Air Fryers

[Okanagancook]

If you are a bit apprehensive, try going on YouTube and search for air fryer recipes.  There are plenty of quick snack ideas just to get you started using it.  

[palo]

@Darienne - which model did you get - I hope it wasn't the Actifry, which I've heard mashes rather than stirs

 

p

[Darienne]

2 hours ago, Okanagancook said:

If you are a bit apprehensive, try going on YouTube and search for air fryer recipes.  There are plenty of quick snack ideas just to get you started using it.  

We got it basically for French Fries.  Today's were not a great success but with some room for improvement which I know.  So I have that going for me.

[Darienne]

1 hour ago, palo said:

@Darienne - which model did you get - I hope it wasn't the Actifry, which I've heard mashes rather than stirs

 

p

Easy Fry Prestige XL.

 

[lindag]

FWIW, American's Test Kitchen tester rate the Insta Vortex 6-quart as their top two winners followed by the Phillips Premium.  I own non of these.

[Anna N]

It seems to me that “air-fryer” and “air-fryer oven” are being treated as if they were one and the same. They are really quite different. 
 

@jimmywangsays his air fryer oven pretty much replaces his oven. Looking at the model he bought that is not too surprising. It includes a rotisserie among other things. It’s a very different appliance from the basket type air fryer that began this topic. 
I only comment on this because I can get excited about what people are making in their air fryer only to discover that what we are talking about is a souped up countertop convection oven. 
Let the reader beware!

[palo]

1 hour ago, Anna N said:

to discover that what we are talking about is a souped up countertop convection oven. 
Let the reader beware!

In which case they should be compared to the CSO or BSOA or APO and their ilk

 

p

[rotuts]

there is apparently a round GrillGrate

 

for air fryers etc :

 

 

 

https://www.grillgrate.com

 

[kayb]

Don't know so much about them for the air fryer but they are a dream for a gas grill.

[palo]

They suggest using it in the BSOA, I wonder about grease run-off

 

p

[Tom1]

Do convection ovens need to be preheated?

Or should it be called an air fryer oven, of course that's what the seller told me.

It's like a mini oven, I don't know if it needs to be preheated, do you have any experience?

[Tom1]

I came across a very new product, different from the countertop oven, he uses the technology of the air fryer, but uses the appearance of the countertop oven.

I don't know if this post will be commented on, looking for someone who uses the same cooker as me and learned from the seller that it's an air fryer oven.

[blue_dolphin]

10 hours ago, Tom1 said:

I don't know if this post will be commented on, looking for someone who uses the same cooker as me and learned from the seller that it's an air fryer oven.

 

If you are looking for a reply from someone who uses the same cooker, maybe share some more specifics (manufacturer, model or a photo)?

There are a lot of older threads here about countertop convection ovens like the Brevilles, some of which include "Air" in the name and claim to function like air fryers but they are not new so you must have something different. 

[blue_dolphin]

On 10/19/2022 at 7:22 AM, Anna N said:

It seems to me that “air-fryer” and “air-fryer oven” are being treated as if they were one and the same. They are really quite different. 
 

@jimmywangsays his air fryer oven pretty much replaces his oven. Looking at the model he bought that is not too surprising. It includes a rotisserie among other things. It’s a very different appliance from the basket type air fryer that began this topic. 
I only comment on this because I can get excited about what people are making in their air fryer only to discover that what we are talking about is a souped up countertop convection oven. 
Let the reader beware!

Joining the blurring nomenclature, I noticed that in the most recent Wirecutter review of air fryers (annoying paywall, I’m sure) they chose a Cuisinart countertop convection oven as their top pick:

Quote

When we first tested air fryers in 2017, most models were pod-shaped appliances that looked more at home in a sci-fi movie than on a kitchen counter. They used the same technology as convection baking under the guise of a trendy new term: “air frying.” Since then, to stay on trend, some manufacturers have started calling their convection toaster ovens and electric ranges “air fryer ovens.” The Cuisinart Chef’s Convection Toaster Oven TOB-260N1 predates the air-fryer craze (so you won’t see that buzzword on the box), but we think it yields better results than any pod-shaped air fryer we’ve tested.

They acknowledge the difference between the two sorts of appliances this way:

Quote

Get the Cuisinart oven if:

• You have room in your kitchen for a larger oven.
• You have a family or larger household, and/or want to be able to cook larger portions of food at once.
• You want to make a variety of foods, such as baked goods, toast, frozen pizzas up to 13 inches, or roast chicken as big as 6 pounds.
• You want the option to adjust the convection fan’s speed or turn it off completely.
• You don’t want to buy extra accessories (like baking trays or pizza stones) to get the most out of your appliance.
• You don’t mind turning your food to achieve even browning while cooking.
• You like to avoid nonstick coating, which lines the baskets in most pod-shaped air fryers and tends to wear off quickly.
• You want faster cleanup.

