Talk to me about alternatives to my big oven….airfryers etc? Very confused

[Poppyliveshere]

As many have, I use a main built in fan oven with smaller non fan oven/grill above. I have a slow cooker and also a micro / combi oven. Looking at Ninja but there is a bewildering choice. They seem to cook quite small lots at once. And the new Ninja Max you can only cook one thing at a time? So today I have a chicken in the slow cooker rather than roast, but would love roast potatoes but don’t want to put my main oven on. Which air fryer type of gadget would work best? Thank you 🤗

Watching with interest!
I'm currently on the lookout for an air fryer as it's so much cheaper than the oven, but like you say there's so much choice and they all seem small for a family.
I like the look of the ones where you can rotisserie a chicken but it doesn't look like you'd get anything else in with it and I don't want to cook in batches!

Also following. I’d love one where you can cook more than one thing and one that has multifunctional if that exists.

I recommend a ninja foodie. I barely ever use my oven anymore.

I love my air fryer. They come in different sizes so it might be worth spending more on a bigger one if you think you'll need the extra space. There's a big thread on this in Chat atm www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/4620286-do-i-need-an-air-fryer?reply=119580482

Maybe a Remoska? Some friends who have camper vans swear by them. Apparently they're basically a mini oven, use very little electricity.

I've just bought an airfryer, so not an expert. If you look at the Facebook groups for airfryers (there are at least two groups for the two drawer model I have), you'll see that people do cook roast dinners in them. I don't eat meat, so can't help you with that one, but you can definitely do roast potatoes in them. 20-25 mins and no preheating.

My plan is to use my oven and instapot to batchcook, and then reheat in the airfryer. I did roast veg the other day, and I could have made 4-6 portions if I had used both drawers. It takes a few mins to cook some halloumi, reheat leftover pizza or warm up croissants.

Also following want to get a ninja dual but don't know what size I need ?

Have just bought ninja foodi 15-1. You can cook whole meals in it but I would say max serve is 4.

I love it. The air fryer is excellent but the amount it cooks is quite small imo esp if you have hungry teenagers.

We tried to get a balance between size and economy and went for a 4l fryer, single basket. It will do a small roast chicken (up to about 1.1kg). I know everyone says this but since we got it, we haven't used the oven at all. It cooks in about half the time, no pre-heat, and the total wattage is about 1k lower than the oven.

I think most people feel the 400 is the one to get if you can afford it. Again, the FB groups have people posting on this all the time. There is quite a difference in price though, especially as the 300 is more often discounted. Apparently, a Blue Light card helps if you're elegible.

Thank you everyone. Lots of research to do here 😊

So is 400 the 9.6 litre? I do have a blue light card I actually checked it this morning for discounts but couldn't find one for the ninja site. Anyone any ideas?

I have the Ninja 15 in 1 and also the Ninja XL Grill, I use at least one of them daily. Lots of people love the dual but I find the others more diverse.

I think it depends on the type of meals you want to cook which suit you better. The grill can be used to grill, oven cook and air fry (All so reheats the best I have known, nothing goes soggy).

The 15 in 1, does grill, air fry, oven cook, pressure cooks, slow cooks and sears. There are loads of one pot recipes, which might be what your after.

They are also about to bring out the speedy, designed to do whole meals in 15 mins.

I personally would invest in a decent one as we’ve had cheaper ones and hated them.

I to have been thinking about getting one and am completely confused! Which one are you leading towards @Poppyliveshere ?

In the mean time, while you decide, you can make tasty 'cheating' roast potatoes by three quarters cooking boiled potatoes and then using a little oil in a frying pan to crisp and brown them. Allow 5 or 6 minutes to brown all sides.

😅none yet as I’m still beyond bamboozled 😳

Yes, the AF400 is the 9.5 litre one. I don't have a blue light card, so don't know how the discounts work. I've just seen them mentioned. On the FB posts today, people are reporting that they're out of stock this weekend, but some branches of Currys and Argos have them - no idea if you would get a discount there?

Not an expert, but I do have the AF400 (the Ninja with two drawers) if there's anything you want to know about that. I was tempted by the 15-1 which is like an instapot and airfryer in one, but I already have an instapot.

The ninja 15 in 1 was £50 off a couple of weeks ago on the Ninga website so, I suspect, it probably goes on offer now and then so wait for that to come back.
On top of this, if you know a student, or an over 55 person or a key worker, they get some discounts

ninjakitchen.co.uk/discount-codes-cms-page.vouchers

@Cynderella - Can I ask - Could you fit a small chicken to roast in one of the drawers?

@Furball Yes you can, there's a YouTube video showing chicken being cooked, it looked like a medium sized chicken.

@userxx - Brilliant - thank you

Yes, you can - I don't eat meat, so won't be trying it!. This group has lots of pics and info - they are all very enthusiastic and post loads of pics of what fits in the drawers. Examples attached!

I have the salter 8.2 L (£129) I was persuaded by a thread on here. I just couldn't justify a ninja I was convinced it would be another gadget

However I love my air fryer I honestly have not used the main oven since I got it two weeks ago. We are a family of 4 I have cooked all sorts in it. Steak/jackets/naan bread/ cakes/cinnamon rolls/chicken/meat balls. I love it. Just need to get a bit more adventurous. Highly recommended.

@Cynderella - Thank you, that is really helpful