Are air fryers worth it?

archfi · 20-09-2021 08:30PM

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07WZVCRLM/ref%3Dppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

This one, I have to say chicken out of it is gorgeous :)

Medium 1500g would be biggest though.

Larbre34 · 20-09-2021 08:48PM

No, its just a desktop oven.

Air fryers belong at the back of the cupboard with sandwich makers and coffee percolators and ice cream makers.

Bunny Colvin · 20-09-2021 08:54PM

They're brilliant. I use it everyday.

Great for bagels as well. Toast them first and put on cheese, ham or whatever. Then pop it into the airfryer for a couple of minutes and you've the perfect bagel.

Sausages also come out great.

JackieChang · 20-09-2021 09:59PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917124#Comment_117917124

I was actally looking at that on amazon a few hours before. That thing is pretty massive. Almost like an oven as Larbre34 says.

WHere is the heating element?

Also does it cook faster than a regular oven?

What else do you cook in it that's delicious?

Apparently it takes like 2 minutes to heat up a regular air fryer. How long does it take your one to heat up? 11 litres is massive compared to the 3 or 4 litre air fryers I've seen.

Potential-Monke · 20-09-2021 11:53PM

Most used gadget in our kitchen. Mother says it's perfect for the unbaked rolls you can get these days. I use it regularly for chips, burgers, chicken balls/strips. Fresh or frozen, all come out lovely. You'll need to shop around to find your favourite brand of oven chips, but I currently find the Dunnes own brand pretty good. Even the father likes them, and he doesn't like frozen chips. Great for reheating a slice or two of pizza.

For people saying some things come out dry, I understand that. Some brands of oven chips were nicer if I included a tablespoon of oil into the tray and mixed them about first. But in general most things are lovely and moist. And anything frozen takes 20 mins. Ours doesn't have a temp selector, just a timer and on/off. It's quite old though, one of the first Breville Halo Healthfryer, the black and green one. I do like the sound of that one that can do rotisserie.....

PTH2009 · 21-09-2021 03:01AM

Iceland are selling frozen food items that are branded by TGI Fridays, EDs (there an British Eddie Rocketts I think) and Harry Ramsdens among others cooking them on the air fyer is just not the same.

Overall I like air fyers as its less messy than the deep fat fyers. The smell of oil from a deep fat fyer is unpleasant

Gregor Samsa · 21-09-2021 10:27AM

I'm beginning to see a trend.

The people who think they're great are (mostly) the people who have them.

The people who don't think they're great are (mostly) the people who don't have them.

H3llR4iser · 21-09-2021 12:17PM

I'm curious about this as well - living on my own turning the oven on, waiting for it to heat and then cook a single chicken breast or breaded cod fillet in it...well, not ideal.

My one doubt however is...nobody ever really seems to talk about how the texture/feel of the food outta them is...they call them "fryer", but I would imagine there's no actual frying happening 'cause, well, you're missing the fundamental part - oil? Unless you're cooking stuff that fries in its own fat, like bacon?

So let's say I dropped some chopped up chicken breast into an air fryer, what would the final result resemble the most? Oil fried, roasted or over baked?

The One Doctor · 21-09-2021 02:48PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117918944#Comment_117918944

I've heard that you can bore someone to death with an AirFryer.

21-09-2021 05:46PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117918944#Comment_117918944

You can lightly coat the merchandise in oil, like with diced chicken this is good mmmkay?

It comes out roasted, but moist, you can keep an eye on the time.

Texture is the best part, I thought nothing is gonna top that deep fry texture but the air fryer gets a nice crisp roast on the surface whilst keeping the moisture locked in.

Oven baking is a heart break simply cause it's a chore.

Sometimes I have air fried donegal catch fillets first thing in the morning now, with some fresh salsa, simply cause I can put them in the air-fry, go brush my teeth, shave, spend the necessary amount of time looking in the mirror like a biznatch, then come back and a protein rich steaming heated breakfast is waiting for me.

No sane person would do that with a conventional oven when they're trying to beat the traffick.

JackieChang · 21-09-2021 09:30PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117920742#Comment_117920742

What model air fryer do you have?

21-09-2021 09:33PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117921638#Comment_117921638

Dawoo or something?

Cheapest one I could find on amazon.

Potential-Monke · 21-09-2021 09:37PM

Yeah, I don't think you'll ever get really close to the awesomeness that is deep fat frying (I said awesome, not healthy), but it's pretty close. As above, throw in a spoon of oil if you're worried about it being dry, but most foods will end up cooking in their own juices. Cook a burger (fresh or frozen) on the rack in the bowl and you'll see the amount of grease that comes out. Put it directly onto the bowl without the rack to keep those juices under them if you wish. I don't think there's a need though.

