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Air fryers

(11 Posts)
jusnoneed Thu 13-Jul-17 12:05:04

Looking for some opinions on Air Fryers, wondering if they are worth the money. Do any of you use one and if you do which make have you got/recommend?
Mainly for cooking chips but also interested in what else can be done successfully in them.

paddyann Thu 13-Jul-17 12:10:45

I didn't like mine ,I got it when they first came out about 10 years ago so maybe they've improved in that time .It didn't cook evenly or crisp the food .I kept iit in a cupboard for a while ,then got rid of it .Hopefully someone with experience of the newer models can give me input to and I might give it another try

Galen Thu 13-Jul-17 12:15:03

I found mine useless as well.

NanaandGrampy Thu 13-Jul-17 12:18:43

Mine was another one that bit the dust quite quickly .

Now my Halogen cooker is another matter lol

Welshwife Thu 13-Jul-17 12:37:47

I LOVE my air fryer! We got one a number of years ago because DH did not like oven chips of any brand and I found using the deep fat fryer a scary pain! I used it successfully for about 8/9 years when it bit the dust because the heating element stopped working.

On our last trip back to UK I did a bit of looking around as I had seen that you could now get them with a second 'pan' in which you can cook meat etc. I knew of a Tefal shop locally to DS so I went in there and had a good look and the lady explained those which cooked meat as well but I decided not to go that route and bought the slightly updated version of the original one - cost me £89 but it was on offer. It is improved in that it has an extra sort of guard around the edge of the pan so that you do not get renegade chips trying to escape and not get cooked.

I found that the crispness problem was solved by changing the type of oil used and maybe quantity.

Although they give you a few other recipes I rarely do anything else but chips in mine.

jusnoneed Thu 13-Jul-17 13:57:51

Thanks, mixed opinions then lol.
My son had some chips that had been cooked in one and said they were lovely, that's why I was looking at them.

nanaK54 Thu 13-Jul-17 15:50:18

I like mine -it's a Tefal
Can't bear the smell from a deep fat fryer - yuckgrin

Willow500 Thu 13-Jul-17 16:15:36

I had one which worked very well - I gave it to my granddaughter when she went to uni as I'd got a halogen oven with a rotisserie basket in it. They were selling them on a well known shopping channel the other day.

welshmaiden Fri 14-Jul-17 11:52:21

I have an actifry and don't like it! I find the rotating paddle mashes the chips as they cook, doesn't matter whether frozen or fresh

Welshwife Fri 14-Jul-17 12:08:35

I have never had that problem - when I make fresh chips I do not cut them too thin as we quite like chunky ones and they are slightly better for you grin.

When given the remains of frozen chips by a friend d when she was at the end of a holiday locally I had no problem with them either but they were oven chips.

Maybe the variety of potatoes?

Liz46 Fri 14-Jul-17 12:12:33

welshmaiden, I find that if I use Maris Piper or King Edward potatoes, cut quite thickly, the chips are lovely. I accidentally used baking potatoes once and they broke up.