Get a pod-shaped air fryer if:

• You don’t have room in your kitchen for a larger oven.
• You mainly want to cook frozen food or smaller portions of food.
• You don’t want to bake, make toast, cook a 13-inch frozen pizza, or roast a large chicken.
• You don’t mind having a single convection fan speed that you can’t adjust or turn off.
• You don’t mind paying for extra accessories (like a rack or cake pan) in order to make full use of your air fryer.
• You prefer a more casual approach to cooking your food, and you find tossing it in a basket to be less cumbersome than turning it by hand.
• You’re okay with some uneven browning.
• You don’t mind more cleanup—including the extra care necessary to prolong the life of the fryer basket’s nonstick coating.

I don’t have an air fryer so I don’t know if they’ve got it right or not. Clearly, there’s a huge price difference between their budget pick Cosori Pro pod fryer @ $85 and a toaster oven that runs close to $300. 
 

[ElsieD]

I'm chiming in to say that I have the BSOA and the Vortex Plus.  They are each good at what they do but the one can't be compared to the other.  I have never been happy with the "Air" part of t he BSOA and now never use it for that purpose.  When it comes time to replace the BSOA, if I replace it with another Breville I would not get the "A" version.  Just my 2 cents worth.

[Anna N]

6 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

Joining the blurring nomenclature

Thanks for this. I own both (and then some as I have a CSO and a BSO) and consider my Cosori to be a very different appliance. 
Since I almost always use a container of some kind inside, my Cosori I find the clean up quite easy. Much easier than either of my countertop ovens. 
To reduce the confusion, I really wish we could have stuck with the name “air fryer” for the much smaller footprint appliance. 

[blue_dolphin]

1 hour ago, ElsieD said:

I'm chiming in to say that I have the BSOA and the Vortex Plus.  They are each good at what they do but the one can't be compared to the other.  I have never been happy with the "Air" part of t he BSOA and now never use it for that purpose.  When it comes time to replace the BSOA, if I replace it with another Breville I would not get the "A" version.  Just my 2 cents worth.

 

Could you say a bit more about things at which the Vortex excels and the Breville fails?  I don't have an air fryer.  My little CSO surely lacks the wind power of those machines but when I put frozen stuff like onion rings or fish filets on a pizza screen, I get a nice crispy result. What air fryer delights am I missing out on? To get an air fryer, I'd need to get rid of something else so I'd love to know its very best points.

Is it worth getting rid of the CSO?  Unlikely!  My most used appliance

Instant pot?  Not going nowhere. 

KitchenAid mixer?  Same

Paragon induction burner?  No way

KitchenAid food processor?  I don't use it a ton but it can be handy.  Would it be worth replacing with an air fryer?

Philips indoor grill?  Can the air fryer make pretty brown stripes on things?  That's the least used of my countertop appliances but I do rather like it.

 

If I could replace the microwave with an air fryer, I'd go for it but they'd have to make one that mounts over the stove where my MW lives.

 

[mgaretz]

2 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

Philips indoor grill?  Can the air fryer make pretty brown stripes on things?  That's the least used of my countertop appliances but I do rather like it.

 

This one from Ninja might be able to replace the Philips grill and do what it does plus air fry and more: https://www.ninjakitchen.com/exclusive-offer/IG651WBKT/ninja-foodi-smart-al-pro-7-in-1-grill-griddle-combo-air-fryer-with-uilt-in-thermometer/

 

I have the original non-XL version that only heats from the top (this new one heats from both sides so you can use it open or closed) and it's a great grill and great air fryer.  I use it a lot.  Hardly use the Philips any more.  If Costco ever gets this new one in and has a good sale I will likely get one.

[Anna N]

2 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

I don't have an air fryer.

I know you did not ask me and I know that Elsie can speak for herself, but I hope you don’t mind if I say a bit about your question. 
I do not think the air fryer is the appliance for you. Let me try to say who I think would most benefit from an air fryer.

