Air Fryers

[Anna N]

12 hours ago, mgaretz said:

The Philips was retired long ago as I could never get it to stop smoking once I made the mistake of air frying some pork belly. 

Edited 12 hours ago by mgaretz (log)

The Phillips was my first air fryer and I had no issues with it except that I was not actually using it. It has found a new home with my number 2 son and is still going strong. I am equally happy with the Cosori. 

[ElsieD]

20 hours ago, palo said:

Instant Vortex Plus with ClearCook:

 

https://www.amazon.ca/Instant-ClearCookTM-OdorEraseTM-Dehydrate-Stainless/dp/B096N28SZP/ref=sr_1_14?crid=1FOPYVE5UKVXJ&keywords=instant+vortex+air+fryer&qid=1654648197&s=kitchen&sprefix=Instant+Vortex%2Ckitchen%2C108&sr=1-14

 

Not sure how functional it is, but I have the one without the window and is great as an Air Fryer

 

ATK rated the Instant Vortex Plus 6 Quart as its best with the ClearCook model as its upgrade pick

 

Here's their take on Air Fryer Ovens:

 

Quote:

 

What To Avoid

• Air-Fryer Ovens: All the oven-style models we tested were difficult to use and produced lackluster results. They had bigger footprints but couldn't actually fit much more food inside. Having multiple levels of racks didn't work well in any of the air fryers we tested. The upper rack blocked heat from reaching the lower rack, resulting in unevenly cooked food. Despite our efforts to manage this uneven heating by switching and rotating the racks, the food never finished cooking at the same time. And because the cooking racks and baskets didn't have handles, we had to use oven mitts. Crumbs and drips fell through the perforations in the racks and onto the floor of the ovens or, more frustratingly, onto our kitchen floor. They were also a pain to clean; crumbs stuck to their bases and hinges and were impossible to remove.

 

p

 

Thank you.  I'm pretty sure that if I get one it will be the Instant Clear/Odor etc.  I've spent a lot of time looking at the different ones.  Does it ours come with a booklet of some sort?

[palo]

1 hour ago, ElsieD said:

Does it ours come with a booklet of some sort?

Just a user manual which you can download  to see what you think:

 

https://p.widencdn.net/3zyqam/140-3088-01-0303_IB_VortexPlus_6QTseethruSS_US_GSG_FINAL_LowRes.pdf

 

Lots of recipes on their site:

 

https://recipes.instantpot.com/

[ElsieD]

 This is pretty much the same as the one I'm looking at.  The one I'm looking at also has something called Odor Erase.  I didn't think this video was particularly informative, but then I don't really know what I was expecting.  I haven't found any other videos.

Edited June 9, 2022 by ElsieD (log)

[palo]

@Anna N - I'm not sold on the window feature - from my experience you have to open the tray to re-arrange/shake anyway you can gauge doneness at that time - regarding recipes, when I got my first air fryer I went crazy for recipe books As you said "ricotta cheese toasts with roasted grapes" might be something I'd consider in a restaurant, but not at home. Nowadays I decide what I'm going to cook (protein/veg etc) and check the web for time and temp. As far as seasonings and such I know what I like.

 

Brats are good as are frozen burgers!

 

p

[Anna N]

33 minutes ago, palo said:

I'm not sold on the window feature - from my experience you have to open the tray to re-arrange/shake anyway you can gauge doneness at that time

That was my thought also. 

[Anna N]

41 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

This is pretty much the same as the one I'm looking at.

Thanks. Only thing that strikes me as upgrade to mine is the plate rather than the basket. Looks so much easier to clean and so much less space in the sink!

Edited June 9, 2022 by Anna N
Transcription error. (log)

[palo]

Another video on the Instant Vortex (without window)

 

 

It's by ATK - shows a few cooking ideas and their results

 

p

[palo]

Another ATK video that reviews Air Fryers - the winner is the Instant Vortex

 

 

p

[Chimayo Joe]

3 hours ago, palo said:

@Anna N - I'm not sold on the window feature - from my experience you have to open the tray to re-arrange/shake anyway you can gauge doneness at that time

That's my thinking, too.  Possibly useful but I'm not sure how useful. Chefman has a few windowed models, too.  The dehydrate function of the Instant Vortex interests me more than a window does.

