Does anyone own one of those hot air fryers?

[MPH]

I'm always a bit skeptical when  a supposed new way of cooking comes out... But just wondered if anyone here owns one?

 

 

They have been out a couple of years now.. 

 

 

What can you cook in them?

 

Supposed to drastically cut the amount of fat in your 'fried' food but retain a similar taste...

[Innovindil]

Bought the red Swan one on amazon. 

 

Use that bitch every day. Cooks chips, fish fingers, chickens nuggets and all variants, turkey dinosaurs (my nephew loves these) battered sausages... Errrrr... Battered mushrooms... Onion rings.. 

 

Basically cooks everything you could cook in a deep fat fryer, without it tasting like greasy shite. 

 

Would recommend/10.

[Trav Le Bleu]

You do what now?!? 

[Webbo]

My missus bought one but she only does oven chips in it. Might as well not bothered and just done them in the oven.

[Carl the Llama]

Yeah I can't work out how an air fryer is different to cooking on an oiled pan in the oven.

[Turbogre]

My best buy of the year. So versatile. A friend recommended it and it is getting a lot of use. She suggested making toasted sandwiches in it and that works absolutely perfect too, as well as making perfectly cooked sausages, great chips/wedges and much more.

[Babylon]

4 minutes ago, Turbogre said:

My best buy of the year. So versatile. A friend recommended it and it is getting a lot of use. She suggested making toasted sandwiches in it and that works absolutely perfect too, as well as making perfectly cooked sausages, great chips/wedges and much more.

Is it much different compared to tossing potato in a little bit of oil and shoving them in the oven?

[Innovindil]

12 minutes ago, Carl the Llama said:

Yeah I can't work out how an air fryer is different to cooking on an oiled pan in the oven.

Air fryer doesn't need oil. Less cleaning. Less time to heat up and it cooks on all sides and don't leave soggy patches like a pan. 

[Carl the Llama]

10 minutes ago, Innovindil said:

Air fryer doesn't need oil. Less cleaning. Less time to heat up and it cooks on all sides and don't leave soggy patches like a pan. 

In that case how's it different to cooking on greaseproof paper in an oven and remembering to turn occasionally?  

[Turbogre]

46 minutes ago, Babylon said:

Is it much different compared to tossing potato in a little bit of oil and shoving them in the oven?

I would say it is, the timing for one, very handy if you have a busy household...

[MPH]

32 minutes ago, Carl the Llama said:

In that case how's it different to cooking on greaseproof paper in an oven and remembering to turn occasionally?  

 

 

 

quicker. doesnt need time to heat the oven up either, i'd imagine

[MPH]

59 minutes ago, Carl the Llama said:

Yeah I can't work out how an air fryer is different to cooking on an oiled pan in the oven.

 

 

Might i suggest you may have missed the point of a hot air fryer?

[Carl the Llama]

Just now, MPH said:

 

 

Might i suggest you may have missed the point of a hot air fryer?

I thought the point was that you were supposed to put a little oil in air fryers as opposed to drenching the food in oil like in a conventional fryer and a quick google suggests that the manufacturers tell you to put a small bit of oil in so I don't see which point I've missed...

[Innovindil]

2 minutes ago, Carl the Llama said:

I thought the point was that you were supposed to put a little oil in air fryers as opposed to drenching the food in oil like in a conventional fryer and a quick google suggests that the manufacturers tell you to put a small bit of oil in so I don't see which point I've missed...

Some of them (like mine) don't need oil at all. 

 

42 minutes ago, Carl the Llama said:

In that case how's it different to cooking on greaseproof paper in an oven and remembering to turn occasionally?  

It's easier and faster. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[MPH]

18 minutes ago, Carl the Llama said:

I thought the point was that you were supposed to put a little oil in air fryers as opposed to drenching the food in oil like in a conventional fryer and a quick google suggests that the manufacturers tell you to put a small bit of oil in so I don't see which point I've missed...

 

 

Alot of people use them exclusively for frozen foods that have oil already added into them so there isnt any need to add any extra oil, or oil a tray i think thats intended just for cooking food from freash... i think... they also have a drip tray too so that any access oil drip away from the food. Similar to a George foreman grill, i suppose.

Edited 7 February 2018 by MPH

[VLC86]

I’ve never had better fried air than when done in one of these, 10/10 recommendation.

[Carl the Llama]

8 minutes ago, Innovindil said:

Some of them (like mine) don't need oil at all. 

 

It's easier and faster. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Fair enough, to each their own.  I personally can't see the benefit but then I don't tend to cook the sort of food for which one of those things would represent a drastic change in healthiness anyway and my favourite meals already only take a matter of minutes to prepare, it's kind of a defining factor for me    Today for instance I had sliced mushrooms, sliced red onion and quartered cherry toms seasoned with garlic, a chopped birdseye chilli, some sage and some cumin (unusual herb/spice combo I know but it's v. nice especially when you're chasing off the tail end of a cold), all tossed into a hot pan with a little olive oil and soy sauce for not even 5 minutes, served on toast with a couple of runny fried eggs which I cooked in the remaining juices and laid on top, total kitchen time can't have exceeded 15 minutes - washing up and all - can your newfangled gadget improve that dish?  If so I may be forced to reconsider.

 

Just now, MPH said:

Alot of people use them exclusively for frozen foods that have oil already added into them so there isnt any need to add any extra oil, or oil a tray... they also have a drip tray too so that any access oil drip away from the food. Similar to a George foreman grill, i suppose.

