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Air fryer

nonethewiser

nonethewiser

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
Finally got round to buying one last week, purchased a 9L dual fryer, did pork joint in it last Sunday then roast potatoes afterwards.

Also cooked few other things since with reduced cooking time than standard oven, any air fryer tips would be most welcome.
 
If you haven't already got them, non stick mats help reduce the cleaning. Stuff just slides off after a quick soak in hot soapy water. Menu wise baked potatoes are a lovely treat and come out nice and crispy. I usually microwave them first. Now I share one with hubby to keep carbs down.
 
nonethewiser said:
Finally got round to buying one last week, purchased a 9L dual fryer, did pork joint in it last Sunday then roast potatoes afterwards.

Also cooked few other things since with reduced cooking time than standard oven, any air fryer tips would be most welcome.
Click to expand...
Anything you would on in the oven can be done in an airfryer, provided it fits. I have even seen folks (in FB group) baking it them.

We have a 34l chamber airfryer which is probably our more utilised gadget, and we wouldn't be with it. Roasts are almost always done in it, the rotisserie is used way, way more than I envisaged it would be. We've never had an airfryer with drawers.

Enjoy!
 
Chicken thighs are brilliant (with a dry rub) - 10 mins skin sde down then flip over for 10-15 (depending on how crispy you like the skin) at 180c - perfectly cooked and juicy - and personally I don't use the non-stick mats or parchment paper (I find it cooks more evenly, and they're not difficult to clean anyway) - Roast Potatoes are great in the air fryer too - I prefer to par boil them for 5 mins first - drain and fluff up in a collander and spray with cooking oil before sticking in the basket for 25 mins at 190c (give them a shake and a little more spray every now and again) - they come out gnarly (Jamie Oliver expression!) and crispy but beautifully soft on the inside (I've onlty had my air fryer for 2 weeks BTW and love it!).
 
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Best invention ever

Ive tried the paper inserts and the rubbery container thingys too but it only takes a minute to wipe out......or 2 minutes to wash!

Wouldnt dream of doing chicken any other way

One thing i love is brussel sprouts and cauliflower done in one......make the cauli florets same size as sprouts....put in bowl....little drizzle of olive oil.....toss in some chili flakes...not too much!......180 degrees for 10 mins....shake a few times....so tasty

Ive made muffins and caramel shortbread in one.......back when i used to eat such things lol
 
nonethewiser said:
any air fryer tips would be most welcome.
Click to expand...

If you like pies or the “slices” variant? About half way up the fryer tray on a rack. It will crisp em up to “Greggs” standards. I like a microwave that can make them soggy. Does a blinding bacon too, the same way which I 2 tier in a Ninja.

silver minion said:
If you haven't already got them, non stick mats help reduce the cleaning. Stuff just slides off after a quick soak in hot soapy water. Menu wise baked potatoes are a lovely treat and come out nice and crispy. I usually microwave them first. Now I share one with hubby to keep carbs down.
Click to expand...

The non stick things I turn inside out soak & wash. The ones with the device is like a non stick rubber bowl? To be fair. I don’t own this Ninja. I tend to cater for others along with myself when I visit my sister’s place as a courtesy & taken to this cooker like a duck to water? Whatever they want. I’ll ‘ave a go. 🙂 I also love how it can do a salmon.
 
Have not used ours for a while, whilst on the T2D diet!
But they are great, we use the little grease proof paper trays to cut down on mess/cleaning, you can get packs of 100, etc from the bay of Evil/Amazon, etc.
Belly of pork cut into cubes with a nice rub are always nice n crispy!
Crispy onions are great too, thinly sliced, bit of seasoned flour, and air fry till crispy.
Have also done crisps, just thin potato dried on paper towel, drizzled with flavoured oil, herbs, seasoning, etc, and again air fry until crispy.
Lots of good free recipes on Google/YouTube.
We started with a small single tray one, but now have a larger 9-10L dual tray one, much better for doing whole meals as offers more versatility.
 
paultrose said:
Best invention ever

Ive tried the paper inserts and the rubbery container thingys too but it only takes a minute to wipe out......or 2 minutes to wash!

Wouldnt dream of doing chicken any other way

One thing i love is brussel sprouts and cauliflower done in one......make the cauli florets same size as sprouts....put in bowl....little drizzle of olive oil.....toss in some chili flakes...not too much!......180 degrees for 10 mins....shake a few times....so tasty

Ive made muffins and caramel shortbread in one.......back when i used to eat such things lol
Click to expand...
I’m seriously thinking of getting rid of the microwave in our kitchen & getting an air fryer to replace? (Not a lot of room.) the above ground greens. We also have a steamer? However. More space with functionality. Need to convince my wife? Wifey cooks from scratch. But she was impressed as I went full on Gordon Ramsey at my sister’s with this thing.
 
silver minion said:
If you haven't already got them, non stick mats help reduce the cleaning. Stuff just slides off after a quick soak in hot soapy water. Menu wise baked potatoes are a lovely treat and come out nice and crispy. I usually microwave them first. Now I share one with hubby to keep carbs down.
Click to expand...

