Air fryer, anyone?

[Moemg]

I got an air fryer and I love it. Thanks NW I got the Gourmia air fryer . It is a learning curve especially the cooking times .I made coconut shrimp and it was awesome .

 

[clifp]

I got my Air Fryer (Phillips) during Amazon Prime day, and I love it. I really needed to start eating more vegetables, because other than salads I seldom made them at home.

But I love the convenience and taste of the everything from Costco frozen stir-fry vegetables to sweet potato, zucchini and kombucha fries. It is also good for easy cleanup meals of pork ribs and pork chops.

I liked mine so much I got one for my secret santa person.

 

[NW-Bound]

Or you can do what I do with my toaster oven - put the thing outside on a table and let it heat the great outdoors rather than your cool house.

...

As mentioned on post #45, we have not one, but two toaster ovens outside in the covered patio, where I have a counter with a 4-burner stove top, and a kitchen sink.

And these are in addition to the toaster oven in the kitchen, and the air fryer.

PS. My wife regrets not having a full oven outdoor, instead of just the stove top. And she already has a double oven inside.

 

[NW-Bound]

I am wondering the same thing. If I really like with the AF does, why not go whole hog and buy a good quality convection oven?

To cook small portions such as two fish fillets for a meal for two persons, the air fryer gets the job done in 5-6 minutes. I doubt that a larger convection oven even gets up to temperature in that amount of time.

 

[ransil]

AF makes the best tater tots..

 

[Moemg]

I made chicken wings without a drop of oil and they were fabulous and crispy .I love this appliance .

 

[Red Badger]

I was trying to find comparisons between an air fryer and a convection oven, but not the countertop convection ovens that look like a toaster oven, but rather the large ovens we all have in our kitchens, but have a "convection" feature.
I have a Bosch convection oven, which has a "convection roast" setting. Is there any reason to think that the small countertop air fryer units would work better than one of these?

I have 2 convection toaster ovens (one's an outside pup). The air fryer is a whole new ball game! It truly makes fries, onion rings, fish'n'chips, etc like they were deep fried. I have an earlier post on this thread on the Cuisinart unit that we opted for. Pricey, but DS and I love it.

Get an AF. Life is fleeting.

 

[Moemg]

They more I use the air fryer they more I love it and I dislike special appliances . We eat fish several times a week and the air fryer makes it so quick and the clean up is a breeze .Last night I made crab cakes and they were perfect .

 

[HadEnuff]

I made chicken wings without a drop of oil and they were fabulous and crispy .I love this appliance .

I bought one, inspired by this thread. I did chicken wings. Did not care for them. They were crispy on the outside, and looked great. But I didn't like the texture compared to when I roast them or grill them, or compared to when I buy them at my favorite chicken wing bar. I found them to be chewy, almost rubbery. DW agreed.

Also did some onions and zucchini. Same thing. Must be me.

I took it back to Walmart. On the way in two different women asked me how I liked it. I basically told them what I just told you. They both looked at me and said "yeah, me too."

I have a high-end Bosch convection oven at home, and I may fiddle around with that and see if I can make that do things I like.

To each his/her own. Didn't work for me, though.

 

[NW-Bound]

I bought one, inspired by this thread. I did chicken wings. Did not care for them. They were crispy on the outside, and looked great. But I didn't like the texture compared to when I roast them or grill them, or compared to when I buy them at my favorite chicken wing bar. I found them to be chewy, almost rubbery. DW agreed.

Also did some onions and zucchini. Same thing. Must be me...

Is it possible that you overcooked the wings? What I have found is that the cooking time is so short, it's easy to overcook most food. I also preheat the fryer for a couple of minutes before popping in the food.

When I do something new, or do not remember the time I did the last time, I keep my Thermapen handy, and check the temperature every minute. Along with the temperature checking I also turn or sauté the food to ensure even cooking.

 

[HadEnuff]

Is it possible that you overcooked the wings? What I have found is that the cooking time is so short, it's easy to overcook most food. I also preheat the fryer for a couple of minutes before popping in the food.

When I do something new, or do not remember the time I did the last time, I keep my Thermapen handy, and check the temperature every minute. Along with the temperature checking I also turn or sauté the food to ensure even cooking.

quite possible.

 

[NW-Bound]

I just made chicken sandwich for dinner with the air fryer.

Four thin fillets about 3/4" thick, defrosted but still cold. So, I put them in the microwave for 1 minute to warm them up. Preheated the air fryer at 370F for 1 minute. Cooked 1st side for 3 minutes. Temperature checked at 140F. Turned them over, then cooked for 2 minutes for the other side. Temperature checked at 170F. Done.

I then set the timer for 1 min to heat the buns. I had to do them in 2 batches. The first batch, I pulled out the tray at about 20 sec. They got nicely warm. Done. Put the other batch in, and run the oven for the remaining time (40 sec). They came out looking like toast!

 

[Moemg]

I made chicken kebabs in the air fryer .I cut up chicken , green pepper and an onion . I marinated it in soy sauce with a pinch of honey . After everything was skewered I brushed them with olive oil ( a pinch) .15 minutes at 370 and they were perfect .