Yeah about the only frozen stuff I use is pizza, fish fingers (exclusively to go on the pizza - my go to meal for when I cba to cook and am willing to accept that I am a piece of shit), peas and ice cream.

[MPH]

4 minutes ago, Carl the Llama said:

Fair enough, to each their own.  I personally can't see the benefit but then I don't tend to cook the sort of food for which one of those things would represent a drastic change in healthiness anyway and my favourite meals already only take a matter of minutes to prepare, it's kind of a defining factor for me    Today for instance I had sliced mushrooms, sliced red onion and quartered cherry toms seasoned with garlic, a chopped birdseye chilli, some sage and some cumin (unusual herb/spice combo I know but it's v. nice especially when you're chasing off the tail end of a cold), all tossed into a hot pan with a little olive oil and soy sauce for not even 5 minutes, served on toast with a couple of runny fried eggs which I cooked in the remaining juices and laid on top, total kitchen time can't have exceeded 15 minutes - washing up and all - can your newfangled gadget improve that dish?  If so I may be forced to reconsider.

 

Yeah about the only frozen stuff I use is pizza, fish fingers (exclusively to go on the pizza - my go to meal for when I cba to cook and am willing to accept that I am a piece of shit), peas and ice cream.

My little almost 3 year old is autistic and one of the only things he'll eat is chips and chicken nuggets so im basically looking for healthier alternatives than just deep frying something yet when he's hungry he's hungry so waiting for the oven to warm up isnt really viable either....

[Buce]

6 minutes ago, Carl the Llama said:

Fair enough, to each their own.  I personally can't see the benefit but then I don't tend to cook the sort of food for which one of those things would represent a drastic change in healthiness anyway and my favourite meals already only take a matter of minutes to prepare, it's kind of a defining factor for me    Today for instance I had sliced mushrooms, sliced red onion and quartered cherry toms seasoned with garlic, a chopped birdseye chilli, some sage and some cumin (unusual herb/spice combo I know but it's v. nice especially when you're chasing off the tail end of a cold), all tossed into a hot pan with a little olive oil and soy sauce for not even 5 minutes, served on toast with a couple of runny fried eggs which I cooked in the remaining juices and laid on top, total kitchen time can't have exceeded 15 minutes - washing up and all - can your newfangled gadget improve that dish?  If so I may be forced to reconsider.

 

Yeah about the only frozen stuff I use is pizza, fish fingers (exclusively to go on the pizza - my go to meal for when I cba to cook and am willing to accept that I am a piece of shit), peas and ice cream.

 

Something I do for those odd times where I cba to cook, Carl, is to make extra when I'm cooking something good, then freeze it.

 

Surely you've not overlooked that?

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

Yes. Had one for some two years now. They are brilliant, and I wouldn't want to be without it. It really does get rid of most of the fat from food, and is so versatile.

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

1 hour ago, Carl the Llama said:

Yeah I can't work out how an air fryer is different to cooking on an oiled pan in the oven.

It doesn't need oil, drains away fat, and you can even bake cakes and bread in the model I have. It is also very economical, as it cooks much faster than an oven. Prefer it to the microwave to be honest

[Sharpe's Fox]

They are amazing mate get one we love ours it’s fab

[Carl the Llama]

1 minute ago, MPH said:

My little almost 3 year old is autistic and one of the only things he'll eat is chips and chicken nuggets so im basically looking for healthier alternatives than just deep frying something yet when he's hungry he's hungry so waiting for the oven to warm up isnt really viable either....

Sounds like it's a good tool for your specific purposes then, I was merely making the point that given my dietary habits it doesn't sound that useful.

 

Just now, Buce said:

 

Something I do for those odd times where I cba to cook, Carl, is to make extra when I'm cooking something good, then freeze it.

 

Surely you've not overlooked that?

Oh aye I love a good tupperware box brimming with home-made bolognese, when I'm doing that though it tends to be more of an in the fridge for the week ahead jobby.  I treat my freezer with disdain and only burden it with the food I hate myself for  

 

1 minute ago, DANGEROUS TIGER said:

It doesn't need oil, drains away fat, and you can even bake cakes and bread in the model I have. It is also very economical, as it cooks much faster than an oven. Prefer it to the microwave to be honest

Cheers, I'm not a big microwave fan either. Ultimately I think this thread has shown that you need to be accustomed to a certain diet for the benefits to really show themselves and I'm not trying to say that's a bad thing in case anybody's getting that impression.

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

25 minutes ago, Carl the Llama said:

Sounds like it's a good tool for your specific purposes then, I was merely making the point that given my dietary habits it doesn't sound that useful.

 

Oh aye I love a good tupperware box brimming with home-made bolognese, when I'm doing that though it tends to be more of an in the fridge for the week ahead jobby.  I treat my freezer with disdain and only burden it with the food I hate myself for  

 

Cheers, I'm not a big microwave fan either. Ultimately I think this thread has shown that you need to be accustomed to a certain diet for the benefits to really show themselves and I'm not trying to say that's a bad thing in case anybody's getting that impression.

We use ours for the Sunday joint as ell, but it is too small for large joints.

[Buce]

49 minutes ago, Carl the Llama said:

Sounds like it's a good tool for your specific purposes then, I was merely making the point that given my dietary habits it doesn't sound that useful.

 

Oh aye I love a good tupperware box brimming with home-made bolognese, when I'm doing that though it tends to be more of an in the fridge for the week ahead jobby.  I treat my freezer with disdain and only burden it with the food I hate myself for

 

 

The freezer is probably my most useful appliance.

 

I home cook everything and doing that three or four times a day would be a right pain.