunge