Air fryer are they worth it

S4f

S4f

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The wife and I are looking at purchasing an air fryer on a SIL suggestion .
But it's a area we're unfamiliar with
Anyone got any suggestions on air fryers.
I'd like to hear the good, and the bad .
What do I need to look for or stay away from I do know the one my SIL was recommending was one that is being recalled as of today
 
wife got one a couple years ago. I figured it would be another gadget taking up space until she gives it away.
nope. she uses it all the time. If you went to college or were a young man of mediocre means who ate most of his meals out of a toaster oven - that's about the same level of use my wife uses her air fryer. I think she does at least 8 meals a week in that thing.

And yes, it's a small convection oven. it works great for what it's supposed to do.
 
Our double oven shit the bed a few years ago, so we splurged and bought Fridgedaire Convection/Air Fryer ovens. Very cool and can actually hold an amount of food for more than just squirrels. We don’t use them often enough, but it is nice. Just don‘t expect quite as crispy and greasy fried food.
 
I like the one we have, and we use it a lot. It's from Walmart, Emeril Lagasse, or something. I'll post the link below. Not only does it do a great job of warming up leftovers, but it also cooks really well. I love taking chicken breasts and dusting them with dry rub, cooking them in the air fryer and chopping them up, and making a grilled chicken salad. I also do pork chops, pizza, and other stuff.

www.walmart.com

Emeril Lagasse Power AirFryer 360 Plus, Toaster Oven, Stainless Steel, 1500 Watts - Walmart.com

Arrives by Sun, Feb 26 Buy Emeril Lagasse Power AirFryer 360 Plus, Toaster Oven, Stainless Steel, 1500 Watts at Walmart.com
www.walmart.com
 
Me. said:
Worth it.

The name is silly. It is a convection oven. But it you put the word “fryer” in the name you sell more.


They are fantastic. Microwaves have made us put up with “soggy” for too long.


We had a smaller one, but moved on to a Ninja Foodi (or something like that). It rotates up out of the way when not in use, so we leave it on the counter all the time. Sometimes I wish it were a little bigger, but it is great.


EDIT:
This one:
Amazon product ASIN B07XF4HW8G


Got it at BJs or Costco. Yeah, it’s expensive (I thought) but totally worth it to me.
Click to expand...
I like the idea of it standing up to give more counter space. Going to check it out!
 
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hp468 said:
Brings left over french fries and other fried food back to life,
Click to expand...
Unpossible.
Is it true??

Colin-Clive-Frankenstein-Dwight-Frye-James-Whale.jpg
 
Me. said:
If I were to do it over again, I think I’d be willing to give up the counter space to have one the size of yours.


But making toast in yours probably takes 7 minutes! :D
Click to expand...
I'm sure it takes longer than yours, but I've timed it 😀
 
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Yes, absolutely worth it! We have a Nuwave countertop unit, our Frigidaire microwave also does air fry, and I’ll be getting a new range very soon with air fry (used my friend’s a couple times).

I can’t really cook but I can make some great steaks and wings in an air fryer! Fries, tots, chicken nuggets etc for the kids comes out nice and crispy, noticeably better than an oven.

The countertop unit works faster than the microwave and is quieter than the microwave, plus the microwave has a long cool down program. That said, it’s really nice having the ability to air fry in multiple appliances, especially when you have items/dishes of different sizes. For making a large batch of fries, an oven is perfect, only about half the bag fits in our relatively large counter top unit.

There is no standard for air frying, so directions on food packaging or online recipes will need to be tailored to your machine. Example, I can set both my air fryer and microwave to 375 for 20min but the product is going to be much more cooked in the counter top unit.
 
I first bought the pot style air frier and it really is not that usable/versatile. Next was the Ninja foodie. This thing is the dang ticket. It toasts, bakes, air fries, broils etc and is pretty dang fast to heat up (faster than my old toaster oven) though cooling down is slower (fan noise). I wouldn't hesitate to buy one and can recommend it. Frozen small pizzas or stuff like that I warm up in the microwave for 1-2 minutes and warm up the air fryer at the same time and then pop in in for a minute or two to really crips up. Frozen chicken nuggets/strips are awesome. I like the el Monterey extra crispy taquitos in them. I've had ok to good luck with air fryer breadings too for porkchops and chicken fingers to avoid frying. For $120-150ish I don't think you would be wasting money.
 
We refer to ours as the junk food machine. It is perfect for reheating junk food, making tots and fries etc.... I made Korean sweet potatoes in it tonight. It is excellent for certain things but at the same time most are a bit imprecise for delicate cooking. They use convection to "crisp" things up quickly but they are not the same as a traditional convection oven one would use to bake. That is why full sized ovens that can do both have 2 different settings.
 
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As stated above they are glorified convection ovens, basically a turbo convection oven. Mine is a large toaster/convection oven air fryer combo. It will hold a standard size frozen pizza and has a stainless basket for stuff like french fries. They are fantastic for reheating pizza or anything you want crispy that would come out of the microwave soggy. I use mine for frozen string/curly fries, frozen fried okra, etc. and they come out great. You have to be careful cooking things like frozen pizza though, turn the temp down and check them 5 minutes or more early. It's surprising how fast they will cook some things. They are best for heating/cooking low mass items, not the best for larger or denser items. Sometimes I will put a larger/denser item in the microwave first to get the center warm, then crisp it up in the air fryer.
 
