The Actifry & AirFryer Thread - Merged

rubadub · 01-05-2019 1:25pm

I got one of these in dealz for 1.50.

1000031338_main.jpg?$v7pdphero$&img404=noimagedefault

I plan on cutting it to size so it will drop into the airfryer main basket (with no mesh) with the usual basket with handle removed. It will be cut in a rectangle so it goes up just 2 of the sides, forming a U shape. I plan on using it to easily remove a roast chicken, and to give it a bit more support, hold the 2 bits going up the sides and lift out. It will have to be cut so it does not touch the element.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Toastabags-CM-14-Quickachips-Tray/dp/B001TNEPF8

Cheshire Cat · 01-05-2019 5:02pm

rubadub wrote: »

I got one of these in dealz for 1.50.

I plan on cutting it to size so it will drop into the airfryer main basket (with no mesh) with the usual basket with handle removed. It will be cut in a rectangle so it goes up just 2 of the sides, forming a U shape. I plan on using it to easily remove a roast chicken, and to give it a bit more support, hold the 2 bits going up the sides and lift out. It will have to be cut so it does not touch the element.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Toastabags-CM-14-Quickachips-Tray/dp/B001TNEPF8

Can you post a photo when you have done that and report back on the success?
Might be worth copying

Muahahaha · 08-05-2019 3:15pm

Silly me only copped that burger buns toast very well and very quickly in the airfryer. Had always been turning on the grill to toast them until last night I dumped two into the airfryer along with Aldis chicken thigh burger. They came out perfectly toasted in under 2 minutes. Grill is now going to be virtually redundant

OmegaGene · 08-05-2019 3:39pm

Now you mentioned buns it reminded me of putting Mediterranean wraps into the xl, the shagging things flew up and stuck to the heating ring
Pitta bread comes out lovely for a light snack

rubadub · 08-05-2019 4:51pm

OmegaGene wrote: »

Now you mentioned buns it reminded me of putting Mediterranean wraps into the xl, the shagging things flew up and stuck to the heating ring

The fan is very powerful alright. If putting in a wrap you can weight it down by putting 2 or 3 teaspoons resting on the wrap on the outer edge. I have metal pins I use too, and to stick stuff down on pizza, like slices of pepperoni. You just have to remember the spoons or other items will be roasting hot so use tongs to take them off.

OmegaGene · 08-05-2019 5:29pm

rubadub wrote: »

The fan is very powerful alright. If putting in a wrap you can weight it down by putting 2 or 3 teaspoons resting on the wrap on the outer edge. I have metal pins I use too, and to stick stuff down on pizza, like slices of pepperoni. You just have to remember the spoons or other items will be roasting hot so use tongs to take them off.

yeah i started using cutlery to weigh things down, the xxl fan seems more powerful out of the three sizes i have had, i tried making a toastie the other day and i heard the large slice of bread hit the top

rubadub · 08-05-2019 7:17pm

another tip is not to be pulling the drawer in or out while it is running, as this can really cause stuff to go flying. If I am doing pizza with grated cheese I now microwave it a bit so the cheese has just started to melt, then press it down a bit so it fuses together. Or else you can preheat it to the max and then put it in for a few minutes and the residual heat will do the same job.

I also use my metal pins to hold a filled wrap together, if you brush some veg oil, or put some butter on the outside of a filled wrap it comes out lovely. Without the pins it can just fall apart.

Muahahaha · 09-05-2019 6:52pm

Just on the powerful fan -has anyone tried frying foods that have marinated in something? I've some diced chicken marinated in yogurt, spices, lemon and saffron and was going to do it under the grill. But how would it go in the airfryer, would you expect the thick marinade to get blown all over the place.

Or has anyone been brave enough to try covering fish in batter and airfrying it?

OmegaGene · 09-05-2019 7:26pm

I’ve marinaded chicken loads of times and it’s fantastic

Grandeeod · 09-05-2019 7:59pm

I'm really getting to grips with this great machine. Did some rashers in it this morning and they were fab. Much better than the grill. Quick too. Tried a pork chop earlier this evening. A little olive oil. 18 mins. Turned half way and it came out juicy and tender. Since I started using the Air Fryer, I've hardly had the oven on. Maybe 4 times in the last month for a weekly roast. I'm even using it for my roast spuds.

OmegaGene · 09-05-2019 8:11pm

I cook pork chops quite often in mine and about 12 minutes is plenty, I don’t bother with oil just some seasoning
Han joints are spot on either on its own or coated in a marmalade, works out better and cheaper than buying packet ham

Muahahaha · 09-05-2019 10:42pm

OmegaGene wrote: »

I’ve marinaded chicken loads of times and it’s fantastic

so no problems with the fan blowing marinade into the element or anything?

