Airfrying rather than oven

Franburn - thank you for your encouragement! Where do get the silicone inserts from please?

Oh dear.....Hide my head in shame - Amazon, of course for those silicone inserts!!!

Mrsemmapeel10

Franburn - thank you for your encouragement! Where do get the silicone inserts from please?

I had some reusable cake tin (the ones you bake a cake in) liners bought ages ago from Dunelm, and I've cut one of those to fit the bottom of my air fryer cage, and even put some holes in it with a hole punch so that the air can still circulate more freely. That was my theory anyway, though it would probably work just as well without the holes.

I only use it when I want to protect the non-stick surface because I'm putting a casserole dish in, or when cooking some slightly messy foods. For instance, I made myself a toasted cheese sandwich for lunch today, and I put that liner in to catch any cheese that ran out.
If I'm making something very messy, I sometimes line the bottom of the drawer with kitchen foil. It makes cleaning up afterwards very easy.

Please be careful with paper liners in the Ninja-type ones. The FB groups are full of horror stories about people who have found that the fan pushes them up against the element.

Since I got my airfryer earlier this year, DS and DiL have thought long and hard about getting one.

After a lot of research and careful consideration over the summer, they finally decided yesterday that they would get a specific Ninja model, with two drawers.

No luck at all so far - apparently, due to the huge amount of publicity they've received in recent days, they have flown out of the shops. They couldn't track down the model they want anywhere!

In desperation, they even rang Curry's, and were laughingly told that a dozen people had already rung the store that day (it was only 10 am.) hoping to find exactly the same thing!

They’ve certainly gone up in price. The one I bought from Argos in April is now considerably more expensive.

Amazon or eBay may be able to help.

There are loads of videos about buying and using air fryers on YouTube. Can I just point out that the photos provided by the manufacturers are misleading in as much they show the drawer full to the brim with food whereas in reality they work best with the food in a shallow layer.
The Fabulously Frugal YT channel gives good advice on air fryers .

Will they ALL cook home made Yorkshire pudding and meringues?
How would you cook a roast beef dinner for four people? Would you have to do it in batches?

I watched 1pizza2many. He fully and honestly evaluates, cooks with and reviews various ninjas. From him I learned a great deal.

I have a Ninja Foodie, it does everything from pressure cooking to air frying, roasting, sautéing and much more. Great for small amounts. If I have the oven on then I batch cook and fill it to maximise its use.

ExDancer in answer to your questions based on 3 shelf Tower Xpress:
Yorkshire puddings? Oven rise is brilliant; maximum fan temperature is 200C so both would suit. (I’d preheat for 3 mins.) I haven’t yet made Yorkshires but I’m having enormous success with bread which I make from scratch. Crust colouring is even better than in my fan oven. Roast potatoes and garlic bread cooked so far suggest you’ll achieve a good crispness.
I’m ambivalent about the roast beef dinner. This afternoon we’re having roast chicken for 3, so no Yorkshires and I microwave my veg anyway. While the chicken rests we’ll cook the roasties. The TX will be fine for this but roast beef and all it entails for 4…? I’m keen to read what others think.

What not to put in an air fryer! DH still thinking that it works like a microwave!

ExDancer

Will they ALL cook home made Yorkshire pudding and meringues?
How would you cook a roast beef dinner for four people? Would you have to do it in batches?

Yes, they will all cook yorkshire puddings. The problem with the Ninja type ones is getting trays to fit, but the shelf ones take four-hole trays.

Ive just heard the Ninja type air fryers are are in such demand they are now out of stock everywhere!

SachaMac

Ive just heard the Ninja type air fryers are are in such demand they are now out of stock everywhere!

My DS and DiL discovered this at the weekend, but should have one soon.
If I understood them correctly (it was noisy when DS was trying to tell me), they contacted the manufacturer in the end, were told there would be some available in three weeks time, and they put in an order there and then.

We've got quite a big one and would be struggling to cook a roast dinner for four. Might be possible in the ones with trays. I would use the oven for a dinner for more than two of us usually. But it depends on what you want to cook as well.

I don't think that either style is ideal for traditional 'meat and two veg style dinners, but in conjunction with a microwave and a slow cooker they could easily replace an oven if that's what people want.

Personally, I use mine more than the oven, but see them as an addition rather than a replacement.

My airfryer is a small compact one. For me it is an additional cooking facility in my kitchen - definitely not a replacement for the main oven. It takes its place alongside the microwave and slow cooker. When I am cooking just for myself (which is most of the time), however, if I am cooking a meal for several people prefer to use main oven, etc.

I am not someone who wants to do any sort of 'batch' cooking' Do not have (nor wish for) enough freezer space for this purpose, and I really do much prefer cooking ALL meals from scratch. Can so easily make a really nourishing meal from scratch in such a short time with the above mentioned machines no real point in eating frozen meals.

Airfryers are a very useful addition to my kitchen, well worth the cost of a small one. If I was still cooking for a family not sure if I would consider both the cost of the large ones, nor the space it would take up on a worktop very high on my li st of priorities, Do wonder how many of these big ones will end up stored in cupboards (available on ebay) when the craze on using them eases off in couple of years time.

I agree Franbern. I got my Ninja well ahead of the energy crisis, so it wasn't bought as an energy saving device but as a 'gadget' that might make cooking more interesting and/or convenient. I am disappointed in it for the reasons I have posted on various threads, and don't really recommend that style, although the pressure cook and slow cook facilities are well worth having in stand-alone appliances. The Tower one (shelves and oven-style) however, is a genuinely useful addition (it is used in our lodge/glorified caravan - I don't collect them ) and I do recommend those.

So often when something new comes along there are people who refuse to bother with them unless they do all sorts of things that they were never designed to do, and I don't really understand that way of thinking. They are what they are - gadgets to cut down on time and energy when appropriate, such as for cooking smallish quantities of oven baked/roasted/fried items instead of heating up a large oven cavity. They do that very well, but if you want something to cater for a dinner party or make a wedding cake, they are not the thing to do it. That doesn't mean that they are not useful for days when you aren't entertaining or catering for large numbers - it's not all or nothing.

Well I've succumbed to the hype and ordered a small AF from an unknown brand. Watched numerous You Tube channels before deciding to buy. I don't eat much fried or beige food but my OH does so can see him using it regularly. I will use it for chicken breasts etc as well as salmon fillets (love crispy skin on any fish), roast veg and jacket potatoes. Found YT demos very informative don't think I would have bought one otherwise. Arrives tomorrow.

I'm enjoying experimenting with mine!
Today I put two large chunky frozen fish fingers in and pressed the automatic air fryer function.
By the time I'd hung the washing on the clothes horse they were ready for my sandwich for lunch, mmm... ?

I made a delicious pudding the other day.

Melt some butter in a bowl, ass sugar and cinnamon, then slice in bananas (one per portion - I made it up as I went along, so can't give other quantities, so just do it to taste).

Stir to coat the bananas throughly and air fry in a single layer until caramelised. Serve with ice cream.

Daughter2 has an air fryer, can't say I see her use it. Maybe it was an impulse type of purchase, never seems to leave it's spot on the shelf.

We're happily cooking as we always have, without gadgets.

Get her to try the bananas next time you visit? They can’t go wrong and we’re really lovely.