Author Topic: Air fryers  (Read 7868 times)

Air fryers
« on: 29 August, 2016, 08:21:40 am »
I'm considering getting one for domestic small family use,especially for chips.I'd be interested to hear users experiences and opinions.I am aware Philips seem to be the (expensive) market leaders,but what about other brands?

Mrs Pingu

  • Who ate all the pies? Me
    • Twitter
Re: Air fryers
« Reply #1 on: 29 August, 2016, 11:55:29 am »
I don't have one, but a colleague recently bought one (nothing expensive I think) and she thinks it's the mutts nutts.
Do not clench. It only makes it worse.

Tigerrr

  • That England that was wont to conquer others Hath made a shameful conquest of itself.
  • Not really a Tiger.
    • Humanist Celebrant.
Re: Air fryers
« Reply #2 on: 31 August, 2016, 07:53:48 am »
We have one and it is brilliant. Seriously useful bit of kit and it does what it says on the tin - perfect french fries without the use of oil. Plus squid rings and other stuff one might fry. I think we just bought the one that sells most on Amazon.
Humanists UK Funeral and Wedding Celebrant. Trying for godless goodness.
http://humanist.org.uk/michaellaird

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Air fryers
« Reply #3 on: 31 August, 2016, 11:27:14 am »
Is this like the chip vending machine that someone installed in one of our university colleges?  Basically a souped-up hair drier?  It's only redeeming feature was the novelty of a vending machine for chips.

Tigerrr

  • That England that was wont to conquer others Hath made a shameful conquest of itself.
  • Not really a Tiger.
    • Humanist Celebrant.
Re: Air fryers
« Reply #4 on: 31 August, 2016, 11:35:52 am »
The redeeming feature is the absence of loads of fat or a deep fryer etc.  I have convinced myself the chips are therefore healthy! Anyway we use it loads, unlike other gadgets like the sous vide/food processor and so on.
Humanists UK Funeral and Wedding Celebrant. Trying for godless goodness.
http://humanist.org.uk/michaellaird

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Air fryers
« Reply #5 on: 01 September, 2016, 11:41:39 pm »
How does it differ from or compare to oven chips? What, really, is it?
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Tigerrr

  • That England that was wont to conquer others Hath made a shameful conquest of itself.
  • Not really a Tiger.
    • Humanist Celebrant.
Re: Air fryers
« Reply #6 on: 02 September, 2016, 08:00:18 am »
Oven chips don't tend to come out as well as proper deep fried chips. I am sure you know the thing - unevenly cooked, burned or dried out, or soggy etc. They tend to be a substitute type of chip - nobody ever says mmm what lovely fries. You just know real fries are better...
The air fryer uses blown hot air forced through a basket and gets a result pretty much just like a good fryer, but does this without the use of a vat of oil that has to be changed etc or cleaned up.  And it doesn't make a smell, or hot greasy fumes. It is clean and extraordinarily easy to use.
You can whack a kilo of chips into the basket from the freezer, switch on and give it a shake or two and in 15 mins you have lovely perfect chips to accompany your steak!
I know I sound like a promoter but I have to admit the air fryer is a simply brilliant bit of kit.
Humanists UK Funeral and Wedding Celebrant. Trying for godless goodness.
http://humanist.org.uk/michaellaird

Thor

  • Super-sonnicus idioticus
Re: Air fryers
« Reply #7 on: 02 September, 2016, 09:47:17 am »
We have a Philips air fryer which I bought in the hope that I could dump the oily mess that was our De Longhi roto fryer.

The Philips is clean and easy to use but I have to say that the chips are much inferior to those deep-fried in the De Longhi.  We don't use the Philips for chips any more - it is occasionally used for other things.   The De Longhi lives to fight another day.
It was a day like any other in Ireland, only it wasn't raining

ElyDave

  • Royal and Ancient Polar Bear Society member 263583
Re: Air fryers
« Reply #8 on: 02 September, 2016, 09:50:13 am »
Fat is good for you anyway, it's the spuds that'll kill you.
“Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.” –Charles Dickens

