Sorry but Airfryers!!

I can only go by my own experience, but I don't think I'd have got as much use out of a standalone airfryer as I do with my Ninja Foodi, which has a number of other functions including slow cooker, pressure cook, dehydrating, etc.

It comes down to what you actually want to / expect to be able to cook in it, and why.
Did you really want or need an airfryer, or did you just get one because they have become popular?

I love my Tefal basic airfryer, and it does everything I had hoped that it would be able to do, and it is used almost every day for meals where it will be quicker and more economical than using our pre-existing cooking appliances (oven/grill, microwave oven, downstairs cooker).

I will never attempt cook a joint of meat in it, but I do often cook small pieces of meat in it, such as steaks, sausages, chicken breasts or pork chops, along with potatoes and /or veg at the same time.

Even my OH uses it now for things like heating croissants or roasting a few nuts as a snack.

Do you already have a slow cooker, pressure cooker etc.? If so, why not just use those when appropriate rather than buying a new appliance. If not, perhaps ask yourself if you really need those functions in an airfryer - how likely are you to use them?

Downstairs cooker was meant to say slow cooker.

Every year or thereabouts, a new gadget arrives on the market. I’m on my own. I hardly use my pressure cooker. So no more new gadgets for me. 😂

Is it perhaps because you haven’t found a variety of recipes to use it for? Having said that, just about anything you would put in your oven, you could use the fryer for (not things made in sauces, stews, batters, etc, though). I’ve not had mine very long, and I don’t use it every day, but I have found that it’s good for doing the salmon recipe I used to do in the oven (I bought a silicon tray to put it in) The salmon goes in the dish with some tomatoes and a dash of white wine and cooks beautifully in the fryer. I’ve also cooked chicken breast, a gammon steak and, of course, the ubiquitous oven chips. I haven’t yet cooked my own chipped potatoes in it, but intend to. It’s good for reheating scones that have defrosted from the freezer, and bread etc.
I think that for me, it’s getting used to the timings as I find foods take a little longer than the guide book with the device suggests, but generally, the timings are pretty similar to the main oven but the pre heating of it is much less.
So perhaps experimenting a little more with it might endear it to you but if you still don’t like it, sell it on (or if you bought it from Lakeland they have their 3 year return guarantee as long as you have proof of purchase so would be able to get your money back). I hope you find that you can get on better with it, though 😊. Good luck.

I live on my own and I use my small air fryer a lot. It was in a sale for £40 and I think it has already paid for itself . I use it for mostly fish, jacket potatoes (brilliant) chicken pieces in fact anything that I would have put the big oven on for. Oven chips , individual pies quiches all work well . Great for the GD’s when they come. I have made individual lasagna portions in foil , frozen them and then cooked them in the air fryer as needed. If you have oven proof small dishes you can do things in sauces too. Great bit of kit . Probably should’ve got a bigger size but will do next time.

I passed my slow cooker on to my DD as I never used it. I use a pressure cooker and a microwave and now my airfryer (recommended by a GN user. It’s not an expensive one.
I cook cakes, pasta dishes, pies and small joints of meat on the rotisserie, though I found tying up a chicken was too much faff.
My much reduced gas bill reflects how much I use the airfryer.
My sister in law has an expensive Ninja Foodie. She told me all about dehydrating and the other things it can do. I was almost envious, and I had a try with it when we visited, but she doesn’t use it.

I think you just need to be braver! Assume your oven is out of bounds and try the air fryer. It doesn’t really fry unless you add oil otherwise it’s just a mini oven.

I hardly use my oven since I bought my small Airfryer with veg in the microwave and everything else in the Airfryer my oven is almost obsolete.

Ours is just a straightforward air fryer and it's used daily. You adjust the time and the temperature to suit what you're cooking. Long and low for casseroles etc. Higher temp for shorter time for crispy fries. The only limit is the size.

DDs toaster broke, so we tried the air fryer. Brilliant result.

crazyH

Every year or thereabouts, a new gadget arrives on the market. I’m on my own. I hardly use my pressure cooker. So no more new gadgets for me. 😂

Thought I was the only one

Thank you , you are right

Thank you everyone I truly think I need to re look at what I can do with it , it doesn’t help that we are cutting down on meat so I am getting very confused with it all

Ruthiek I don’t eat meat or fish and must admit a lot that I cook myself goes on the hob, stir fries, etc but I use my ( cheap ish one drawer) air fryer for lots of other things like vegi sausages, spring rolls, pizzas (shop bought of course I m not really interested in cooking 😊)
As I said a kitchen goddess I m not and don’t spend much time in the kitchen but I have made cheese straws and scones in it and toasted bread there is a LOT more I could do
I haven’t used my oven since Christmas

Don't know what I would do now without my Air fryer. Hardly used my oven since I got it.
As others have said if it goes in an oven, it can go in an Air fryer.

Yesterday I made a spanakopita - it barely fits in my oven. The day before my husband made bread in a bread oven (in the oven) and the day before that I made a tagine for six.

My feeling is that an air-fryer would have been a good idea for the 2 baked potatoes the day before, but I suspect my oven would still be in good use.

Hardly used the oven since I bought my middle of the range air=fryer in the sales. So handy and versatile, and is in use on a virtually daily basis. Also great for healthy eating, and of course, saves money on the energy bills. I'd invest in a cheap recipe book, and you might be pleasantly surprised, Still wouldn't be without my large slow cooker for batch cooking stews, casseroles, currys etc. for freezing.

My 2 baked potatoes are quickest done in the microwave, but so much nicer crisped up in the airfryer.

tanith

I hardly use my oven since I bought my small Airfryer with veg in the microwave and everything else in the Airfryer my oven is almost obsolete.

We are the same, we only use the oven if we have family with us for a meal, we only tend to use the air fry, bake or grill functions though.

Blue belle wow thanks

Mollygo - thank you.
I don't have/use a microwave!
I would need to buy both then I suppose... But I do love baked potatoes!

I have an air fryer oven with shelves and rarely use my conventional oven unless cooking a roast for the family. It’s brilliant for fish such as salmon, cod fillets and smoked haddock, and steaks, chicken, chops and baking pies. I’m afraid I have a fondness for German bratwurst sausages and it cooks them quickly without them spitting all over the place like conventional sausages. Makes brilliant very light scones. Extremely easy to clean too. I’ve never fiddled around with the accessories, but my trained chef DS made lovely kebabs and rotisserie chicken in it. Home made chips are a bit hit and miss, but I don’t eat them much anyway.

My oven is used as a cupboard. I live on my own so have no need for it as it took 20 minutes to heat up. I could have a meal almost ready by the time it was.

French fries are divine and although I hardly cook sausages there is no mess on the cooker. The smoke alarm in my kitchen is ultra-sensitive so that rarely happens now- only if I am using the gas hob as well.

It has saved me a lot of money over the last 2 years.