HeidiHeidi · 21-09-2021 09:40PM

What size are these things, generally?

I have a tiny kitchen, don't really have room for any more stuff on the countertops..... but I'm finding myself more and more persuaded by the sound of these yokes!

Potential-Monke · 21-09-2021 11:05PM

Pretty big in fairness. To use American ways of telling size, about the size of 4 2-slot toasters. Or a large turkey.

Homelander · 22-09-2021 07:50AM

I love the air fryer as it's super efficient - heats up incredibly quickly, cooks fast, just far, far less hassle than an oven and easier if you have to shake stuff up as well.

But it is basically a mini countertop oven, I'm not sure where people get the idea that it's some revolutionary technology that cooks food differently.

archfi · 22-09-2021 08:10AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917446#Comment_117917446

It definitely cooks faster than regular oven - approx 1 hour for 1500g chicken, it says 15-20 minutes for frozen chips but it's more like 10 mins for the ones I get.

I've only done chicken, sausage, chips (frozen and homemeade), frozen fish so far and all tasty/cooked properly especially the clucker.

AFAIK, it heats up instantly. Heating element, don't know - there are vents at back and all 4 corners at bottom.

It's big but fits well on countertop with plenty of space for the vents etc and I don't have a large kitchen.

JackieChang · 29-10-2021 07:54PM

Lidl now have air fryers in. Silvercrest (Lidl own brand) and Tower ones. Just picked up the silver crest one. Pretty decent build quality. Have a couple of chicken drumsticks in there now. Let's see how it goes. My first air fryer ever.

One negative already is that you have to shake the stuff around. The manual recommends interrupting the "frying" process twice to shake the food.

So you can't just pop some food in and go watch a film. You have to babysit it

Potential-Monke · 29-10-2021 09:19PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118091649#Comment_118091649

Depends on the food. Burgers, I pop them in, 10 min. When it beeps I turn and 10 min again. Chips, same but give the bowl a shake after 10 min. Actually, that's basically how I cook everything in it. It came with a handle that can connect to the centre which spins around allegedly turning food, all it really did was mash the chips together.

HeidiHeidi · 30-10-2021 10:05AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118091649#Comment_118091649

When I'm cooking food in the oven I would generally turn it (or shake, in the case of chips) twice or three times.

30-10-2021 10:35AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117910525#Comment_117910525

Googled his question. Got back here.

30-10-2021 10:36AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912164#Comment_117912164

Get rid of the oven. You’d get mii ok de storage space.

noodler · 30-10-2021 10:43AM

I've an old basic Tefal one with the arm and I literally couldn't live without it.

Chips, sweet potato chunks, chicken breasts, everything comes out excellent.

JackieChang · 30-10-2021 04:14PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118093154#Comment_118093154

Fair enough. Actually even when I'm deep frying stuff I'd give it a shake. I guess I was expecting the ultimate lazy gadget.

Chicken drumsticks from Iceland turned out decent. Did a waffle there too, pretty good. Chicken breast covered in some spices was pretty juicy but could be better. I think that's down to my technique. Need to get a meat thermometer before I give myself food poisoning.

Not bad for 50 yoyos. Will DEFINITELY be using this for small bits instead of the oven. Like I hate having the whole oven on for a single fillet o fish.

griffin100 · 30-10-2021 05:34PM

The most used gadget in our kitchen. The big plus is that even my lazy teenagers can throw some food in, set the timer and feck off until they hear the ping. Brilliant.

cj maxx · 30-10-2021 07:09PM

Air fryers are great , one tip , parboil your chips and clean any burnt food quickly.

Tork · 31-10-2021 12:42AM

Another convert here, though I was a little dubious at first. Who hasn't bought kitchen gadgets and appliances that have been put away in a press after a month, never to be used again? There are only two of us here though, so buying one big enough wasn't a huge outlay. What I like best about them is how quickly they cook food and that they're almost foolproof. When this current one dies, it will definitely be replaced. Since it came into the house, the regular oven has hardly been used.

goudasgold · 31-10-2021 08:07AM

I have a small one and my only regret is I didn't buy a bigger one. Use it every single day for something or other and it's the best gadget I ever bought (my Instant Pot is still sitting on my counter unused two years later...). Streaky bacon is amazing out of it!

lau1247 · 31-10-2021 01:13PM

This might be useful for someone here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRTO6VMZcD8

Potential-Monke · 02-11-2021 03:00AM

I stopped immediately. Thought it was a tips video, but when it starts with how chips will kill me if I cook them wrong.... Nah, thanks!

Are air fryers worth it?

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