The Actifry & AirFryer Thread - Merged

rubadub · 03-12-2020 12:11pm

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

No it can't blow around because it's under the basket

the images show them on top.

61P5JzH-UIL._SL1000_257700f4-1aae-425c-8bc9-d33eb8013f6a_1024x1024.jpg

I think some people think the airfyer is very like an oven, where there is no obvious fire risk. The philips airfryer goes to 200C but the element is exposed and goes far higher.

Dizzyblonde · 03-12-2020 6:48pm

rubadub wrote: »

the images show them on top.

I think some people think the airfyer is very like an oven, where there is no obvious fire risk. The philips airfryer goes to 200C but the element is exposed and goes far higher.

Sorry, I was talking about the tinfoil I put under the basket. Those parchment papers could absolutely blow around :eek:

rubadub · 03-12-2020 8:04pm

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

Sorry, I was talking about the tinfoil I put under the basket. Those parchment papers could absolutely blow around :eek:

ah sorry I see that now. if my pizza toppings can blow about that paper definitely could! the likes of sausages might roll off it or 2 one side.

A trick is to only turn it on once the basket is in. If you push stuff in I think the air flow changing is more likely to move light things around. If the basket is in position its blowing more directly down, stuff still blows about though, but just less.

I often put fatty stuff in foil takeaway trays, sometimes taking out the regular basket to have more space. Or those nice thick aluminium foil trays you might get meat in from a butchers.

McMurphy · 06-12-2020 12:23pm

I did sausages and bacon in mine this morning, and used parchment paper underneath the basket, it never moved a bit tbh.

I'm probably not using mine to its full potential yet (I only used it for the first time on Wednesday I think) and so far have made homemade chips - bit of effort peeling spuds, cutting them into chips, removing starch by soaking them in water, drying them and then drizzling with oil, sprinkling salt/pepper and cumin/paprika over them, but the chips were deadly.

Thurs evening, put samosa/pakora and bhajis in it (shop bought) quicker than oven, but no noticeable difference otherwise.

Last night I did skin on fries from Aldi, quick and convenient and tasty, definitely wouldn't go back to just putting them in the oven.

Then this morning, as already said, put some Mallons sausages in there with rashers, omg the grease that came out of them was something else. Placed parchment paper directly under the basket, and it no doubt eased the cleaning process, I then placed both parts of basket in hot soapy water to soak before placing in the dishwasher.

By the way, I put sausages in for ten minutes, half way through gave them a good shake and added rashers, next time I'll give rashers the same time as the sausages as they weren't crispy enough imo.

Glad I bought it so far, but I'm probably way underusing it.

Mystery Egg · 06-12-2020 2:50pm

I'm going to try KFC style chicken in it.

Chicken pieces, marinated in buttermilk.

Dredged in seasoned flour.

Cooked for 25 minutes at 190 , sprayed with oil half way through.

Any tips from anyone who's done it?

Seve OB · 10-12-2020 8:42pm

Best place and price for an actifry these days?

con747 · 10-12-2020 9:55pm

Seve OB wrote: »

Best place and price for an actifry these days?

All the sales will be starting soon, some like Curry's already have. You should pick up good value if you can wait a week or two for all the sales or even the New Year ones.

Seve OB · 10-12-2020 10:01pm

con747 wrote: »

All the sales will be starting soon, some like Curry's already have. You should pick up good value if you can wait a week or two for all the sales or even the New Year ones.

Pressie for the mam for Christmas. Might wait till Stephen’s day as won’t see her till then anyway.
It’s 129 now in a few places. Any chance of it going lower than that?

con747 · 10-12-2020 10:16pm

Seve OB wrote: »

Pressie for the mam for Christmas. Might wait till Stephen’s day as won’t see her till then anyway.
It’s 129 now in a few places. Any chance of it going lower than that?

What make and model? If I see one i'll post it here.

Seve OB · 10-12-2020 10:17pm

con747 wrote: »

What make and model? If I see one i'll post it here.

Any actifry

rubadub · 11-12-2020 1:57pm

Seve OB wrote: »

Any actifry

have you read the negatives of it? they are prone to breaking, I have seen several sites online of people who had both and almost all preferred the airfryer. Guy in my office said the same, he has 2 airfryers now, the actifry paddle broke. I heard Powercity were taking the paddles out as people were nicking them as replacements!

Seve OB · 11-12-2020 5:53pm

rubadub wrote: »

have you read the negatives of it?

I don’t need to. I have had one for years.

