Another success for the Airfryer.

I have read swveral pages online that say there is research going on in America and Europe about the safety risks associated with halogen overseas but can't find any digestible papers on Google Scholar.

I wish I had more info.
Obviously everything we do may have an element of risk but I'd like to choose my risks!

An answer in Quora to the question "Are halogen ovens carcinogenic?"says - "A halogen oven is an oven that derives its heat from so-called halogen light bulbs. Some automotive headlamps are halogen bulbs. Quartz-iodine lamps are an example. Unless they are ruptured, halogen lamps emit no hazardous chemicals. If they do rupture while you are cooking with a halogen oven, you are likely to discard the food therein because of the shards of glass from the bulb, not the miniscule amounts of halogens escaping the lamps." www.quora.com/Are-halogen-ovens-carcinogenic

As far as could see, the link you gave is to a site mainly about halogen patio heaters. The bit about the dangers of cooking with halogen didn't refer anywhere to a halogen oven, but to a halogen hob - (maybe the ovens were not around when the article was written.) and were about things having to use suitable pans on the hob and things getting very hot. On balance they approved of halogen cooking

It says that halogen heat is a form of radiation, then that the radiation emitted can effect the various things you mention. Light is radiation, and halogen ovens and heaters work by emitting light, so that may be what they are referring to, not one of the kinds of radiation which cause cancer.

Elsewhere on another site ( forums.digitalspy.com/discussion/896919/halogen-oven ), someone quoted a link between Halogen exposure and cancer in a Time magazine article (which doesn't seem to exist any more) Someone replied to say " In your link, they subjected specially bred hairless mice to the lights 12 hours a day for a year and found that every one developed skin tumors -- most benign, but some cancerous. So I guess as long as I don't sit in the oven for 12 hours a day for the next 12 months, I should probably be ok".

I don't think I will worry about the risk.

It was from halogenhub.com

I was just wondering if a small halogen oven would be a good idea for me and I found this:

Since halogen heat is a kind of radiation, there are radiation dangers involved. Radiation emitted from Halogen heat can affect a human’s immune system, cardiac and nervous system, neuro-behavioral and ocular effects and can also cause problems with melatonin production.

I'd like to hear from scientists what they feel about this?
I will come back with the source - inadvertently closed the page.

Late to the thread but here’s my tuppenceworth.

Elegran, I have the Andrew James digital hinged lid halogen and love it, for exactly the same reasons. It saves so much time and money.

My first AJ hinged lid model had failed after several years sterling work (they come supplied with a spare halogen ring for when the bulb eventually fails) and to my horror I found AJ were no longer trading.
Spent some time looking at alternatives but I didn’t fancy detachable lids because of the sheer amount of space needed and non had digital controls - back to manual.

There was a thread some while ago discussing air fryers which helped. So we tried various air fryers but they weren’t a patch on the halogen - too fiddly, couldn’t see what was going on, cooked unevenly and not very much at a time etc.

We missed the halogen because it was used for so much - the main oven now stores baking trays. (There’s also a combination microwave which is fabulous for say baked potatoes, rice, pasta).
In the halogen I make cakes, scones, toast, roasts, steak, sausages, chips and chicken and - well just most things.

So then found a Cookworks digital halogen in Argos - very cheap, about £35 - big drawback: detachable lid. Used it but not a patch on its predecessor. Clunky. Used sulkily under protest.

By chance just happened on an advert for an AJ and investigated. Yes! It was the same! Some other company must have taken over the manufacturing. Twice the price but worth it.

So now we have some spares. And I am content. Peace reigns again.

Also my AF isn't heavy its not much different than a full kettle and far lighter than a breadmaker.

Gabrielle56

Whitewavemark2

Tips are useful, as I have thought it would be most useful for hot pots, casseroles, stews and stuff like that.

Air fryer, not Crockpot! It's like an enclosed grill ...with holes and a basket ...don't put liquids in it!?

Some of the posts on AFs are confusing. Not all of us have multi function all singing and dancing AFs some of us have AFs only full stop. Once I've tested a few more basic options ie sausages or salmon fillets etc for 2, I might start another thread with hints for those who haven't got an all singing dancing version. It's no wonder some think they can make soup in them.

I used to have a halogen oven which I found really easy and efficient but it broke down after only a year or so and couldn't be repaired. In all, I had three and all of them packed up after about a year, so that was the end of those. Anyone want 3 large glass bowls,suitable for goldfish? I now use a small Cuisinart worktop oven and grill which gives excellent even results----I've just made a tray of shortbread,evenly golden and just right. I've reluctantly turned off my electric Aga oven ,oh so useful but hideously expensive to run and just use one of the hotplates when necessary.

Whitewavemark2

Tips are useful, as I have thought it would be most useful for hot pots, casseroles, stews and stuff like that.

Air fryer, not Crockpot! It's like an enclosed grill ...with holes and a basket ...don't put liquids in it!?

The halogen oven looks great Elegran - thank you! I hadn’t even heard of it before. I’d been wondering about an air fryer but will definitely now go for the halogen oven instead.

