Air Fryers….honest opinions!

I have one, but it's a Ninja Food 9-in-1, which has many other functions than just air frying, such as pressure cooking, slow cooking and so on. I think it's a great piece of kit. Both my son and daughter have 'normal' air fryers and they use theirs a lot. You can cook a very wide range of foods in them - even the basic ones.

I gave in and purchased a basic Lakeland air fryer.

I use it for sautéed potatoes, chips, fish fingers and chicken gougons when GC are here. It’s also ok for cooking a few sausage rolls or mince pies from frozen.

Other than the above it’s in the laundry out of the way.

I didn't want one but bought a ninja double stack. Honestly it is much better than I expected. Croissants take 4 mins for example (I imagine this is the same in just 'normal' air fryer) a chicken is roasted within 50 mins, frozen food - stuff like spring rolls etc crisp up lovely in it. I am a complete convert

chicken roasted in 60 minutes not 50. I've cooked all sorts in it

I bought a small one as its only me and honestly I've not often used my oven since. Anything I can cook in the oven goes in the airfryer apart from cakes and batch cooking dishes as they don't fit. It cooks most things quickly and things come out tender and crispy. I wouldnt be without it and when this one dies I'll buy a bigger one to take larger meals that i can then freeze for another time.

We hardly use the oven now, only large cakes and visitors. We also have a Ninja 9 in 1, use it for croissants or bacon and sausages for breakfast, stews or chops for dinner, roast chicken, chips, croquettes, crumbles, pies, jams, virtually anything you would use an oven or a hob for. When we invited friends round for a barbecue and it poured, we sat in the conservatory with the Ninja in the middle of us, and cooked the food in it, they said it was so much fun! When we first got one it sat on the worksurface for weeks, but once you get started you won't look back!

I have a very ordinary one and use it every day I haven’t use my oven for 18 months

If you have a combi microwave and the old fashioned type of air-fryer that just fries, you don't need one.
I'm thinking of selling mine, but DH gave it to me as a gift and I don't want to upset him, so it sits on the worktop taking up space and gathering dust.
Could you borrow one for a couple of weeks?
(you can borrow mine!!!)

Whoops posted too soon it’s a Tower 7L I do cakes and cheese straws as well as pastries My toaster went up in smoke so I do my toast in it for breakfast too

I have the Ninja dual (two side by side drawers) and use it virtually daily. So much quicker and cheaper than putting the main oven on. I use it for everything from reheating to grilling to baking. Only use my big oven now if I'm having a big baking session, or if I need to cook something that absolutely won't fit in the Ninja.

We have a Ninja dual drawer one and use it every day.
Make roast chicken with roast carrots and potatoes,lemon drizzle cake,bread just about anything that can be cooked in a conventional oven. They do take a bit of getting used to the timings and settings but I wouldn’t be without it now very rarely use my oven.

I too hardly use the Oven.
I probably use it more than my microwave as well .
Don't think I will ever be without one in the future. Just got a single draw Ninja, think I might invest in a double draw one.
If you think, it goes in the oven, it will go into the Airfryer at almost half the time.

Is it like having an extra oven to clean?
That puts me off, plus the space a fryer might take up.

you can wash it all quickly in the sink

The only I use our main oven is when I batch bake - the air fryer is used most days. The pan is really easy to clean too.

I love mine. I’ve got an Everhot range, and I now switch it off for the summer as the air fryer is so good. It’s saving me around £15 a week with the range switched off, and it’s not so hot in the kitchen when it’s warm outside. The only thing the air fryer is not good for is pizza, which my son enjoys - it has to be cut up to cook because a pizza is bigger than the oven. I’ve used it to make a cake, and for biscuits, which turned out very well. Cleaning it is as easy as cleaning a microwave, I just wipe it over inside.

Oh, that's good to know.

How about the amount of space one might take up, please?
Also, I have seen liners for sale for fryers.
Why would that be, please?

I cook pizza in our Tower Airfryer, and it's great.
I must admit to only liking Dr Oetker Mozzarella pizza, though, and it 'just' fits onto a shelf.
I know I am fussy and don't like sourdough, or thick crust pizzas. It is so quick and we don't have to heat up a big oven.

I've never used a liner. Mine is a double stack, so maybe too big for you MissA as I'm cooking for 5/6 this one I waited until I was given a 20% code

I don't think you'd need one that big though

I just measured mine to check, it’s 12 inches wide, and fourteen inches deep including the handle, but they come in lots of different shapes and sizes. Mine is one with shelves not baskets, with a removable drip tray at the bottom which I line with grease proof paper to make it easy to clean.

Some people use liners in theirs to save on the washing up. I've never bothered. My Ninja is more bulky than some, but it 'lives' in a handy space under one of the windows in our kitchen, so it's not in the way. They do come in all shapes and sizes, so you can judge which would be best for your particular needs.

There seem to be so many to choose from. There’s only me most of the time and I have a small kitchen. Any suggestions for a good and compact model?

I wouldn't''t be without my Tower double drawer and very rarely use my oven. However, when it's time to change, I'll get the Ninja double stack which takes up less space on the counter and cooks at a higher temperature. My Tower only cooks to 200C, the Ninja to 240C

Well I m on my own and started out with a Tower 4L
I ve now got a Tower 7L most gadgets I buy end up in the cupboard but this I use every day
I do use a liner but I just cut one out of grease proof paper which I had in the cupboard anyway probably lasts about a week or more
Mines 14 ins wide 14 ins height and 8 ins from back to front wildswan