Air Fryers have been discussed before, but I was never much interested, now I’m beginning to think we need to change the menu, serve something a bit different that’s easy to do. We like to keep things simple, with minimal washing up, minimal time spent cooking with minimal smell.
So what’s it like owning a Air Frier? Do you use it regularly? Has the novelty worn off yet?
I’ve never used one, in fact I’ve never even seen one, tell me about the magic.
We have an Instant Pot. It does everything and it is quick.
Off to google Instant Pot.
We have a ninja
Basically they are a mini oven quick and easy .
Especially if only small portions are needed .
Great invention .
There are two types of air fryer, the ones that have an enclosed cooking chamber, like this
And the ones that are like a small oven, like this
I’ve got the small oven one, and it’s brilliant, I use it all the time when there are only the two of us, it’s more like real cooking and you can watch things cook
But some people find it fiddly and prefer the enclosed ones
Have a look at this recipe book for mine and see if it inspires you!
I have had one of these for a couple of years.
It’s great at what it does but the capacity is a bit limiting.
When we move I’ll think about getting something larger and a bit more capable.
useful functions but doesn’t make chips!
I’ve heard of those. Will check them out.
So with the first type the food goes in the draw? That makes for easy cleaning, I imagine.
One of these :
Vortex Plus 6-in-1 Air Fryer - it was in a half price sale last year £60. A friend shared the sale on facebook as she was getting one too. It perfectly roasted the turkey crown yesterday. Makes great chips but with an air fryer you have to reduce both cooking time and temperature. The first time I tried to make chips they were cremated. I can definitely recommend this model. Very easy to clean too.
Yes, they are really easy to clean
Mine is a bit more work because you have to wash the shelves and the glass door, but you can see what you’re cooking
There are some bargains to be had at the moment
I’m thinking of getting one of these from B&M for more air frying room!
It’s manual not digital but I don’t mind that and it’s a good make and a nice big one, 3litres, for £30 quid
I started off with one of these
I thought it was marvellous at first - cuts down the cooking time and makes oven cleaning a breeze - plus the huge energy saving in not heating a big oven just to cook, roast or baste a small meal - but I soon was wishing I’d got something slightly larger than this Tower 4 litre capacity model.
It was fine when I was just cooking for myself and it would cook a whole 3lb chicken if I had any meat-eaters for dinner - but it didn’t have room to roast the veg around the meat so it needed a bit of juggling to finish off the roasties while the meat was resting.
After 3 years, my Tower was beginning to show signs of wear and tear and I was thinking of upgrading to a better and larger model - when serendipity stepped in and I was given this unwanted brand new 5.5 litre Cosori air fryer. (The online suppliers sent this Red one instead of a white one to my friend - when they rectified their mistake, they told him they didn’t want him to bother returning the red one - it just happens to blend perfectly with the colours in my kitchen, so I was well chuffed with it!)
Having used this Cosori for a few months now, I think it is better designed and easier to use than the Tower was - the cooking drawer is a more useful shape and size and much easier to clean - the Tower had a removable base plate, with 4 tiny rubber caps on the sharp metal lips but they fell off so easily during cleaning that 3 of them disappeared - probably went down the sink plug hole!
With the Cosori, you can lift the whole basket out of the drawer base to easily clean both separately - and you can put them in the dishwasher if you want.
I often use an appropriately shaped easy-clean silicone container for foods which are prone to sticking, which makes it easier to lift things out of the cooking drawer and it makes clearing up after cooking even easier.
The ninja ones are the most popular but Lakeland do their own version and usually their stuff is pretty decent, you’ll have to decide if you want one drawer or two, some have the feature that enables the food to finish cooking at the same time ( 2 drawer) I think that would be a worthwhile feature…
Actually, yes it does.
We’ve got one of these, use it nearly every day, oven/grill, cheese on toast, roasting meat, baking pies etc. warm plates on top. It’s small and came with only one shelf, but big enough for us two. We have a full sized oven too. but never use it
Hmmm … I’m still unsure of the advantages of an air frier. Maybe I won’t know till I’ve got one. They are cheap but we are short of space, don’t want our kitchen cluttered with something we rarely or never use.
I’ve been using air fryers for well over six years and still think they’re the best kitchen invention ever. I bought a Tower 5.5 litre air fryer when I was having a new kitchen extension built so I could cook things in the living room. I was instantly converted and even when the kitchen was finished I still used the air fryer and haven’t even used the brand new oven.
I was so impressed I started to buy air fryers from auction and sell them online and so I’ve become pretty good at repairing them.
I’ve worked on a few different brands and they’re all pretty similar. If I were to buy one tomorrow I’d go for a brand called Princess, the electrical components inside the machine are much better than others I’ve worked on. Also I wouldn’t buy anything smaller than a 5.2 litre capacity. You’ll soon wish you bought a bigger one if you do. As somebody mentioned earlier, the ones with a draw to cook the food in are much easier to clean as everything can go in the dishwasher if needed. (The food cooks in the draw so grease doesn’t contaminate the inside of the machine)
I cook everything in mine from a fish finger to a leg of lamb (but I do have to saw the end of the bone off to fit it in.) Anything that you’d usually cook under the grill, in a frying pan or in the oven can go in the air fryer. These things are a total game changer, I’d highly recommend getting one. 
We’ve got one of those mini ovens too d00d, they really are useful on a number of levels.
Air fryers really are great for making homemade chips, potato wedges, savoury skins etc.
Great for savoury chicken drumsticks, wings etc too ,
not to mention sausages!
Just a tip if you’re going to make chips from a potato (as opposed to frozen chips)
Cut the chips and then rinse them to remove the starch (the starch browns far too quickly for my liking) then microwave them until they’re fully cooked through. (Between 5 and 10 minutes depending on how many you have)
When they’re cooked spray them with oil and cook them in the air fryer to your liking. They have a nice fluffy texture inside when you cook them like this. More like a chippy chip but without all the fat.