 

[NW-Bound]

I have not tried kebab in the air fryer, but would have thought that 15 minutes would be too long to cook it.

I have been using the air fryer to toast hoagie rolls to make lunch sandwiches. With the fryer set at 370F and preheated for 1 minute, I only need to put the rolls in for 1 minute, then turn them for even toasting then set for just 1 more minute. The skin is crispy, and the center is steaming when I cut the rolls.

 

[MichaelB]

Here’s an interesting article from one of the The NY Times food writers. It’s in part a review of the air fryer, but some cooking tips are also shared. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/01/...lights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront

After air frying nearly a dozen batches using different techniques, I found that cooking them in stages at two different temperatures (350 degrees, then 400) yielded a solid A-minus batch of fries: not as good as deep-fried, but better than my oven-baked fries, and easy enough for a Tuesday at home when the craving struck
./.
Serious Eats, Mr. Mims coats the chicken skin with baking powder before air frying. The baking powder expands in the heat and causes the skin to bubble up and turn supremely crisp, he explained.
./.
So I asked Mr. Mims, other than chicken wings and French fries, what were the best things I could make in my air fryer?

“Vegetables!” he said before I’d even finished the question. “Especially the soggy ones.”

“The air fryer fan wicks away excess moisture, almost dehydrating food, so it’s really great for notoriously soggy vegetables like zucchini, summer squash, eggplant and okra,” he continued. “The pieces get dried and crunchy on the outside and tender within.”

I tried his suggestions, tossing the vegetables with a tiny bit of oil and air frying until the pieces were burnished, glistening and tender-crisp. They were all a bit better than if I’d run them under my broiler, and far easier and less messy than frying.

 

[Moemg]

I have not tried kebab in the air fryer, but would have thought that 15 minutes would be too long to cook it.



.

The chicken pieces were really big .Plus I like my chicken cooked through . The nice thing about the kebabs were the vegetables stayed really crisp .
I have been using my air fryer once a week since I got it and I absolutely love the gadget .

 

[NW-Bound]

I use mine every day. And I am rarely using the toaster oven now, which is slow and not energy-efficient in comparison.

I never have a convection toaster oven, but doubt that it can approach the speed of the smaller air fryers. Of course, the convection toaster oven has a much larger capacity, but for daily use for 2 people, the air fryer is of just the right size.

 

[ls99]

Can the air fryer make toast? If so i might get rid the toaster oven.

 

[NW-Bound]

It burns my slice of sandwich bread in less than 2 min. It is that fast.

A drawback is the capacity, but most toaster ovens are of the 2-slice type anyway.

 

[Red Badger]

Can the air fryer make toast? If so i might get rid the toaster oven.

My Cuisinart does. It's a toaster oven with convection/air fryer options. It was spendy (~$300), but replaced a good quality toaster oven. As mentioned earlier, almost life changing.

 

[Bamaman]

Every person in our family uses our air fryer 4-5 times per day. At that rate, it's not going to last very long. Next time, we'll go for a larger version.

And my wife complains about having to wash the interior out time and time again daily. Well that's just part of it.

We still love the appliance.

 

[ls99]

Several posters agreed, yes does toast. Not sure if I should buy one now or wait until they show up at goodwill for five bucks, slightly used. My current toaster oven is about eight years old and works fine, just takes up a good bit of counter space.
Or go with "blow that Dough" decisions decisions.

 

[NW-Bound]

It's just a "heat applicator", with the speed somewhere between that of a regular oven and a blow torch.

Whatever a regular oven does, an air fryer does it faster, often too fast if you are not careful, particularly for new users.

 

[Red Badger]

Several posters agreed, yes does toast. Not sure if I should buy one now or wait until they show up at goodwill for five bucks, slightly used. My current toaster oven is about eight years old and works fine, just takes up a good bit of counter space.
Or go with "blow that Dough" decisions decisions.

Option #3....

Cut a hole in the side of existing toaster oven.
Insert a kick-ass hair dryer.
See if it air fries.
Yes - dilemma solved
No - pop rivet and sheet metal fix to the hole.

Easy peasy!

 

[ls99]

Option #3....

Cut a hole in the side of existing toaster oven.
Insert a kick-ass hair dryer.
See if it air fries.
Yes - dilemma solved
No - pop rivet and sheet metal fix to the hole.

Easy peasy!

Maybe instead I'll try my heatgun which I use for shrink fits on wiring. )

I suppose it takes X amount of KWH to make toast. Blowing the hot air around may save 20 seconds for light browning of multi grain Rye bread. Not sure it makes economic sense for occasional use to buy an air fryer as long as my old toaster oven is functionng.

Back in elementary school, we used to make toast on the side of the coal stove heating the classroom. Hold the brad agianst coal stove's side until done, flip, hold with fingertips until other side is done.
On my camp woodstove I have 4x5" stainless grid on top, onto this place bread, pay attention, when done flip, another 30 seconds or so and it is ready.