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Air fryers
« Reply #9 on: 02 September, 2016, 01:48:08 pm »
Oven chips don't tend to come out as well as proper deep fried chips. I am sure you know the thing - unevenly cooked, burned or dried out, or soggy etc. They tend to be a substitute type of chip - nobody ever says mmm what lovely fries. You just know real fries are better...
The air fryer uses blown hot air forced through a basket and gets a result pretty much just like a good fryer, but does this without the use of a vat of oil that has to be changed etc or cleaned up.  And it doesn't make a smell, or hot greasy fumes. It is clean and extraordinarily easy to use.
You can whack a kilo of chips into the basket from the freezer, switch on and give it a shake or two and in 15 mins you have lovely perfect chips to accompany your steak!
I know I sound like a promoter but I have to admit the air fryer is a simply brilliant bit of kit.
We have a Philips air fryer which I bought in the hope that I could dump the oily mess that was our De Longhi roto fryer.

The Philips is clean and easy to use but I have to say that the chips are much inferior to those deep-fried in the De Longhi.  We don't use the Philips for chips any more - it is occasionally used for other things.   The De Longhi lives to fight another day.
This is what I'm wondering about. Without actually being fried in oil, can air-fried chips be much better than oven chips (which are perfectly good IMO but not as tasty as chip-shop chips)? Of course they'll be healthier etc than deep frying, but compared to oven ones? And what sort of chips do you cook in this device; oven chips, with their coating of oil, or is it just chopped up real genuine potatoes with no catalysts, lubricants, etc etc?
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Tigerrr

  • That England that was wont to conquer others Hath made a shameful conquest of itself.
  • Not really a Tiger.
    • Humanist Celebrant.
Re: Air fryers
« Reply #10 on: 02 September, 2016, 06:39:23 pm »
I cook oven chips. In fact I am doing some right now. We are having some lovely Ginger Pig sirloin with french fries. In my opinion you have to use McCains though. They are better sized - you don't want a load of scrappy bits which is what the Ol and cheaper frozen cups are full of.
Frankly haven't bothered with chopping up potatoes since we got the air fryer. Life's too short.
My results are as good as I used to get with the fat fryer and real potatoes - it's very important to shake the chips quite often though.
But the best thing is the kitchen doesn't stink of chips etc.
Humanists UK Funeral and Wedding Celebrant. Trying for godless goodness.
http://humanist.org.uk/michaellaird

Valiant

  • aka Sam
    • Radiance Audio
Re: Air fryers
« Reply #11 on: 06 September, 2016, 12:54:52 am »
Could you use one for samosas?
You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted, then used against you.

Support Equilibrium

Re: Air fryers
« Reply #12 on: 06 September, 2016, 10:04:21 am »
We are making a New World (Paul Nash, 1918)

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Air fryers
« Reply #13 on: 11 February, 2020, 03:04:02 pm »
Necroposting here...

I bought a Philips last week because every time we did chips (bits of real spuds, unpeeled) in the oven MrsT would shove something ungodly like carrots in as well and the chips would come out soggy.  Quite liked the air-fryer result, certainly crisp.

I'm struck, though, with the limitations of the thing - certainly you can do a lot with it, but it's only good for one thing at a time. If you wanted to do chicken & chips you'd have to do them one after another, meaning one would be cold before the other was ready. Either that or get a battery of the things and blow the breakers (or set fire to the wall, depending on the honesty of your electrician).
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Valiant

  • aka Sam
    • Radiance Audio
Re: Air fryers
« Reply #14 on: 13 February, 2020, 04:08:35 am »
Necroposting here...

I bought a Philips last week because every time we did chips (bits of real spuds, unpeeled) in the oven MrsT would shove something ungodly like carrots in as well and the chips would come out soggy.  Quite liked the air-fryer result, certainly crisp.

I'm struck, though, with the limitations of the thing - certainly you can do a lot with it, but it's only good for one thing at a time. If you wanted to do chicken & chips you'd have to do them one after another, meaning one would be cold before the other was ready. Either that or get a battery of the things and blow the breakers (or set fire to the wall, depending on the honesty of your electrician).

In that case you can use a halogen oven, I find it has a similar result as an air fryer only bigger. Not quite as good bu not far off. Benefits being you can cook an entire roast in one.
You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be misquoted, then used against you.

