Wife wants one for her birthday July 1st.
Imnot even sure what one does, but a brief Google search showed way too many sharks in that water for me to go swimming.
So i turn to the hive. What is a good one? Where? How? I don't cook, so its gotta be top shelf quality at challenge pricing. You know how this works.
So, learn me air fryers!
We are the proud recent owners of a Cuisinart model. Don't know the cost but SWMBO's friend raved about it and now my whole family has adopted it and raves about it. I don't cook but I equate their enthusiasm level with a toolbox full of Snap-On tools. It does make some mighty tasty chicken wings, so I approve.
Careful.
My wife bought a high rated one and waited. When enough time had passed without delivery she checked on it, the Address was an apartment building in Miami. Bye bye money.
Next she bought one through Amazon. Hamilton Beach Ninja. We tried it last night, meh!
Over cooked and burnt or raw in the center French Fries.
She tried it on some other vegetables, I noticed she couldn't force herself to eat them.
save your money
We have a Cuisinart one that looks like an overgrown toaster oven. It works great. I think it is really just a toaster convection oven, but for heating up frozen things it's great. Faster than the oven, better results than the microwave. I don't find it to be something I couldn't live without, but overall I like it. Takes up some space on the counter though. Also can be used to toast things.
If your fries are burnt on the outside but raw in the middle, it sounds like the temperature was set too high. Mine does a great job on frozen stuff like fries, mozzarella sticks, corn dogs. I used to this morning to reheat some left over pizza.
It's a convection toaster oven with a fancy name.
Got the Ninja Foodi maybe a year ago. We've used it maybe half a dozen times. My wife uses it to do wings. Frozen to eating in very little time. Pressure cooker. Air fryer. It's pretty versatile, but I haven't gotten used to using it. My best effort in it so far is probably Brussels sprouts with bacon.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07S652D97?tag=duckduckgo-d-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1
The best air fryer is a pan full of 350 degree oil with air surrounding the pan so you can drop stuff needing fried through the air into the oil and make it crispy and delicious
In reply to Patrick (Forum Supporter) :
While i may agree, shes the cook. She is also and forever SWMBO. If an air fryer is what she wants, thats what i shall get her!
T.J. said:We have a Cuisinart one that looks like an overgrown toaster oven. It works great. I think it is really just a toaster convection oven, but for heating up frozen things it's great. Faster than the oven, better results than the microwave. I don't find it to be something I couldn't live without, but overall I like it. Takes up some space on the counter though. Also can be used to toast things.
If your fries are burnt on the outside but raw in the middle, it sounds like the temperature was set too high. Mine does a great job on frozen stuff like fries, mozzarella sticks, corn dogs. I used to this morning to reheat some left over pizza.
And because it's just a toaster convection oven, I would look into getting one of those- we've had one for a long itme, and it's incredibly useful to have. When I want to raost a chicken, it's a lot better than the whole oven. Same goes for smaller casseroles, bacon, taost, etc. The air fryers have a pretty limited space to work relative to a convection toaster oven.
If you already have an Instapot, I believe there is a well reviewed air fryer top available for them.
If they just called them convection ovens- I'd be less upset with them. I don't particularly want one, they don't do anything I don't already have covered, and the health benefits are a bit of a misnomer because it's not actually a fryer. Fryer need oil. Air fryer- no oil, not fryer.
When it comes to anything kitchen, Americas Test Kitchen is my source
https://www.americastestkitchen.com/guides/air-frying/the-best-air-fryers
I bought an entry level air fryer at Black Friday pricing. Mechanical timer + temperature control. Two knobs, that's it.
Pros:
Does a really good job on wings, tater tots, fries. You know, basic nutrition.
It excels at reheating things you'd like to be crispy.
Less risk of burning than doing the same thing in a pan.
Less fried-stuff smell in the kitchen afterwards because you don't have to use oil.
Easy to clean
Cons:
Not instant.
Not great for "wet" breading. That's Fry Daddy territory.
Learning curve on how to really cook with it.
This one is too small. Had to break the sticks to get corndogs in.
