Air Fryers - anyone use one of these?

[Scarecrow]

The lady has suggested we invest in an air fryer. I understand it's a good way to fry foods in a healthier way as well as save some oil. Has anyone on Era tried out one of these guys? Do you find it better than regular frying/deep frying? What foods have the best results?

 

[Alice]

They're just small convection ovens. If your oven has a setting like that, you'll be wasting your money.

 

[Ziltoidia 9]

Upside is faster than usual oven. Down side is cleanup. Since I'm on a keto diet, I use it to fry low carb tortillas to have chips the most at the moment.

 

[bluexy]

It is not better than frying/deep frying, but it is better (by a lot) than an oven.

 

[Greenymac]

Roasted small potatoes.....

 

[sph3re]

Watched some videos of people testing these things out, they didn't see a considerable difference in crispiness between this and regular frying

The things they cooked ended up being drier on the whole, but weren't as flavourful

I haven't seen anybody suggest that you get one of these over a regular fryer, I wouldn't bother

 

[Pall Mall]

I love my small air fryer as just a small oven to cook little side dishes and stuff when I need the stove/main oven or I don't feel like using the main oven. I wouldn't say it has some special quality other than being a nice little extra oven.

 

[Deleted member 4367]

I don't know how anybody can regularly deep fry things at home. It stinks so bad!

 

[Faenix1]

I have a Tfal Actifry, and it tastes no different to me than out of the oven. It also feels like it takes forever, but the one plus is fries are not as hard as when out of the oven.

If you end up getting one, check if it has a thing that spins inside to turn stuff for you. If it does, move on. The one in my Actifry just ends up destroying everything, unless it's just a batch of fries. I tried doing fish sticks and they just get mulched into quarters. lol

Could just be the T-Fal Actifry is a poor airfryer, I went back to a Deep Fryer and I have no plans to test others fryers anytime soon.

 

[0ptimusPayne]

Been borrowing my GFs mothers air fryer for the last two weeks. Thing is bomb af. When I get my own, I'll invest in a bigger one though. I love how fast it cooks my chicken too.

 

[Deleted member 437]

I have a convection oven.

Does mine just suck complete and utter asshole?

It has a fan in the back that does spin, but food NEVER gets crispy in it, unlike just the regular bake setting.

I put in chicken wings and fries. The fries were limp and the chicken wings still felt undercooked. And I put it for even MORE time thank I would normal bake mode, even though its supposed to be "faster" and "more efficient".

 

[EssBeeVee]

They're just small convection ovens. If your oven has a setting like that, you'll be wasting your money.

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not really.

because if you just want to make a single serving thing you don't have to heat up the big oven and the house to do so.

 

[Septimus Prime]

They're just small convection ovens. If your oven has a setting like that, you'll be wasting your money.

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Hard disagree. A regular oven with the setting takes much longer to preheat, doesn't circulate the air as well, and is much harder to clean (can't just pop it into the dishwasher). It's designed to bake faster--not crisp, like an air fryer is.

That being said, OP, I wouldn't necessarily recommend getting just an air fryer. You should get a Ninja Foodi or Ninja Foodi Grill, which both can air fry and do other things.

 

[Ramirez]

I make chicken in mine all the time, it's so juicy and great. I hate the clean up because it's bigger than my sink, but ah well.

Back before I quit eating so much bad food, I made Nathan's frozen fries in it all the time too, I seriously couldn't tell much of a difference. They were crispy and cooked through, without the super greasy feel/taste.

 

[wwm0nkey]

Yes, been making a lot of baked pototes in it (Also Chicken Katsu). Just coat them with olive oil and some salt and those fuckers turn out real good when done. Also chicken nuggets in an air fryer >>>>>>>>>>>>> a microwave.

 

[TheOMan]

If you really want one - I recommend getting a countertop convection toaster oven instead. Can essentially do everything an air fryer can do and more.

 

[R0987]

We own a Philips XXL one and we use it almost daily.

 

[BLEEN]

I still think they're a waste of money personally. Anything an airfryer can do so can an oven, convection or not. But some people swear by them so whatever. I cook daily and an airfryer would get zero use from me. I've used them at a friend's and they're just okay, nothing to write home about besides it being quicker.

If you know how to use an oven and understand time & temps well enough, it's unneeded is my takeaway.