3 hours ago, ElsieD said:

This is pretty much the same as the one I'm looking at.  The one I'm looking at also has something called Odor Erase.  I didn't think this video was particularly informative, but then I don't really know what I was expecting.  I haven't found any other videos.

Here's a video of the model you're considering.  It's compared to a couple of other windowed fryers.  I don't really like that youtuber's rating system because much of it seems irrelevant or trivial, but at least you can that fryer in action.

 

Edited June 9, 2022 by Chimayo Joe (log)

[ElsieD]

13 hours ago, palo said:

@Anna N - I'm not sold on the window feature - from my experience you have to open the tray to re-arrange/shake anyway you can gauge doneness at that time - regarding recipes, when I got my first air fryer I went crazy for recipe books As you said "ricotta cheese toasts with roasted grapes" might be something I'd consider in a restaurant, but not at home. Nowadays I decide what I'm going to cook (protein/veg etc) and check the web for time and temp. As far as seasonings and such I know what I like.

 

Brats are good as are frozen burgers!

 

p

 

If you find recipes on the web do you have to adjust cooking times based on the wattage of the machine?  Cosori has a nice little recipe book but my sister says she never uses it.  She too looks cooking time and Temps up on the internet.

[Anna N]

11 hours ago, Chimayo Joe said:

The dehydrate function of the Instant Vortex interests me more than a window does.

But have you seen it demonstrated in any video or even mentioned? Not sure that such a small surface would prove very useful if you were seriously into dehydrating food. If you were happy with a little bit of jerky I suppose it would work. 

[Anna N]

1 hour ago, ElsieD said:

 

If you find recipes on the web do you have to adjust cooking times based on the wattage of the machine?  Cosori has a nice little recipe book but my sister says she never uses it.  She too looks cooking time and Temps up on the internet.

I don’t really think that most of the drawer-type ones different very much in terms of their wattage. I would expect most things to cook at the same time and temperature in each of them. That said I am not impressed with most recipes I come across to be anything more than guidelines. Just like any other cooking, you learn from experience and it doesn’t take long for you to determine the best time and temperature. It would be helpful if somebody would produce a recipe booklet that addresses the things most people are likely to cook in an air fryer. Things like frozen french fries, chicken wings, frozen burgers, sausages, etc. That would prove to be a useful reference.  Gourmet dishes are not its strong point. 
At the moment I think the best reference is right here!  

[ElsieD]

27 minutes ago, Anna N said:

But have you seen it demonstrated in any video or even mentioned? Not sure that such a small surface would prove very useful if you were seriously into dehydrating food. If you were happy with a little bit of jerky I suppose it would work. 

I'll have another look.  I haven't ordered one yet.

[ElsieD]

17 minutes ago, Anna N said:

I don’t really think that most of the drawer-type ones different very much in terms of their wattage. I would expect most things to cook at the same time and temperature in each of them. That said I am not impressed with most recipes I come across to be anything more than guidelines. Just like any other cooking, you learn from experience and it doesn’t take long for you to determine the best time and temperature. It would be helpful if somebody would produce a recipe booklet that addresses the things most people are likely to cook in an air fryer. Things like frozen french fries, chicken wings, frozen burgers, sausages, etc. That would prove to be a useful reference.  Gourmet dishes are not its strong point. 
At the moment I think the best reference is right here!  

 

Maybe what we should do is, every time we cook something in an air fryer, post to this thread the time and temperature used.  I'd be happy to collect the data and produce a chart, which I would update as time passes.

[Chimayo Joe]

4 hours ago, Anna N said:

But have you seen it demonstrated in any video or even mentioned? Not sure that such a small surface would prove very useful if you were seriously into dehydrating food. If you were happy with a little bit of jerky I suppose it would work. 

I haven't seen video of dehydrating food in that particular fryer, but I've seen it done in fryers that don't go that low in temperature with limited success.  Haven't ever tried it with mine.

