Air fryer, anyone?

Red Badger said:
Cut a hole in the side of existing toaster oven.
Insert a kick-ass hair dryer.
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ls99 said:
Maybe instead I'll try my heatgun which I use for shrink fits on wiring. :))
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A heat gun set on high would work better than a hair dryer. They don't build hair dryers to singe women's hair off their scalp, and you need it to be that hot.:cool:

And even though a heat gun works, it is not efficient as an air fryer because the hot air is not recirculated. Indeed, in use you can see that the air fryer heating element is powered on/off to maintain the set temperature, just like any oven would do. The surrounding environment is not heated up at all.

Here in the Southwest in the summer, I would not hesitate to use the air fryer inside the home. Even a toaster oven would heat up its corner of the kitchen. I then pay extra money on air conditioning to cool it down. Not cool! And literally so. :cool:
 
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Chuckanut said:
My AF does a great job quickly reheating baked goods while keeping the crust crispy.
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It's the opposite of the microwave oven, which reheats things quickly and turns them soggy at the same time.

Very simple rule for reheating food: If it is supposed to stay moist, it's the microwave oven. If it is supposed to stay dry or crunchy, in the air fryer it goes.
 
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If I get ambitious, I'll get a used toaster oven at goodwill, mount a fan motor on the outside, with metal blades on inside and test. Total cost out of pocket not to exceed $10. I think I have a fan motor somwhere in my junque pile.
 
It's still not as efficient as an air fryer, because an air fryer has a much lower thermal mass than a typical toaster oven. Hence, it takes only 1 minute to preheat my air fryer.

Besides, a kludge, er improvisation like yours is difficult to sell to my wife or any woman for that matter.
 
NW-Bound said:
It's still not as efficient as an air fryer, because an air fryer has a much lower thermal mass than a typical toaster oven. Hence, it takes only 1 minute to preheat my air fryer.

Besides, a kludge, er improvisation like yours is difficult to sell to my wife or any woman for that matter.
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It would be only an experiment just for fun. Yeah, there is always the "Significant other factor" getting in the way, usually of fun.
 
Based on this thread I purchased one today from a local guy in my development who bought it as an Xmas gift for his daughter, then found out after she already had one.

It is a Todd English 1600W 12.7Qt Multi Function Digital Air Fryer Oven w/ Accessories It was brand new unopened in the box with a $25 Air Fryer Book of recipes. He "said" he paid $160. I purchased it for $50 cash.

I hope I got a good deal, I could not find many reviews, so for $50 I took a chance. Has anyone else got one of these one's, if so how did I do? I need to read the book now, I plugged it in and it is all working, it came with a bunch of accessories too.
 
An Air Fryer should be a very simple appliance. It's just a package of a heating element with a fan, and some electronics for cycling the heater to control the temperature. The one thing we do not know for a while is the durability of each brand.

We never read any recipe book and just use it as we use a regular oven, but with much shorter cooking time. Until I find out how long to re-heat or to cook something, I set the cooking time fairly short and keep popping the tray every 2 minutes with a digital temperature probe in hand to check the doneness.

A common mistake people have is to overcook or burn food when they first use an air fryer. It is FAST!
 
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An air fryer is also excellent for reverse searing a steak. Bring the meat (slowly) up to ~120F (I use toaster oven setting at 250), then sear in AF set to volcano.

Use appropriate discretion around any charcoal cops - a great steak done indoors using puny counter top appliances can lead to arrest.
 
How about cooking bacon? How's the cleanup? I hate cooking bacon on the stove or in the oven. It makes such a mess.

I have a Philips but it's compact and I can't do anything meaningful with it.
 
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I have always been very skeptical about air fryers, but recent comments both here and elsewhere made me realize that they have come a long way since first introduced long ago.

So I bought one of these and just got a chance to try it out with some chicken.