Alternatively, just get a regular ol' fashioned convection oven which has more uses and is almost always cheaper with more room inside for the goods.

 

[Galaxea]

I love my air fryer. I cook salmon, chicken, frozen food and many other things on it. My wife rolled her eyes when I wanted one but she's now a believer. Some companies make them where you can cook a whole chicken rotisserie style. I might upgrade my old one soon.

 

[nullref]

The name sort of annoys me, because it makes people think it's doing some unique thing—but it's mostly just a small convection toaster oven in a specific form factor. It roasts your food. It can do that in a quick, efficient, optimized way because of the relatively small size of the cooking chamber, but that's what it's doing, and it's fundamentally different from deep frying.

A lot of people seem to like them, but the cooking tasks they seem optimized for are things I don't personally do much—reheating frozen fried foods, quickly roasting small portions of things, etc.—so I don't have a use for one.

 

[Sirhc]

They're great, is it going to be as good as deep frying? No, nothing can match that deliciousness. But it is going to be much healthier and you can do some other options as well, my wife loves making a quick baked potato in there.

They take a little to get used to on cooking times but once you adjust its an essential kitchen sidekick for making sides or small meals.

 

[Septimus Prime]

I still think they're a waste of money personally. Anything an airfryer can do so can an oven, convection or not. But some people swear by them so whatever. I cook daily and an airfryer would get zero use from me. I've used them at a friend's and they're just okay, nothing to write home about besides it being quicker.

If you know how to use an oven and understand time & temps well enough, it's unneeded is my takeaway.

Alternatively, just get a regular ol' fashioned convection oven which has more uses and is almost always cheaper with more room inside for the goods.

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This is such a stupid take. "If you put forth a lot more effort, you can take longer to replicate the results of a $60 device that'll do it for you." Wow, yes, you're way smarter than us, dude.

 

[BLEEN]

This is such a stupid take. "If you put forth a lot more effort, you can take longer to replicate the results of a $60 device that'll do it for you." Wow, yes, you're way smarter than us, dude.

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It's not a 'take'. It's my informed opinion as someone that's been cooking daily for years and a recommendation towards alternatives.

Chill.

 

[Shodan14]

This comes up like once a month and the first reply is always that it's a small convection oven, which is pretty much the end of it.

This is such a stupid take. "If you put forth a lot more effort, you can take longer to replicate the results of a $60 device that'll do it for you." Wow, yes, you're way smarter than us, dude.

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I never understand why some people think everyone has unlimited counter space. I don't care how cheap it is, I can't fit 10+ single use devices in my kitchen.

 

[Murasaki]

I love my Air Fryer. Bought it on a whim and it quickly justified it's purchase price. 5 min sumac pitta chips for dipping, super-quick bhajis and pakoras. It can't do everything but I've been pleasantly surprised by how much it can do.

 

[darkhunger]

My air fryer basically replaced my microwave for reheating solid, less watery food... it does it so much quicker and better (my instant pot takes care of the rest)

From a convenience sake, it's just so good at what it does... haven't touched my oven or microwave since I got it... it also makes the best hard boiled eggs for breakfast with a touch of a button.

 

[Alice]

not really.

because if you just want to make a single serving thing you don't have to heat up the big oven and the house to do so.

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That's silly. The Air Frier eats at least as much energy as the "big oven".

Hard disagree. A regular oven with the setting takes much longer to preheat, doesn't circulate the air as well, and is much harder to clean (can't just pop it into the dishwasher). It's designed to bake faster--not crisp, like an air fryer is.

That being said, OP, I wouldn't necessarily recommend getting just an air fryer. You should get a Ninja Foodi or Ninja Foodi Grill, which both can air fry and do other things.

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You can disagree, but that doesn't change the fact that it's nothing more than a miniature convection oven, and I pull the same results every time I use mine.

An oven, harder to clean is hilarious, though. All you do is change the baking paper or clean the tray, you're not supposed to get gunk all over the rest of the oven. XD

 

[Lebron]

It's the proper way to reheat.

Embrace it into your life

 

[Murasaki]

That's silly. The Air Frier eats at least as much energy as the "big oven".

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Given how long it takes a conventional oven to reach 220° this is absolutely wrong. I've checked the difference in energy consumption myself using our smart meter.

 

[EssBeeVee]

That's silly. The Air Frier eats at least as much energy as the "big oven".

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idk where you got your information but thats wrong.