A ‘Spectator’ article on the air fryer notes that it is a small convection oven and recommends buying an actual convection oven that sits on the work surface. I imagine this would solve the problem of cooking several things at the same time as it would have greater capacity for different items.

Nevertheless, I will continue to use the small air fryer my daughter bought us for Christmas for bits and pieces. I like that I can hide it away when it’s not in use. I like my side tidy and clear.

We have a small Ninja AF - just enough for the two of us. I only put the oven on if I have family or friends round.

Penelopebee

I use my small appliances now hardly ever using the oven
Small reminder:
Check you've not left anything in the oven on a tray etc.
I've just found some mummified stuff I forgot
Oh the shame!

This! I can't say I haven't done this , I feel the shame
Also I only use my slow cooker(s) (why I have 3 is anybody's guess) Air fryer and got an induction hob which is saving a fortune on waiting for my antique electric cooker hob to heat up! It boils water faster than my kettle too
Not used my cooker/oven since February I think and it shows on my bills

Danma agree the bigger two drawer Ninja AFs are very scarce atm. DD has warned me there are scam sites offering them for sale so I would be very wary. Especially on sites like Gumtree!

I am sure my air fryer has paid for itself since I bought it last Oct/Nov as I have only used the oven twice since.

Salad weather has gone so I will be using mine most days of the week now along with my slow cooker and microwave.

I have been using my halogen oven ( usually kept in the motor home) instead of my oven in the hope that it’s cheaper . It has a large capacity, and grills / roasts / bakes beautifully. Only put the oven on if I can fill it with baking/ Sunday roast etc .

NotSpaghetti

This thread has totally amazed me.

For some reason I thought these would be super simple to use.
I cook nearly everything from scratch.. are they actually any use for me I wonder? I was on the brink of buying one but don't feel I want to learn a whole new way of doing things really.

Should I bother?

They are simple to use - or at least I find my Ninja very simple, and yes, I cook virtually everything from scratch too. I have made more than 20 jars of jam in mine this week alone, as well as doing semi-dried tomatoes using the dehydrate function, which have been put into jars with garlic, oregano and olive oil. That's in addition to cooking normal meals, which this week have included stew and dumplings, risotto and baked potatoes.

We bought an AF about 3 weeks ago and have only had one failure with it - crinkle cut chips - they were bullet proof! But chunky chips or homemade chips cook beautifully.

Our AF is a Breville (from Lakeland) and came with a 3 year guarantee. It has 3 wire shelves, a drip tray, a rotisserie and a rotating basket for chips and similar things. It's very easy to clean, all the shelves etc can go in the dishwasher but are just as easy to clean by hand. The glass door detaches and the stainless steel interior just wipes out. There's an interior light so you can watch cooking progress. It has preset programs for chips, chicken, vegetables and meat, but we usually use the manual functions to select temperature and cooking time. We treat it like a much smaller version of our main cooker, just reducing the cooking time because it's a smaller compartment. It's handy having three shelves as we can cook different foods at the same time.

Jacket Potatoes cook really well - 10 mins in the microwave and 10 mins in the AF - Voila! crispy golden skins and soft fluffy potato. That's the time for 2 very large potatoes.

Sausages and Bacon cook well, they don't splatter, and Chicken (thighs or quarters) is especially tender and tasty. We haven't tried a whole chicken yet.

Roast Potatoes and Vegetables can be cooked on the shelves or in the tumbler basket - crispy and crunchy outside and soft inside.

Homemade Chocolate Brownies and a Victoria Sponge turned out well too.

We still use our hob and microwave and will use the slow cooker for casseroles, but overall we are quite impressed with our Air Fryer.

One thing to keep in mind is how you will warm plates if you usually put them in the oven while food is cooking. We now put them in the microwave under dishes of vegetables as they cook.

I bought ours to save money on gas bills, by not using the oven - and that has worked well. Our gas bill in May was £52, in June £31, in July £18 and in August £17. Once we start using the gas central heating, the bills will obviously go up, but not using the oven is really helping.

Ooops - Charleygirl5. Got the spacing wrong!

Ah - thanks, * Charleygirl5*

I have noticed a huge number of airfryers coming onto Gumtree. They sell quickly but I can’t help thinking that many people are disappointed with them and simply recycle them via Gumtree.

Secondwind my air fryer is a small basket type and the sausages were perfect with no splattering around the kitchen. To clean the two baskets, I allow them to cool and soak in soapy water and it takes 2 seconds as they have a non-stick coating. I do have a dishwasher but I do not wash them in it regularly.

Missdeke they are large and once in the kitchen it would be a pain to put them in a cupboard after each use. They should not sit under the cupboards as they become very hot and the base must also be protected.

I suggest you visit a dept. store or a Currys to find out the sizes of them. Mine is beside my cooker so I can pop the basket onto the hob.

We had one (2)awhile but not used so elder son now experimenting as he can cook his own sausage rolls, chips etc. Gave first air fryer to DD and taking unused halogen one back it seems too fiddly.we will both persevere with the wilkos one.(easier to use, clean, & only £50!)