Support Equilibrium

Re: Air fryers
« Reply #15 on: 13 February, 2020, 06:44:05 am »
If you wanted to do chicken & chips you'd have to do them one after another, meaning one would be cold before the other was ready. Either that or get a battery of the things and blow the breakers (or set fire to the wall, depending on the honesty of your electrician).

...or fry the chicken first, then leave the chicken in your oven at a very low temperature while you fry the chips.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Air fryers
« Reply #16 on: 13 February, 2020, 08:32:57 am »
... you can use a halogen oven, I find it has a similar result as an air fryer only bigger. Not quite as good bu not far off. Benefits being you can cook an entire roast in one.

I didn't think of those.  I don't know much about them other that you can mod them to roast coffee.

If you wanted to do chicken & chips you'd have to do them one after another, meaning one would be cold before the other was ready. Either that or get a battery of the things and blow the breakers (or set fire to the wall, depending on the honesty of your electrician).

...or fry the chicken first, then leave the chicken in your oven at a very low temperature while you fry the chips.

Something like that.  Larger models than ours take dividers that allow you to cook a couple of things at once, but I imagine that shaking stuff up would be fiddly.

Our microwave has a couple of grill/convector functions I've never plumbed, mainly because ICBA cleaning up fat splatter inside, but they might be useful to keep stuff hot.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

air fryers: Are they worth it
« Reply #17 on: 22 February, 2020, 01:56:11 pm »
I keep seeing references to air fryers in recipes and blogs.  Are they worth investing in?

Thank you

The Movers

  • We just work here
Re: Air fryers
« Reply #18 on: 22 February, 2020, 02:19:45 pm »
Merged the last thread on air fryers to save you the trouble of looking too far...

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: air fryers: Are they worth it
« Reply #19 on: 22 February, 2020, 03:00:15 pm »
I keep seeing references to air fryers in recipes and blogs.  Are they worth investing in?

Thank you

If you do, get a big model rather than a small one, then you can do much more.

Re worth it, by and large I'd say yes. Here are two of the more palatable videos on them (if you can stand people who say baysil and oRIGano). This guy uses real ingredients rather than proprietary stuff:

https://youtu.be/OtGBQw_UIQg
https://youtu.be/qdWhFjmuGmM

So far I've just done chip and chicken parts, separately.  The chips have always been good, although they could do with a bit more oil on them at the end - they come out dry. I have an oil spray on the way.  The chicken was excellent once and bleh the second time because I put too much basil & pepper on and burnt it when I bumped up the temperature at the end.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Re: Air fryers
« Reply #20 on: 22 February, 2020, 03:53:24 pm »
Thank you to the mergers and to those who responded. 

we are tending to eat more and more healthily so small piece of chicken and steamed vegetables or similar.  So the inability to cook two things does not really worry me.  I think we will invest.

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Air fryers
« Reply #21 on: 22 February, 2020, 04:17:59 pm »
Have fun! Let us know how you get on.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: Air fryers
« Reply #22 on: 23 February, 2020, 08:05:46 pm »
Isn't that funny? 20 minutes ago I had never heard of an air fryer and now I NEED one.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Tigerrr

  • That England that was wont to conquer others Hath made a shameful conquest of itself.
  • Not really a Tiger.
    • Humanist Celebrant.
Re: Air fryers
« Reply #23 on: 03 March, 2020, 02:27:55 pm »
Still a fan here. A bit fatter than when the thread started though.
Humanists UK Funeral and Wedding Celebrant. Trying for godless goodness.
http://humanist.org.uk/michaellaird

T42

  • Apprentice geezer
Re: Air fryers
« Reply #24 on: 05 March, 2020, 02:08:37 pm »
Tried doing a supermarket entrecôte today. No herbs, garlic etc., just salted both sides, left it a bit then dabbed it off with kitchen paper and stuck it in the air fryer. 200°C, judged cooking by colour rather than time but it took around 6 minutes for 180g.  Best I've eaten in years.

Only drawback was that it took up the whole basket, so cooking for several would be out. Fortunately, MrsT is vegetarian.

Oh aye, it was one we had in the freezer, so a fresh one should be even better.
I've dusted off all those old bottles and set them up straight