 

[exodus]

You just need to realize it's a small, very fast convection oven. It's good for heating up small portions of things quickly, and it does make things crispier than even a convection oven or toaster oven. The downside is that it's really large for the amount of things you can make in it.

While I use mine that I got as a gift a lot for things like chicken nuggets and reheating chicken wings, if I had to buy something myself, I'd just get a really nice toaster oven since it's far more versatile. You can't heat up light things in an air fryer since the fan will send them flying into the burner (e.g. things like Croissants, or anything with cheese).

 

[Werd]

I bought the Oster toaster oven version for $70 a while back, it's a little larger than my old toaster oven but not much extra space. I haven't put much effort into using it to actually fry things from scratch, but it's great for reheating or on some Frozen foods. Faster and crispier.

 

[MrFarenheit]

So what are the best foods to reheat? We've had ours for quite awhile and I'm still not 100% on what works best. I know fried cheocken etc but not sure what else.

 

[Darryl M R]

I love mine. It's really easy to make crispy chicken thighs or french fries for a basic lunch.

 

[Magnet_Man]

I have a Ninja Foodi grill after they were on sale during Christmas last year and it's fantastic. And it comes with a cook book for really simple recipes and a list of instructions for all kinds of foods, especially from frozen which is a huge timesaver for me. Clean up is pretty good as everything fits in the dishwasher but cleaning out the pan that catches the grease is a little bit of work, so I bought some plastic funnels so I can pour it out into an empty soda can and throw it.

Fryers are great for anything from the frozen food aisle. Frozen potatoes like fries, hash browns, fritters. Chicken strips, nuggets, patties, breast. Hamburgers, steaks, fish sticks, fish fillets. But one of my favorites is breaded mozzarella sticks and it only takes like 8 minutes including preheat time and taste better than restaurant ones. Heat some of them up while boiling spaghetti and get some ranch sauce for dipping.

The main thing is that air fryers are for people that can't cook. I don't think fryers have the capacity or ability to make more complicated food. For single people, it's a god send but if you're cooking for a family it's pretty much just for making the sides to the main meal.

But I love it and can't imagine being without one anymore.

 

[machine]

My oven is gas and takes forever to get up to temperature. Since I am usually cooking for one, it's also kind of wasteful to heat up the whole oven for small portions. I can pull out the air fryer and make a baked potato in the time it would take just to warm up my oven. Convenient and frugal. Everyone's circumstance is different. For some it's a helpful tool in the kitchen and for some its apparently a waste of time and they can't see why ANYONE would need one...

 

[Rag]

I love our air fryer. I make some kickass fries with it, and it is really good for reheating pizza. It's also an easy way to have an element of dinner that doesn't need any attending to. If I'm making fries, I set it for a half hour, and aside from pulling out the basket and shaking it a few times, I don't have to mess with it, and can focus on whatever meat and vegetables I'm cooking.

 

[linkboy]

Anyone have any opinion on units like this?

My fiancée and I just got a new apartment and we need a new microwave, but I'd like an air fryer as well.

 

[Jayuk]

My GF and I have had this one since October

Short answer: we love it, but some things just won't ever be better in an air fryer, and the clean up can be nasty depending on what you make in it. But I love making fries in it.

Long answer: I have cooked fries, homemade breaded chicken, wings, fish, a home made blooming onion, homemade mini cheesecakes, and more in the air fryer. Some things turned out horribly (the blooming onion was awful. Maybe it was my fault when I made it, but we hated it) and some things are almost as good as deep frying (like the fries and breaded chicken). You have to put SOME oil (I use sprayed vegetable oil or olive oil) on certain things in order for them to taste "fried" and cook well. The plus side to all of this, is that you're not deep frying anything so it's just a little bit of oil. You can make things in it too that you normally can't deep fry, such as banana bread or mini cheese cakes. I haven't deep fried anything since October, and tbh I don't feel the need to 90 percent of the time. But of course, I still think deep frying tastes better. My advice is, even if it's just for two people, try and get one with a decent sized basket. It makes it easier to cook more things than just fries.