Tree · 11-12-2020 10:16pm

Our paddle broke. The knockoff replacement doesn't look like it ever will. The rivets in the handle are well rusty after a few years of dishwashering.

stockshares · 12-12-2020 1:59pm

I did fish and chips in the Airfryer.

I put a skewer grill accessory within the Airfryer so that I could cook the fish evenly above the chips.

However the fish stuck to the grill.

Does anyone know how I can stop food from sticking to the grill.

In a regular oven I'd place tinfoil on the grill but am wary of it going on fire within the fryer.

Muahahaha · 12-12-2020 3:34pm

Ive used tin foil to cook mackeral in the airfryer before without problems, just wrap the fish up, add a squeeze of lemon if desired and poke a couple of holes in the top side of the foil. Obviously ensure the basket isnt packed and the foil is not touching the element or anything but other than that it works fine.

Seve OB · 12-12-2020 9:23pm

Would grease proof paper work?

stockshares · 17-12-2020 12:41pm

Can ready made meals that come in a silver tray be cooked in an Airfryer?

youcancallmeal · 17-12-2020 1:49pm

stockshares wrote: »

Can ready made meals that come in a silver tray be cooked in an Airfryer?

I cooked some chicken kievs that came in a foil tray, just had to bend the corners a bit to make it fit. There was till room for air to flow up around the sides of the tray

rubadub · 17-12-2020 3:21pm

youcancallmeal wrote: »

just had to bend the corners a bit to make it fit.

If often take the mesh inner basket out and just place the tray inside.

Some of these ready meal foil trays might have a plastic clear top on them, and in some cases this might be meant to be left intact or pierced. If this was to rip further and a stray bit of plastic sheet was to lift upwards it could hit the element, which is far higher than 200C and could go on fire. The air fryer is sort of like a grill in that respect, similar to if you are grilling a fatty burger or sausages oil can bubble and hit the grill element and you get little flames appearing which quickly go out but cause smoke.

stockshares · 17-12-2020 7:29pm

youcancallmeal wrote: »

I cooked some chicken kievs that came in a foil tray, just had to bend the corners a bit to make it fit. There was till room for air to flow up around the sides of the tray

rubadub wrote: »

If often take the mesh inner basket out and just place the tray inside.

Some of these ready meal foil trays might have a plastic clear top on them, and in some cases this might be meant to be left intact or pierced. If this was to rip further and a stray bit of plastic sheet was to lift upwards it could hit the element, which is far higher than 200C and could go on fire. The air fryer is sort of like a grill in that respect, similar to if you are grilling a fatty burger or sausages oil can bubble and hit the grill element and you get little flames appearing which quickly go out but cause smoke.

What's the point of removing the inner basket. Is it just to have more room?

On my fryer the handle is attached to the inner basket so I can't remove it and just use the large basket.

I'll be cooking Beef Stew. Would It be better to put it in a pyrex bowl instead of the tray?

The pyrex bowl is suitable for a regular oven but I'm not sure about the Airfryer.

I'm wondering could the liquid bubble up or spit towards the element.

EletricMan · 27-12-2020 2:39pm

Can you cork pork chops in an air fryer? Any idea how long it would take and if it's worth it. Find they dry out in the oven often.

Dizzyblonde · 27-12-2020 3:18pm

Grandeeod wrote: »

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 wrote: »

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

I did a quick search of the thread using "pork chops" and found these

rubadub · 27-12-2020 3:22pm

stockshares wrote: »

What's the point of removing the inner basket. Is it just to have more room?

On my fryer the handle is attached to the inner basket so I can't remove it and just use the large basket.

Yes way more room to fit trays or you could pile in food. It will need more shaking as air is not circulating as well but its a lot more volume.

My handle is attached to the inner basket. When removed you are left with a groove and an use a spoon or oven gloves to pull the basket out. I can fit a decent size chicken in the philips with it removed.

rubadub wrote: »

dealz thing worked very well for me.

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

chicken was 1560g, in breast side down

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.

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.

stockshares wrote: »

I'll be cooking Beef Stew. Would It be better to put it in a pyrex bowl instead of the tray?

The pyrex bowl is suitable for a regular oven but I'm not sure about the Airfryer.

I'm wondering could the liquid bubble up or spit towards the element.

I would cover it with foil, the fan blowing right onto the top might dry it out of overcook it on the top. It might be tricky getting a hot glass bowl out of the airfryer.

EletricMan wrote: »

Can you cork pork chops in an air fryer? Any idea how long it would take and if it's worth it. Find they dry out in the oven often.

