Topic: Air Fryers

[lezelle]

Hi All,
        Due to price rises in oven use etc I have heard a lot about air fryers and their use. I would like to know if anyone uses one and if they think they are a viable item. I am considering investing in one as it is said that they use a lot less electric and are just as good as oven. I have had a meter fitted and when the oven goes on it does rise somewhat in electric usage. I am doing more research, but any comments would be most welcome.
Thanks

[tricia]

I bought a Ninja Foodi multi-cooker OP350UK in June. So far, I've roasted a chicken, baked scones, made chilli con carne, fantastic French fries (from frozen), macaroni cheese and porridge among other things. I'm a huge fan! I've even baked bread in it. It's really so versatile and economical, fast too.

I decided on the multi-cooker rather than an airfryer because of the pressure cooker function - my much loved pressure cooker had given up the ghost and since I used it a lot was looking to replace it. The Foodi is quite big Lezelle, so you would need a permanent counter space for it. Mine is in a corner and is pulled out from under the hanging cabinets when needed.

I also have a combi microwave oven so between the two  -  and the fact that I had to replace my old fridge freezer last year  -  my electricity bill is now greatly reduced. The big oven only gets used when I use the cast iron pot for baking my sourdough bread.

So, as you say, do your own research. There is a lot of choice, but I would say go for it.

Tricia 

[ACE]

Just be carefull what you buy, the world and his dog have all jumped on the bandwagon. Prices are going up and they know there is a lot of cash about now they have upped the winter fuel payment. The scammers will sell you something with misleading info on the product. We got an Aobosi multi cooker last year from amazon, but I notice they have sold out. Seen it  on other sites but £20 more than we paid. Does everything, even makes yoghurt. Cheap to run, make a whole dinner in one go. Aldi also have something similar which does exactly the same as ours. even looks the same, but you will have to wait until it comes up on their special buys

[Tiny Clanger]

I bought my first halogen cooker years ago.  I'm on my third now. I wont be changing to an air fryer as they look a lot harder to clean and the Halogen has an easy clean glass bowl that takes a large chicken and roast veg easily.  Rumour amongst the "Ladies Wot Lunch" seems to favour the Breville Halo Air Fryer - but I think it largely depends on how big a family you need to feed.  Some have more than one cooking compartment and some are more like a "Mini Oven"The wattage seems to run from around 1500 - 1800.  I was looking at the air fryers in the Tefal shop and some seem to have a massive footprint.  Good luck with whatever you choose. 

[pumkinlover]

We bought a Remoska for the caravan but use it at home a lot. Also use slow cooker for all joints and meat.
I now use the oven for batch baking only now.  It seems to be very efficient though and remains at temperature without anymore power use.
Got a halogen which makes excellent chips after they have been microwaved.

[Vinlander]

Just like to point out the oven will draw a lot of expensive energy heating up, then the amount it takes after that can be very small - depends on how much & how long you open it for. So slow&low baking and roasting can be cheap and certainly tastier for the right dish.

The drying/heating combination has its advantages for making my favourite parsnip crisps - but I might just cut a hole in my bucket (liza) and poke a heat gun through it - 90% of the time the gun is used to go from cold charcoal to an even bed of red hot coals - in 6 minutes. Much better than the hair dryers so popular in the eastern Med. (they blow the charcoal around too much).

Cheers.

[Deb P]

We were given a Ninja air fryer as a gift, and to my surprise we are using it daily and gradually working out what we can do with it!
Things that cook quicker and better than the fan oven are; bacon, sausages (quorn and meat types), homemade chips/sautéed/ roasted potatoes, cauliflower cheese (much quicker!), small frozen pizza.
It’s amazing the amount of fat that drains off meat sausages and bacon compared to grilling/baked, we quickly learned to line the pan below the crisping tray to make cleansing easier.

We are still trying things out but I’m pleasantly impressed so far, and I didn’t think we would use it very much….wrong!