Wow!
I am most definitely a convert. Quick, easy, uses almost no oil, and easy to clean. Some of the best chicken I've had apart from cooked on the BGE, and so much simpler to make this way. Great purchase! I can't wait to try it on some other foods.
 
braumeister said:
I am most definitely a convert. Quick, easy, uses almost no oil, and easy to clean. Some of the best chicken I've had apart from cooked on the BGE, and so much simpler to make this way. Great purchase! I can't wait to try it on some other foods.
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My only complaint after having one for a day is; even the 12qt one we have cannot do a complete meal for 2. Yes the chicken was superb, but the fries took forever to make a small portion only enough for one person.
 
ShokWaveRider said:
My only complaint after having one for a day is; even the 12qt one we have cannot do a complete meal for 2. Yes the chicken was superb, but the fries took forever to make a small portion only enough for one person.
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That's huge. Mine is only 4 quarts. And I wouldn't have ever considered using one to make a complete meal. I can easily do enough chicken for two people, and that's plenty big enough for me.
 
tmm99 said:
How about cooking bacon? How's the cleanup? I hate cooking bacon on the stove or in the oven. It makes such a mess.

I have a Philips but it's compact and I can't do anything meaningful with it.
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Bacon. Loosely wrap in 2-3 paper towels (2 towels under and 1 on top for 2-3 slices) and nuke in microwave ~1 minute per slice. Then fine tune extra time to desired crunchiness. Then use paper towels to dab the bacon and wipe the plate. All done.
 
Red Badger said:
Bacon. Loosely wrap in 2-3 paper towels (2 towels under and 1 on top for 2-3 slices) and nuke in microwave ~1 minute per slice. Then fine tune extra time to desired crunchiness. Then use paper towels to dab the bacon and wipe the plate. All done.
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Yes.

My wife also does bacon with the microwave. I do not handle this chore personally to know the exact timing.
 
It still relates to the topic: there are things an air fryer cannot do as well as a microwave oven.
 
NW-Bound said:
It still relates to the topic: there are things an air fryer cannot do as well as a microwave oven.
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Yup - like the perfect steamed hot dog bun.

Wrap bun(s) in damp paper towel and nuke for ~10 seconds. Moist, warm hot dog bun as God intended.

Rename thread "air-wave-micro-fryer?" :cool:
 
I really want to get an Air Fryer after reading this thread but it seems most reviews I read someone mentions the coating in the basket starts flaking off onto their food after 2-3 months. Has anyone had their AF 2-3+ months and have NOT experienced the flaking and if so, what brand do you have?

Btw, Costco pre-cooked bacon in a microwave is hard to beat. Approx 16-18 sec per slice (i.e., 3 slices - 50-54 secs).
 
Mine has not flaked at all after a lot of use in the almost four months that I have had it . I bought the Gourmia 6 quart . I believe they sell it at Costco's .
 
Carpediem said:
I really want to get an Air Fryer after reading this thread but it seems most reviews I read someone mentions the coating in the basket starts flaking off onto their food after 2-3 months. Has anyone had their AF 2-3+ months and have NOT experienced the flaking and if so, what brand do you have?

Btw, Costco pre-cooked bacon in a microwave is hard to beat. Approx 16-18 sec per slice (i.e., 3 slices - 50-54 secs).
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Ours is a Cuisinart. It is a toaster oven with AF setting. Works great. All metal construction - no flaking.
 
Red Badger said:
Yup - like the perfect steamed hot dog bun.

Wrap bun(s) in damp paper towel and nuke for ~10 seconds. Moist, warm hot dog bun as God intended.

Rename thread "air-wave-micro-fryer?" :cool:
Click to expand...

No, we do not have to.

People here have compared the air fryer to hand-held air dryers, industrial heat guns, blow torches, BGE, etc... There are many utensils and appliances for cooking, all with their own advantages and drawbacks. Let's compare them all.
 
Thank you, everyone. I will try nuking bacon in the microwave.
 
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