Takes up counter space.
I like it. Good results on lots of things without too much hassle or cleanup. We really need one with a bigger basket, to really do meals.
As noted, I have heard it said: Just get a good table top convection type oven. It will do what the air fryer will do, and a lot more.
The only advantage that an "air fryer" might have is you can get one with a small footprint.
z31maniac said:If you already have an Instapot, I believe there is a well reviewed air fryer top available for them.
Damn, you're right. $79.99, and I like the idea of making my Instant Pot more versatile, and also having a slightly less bulky item to store if I want to have an air fryer. Though TBH, my convection oven does a fine job of cooking crispy foods.
Margie
Mine looks like this:
.jpg)
It is larger than any toaster oven I'm familiar with and does the same things plus it has convection cooking (aka air frying?) so I don't understand the 'get a toaster oven' comments. That would be a step backwards and I too would have to pull out my corn dog sticks before cooking. I guess I don't know what type of air fryers others are talking about. I guess I should watch the test kitchen video, but maybe I'll head to my kitchen make a few corndogs instead.
We got one for Christmas. SWMBO picked it out for herself, and I stuck a bow on it.
What I know:
We have always been proponents of the counter top toaster oven, and still have one, but it hardly gets used any more. The Cuisinart monster T.J. posted above would obsolete both machines in our kitchen.
I think they are terrific. They fill a spot between cooking “fried” items in an oven and in a proper deep fryer. My wife bought me one years ago, and I use it so often that she got me another larger one a couple years ago. I frequently use both at the same time. The results of the food are much better than a traditional oven, but not quite to the level of a deep fryer for most foods. That said, it is so much more convenient than a deep fryer, I use when them when normally wouldn’t bother with a fryer. The drawback is that it takes a lot longer than a deep fryer to cook. Figure 15 min. per batch. Not great for preparing large amounts of food, be sure to size the cooker to your family. That’s why I have two now.
T.J. said:Mine looks like this:
It is larger than any toaster oven I'm familiar with and does the same things plus it has convection cooking (aka air frying?) so I don't understand the 'get a toaster oven' comments. That would be a step backwards and I too would have to pull out my corn dog sticks before cooking. I guess I don't know what type of air fryers others are talking about. I guess I should watch the test kitchen video, but maybe I'll head to my kitchen make a few corndogs instead.
Now I want that.
T.J. said:Mine looks like this:
It is larger than any toaster oven I'm familiar with and does the same things plus it has convection cooking (aka air frying?) so I don't understand the 'get a toaster oven' comments. That would be a step backwards and I too would have to pull out my corn dog sticks before cooking. I guess I don't know what type of air fryers others are talking about. I guess I should watch the test kitchen video, but maybe I'll head to my kitchen make a few corndogs instead.
This is what most people mean by air fryer. They annoy me. Yours- dope little oven, This- no thanks.
Ok, I ate a couple of corndogs and figured out what the other type of air fryer is.
Just an FYI that the roundish black Air Fryers with the pull handle thing...they are junk.
Almost all of them have issues with the handle being ripped off, coming loose, or other issues.
The counter top convection oven is more sturdy, but also more big. I'm still trying to determine if there are any meaningful differences between them. Apparently convection ovens don't circulate air quite as vigorously as an air fryer.
In reply to pheller :
FWIW, mine has settings for Air Fryer, Broil, Bake and Toast.
T.J. said:Mine looks like this:
It is larger than any toaster oven I'm familiar with and does the same things plus it has convection cooking (aka air frying?) so I don't understand the 'get a toaster oven' comments. That would be a step backwards and I too would have to pull out my corn dog sticks before cooking. I guess I don't know what type of air fryers others are talking about. I guess I should watch the test kitchen video, but maybe I'll head to my kitchen make a few corndogs instead.
It may say "air fryer" but I see convection toaster oven. One that is more tall than wide. Move the controls to the side, and that's exactly what we have.
That over the small plastic things.
My pan of oil is "delicious deep fried goodness" brand
i don't even know you people anymore
You'll need to log in to post.