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If you have a small family, say 3 or less it's great. They aren't big enough for say a family of 4 or larger, or at least the models I've seen. For frozen foods, or baking smaller items, they are GREAT. No preheating the oven, less energy consumption than the oven and it won't heat up the kitchen like an oven. The latter really means something in the summer.

Like said above, reheating fried potatoes or breads might not come out very good in the microwave, but much better in the air fryer. Sometimes we'll have take out leftovers in a metal dish.... Put the whole dish in the air fryer to warm it up. Before, it was transfer the food from the metal dish to a microwave safe plate, which meant more dishes to wash.
 
Have a Ninja and we really like it a lot. Don’t have to heat up the house from a hot oven. Uses less energy too. Can basically cook almost everything in it. Small learning curve but have never ruined anything in it.
make sure you pull away from wall when using though. Back will get hot.
 
georgel said:
Not these...

www.usatoday.com

2 million Cosori air fryers sold at Target and Amazon recalled after fires

Cosori recalled 2 million air fryers that were sold online at Amazon, Bed Bath & Beyond, Walmart, QVC and other retailers, the CPSC said.
www.usatoday.com
Click to expand...
Looks like the model we have. :mad:

Anything greasy, if you don’t put water in the bottom it will smoke you out of the house. It has an electric burner element like a stove right over the food area too. Grease could splash on it.
 
noway2 said:
Looks like the model we have. :mad:

Anything greasy, if you don’t put water in the bottom it will smoke you out of the house. It has an electric burner element like a stove right over the food area too. Grease could splash on it.
Click to expand...
Same here. We got the email yesterday from Amazon. We bought ours in 2019 and it has been great.
 
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We have a big one. Use it and love it.

From my experience, anytime the wife wants anything for cooking i get it for her.

No excuses not to have dinner ready🫡
 
I have one, don't recall the brand off hand and I'm too lazy to go upstairs and look for the sake of this thread. As someone else said, it's basically a miniature convection oven. Does good with fries and such without adding grease/oil. Mine has a rotisserie function that I've used to do small roasts. It has two trays and I could essentially use it as a small dehydrator I think, but haven't tried that yet. Does a wonder for parmesan crusted chicken or pork chops.
 
We got one as a gift Christmas 2021. Maybe the best gift we've ever gotten. I'm not much of a cook but with this thing I can make he best pork chops I have ever eaten, easy to cook perfectly, not dry, just right. Chicken breast is the same way. All the other stuff mentioned above is true, fries, onion rings, etc all come out good without much to do on your part.
 
Thanks for all the help.
After reading this thread,we'll be getting a air fryer via UPS Sunday.
I've got a bag of wings that will probably be our first attempt at air fryer cooking.
I also ordered a book called how to get the most out of a Air fryer
Hopefully it will shorten the learning curve a bit.
I went with the insta pot vortex plus 6 quart with clear cook mainly because it was that winner of Americas test kitchen air fryer review two years running and I had a discount coupon for it .
Again thank for all the help I respect the opinions of this forum so if I'd got a bunch of negative responses I'd have passed on ordering one
 
We’re on our second. Much nicer than the first. This one:

Ninja AF150AMZ Air Fryer XL, 5.5 Qt. Capacity that can Air Fry, Air Roast, Bake, Reheat & Dehydrate, with Dishwasher Safe, Nonstick Basket & Crisper Plate and a Chef-Inspired Recipe Guide, Grey https://a.co/d/dcG1Q3W


Curious for anybody with the basket style versions. Any of you ever used the liners?

351DDE68-2754-49D4-8CCC-1786DECB7D23.png
 
BigWaylon said:
We’re on our second. Much nicer than the first. This one:

Ninja AF150AMZ Air Fryer XL, 5.5 Qt. Capacity that can Air Fry, Air Roast, Bake, Reheat & Dehydrate, with Dishwasher Safe, Nonstick Basket & Crisper Plate and a Chef-Inspired Recipe Guide, Grey https://a.co/d/dcG1Q3W


Curious for anybody with the basket style versions. Any of you ever used the liners?
Click to expand...
I haven't tried the silicone liners, but I use the paper liners in my round pot style one all the time ever since I tried them. They really help with cleanup, unless something is just popping grease everywhere I just pull the liner, toss and wipe down with a paper towel. Even bacon cooks well with them and doesn't soak through. Only drawbacks is it blocks the airflow a bit so you may need to add time, or up the temp a bit, and since it doesn't drain through if you're cooking something with a lot of grease/oil then it works best if you use a rack to raise the food off the liner. I just bought a couple round cooling racks that fit inside mine and use them.

To the OP, they are GREAT, time savers, pretty much anything you get out of a bag, fries, nuggets, strips, etc cook well in them and they'll be healthier because not only are you not adding additional oil for cooking you're actually removing a lot of the oil/grease from the food itself. They make great grilled chicken or steak nuggets, chop up 1 inch squares of whatever meat, coat with seasoning or sauce, throw in the air fryer for 12 minutes or so at 380 and toss it around 2-3 times while it cooks... mmmmm.
 
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