OmegaGene · 09-05-2019 10:50pm

Muahahaha wrote: »

so no problems with the fan blowing marinade into the element or anything?

No

rubadub · 09-05-2019 11:11pm

Muahahaha wrote: »

so no problems with the fan blowing marinade into the element or anything?

mine blew off, not onto the element just blows it into the base. Mine is the regular philips.

This was a thick yogurt tandoori mixture. I now just grill it. I had actually thought about modifying mine to be able to turn off the fan so I could effectively grill it until it sets and then turn on the fan. Another trick would be to put a thin layer on which is not going to blow off as much, when set take it out and coat again layer by layer.

I did want to experiment doing batter for fish or onion rings, I wondered about freezing it. Idea being that the outer layer would cook and form a crust and not blow off, then the inner bits would also cook and set, then I would take it out and brush or sit it in oil and pop it back in.

OmegaGene · 10-05-2019 8:05am

If you’re using a yoghurt based marinade then brush it on thinly and leave in the fridge for a while to set and pre heat the air fryer
I did a full chicken coated in chilli and garlic yoghurt mix and I had no problems at all, it was mixed into a thick consistency and brushed on and left in the fridge for 2 hours first then brought to room temp

Muahahaha · 10-05-2019 10:45am

rubadub wrote: »

mine blew off, not onto the element just blows it into the base. Mine is the regular philips.

This was a thick yogurt tandoori mixture. I now just grill it. I had actually thought about modifying mine to be able to turn off the fan so I could effectively grill it until it sets and then turn on the fan. Another trick would be to put a thin layer on which is not going to blow off as much, when set take it out and coat again layer by layer.

I did want to experiment doing batter for fish or onion rings, I wondered about freezing it. Idea being that the outer layer would cook and form a crust and not blow off, then the inner bits would also cook and set, then I would take it out and brush or sit it in oil and pop it back in.

I wonder how just wrapping the marinated chicken pieces in tin foil would work out. Presumably it would cook the chicken well but you wouldnt really get any charring?

Regards battered fish maybe the way to go there is like how the chippers do it by partially frying the fish in hot oil to form the outer crust and then chill and freeze it for later use in the airfryer. Probably only worth your while if you are batch cooking a large amount, if eating straight away you might as well just fry it in the oil to completion.

rubadub · 10-05-2019 11:20am

Muahahaha wrote: »

I wonder how just wrapping the marinated chicken pieces in tin foil would work out. Presumably it would cook the chicken well but you wouldnt really get any charring?

I did something similar to this and it all just stuck to the tinfoil, I went to unwrap to get it charred. You can get nice browing through the tinfoil. I have made batches of burrito type wraps and wrap them in foil and store in the fridge or freeze, I leave them in the tinfoil and stick in the airfryer and turn halfway through. If you smear oil on them before wrapping in foil they come out lovely, sort of like giant springrolls or chimichangas https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimichanga

I was thinking of making a cover, like a metal umbrella to go over the food at the start so it is not blowing directly on them, once cooked a little and set I can take it off. I wanted this for pizza but would do the same for tandoori chicken etc.

I have heard of some cutting spatter guards (for frying pans) to size to cover fatty food to stop oil hitting the element and causing smoke. The spatter guard would also protect it from the strong fan.

Muahahaha wrote: »

Regards battered fish maybe the way to go there is like how the chippers do it by partially frying the fish in hot oil to form the outer crust and then chill and freeze it for later use in the airfryer. Probably only worth your while if you are batch cooking a large amount,

Yes, I wanted to make a batch of chicken balls like that. Have a small pot with only a small bit of oil, then pop in 2 or 3 at a time and cook just until set, I was going to cook the chicken beforehand to have no worries about it. Some could go in the fridge or else be frozen. I also wondered if instead of oil they could be done in water like a dumpling, once set you roll in oil, the batter might have to be really thick so it does not just dilute into the water.

Muahahaha · 10-05-2019 11:57am

rubadub wrote: »

I was thinking of making a cover, like a metal umbrella to go over the food at the start so it is not blowing directly on them, once cooked a little and set I can take it off. I wanted this for pizza but would do the same for tandoori chicken etc.

Thats a pretty good idea. You could wrap one of those meshes you bought in Dealz with tin foil to put it as a shield over the food for the first half of cooking. If its a snug enough fit it would block the air circulating but maintain enough heat to get the marinade to set.

It would be great if future iterations of the airfryer allowed you to control the fan and the heating element separately, it would definitely make things easier for marinated or battered foods.

rubadub · 10-05-2019 1:00pm

Muahahaha wrote: »

Thats a pretty good idea. You could wrap one of those meshes you bought in Dealz with tin foil to put it as a shield over the food for the first half of cooking.