 

[RetroMG]

Air fryers are great but I wouldn't recommend buying an air fryer by itself. I've had a standalone air fryer and I didn't think it had enough uses to justify the cupboard space. If you want an air fryer, best to buy a device that also air fries. For example:
Ninja Foodi (Pressure Cooker + Air Fryer)
Ninja Foodi Oven (Toaster Oven + Air Fryer)
Ninja Foodi Grill (Indoor Grill + Air Fryer)

I own the Foodi and the Foodi Oven, and I personally use the oven a lot. For example, yesterday morning my wife toasted a bagel for her and a waffle for our daughter for breakfast. For lunch, I baked some chicken thighs and my wife made english muffin pizzas for her and my daughter. For dinner, I cooked burgers out on the grill, and my wife cut potato wedges and air fried them in french fries. The oven is substantially bigger than a normal toaster oven, but it still works in my kitchen space. (It also folds up and out of the way, but we never do that.)

As other people have said, it's real strength is heating frozen foods and reheating leftovers. Leftover pizza from the air fryer is just a hair away from being just as good as eating it fresh. I mentioned making chicken and french fries, and I've even made a grilled cheese sandwich in one. (It was good, but different from one made in a pan and it wasn't any faster or easier.)

Hope this helps.

 

[Arttemis]

I have a larger, countertop, convection / toaster oven and it is phenomenal! The "super convection" functionality cranks up the internal fan to seemingly twice the speed, and really develops a noticeable crisp on the food.

It preheats in like 3 minutes, cooks faster, and gives me a ton of functionality that I didn't have before.

Left over pizza in this thing is now approximately the quality of the original, with crispy, outer crust that's still internally soft.

 

[Emrober5]

I have the Philips Air Fryer XL and it is incredible. It was a gift, and I never thought I would use it, but the first use made me a believer.

We cook almost all of our chicken in there (breast, wings, whole chickens, etc), and use it for potatoes all the time as well. The food legitimately tastes like its fried, but we have never used any oil at all.

I don't know (or care) how it works, but its great.

Also, with the one I have we just throw the components in the dishwasher, clean up is easy.

 

[Deleted member 19844]

They're just small convection ovens. If your oven has a setting like that, you'll be wasting your money.

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Takes longer to heat up and uses more energy.

Upside is faster than usual oven. Down side is cleanup. Since I'm on a keto diet, I use it to fry low carb tortillas to have chips the most at the moment.

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I have one of those ninja air fryers and the cleanup isn't bad at all. Less than a couple of minutes.

 

[mm04]

Team Ninja Foodi here. I use it just about every day. Anything that's not liquid, I reheat in it over a microwave oven. Cleanup is ridiculously easy for the Foodi as well.

 

[PHOENIXZERO]

No OP, you could be the first.

 

[NeonCarbon]

I love mine, although different types of fries/chips do better than others. Also good for popcorn chicken, nuggets etc. Sausages are really gooood. Haven't tried anything crazy.
Cleanup is good, usually just put the tray in dishwasher.

 

[Deadly Cyclone]

They're just small convection ovens. If your oven has a setting like that, you'll be wasting your money.

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I mean, yes and no. We love ours, way quicker and it does get crispier than a regular oven. They are not a waste of money. We also use ours a ton of reheating food. Almost as quick as a microwave with way better results.

 

[VanWinkle]

That's silly. The Air Frier eats at least as much energy as the "big oven".




You can disagree, but that doesn't change the fact that it's nothing more than a miniature convection oven, and I pull the same results every time I use mine.

An oven, harder to clean is hilarious, though. All you do is change the baking paper or clean the tray, you're not supposed to get gunk all over the rest of the oven. XD

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You're ignoring simple science to suit your opinion of them. The fan in an air fryer is FAAAARRRR proportionally larger than the fan in a convection oven, and its circular shape is better for air flow, making for much more powerful convection cooking. Its small size also means preheating takes 1-2 minutes instead of of 10-15. The proximity of the food to the fan and heating element means food will get browner/crisper much faster.

Its a great device for people to make one to two proportions of certain kinds of food. Certainly doesn't replace a fryer for some stuff, but to just say its nothing more than a convection over it tremendously underselling it.

 

[Deleted member 19844]

That's silly. The Air Frier eats at least as much energy as the "big oven".

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Wait, could you back that up with some data? Intuitively that doesn't make sense.

 

[VanWinkle]

Wait, could you back that up with some data? Intuitively that doesn't make sense.

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Oh yeah, that's wrong, too. Air fryers use almost half the wattage, and they're turned on for a far shorter time, too, since they hardly have to preheat at all, and food cooks much faster.