Definitely worth it. I am not sure of the times I used. A big tip is to go around the edge with a scissors or knife and cut into the fat, loads of little slits all the way along, as many as you can, mine are 4-5mm apart. If you do not then the fat shrinks and tends to curl up the pork chop like a rasher does. It also means the fat renders really well and crisps up beautifully as it has so much surface area.

barrymanilow · 15-03-2021 4:32pm

Hey folks ,

Anyone have this Aldi air fryer , Ambiugano make , is it any good?

Also any tips for making air fryer crisps appreciated

bittihuduga · 15-03-2021 10:14pm

any recommendations for airfryer thin chips/french fries?
i use mccain french fries - 15 minutes on 185 - sometimes burnt

con747 · 15-03-2021 10:30pm

bittihuduga wrote: »

any recommendations for airfryer thin chips/french fries?
i use mccain french fries - 15 minutes on 185 - sometimes burnt

Aldi skin on fries are good, good reviews here on Boards.
https://groceries.aldi.ie/en-GB/p-crispy-skin-on-fries-800g-four-seasons/4088600285702
https://groceries.aldi.co.uk/en-GB/p-four-seasons-skin-on-fries-800g/4088600285702

Hoboo · 15-03-2021 10:36pm

barrymanilow wrote: »

Hey folks ,

Anyone have this Aldi air fryer , Ambiugano make , is it any good?

Also any tips for making air fryer crisps appreciated

Fresh cuts chips still dripping wet into the air fryer at 170 for about 15 minutes. Dries them off and par cooks them. Back out, drop of oil and tons of decent ground salt. Chips being hot the oil spreads more easily and you use less.

Back in at 195 for 15 (in mine anyhow, Cosori). Used same method in old Philips.

Roosters are very crispy and fluffy inside. Maris Pipers are like chipper chips.

hamburgham · 16-03-2021 9:06am

youcancallmeal wrote: »

I cooked some chicken kievs that came in a foil tray, just had to bend the corners a bit to make it fit. There was till room for air to flow up around the sides of the tray

Why wouldn’t you take them out of the foil tray? To catch the garlic butter?

Ben Done · 16-03-2021 2:16pm

con747 wrote: »

Aldi skin on fries are good, good reviews here on Boards.
https://groceries.aldi.ie/en-GB/p-crispy-skin-on-fries-800g-four-seasons/4088600285702
https://groceries.aldi.co.uk/en-GB/p-four-seasons-skin-on-fries-800g/4088600285702

Also the Tesco own-brand French Fries, if you like McD's style chips - lovely, and very cheap!

Ben Done · 16-03-2021 2:18pm

bittihuduga wrote: »

any recommendations for airfryer thin chips/french fries?
i use mccain french fries - 15 minutes on 185 - sometimes burnt

You should give them, say, 6 mins, then a good shake and another 6 - I do them at 200, and that would cook a good basket full evenly.

Muahahaha · 01-05-2021 9:19pm

Just noticed that Ninja have a new product on the Irish market, its like a hybrid between an airfryer and a George Foreman grill
https://www.currys.ie/ieen/household-appliances/small-kitchen-appliances/small-cooking-appliances/grills/ninja-foodi-ag301uk-health-grill-air-fryer-black-brushed-steel-10202884-pdt.html

Watched a video of it on Youtube and it is very loud while running but does a good job. It has an integrated temperature probe too which is good for cooking roast joints automatically. Pricey enough though at 240 euro.

tangy · 08-05-2021 7:05pm

Just noticed this :
Air Fryer Cookbook for Beginners: 1000+ Affordable Quick & Easy Recipes. Kindle Edition - Free @ Amazon
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0949HZ5C4

It looks like it's American, so expect cup measures, and shovelling recipes into a book until you've got 1000 doesn't say much for quality, but the price is right

ongarite · 26-05-2021 5:30pm

There is a new model of the Philips Air Fryer out recently and I picked one up for my parents.

Same 4L capacity but now has digital display/controls as standard.
New basket and base design with non-stick coating.
New fan design is significantly quieter than old model & it has handy feature that turns off fan automatically when you remove the basket.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08KQHC2QQ

Was on special for £99 recently.

DoozerT6 · 31-08-2021 1:58pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/112258236#Comment_112258236

So I quoted this post as I'm in a similar boat, thinking of dipping my toe into the Airfryer pool although I'm just cooking for myself not a family lol. From reading the few following posts after the quoted post, would you guys still recommend the Power 3.2L fryer or have people changed their minds and decided another brand is the GOAT?

DoozerT6 · 08-09-2021 10:42am

Bump!!

As above, any thoughts on the current best Airfryer brand?