It might be too light, and lift up from the bottom. I remember having an empty metal cake tin and even it lifted and was spinning around like crazy. Might just need a knife or heavy spoon placed on top too.

I wondered about 1 of these, put in upside down, it would at least shield some of the moving air.
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Muahahaha · 10-05-2019 1:13pm

yeah would of those would work well. Problem would be finding one that fits, aside from large lasagne dishes there isnt that much square shaped cookware about, most of it is round. I must measure up the square basket and see how wide it is. I do have a steel cloche for steaming burgers but that is too high and would be too close to the element.

rubadub · 10-05-2019 1:29pm

Muahahaha wrote: »

yeah would of those would work well. Problem would be finding one that fits,

Because that steamer thing folds/fans out you can place it in and it would find its own fit, but the basket is already small enough and this yoke would minimise the usuable area even more.

Look at this thing
https://www.philips.ae/c-p/HD9980_20/viva-collection-airfryer-variety-basket-with-quickclean-removable-bottom
HD9980_20-IMS-en_AE?wid=494&hei=435&$pnglarge$

HD9980_20-IMS-en_AE?wid=494&hei=435&$pnglarge$

Muahahaha · 10-05-2019 10:11pm

Now thats interesting, seems it would solve the problem of the fan blowing any yoghurt type marinade off the food. Amazon is saying theyre the guts of €70 each though, its a lot of money to spend compared to a DIY solution.

rubadub · 14-05-2019 2:29pm

Cheshire Cat wrote: »

Can you post a photo when you have done that and report back on the success?

dealz thing worked very well for me.

It is cut to size, same original width and I think cut to 20cm the other way

6034073

chicken was 1560g, in breast side down (chicken is raw, yellow is as it is corn fed and has loads of salt & pepper on it)
6034073

after 30mins 180C, was easy to take out, I used a knife on one side to pull the mesh away from the hot basket, it was not stuck just needed to get a finger down the side. As the mesh is not metal it is only warm to touch. I poured some juice & fat out into a cup for basting.
6034073

the chicken was easy to rollover while on the plate, esp. since it is non stick. With the metal mesh the skin used to fuse and cook onto the mesh, and all pull away from the meat.

The indents on the chicken disappear after cooking. This, below, is after another 30mins, 15@180C 15@190C, basting every 6-7mins, I take it out onto the plate again and poured in the fat in the cup again, this was enough for 2-3 bastes. Breast was tested and was 75C

when rolled over the underside was not crisped up, this could be put back in again, or skin removed and cooked on its own.

(Nothing new in those "attached images" below, its just the same pics)

Muahahaha · 14-05-2019 2:52pm

Looks great rubadub, must get one of those in Dealz

Cheshire Cat · 14-05-2019 4:39pm

That looks great. I predict mesh sales will increase significantly!

Grandeeod · 14-05-2019 6:29pm

I've been messing around with fryer chips coated in veg oil. Mixed results. I bought a bag of frozen oven chips today. Heritage brand. Pre heated the air fryer on 200 for 3 mins. Chips in for 10 mins and they are the best chips I've had from it. Crispy outside and fluffy inside. No burnt bits. When I think of how I used to make chips in a deep fat fryer.:eek:

OmegaGene · 14-05-2019 6:42pm

frozen chips are pre fried in oil already so if you want the nice chips and healthier start peeling spuds

Grandeeod · 14-05-2019 6:50pm

OmegaGene wrote: »

frozen chips are pre fried in oil already so if you want the nice chips and healthier start peeling spuds

I've done the peeling spuds thing already and perfected it. Including roasties. Beautiful. I'm really talking about a quick fix when time is of the essence. Nice to have a back up.

Ben Done · 14-05-2019 6:56pm

Grandeeod wrote: »

I've done the peeling spuds thing already and perfected it. Including roasties. Beautiful.

Share your recipes there grandee - what type of spud, what prep, and time/temp?

OmegaGene · 14-05-2019 7:04pm

white potatoes from lidl or aldi if i am in there or wilsons in supervalu
peel and chip to the desired size ( i like them fat )
soak for half an hour changing the water once then steam for 8 minutes
pat dry and use flavoured spray oil or regular oil, stir so they are evenly coated and in the air fryer for 10 minutes on 160 then up the heat to 190 for around 8 minutes depending on how they are fairing out colour wise
season and eat

i just put a 1.9 kg chicken in for this evening, not bad for €4 in aldi this week and should be ready in an hour in the xxl

The Actifry & AirFryer Thread - Merged

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