Air fryers-are they worth it?

Be careful, cheese and tomatoes on toast done in an airfryer can become addictive! I love mine, its a basic one, but I have had great success with it, I had stopped buying Pork as I just couldnt cook it without it being tough and squeaky, gave it another try in the airfryer and it was delish. Oven hardly used now.

Love my Ninja double drawer air fryer. Does everything that an oven does and more. It can bake, roast, crisp, slow cook and air fry. However, I am restricted by the size of the drawers if I need to put a larger dish in.

I often cook ready meals in my air fryer. It takes a little practice to get time/heat right but otherwise if it fits in you can cook it! There was an earlier thread where a kind poster had posted temperature and time conversions.

Due to arthritis I find preparing food difficult so can anyone tell me if you can cook ready meals in an airfryer?

The best news about my air fryer, and it wasn’t an expensive one, is that when I fed in my meter readings, they asked me twice to check if I’d Entered the correct Gas one it was so low.

Well they are now as cheap as chips so, yes, they probably are worth it. You can get one for around $50 (£25) ,even cheaper sometimes at Aldi, K Mart etc.

Cabbie21

Any advice on jacket potatoes? They are no quicker in the air fryer, but a lovely texture. Can I speed up the cooking time by part-cooking them in the microwave first?

Yes, you could, just as you can speed up baking them in an ordinary oven by part-cooking them in the microwave first. I used to microwave them while my conventional oven was getting up to temperature, then transfer them to the oven to finish off and crisp the skin. Much quicker. I've not tried that so far in my halogen oven, but it will work just as well.

Any advice on jacket potatoes? They are no quicker in the air fryer, but a lovely texture. Can I speed up the cooking time by part-cooking them in the microwave first?

spottysocks When you cut up your potatoes as chips make sure that you dry them off completely on kitchen roll. Then a quick spray with oil and place in airfryer drawer. I do mine at 180 degrees, for one portion takes about 12 -15 minutes, a little more for two portions together.

I haven’t had mine long but am pleased so far and it has saved me putting the oven on, which saves money and keeps the kitchen cooler.
Today I cooked sweet potato chips, which tasted better than the ordinary chips I did previously. I have also cooked lightly breadcrumbed fish from frozen, which was excellent. Also a mince dish topped with sliced potatoes- all cooked on the hob then finished off in the air fryer.

So, do you put your usual cake tin in the air fryer to make a cake? The only ones I make are tea loaves or banana bread. I assume a loaf tin wouldn’t fit in one?

Thanks Franbern it's good to know that using potatoes instead of frozen chips in a an airfryer gives good results

I’ve only had mine just over a week, so still getting used to it. However, I’ve cooked chicken breast and salmon in it along with some potato wedges, and was pleased with the results. I found they needed a bit longer than the guidance times given in the instruction book, but that wasn’t a problem. The thing I really like is there is virtually no pre heating required, so therefore the oven isn’t on as long, and the cooking time is a little bit less than the oven.
I won’t be giving up the oven completely, though. There are still times when it is needed, but the air-fryer will be a very useful addition.

spottysocks

I found the program interesting but I don't think I'll be buying one. for a start I'll have nowhere to store it in my small kitchen.
I don't know if anyone has ever tried using real potatoes to make chips and I wasn't too impressed with the way it only seemed to bake a small amount of cakes, I make a Victoria sponge often so I'll be sticking to my top small gas oven. They never tell you how much it costs to use gas only the cost of electric.

Yes, I have used my small airfryer to make chips (from pototoes) for the past year. I use a spray oil on them = just two or three sprays, and toss them about every five or so minutes. Comes out gorgeous.

When I was looking for a larger airfryer I looked at the two drawer ones. They all told me how wonderful they were as it meant that different foods, in the two drawers could be set to complete cooking at the same time. However, it still meant those drawers were too small to use for something like a whole chicken or a large cake. So, I opted for one BIG drawer, I am more than capable of putting in a second or third food item after first (or second) item has been cooking for some time, so finshing it all at same time.

Here, we had nasty hot, humid weather on Sunday - and visitors. I took the combi microwave and air fryer outside to a table under cover - then cooked out there.

Compared to using the 'big' oven (and heating the kitchen, like it or not) the running costs are low - so can anyone afford not to use other methods?

I also would not be without my air fryer.

Spotty socks I agree about not doing a comparison between airfryers and gas. We are expected to work it out for ourselves. It takes less time to warm up my airfryer than my gas oven and it takes less time to cook the fairy cakes but I haven’t tried anything bigger than a Bundt cake.

DD just showed me hers. She did some potato wedges in it. She did say though ( and my son made the same mistake) she wished she’d bought one with two drawers so she could cook two things at the same time.

I found the program interesting but I don't think I'll be buying one. for a start I'll have nowhere to store it in my small kitchen.
I don't know if anyone has ever tried using real potatoes to make chips and I wasn't too impressed with the way it only seemed to bake a small amount of cakes, I make a Victoria sponge often so I'll be sticking to my top small gas oven. They never tell you how much it costs to use gas only the cost of electric.

I still use my oven, my small oven. The large oven is only used when I have two full trays to bake of am using my very big casserole dish to make my ready meals. Last time I used my small oven I was baking a full tray of scones and in that case it is better than the air fryer. I like to batch bake, makes life easier and more economical.

My air fryer is really an accessory rather than essential. I used it today because I baked one nice piece of cod in a pesto sauce, just for me, foil dish and foil on top. This is when the air fryer proves its worth. I would not be putting any oven on for one piece of fish

Yesterday, for the first time I saw ‘Air fryer times’ on the koftas I was cooking. It was about 2/3 of the oven/grill time.

Franbern admittedly I have never cooked a whole chicken in my air fryer but my rule of thumb is if it says 40 minutes in an oven, after 18 minutes I check each minute. I roughly half the time.

It is 2 and a half years since I used my oven and I now use it as a cupboard.

I love turkey, but do not like turkey breast so they have priced themselves out of this house.

My larger airfryer has a window in the large drawer, and an internal light, so I can see how the cooking is going.

For me if ujust cooking for one or two people, I think this is more important in amdern kitchen than afll size oven. Do not think it will be long before main ovens will bettally replaced by air fryer ones,

Cannot think of anything I would cook in the oven that cannot go into the air fryer - for a much shorter cooking time. My small chicken (which I did yesterday), stated on it that it would require 1 hour 20 minutes in a fan oven at 180.
Mine was nearly overdone after 50 minutes at 170 !!!!!

I use an Air Fryer. Can't remember the last time I used my oven. I paid £70 from Amazon for one. It is the Uten Air Fryer and it is very good. You can cook anything in it.

I have a small fitted oven and also a small air fryer. The air fryer cuts out the pre-heating time and consequently is much quicker. It does a good job and is a good device to have in a kitchen. Mine is light enough to keep in a low cupboard. It does save energy

Mine has a round drawer which is only 18cm in diameter but foil dishes work well as they are squashable. I did find a couple of cake tins to fit in and also have several mini tart tins, excellent for filling with hm uncooked mince pies for freezing. Pop them frozen into the air fryer, beautiful result

Definitely not an essential item for me but a time and energy saver when I only want to cook or bake a small amount. I am glad I have one