That's what we had last night, jacket potato's, skin was nice & crispy as you say.

That's what someone said @AndBreathe that anything done in a oven can be done in air fryer.

Will give chicken thighs & drumsticks a try @mashedupmatt as they sound great done in air fryer.

Will try cauliflower & brocoli tip @paultrose as like both, same for you @pjgtech as you can't beat fried onions.
 
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Satan’s little helper said:
I’m seriously thinking of getting rid of the microwave in our kitchen & getting an air fryer to replace? (Not a lot of room.) the above ground greens. We also have a steamer? However. More space with functionality. Need to convince my wife? Wifey cooks from scratch. But she was impressed as I went full on Gordon Ramsey at my sister’s with this thing.
Click to expand...
We have a flatbed combo microwave, which is often used for plate warming etc. About the only things we microwave are milk for a milky drink and Mr B's porridge, although I'm sure that'd be better in the rice cooker.

Yes, we're gadgeteers!
 
nonethewiser said:
That's what we had last night, jacket potato's, skin was nice & crispy as you say.

That's what someone said @AndBreathe that anything done in a oven can be done in air fryer.

Will give chicken thighs & drumsticks a try @mashedupmatt as they sound great done in air fryer.

Will try cauliflower & brocoli tip @paultrose as like both, same for you @pjgtech as you can't beat fried onions.
Click to expand...

Chicken is wonderful in the AF, but keep the skin on for heaven's sake. And gammon - best crackling EVER in the AF. That goes on the rotisserie so, it bastes it's self and there's 360 degree crackling - no soggy bit where the joint has been sitting on an baking tray.

Great things.
 
I am another who has little space in my kitchen for gadgets.
My microwave is used most days for defrosting bread, steaming vegetables, cooking scrambled eggs, heating milk so we will not get rid of that.
The bread maker went years ago when I started baking by hand. The food processor is on its way out as it is so rarely used.
As for an air fryer, I know they are popular but am confused by the name. To my understanding, they are a tabletop oven not a fryer. I guess you could consider all ovens to be "air fryers".
My oven is used most for baking rather than roasting and I need a fair amount of space for tarts and loaves and trays of cookies or muffins. So an air fryer is way down my list - a good mixer is far higher.
 
Ive always said the same thing to people thinking about one....dont think of it as a 'fryer' but as a little 'oven'

Wouldnt be without one since im on my own......so much cheaper to run
 
paultrose said:
Ive always said the same thing to people thinking about one....dont think of it as a 'fryer' but as a little 'oven'

Wouldnt be without one since im on my own......so much cheaper to run
Click to expand...
I think of ours as a compact fan oven. My sister in law gave us one when we moved house. We inherited an old range cooker which hadn't been looked after (or cleaned) and the ovens were awful. Everything was burned on one side and raw on the other. Turning didn't help. Airfryer was a life saver until kitchen replaced and new eye level oven and grill fitted. Decided to replace Airfryer with a dual basket model which we use several times a week. Still use main oven for batch baking or large roasts.
 
Refused to use range cooker until we had a professional oven cleaning company out. He used 5 scraper blades and several cleaning rags. Took him 4 hours to clean. He reckoned it had never been cleaned.
 
silver minion said:
If you haven't already got them, non stick mats help reduce the cleaning. Stuff just slides off after a quick soak in hot soapy water. Menu wise baked potatoes are a lovely treat and come out nice and crispy. I usually microwave them first. Now I share one with hubby to keep carbs down.
Click to expand...
Hi - None stick mats ( silicone ) are not great for letting the hot air circulate around the baskets and most professionals advise not to use 😳 they can cause uneaven cooking even though they keep the basket(s) clean.
Each to their own I think 🙂
You can also use any ovenware in the airfyer such as ceramic and tin too so no need to buy liners if you already have ovenware.
 
helli said:
As for an air fryer, I know they are popular but am confused by the name. To my understanding, they are a tabletop oven not a fryer. I guess you could consider all ovens to be "air fryers".
Click to expand...
An AF is basically a fast convection oven, eg: it blows round very, very hot air.
Like most things, ovens, microwaves, etc, some have more features than others.
Our old single tray one could air fry, crisp, re-heat, roast, bake and also had a steamer/pressure cooker option with a different lid!
Our new one, larger double tray (stacked) can do all the above apart from steam/pressure.
The main advantages being they are smaller than a normal oven, so take up less room, use less energy, are faster to cook, use much less oil so are healthier, etc.
Main disadvantage against a normal oven, is size, the normal oven will be larger so can hold more stuff.
 
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