Kat1170 · 08-09-2021 11:57pm

On my second Philips Airfryer and can't fault them. Will have no hesitation about getting another when the time comes. Spring for the XL if you can, extra size worth it.

ForestFire · 09-09-2021 12:42am

I have been using Philips air fryers for many years and have always found them brilliant.

The current one is starting to get to the replacement stage now.

(The last one went to a new family home and is still in use, so probable the same for this one, if I upgrade)

I see the the Ninja and the COSORI below are topping the amazon reviews.

Does anyone have any comparisons with these to the Philips?

Ninja Foodi Health Grill and Air Fryer, currently £179 and doesn't drop much from this price.

COSORI Smart WiFi Air Fryer 5.5L current £119 but goes down to £90 regularly

https://www.amazon.co.uk/COSORI-WiFi-Fryer-Black-CS158-AF/dp/B083FB8TSC/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=air+fryer&qid=1631144012&refinements=p_76%3A419159031&rnid=1632651031&rps=1&s=kitchen-appliances&sr=1-3

Wheety · 13-09-2021 9:06pm

The wifi one is currently £90

Ben Done · 02-11-2021 11:29am

Philips XL Airfryer £139 on Amazon today - doesn't go much cheaper than that..

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07VVDWYSY/r

https://uk.camelcamelcamel.com/product/B07VVDWYSY

Wheety · 08-11-2021 2:23pm

Cosori 5.5ltr is back down to £85 on Amazon. Worth getting?

Ben Done · 27-11-2021 1:02am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118105942#Comment_118105942

Now £119.99 - cheapest it's been - very tempted to get a spare - it's the only kitchen appliance I use daily, so when mine dies (and it's going strong since 2016), I'd replace it in the morning..

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Philips-Essential-Technology-HD9260-91/dp/B07VVDWYSY

Blue4u · 28-11-2021 7:04pm

I have Philips AIrfryer, bought because everyone said the chips are great but so far have failed.

I have bought a big bag of frozen chips., any tips to cook them so nice? do you dump them in? or some other method?

54and56 · 29-11-2021 11:26am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118236475#Comment_118236475

Heat up the airfryer for a few minutes.

Spray the inside of the airfryer with a little oil.

Dump in half the chips, spray with oil, dump the other half in and spray again.

Airfry on the standard setting for 14 minutes or so (exact time depends on your airfryer, the volume of chips etc) shaking regularly.

Once the chips begin to look cooked switch to max temp for 4-6 minutes to get them really crisp.

Enjoy.

Ben Done · 29-11-2021 12:01pm

^24 mins for frozen chips?

I've a feeling you're talking about fresh spuds there - the op was asking about cooking frozen, I think..

Ben Done · 29-11-2021 12:08pm

For frozen chips, I usually buy the Tesco or Aldi own-brand oven chips (I prefer the skinny kind, but same idea for thicker-cut chips)..

They don't require any extra oil.

Cooking (2 portions), I don't even bother pre-heating anymore.

Throw them in for 6 mins at 200 deg,

Shake then 5 more mins and check - may need a shake and another minute or two depending on quantity.

They've always come out perfect for me.

54and56 · 29-11-2021 1:21pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118238800#Comment_118238800

Typo, meant 14 minutes. Will fix.

54and56 · 29-11-2021 1:23pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118238833#Comment_118238833

Skinny fries definitely take less time all right, regular or thick require longer to cook through.

cw girl · 31-12-2021 12:56am

Does anyone have thsi air fryer with the rotisserie functionality? Any feedback if so, thanks.

JackieChang · 02-01-2022 7:50pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118236475#Comment_118236475

You posted this a good while ago - how did they turn out?

I usually buy the skinny fries from Aldi. Or Lidl, can't remember. But they're McDonalds style. Stick them in at 200 degrees for roughly 10 minutes, with a shake half way. Simple as. No need for extra oil or anything, because if you check the ingredients they have oil and seasoning already.

I also tried Aldi's skin-on fries. Done in about 10 - 12 minutes also.

Basically, whatever time it says on the packet - cut it in half or thereabouts.

I've never tried home cooked chips. Any photos I've seen of them are ghastly. Looks like they cut up some blight-ridden spuds, and left them out in the sun for 3 weeks.

Gonna try Aldi "Maris Piper Crinkle Cut" chips this eve. Packaging looks very deluxe. Will report back.

Muahahaha · 03-01-2022 3:38pm

I also tried Aldi's skin-on fries. Done in about 10 - 12 minutes also.

Easily the best skinny frozen fries for an airfryer imo, you cant go wrong with them

The Actifry & AirFryer Thread - Merged

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