The Actifry & AirFryer Thread - Merged

Mystery Egg wrote: »

Right I think I'm about to finally take the plunge and buy one.

One of the complaints I see in reviews generally is them over heating and melting plugs and counter tops.

Any experience with this and tips to avoid?

Oh and if you want to recommend your brand to me please do. I'm cooking for 3.

I can recommend the Philips, have had it three years without problems. If cooking for 3 you'll need the XL version as regular sized ones are more for 1-2 people. I think the XL is discounted for Black Friday on Amazon at the moment. Power Airfryer XL is another brand to check out, would be a bit cheaper than the Philips and do the same job.

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

I can recommend the Philips one too. I'm on my second one only because I dropped the first one and smashed it - though I bought the bigger one second time around. I must have it three years now and I use it so much, I couldn't live without it.

Could you let me know the model number of this Philip's or its capacity.

Mystery Egg wrote: »

I'm totally bamboozled reading all the reviews.

If it’s any help I bought a cheap one believing I would rarely use it. I use it almost daily, hugely reduced my use of the actual oven. I bought the tower 3.2 in DID for around €50. I’m going to pick up a second one for Christmas, they are just so handy.

zerosugarbuzz wrote: »

If it’s any help I bought a cheap one believing I would rarely use it. I use it almost daily, hugely reduced my use of the actual oven. I bought the tower 3.2 in DID for around €50. I’m going to pick up a second one for Christmas, they are just so handy.

Maybe if you had bought a bigger one you wouldnt need a second one....what do you cook in it? Are they any good for fresh chips?

McMurphy wrote: »

Put it off for long enough, bought the XL Philips airfyer. My wife will be thrilled with the newest kitchen gadget. /Sarcasm.

How much €€€ ???

Ryath wrote: »

Anyone have the Ninja foodie? €147.55 in Argos Trying to decide if it's worth the extra money over getting the instant pot on amazon. I could always get the Instant Pot air fryer lid down the line if it ever becomes available again at a sensible price. Looks neater than the food ninja to. Can get the 3L Instant pot for the same price storage wise it's tempting but it's probably a little small for family cooking and can't take the air fryer lid.

I already have an XXL Philips airfryer so there is times I wish I had a second to cook sides. The pressure cooker is probably a better and cheaper investment.

One of the advantages of the Airfryer is being able to pull out the drawer, give it a shake or add stuff like seasoning or turn the food etc and shove it back in again effortlessly. I'd seriously recommend looking up reviews of the lid style ones you put on top of the Ninja and others, they sound like a pain in the ass tbh.

Yyhhuuu wrote: »

Maybe if you had bought a bigger one you wouldnt need a second one....what do you cook in it? Are they any good for fresh chips?

Yeah you could look at it that way but in general I'm happy with the size of it. I cook almost anything I would cook in the oven, to me its more like a mini oven than a fryer. Yes it does do good fresh chips, I par boil them first and then spray them in oil, delicious. One of the best things is the speed, 10 minutes from turning it on and your chips are done.

Mystery Egg wrote: »

You might get more answers on the general chat thread. This thread is about Air Fryers.

However if you wish to cook it according to packet instructions that would be 70 minutes but that seems far too little to me. I would add another 20 minutes per kg, bringing cooking time to 1 hour 50 minutes.

Cook it uncovered for the last 20 minutes to get a nice crispy skin.

If you have a meat thermometer you want the thickest part of the meat to be at 74 degrees Celsius.

Cheers, do you have link to general thread?

Mystery Egg wrote: »

So I bought this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Uten-Technology-Healthy-Cooking-Grilling/dp/B07XGK3JY7/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=Uten&qid=1606596835&sr=8-5

It arrived today. I've made home made chips (15 mins) and coconut breaded prawns (5 mins).

They were both really delicious! I'm looking around seeing what else I could air fry. If I had a cat it would be getting nervous. :pac:

Is this a good option for a first time user? Looking at one for my mam. She does slimming world so homemade chips would be definitely the first thing she would be cooking. I don't want to spend loads incase she doesn't get much use to her. Thanks

1. Not really, its a small chamber and it gets up to heat very quickly so I dont bother with pre-heating.
2. No, any packet instructions on cooking times you need to reduce it by about 33%. So chips at 15 minutes on the packet go down to 10 minutes in the airfryer and so on. That 33% isnt set in stone, it varies by food so just experiment with various foods until the exact time gets stuck in your head
3. Just give it a wipe with a paper towel and its clean pretty quick. Put both trays through the dishwasher every few uses. I dont use any oil in mine so its generally just the oil off the food at the bottom. Stuff like breaded chicken will spread breadcrumbs down the bottom tray but its not that big a deal, just wipe it out. If cooking fatty foods like sausages or bacon in it then it might be a good idea to get one of those mesh splatter guards for cheap in a pound shop and cut it to size to fit in the basket and over the food. Bacon will spit upwards into the element and you end up getting white smoke out the back vent of it and it makes the element filthy over time as I found out, plus it is not easy to clean in behind it where the grease sticks.

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

Since someone posted here about lining the bottom with tinfoil I've been doing it all the time successfully. It cuts way down on cleaning.

I preheat mine all the time, it only takes 3 minutes.

This Accessories pack includes parchment paper to line the basket.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07K7ZCDPJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabt1_FM7XFbBEWES9Y

Someone mentioned in reviews that the paper went on fire. I presume tin foil is ok to use but I think there is a risk of it blowing around and lodging in the top of the fryer