1. People who just cannot resist the latest kitchen toy. That would’ve been me a few years ago when I got my first air fryer. I played with it for a few months and found it a new home in my bachelor son’s kitchen. 
2. People who like to eat much more than they like to cook. It does a perfectly adequate job on things like frozen burgers, hotdogs, tater tots but is surprisingly poor at doing a good job on frozen french fries. That at least has been my experience.
3. People with very, very limited kitchen acreage. If you are stuck with this situation, you will still be able to feed yourself provided you’re not too fussy. Even then I would think, squeezing in a convection oven would be a better choice.
4. People with serious physical handicaps. This is why I have my second air fryer. But in this situation you had better be prepared to eat things you would never have eaten were you capable of preparing better things. 
5. If you look on the Internet and believe what you see, there is very little that cannot be prepared in the air fryer provided you are willing to lower your standards enough.
 

I have seen people prepare amazing things and post them on e.G. I cannot say that I have seen much that can be prepared better in the air fryer than with another appliance.

I find it great for bratwurst because it doesn’t make a mess and it’s very fast. I enjoy doing hard cooked eggs in it because there is no clean up but I can’t think of much else. I am prepared to be proven wrong. 

 

[blue_dolphin]

12 minutes ago, Anna N said:

I know you did not ask me and I know that Elsie can speak for herself, but I hope you don’t mind if I say a bit about your question. 

I appreciate your insights as someone who’s used these gadgets and who has a pretty good sense of my cooking style. I think I’ll continue to observe this thread and others while managing my air fryer FOMO 😉

Thank you for the very thoughtful reply!

[gfweb]

I have the BSOA. Its a great oven but the airfry is the least of its virtues.

 

I'm less and less impressed with airfrying. Its not really frying. If I want to fry, I'll pan fry and get the results I expect.

 

I think real frying seems more daunting than it actually is. Airfrying is a limited approximation of real frying. It isn't bad but its more like baking than frying.

 

The one use I've found for air fry is doing chicken wings more quickly.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

52 minutes ago, gfweb said:

I have the BSOA. Its a great oven but the airfry is the least of its virtues.

 

I'm less and less impressed with airfrying. Its not really frying. If I want to fry, I'll pan fry and get the results I expect.

 

I think real frying seems more daunting than it actually is. Airfrying is a limited approximation of real frying. It isn't bad but its more like baking than frying.

 

The one use I've found for air fry is doing chicken wings more quickly.

 

I completely agree air frying is not frying.  Yet I confess when I come home tired from work at oh, say 9:30,  frozen fish and frozen French fries 16 minutes in the APO are mighty tempting.

 

[CookBot]

9 hours ago, blue_dolphin said:

I noticed that in the most recent Wirecutter review of air fryers (annoying paywall, I’m sure) they chose a Cuisinart countertop convection oven as their top pick:

 

When I decided to get a convection oven/air fryer this year, I bought one based exactly on that Wirecutter review, that same Cuisinart but a slightly newer model.  And I've been extremely happy with it.

 

I must say, all of @Anna N's reasoning about air fryer purchase are spot on as regards pod style AFs, especially:  2. People who like to eat much more than they like to cook.  Even though I'm cooking mostly for myself when I'm home, I wanted the option of some actual cooking rather than just heating up, including occasional baking projects like bread and pastries which require a non-convection option, and the Cuisinart has handled every task I've thrown at it.

 

All the fondness of eGulleters for their steam ovens has got me rather envious, though.  But I really don't have the countertop real estate to spare for another baking appliance.

 

[JoNorvelleWalker]

56 minutes ago, CookBot said:

 

When I decided to get a convection oven/air fryer this year, I bought one based exactly on that Wirecutter review, that same Cuisinart but a slightly newer model.  And I've been extremely happy with it.

 

I must say, all of @Anna N's reasoning about air fryer purchase are spot on as regards pod style AFs, especially:  2. People who like to eat much more than they like to cook.  Even though I'm cooking mostly for myself when I'm home, I wanted the option of some actual cooking rather than just heating up, including occasional baking projects like bread and pastries which require a non-convection option, and the Cuisinart has handled every task I've thrown at it.

 

All the fondness of eGulleters for their steam ovens has got me rather envious, though.  But I really don't have the countertop real estate to spare for another baking appliance.

 

 

You only need but one.

 

[Nancy in Pátzcuaro]

In the process of buying a new oven (LG) I find it comes with an air frying feature. I've lived most of my life without deep frying anything, but I suppose I'll try the air fryer feature once or twice to see if it works at all. My hopes are not high for this. Has anyone had any experience with the air fryer feature in a conventional oven? I'm just glad to have convection, digital display, a cleaning feature, and even heating. The old oven required me to turn the pans around at least once to avoid burning one side while leaving the other side semi-raw. I may have to sand blast the oven before I donate it to someone. My husband insisted on self-cleaning because, let's face it, I only cleaned my oven once a year, just before Thanksgiving, and it shows.