 

i'm not seriously into dehydrating food and doubt that I ever would be, but someting like this would probably give me enough capacity.

Edited June 9, 2022 by Chimayo Joe (log)

[Anna N]

18 minutes ago, Chimayo Joe said:

I haven't seen video of dehydrating food in that particular fryer, but I've seen it done in fryers that don't go that low in temperature with limited success.  Haven't ever tried it with mine.

 

i'm not seriously into dehydrating food and doubt that I ever would be, but someting like this would probably give me enough capacity.

 

Yes, indeed. That would be quite a reasonable capacity for a small batch of something. I just wonder how things tolerate the strong downflow. Unless of course the air fryer  has a dehydrator setting which reduces the airflow. Anyway it is an interesting concept. Thank you for chiming in. My mind is a little more open to the idea now. 

[ElsieD]

1 hour ago, Anna N said:

Yes, indeed. That would be quite a reasonable capacity for a small batch of something. I just wonder how things tolerate the strong downflow. Unless of course the air fryer  has a dehydrator setting which reduces the airflow. Anyway it is an interesting concept. Thank you for chiming in. My mind is a little more open to the idea now. 

 

I wrote to Instant and asked them about the dehydration setting.  Will report back.

[MetsFan5]

On 6/7/2022 at 10:18 PM, mgaretz said:

That was a long time ago. Since then there’s been a BSOA and now the Ninja Foodi Grill which is an excellent air fryer in addition to being a grill and a dehydrator. I really like it plus it has a probe to measure the meat temperature when grilling. 
 

The comparison I was talking about was between the Ninja and the BSOA making fries from scratch. 
 

The Philips was retired long ago as I could never get it to stop smoking once I made the mistake of air frying some pork belly. 

Damn, I was really considering the Phillips. 
 

what do you use to grill in lieu of the PAG? 
 

ETA-reading comprehension is important! 😂. I have an airfyer that I love and use a lot and has a large capacity. Maybe I should start considering an electric grill. 

Edited June 10, 2022 by MetsFan5 (log)

[ElsieD]

This was their reply which didn't tell me much.  I specifically asked if the fan speed had been lowered for this setting which they did not answer.
 

 

Thank you for contacting us at Instant Brands, we're happy to help you!

Please be informed that the air is just hot enough to dehydrate the food inside and that it is enclosed inside a basket.

We hope this helps. Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any more questions or if we can offer you further support.

[palo]

High fan speed would probably conducive to dehydrating, all you have to be concerned about is a low temp (95 - 160F) those baskets Chimayo Joe referenced up thread will fit the Instant Vortex and give you about 192 square inches of drying space

 

p

[ElsieD]

5 minutes ago, palo said:

High fan speed would probably conducive to dehydrating, all you have to be concerned about is a low temp (95 - 160F) those baskets Chimayo Joe referenced up thread will fit the Instant Vortex and give you about 192 square inches of drying space

 

p

 

It seems to me that high fan speed would not be conducive to dehydrating anything that is light as whatever one is trying to hydrate would blow all over the inside of the machine, although that would probably not matter for say, beef jerky.

[mgaretz]

8 hours ago, MetsFan5 said:

Damn, I was really considering the Phillips. 
 

what do you use to grill in lieu of the PAG? 
 

ETA-reading comprehension is important! 😂. I have an airfyer that I love and use a lot and has a large capacity. Maybe I should start considering an electric grill. 

I still use the PAG, but not as often as I used to. I did just use it the other night. Now, for indoor cooking I mostly use the Ninja Foodi Grill (the one with the temp probe).  It also air fries, dehydrates and roasts/bakes, but I haven’t tried the latter. At the moment my Costco has the the XL version with probe for $179. I got the smaller version there for $139 on sale. 

[palo]

33 minutes ago, ElsieD said:

 

It seems to me that high fan speed would not be conducive to dehydrating anything that is light as whatever one is trying to hydrate would blow all over the inside of the machine, although that would probably not matter for say, beef jerky.

Granted

 

p

[palo]

@mgaretz - where is "my Costco"?