Air fryer, anyone?

[Fedup]

I saw this air fryer at Costco for $56, I’m hesitant to buy it because I don’t want any more stuff that I don’t use. I gave away my espresso machine and pasta maker recently. Expresso machine was brand new. Must be a wedding gift because my daughter found a card. What on earth did I request that machine for my wedding gift. I’m not even a coffee drinker.

 

[skipro33]

I just ordered this one from Amazon;
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07D4P3SKY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

After comparing to the Costco one, I decided the price difference was worth the upgrade;
1700 watts vs 1500 watts
5.8 qt vs 5 qt
reviews
cook book
all sorts of accessories I would like to try
12 month return, no questions asked.

100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEED: Within 12-months of your purchase on Amazon we will refund your money and or replace your purchase if you have any issues with it.

 

[Katsmeow]

We found that what worked for us rather than get a standalone Air Fryer was to get the Breville Smart Oven Air. It is a toaster oven that has a basket that does air frying. The basket is not round an deep. Rather it is like a long shallow pan made of mesh. It works great. You can wash the pan in the dishwasher. And, we don't have to have a separate device.

 

[NW-Bound]

I saw this air fryer at Costco for $56, I’m hesitant to buy it because I don’t want any more stuff that I don’t use...

If you are not going to use it, then certainly it's not worth having. That's why my wife returned the Instapot unopened.

My sister-in-law bought an air fryer first, and raved about it. She bought one on Amazon (I forgot the brand), and when I saw that Costco had a smaller unit that would work for us, decided to try it out and loved it.

We found that what worked for us rather than get a standalone Air Fryer was to get the Breville Smart Oven Air. It is a toaster oven that has a basket that does air frying. The basket is not round an deep. Rather it is like a long shallow pan made of mesh. It works great. You can wash the pan in the dishwasher. And, we don't have to have a separate device.

A small convection oven and an air fryer certainly have an overlap in utility. I like the air fryer because it is smaller and just right for our daily use. And the small size plus the plastic case means it heats up superfast and uses little power. It does not lose heat through the metal case like a toaster oven. If you are going to prepare food for more than 2 people, then an air fryer will be too small.

 

[Red Badger]

So, we're about to replace one of our toaster ovens and I am eyeing the Breville that Katsmeow mentioned. Anyone here use another toaster oven with air fryer option? We're trying to keep our counter clutter under control, so a dual(+) purpose appliance is appealing.

Thanks.

 

[HFWR]

Why would I want to fry air?

 

[Scuba]

We tried French fries made in an air fryer. Better than no fries but definitely not as good as deep fried in oil.

 

[NW-Bound]

Why would I want to fry air?

Frying makes everything smell good, even air.

 

[GravitySucks]

Do frozen French fries and onion rings actually come out crispy, or just cook faster than a toaster oven?

 

[Chuckanut]

What size air fryer do people recommend for a meal for two or three persons? The 5 quart ones are very big, but I will get one if I need to .

 

[Red Badger]

What size air fryer do people recommend for a meal for two or three persons? The 5 quart ones are very big, but I will get one if I need to .

I just picked up the Cuisinart toaster oven with air fryer option. Family loves it and it replaced the old toaster oven, so I didn't have an additional counter top appliance. Amazon - $200. Perfect for the three of us.

 

[skipro33]

I did some hash browns in mine this morning. The OrIda shredded kind. Turned out very crispy, but kinda dry without any oil. So I tried again with a spritz of oil from a spray can. Much nicer! Both ways will turn toasty brown.

Other good things in the air fryer so far;
1. tater tots
2. reheated left overs of any kind. I've done BBQ chicken, smoked ribs, hamburger from Islands, french fries.

3. Most frozen fast food stuff like mexican, seafood, twice baked potatoes, lasagna, pizza, etc.

 

[Red Badger]

Do frozen French fries and onion rings actually come out crispy, or just cook faster than a toaster oven?

Ours come out like they've been deep fried. I do put them in a plastic bag with a ~teaspoon of avocado oil and give 'em a good shake. In they go - awesome!

 

[skipro33]

raw chicken wings are good too. Cook on high for 10 minutes, turn and another 5. I use olive oil and seasoning at the start.


Broccoli isn't so good; sorta burns before they are done. I suppose a little water might steam them and turn out better, but I've not tried that.

 

[NW-Bound]

I have been using the air fryer to bake fish. A bit of olive oil, some seasoning and herb, and 5 minutes later, dinner is served.

Veggie as a side dish to the fish is still done in the microwave.

 

[HadEnuff]

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?

 

[NW-Bound]

I dunno, but how do you compare small pots/pans to large pots/pans? Don't we have an assortment of them for different uses?

I recently found that the air fryer was wonderful for roasting Hatch chilies and bell peppers before skinning. The small size was just right for the job. It took less than 10 minutes, and the amount of power was so low, the heat emitted to the surrounding was not perceptible. Great for use indoors where the air conditioning power usage can be more than 3/4 of the summer monthly bill.

 

[Breedlove]

It's funny , with all of the new counter top appliances we don't even need an oven or stove.

 

[Bamaman]

It's funny , with all of the new counter top appliances we don't even need an oven or stove.

But what we might need is more counterspace.

 

[NW-Bound]

We still use the big oven, a double one, once or twice a year when we host Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

For daily use, we use an indoor toaster oven and the air fryer. We have a covered patio with a cooktop, where my wife uses two more toaster ovens outdoor when roasting something bigger and for longer. The idea is to keep the heat out of the house. And she occasionally uses both of those outdoor toaster ovens.

 

[Aerides]

Good fun piece on air fryers vs. other appliances in the new yorker a couple of weeks back:

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/k...-succumb-to-the-air-fryer-this-holiday-season

 

[Chuckanut]

. Great for use indoors where the air conditioning power usage can be more than 3/4 of the summer monthly bill.

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.

I just got an inexpensive AF to test it out. Santa brought it for Christmas after a very big hint. After one week I can say with some authority that there are certain things it does very well like warming up pie, cooking sweet potato fries or quick piece of fish or chicken. But, it is another thing to take up space in my rather small kitchen. So the question is simple, Is the air fryer worth the hassles of having it? As of today I don't know. But, playing with it and experimenting with what it does sure is fun.

I am going to be harder on the AF than I was on my Instant Pot. My Instant-Pot has the advantage of being economically positive. It saves me money. As I have mentioned before, I could toss mine in the trash today and I would be $$'s ahead because of all the tasty yogurt I have made in it at about 1/3 the cost of the store bought stuff I was eating. I don't see that advantage for the AF, so it will really have to shine.

 

[REWahoo]

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.

That's SOP here. Our oven gets very little use May through September.

 

[SumDay]

It's funny , with all of the new counter top appliances we don't even need an oven or stove.

Exactly! My Instant Pot and Convection counter top oven handle 90% of our cooking these days. In fact, I prefer my electric skillet to cleaning the entire top of my fancy a$$ gas range that came with our house.

As for the air fryer, we had one for a while and just felt it took up too much space and wasn't significantly better than using the counter top convection oven. I sold it on Facebook Marketplace for $15 less than we bought it for. YMMV.

 

[Chuckanut]

Exactly! My Instant Pot and Convection counter top oven handle 90% of our cooking these days. In fact, I prefer my electric skillet to cleaning the entire top of my fancy a$$ gas range that came with our house.

As for the air fryer, we had one for a while and just felt it took up too much space and wasn't significantly better than using the counter top convection oven. I sold it on Facebook Marketplace for $15 less than we bought it for. YMMV.

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?