Thread: Airfryers

Can't comment from experience on the one you've pictured or that box type, but I bought the cheapest Kmart round one a few years ago when I was living and cooking alone while renovating houses well away from home. It worked fine on frozen chips and everything else I put in it, but takes a bit of getting used to for getting cooking times right. Was great for getting a crispy finish on chicken wings and pork coated in a flour herb mix and sprayed lightly with olive or canola oil. The basket had to be filled in a single layer, so it was enough for one but not much more. A bit of a PITA to clean by hand, but easier than oven trays with baked on stuff. Also have another Aldi basket type Her Indoors bought while I was away and it works the same.

FWIW, I'm inclined to think that the box type might be less efficient than the round ones as the round ones are essentially a chimney that funnels all the heat past the food while the box type looks more like a convection oven system. Might be worth googling reviews and comparisons on the two types.

We use the cheapo one from Target or Kmart, can’t remember which and it does the job just fine. They don’t have the glass door like the one you have shown. Consider the cleaning aspect of whichever you choose

Our first was from Aldi; when it bit the dust we bought a Ninja Dual and really like it.

However… an air “frier” is nothing more than a glorified mini fan oven. Their small size mean they get up to temperature really really quickly and are much more energy efficient but they don’t fry. What they excel at is crisping up foods that either have a very high fat content or have been previously fried before; like frozen spring rolls, chicken wings, pork bellies etc. These turn out great, but frozen chips are garbage as they only have a very light oil coating.

Work within their limitations and they are great kitchen appliances.

Originally Posted by Chief Tiff

What they excel at is crisping up foods that either have a very high fat content or have been previously fried before; like frozen spring rolls, chicken wings, pork bellies etc.

I looked at getting one a while back and that's the conclusion I came to.
I.e. the type of foods you can cook in them are the sort of foods I shouldn't be eating at my age.

Originally Posted by Chief Tiff

Our first was from Aldi; when it bit the dust we bought a Ninja Dual and really like it.

However… an air “frier” is nothing more than a glorified mini fan oven. Their small size mean they get up to temperature really really quickly and are much more energy efficient but they don’t fry. What they excel at is crisping up foods that either have a very high fat content or have been previously fried before; like frozen spring rolls, chicken wings, pork bellies etc. These turn out great, but frozen chips are garbage as they only have a very light oil coating.

Work within their limitations and they are great kitchen appliances.

Whilst you might use it for those foods it is totally incorrect to say that is their primary purpose. We don’t eat any of those things and use it for anything you would normally do in an oven.

We roast vegetables , legs of lamb, chicken, fish etc and is quicker and easier than using the oven with less cleanup.

Google recipes for air fryers and you will find lots of uses, particularly when cooking for 1 or 2 people

Originally Posted by Beardy

Whilst you might use it for those foods it is totally incorrect to say that is their primary purpose.

Where did I say anything about “primary purpose”? I described them as “glorified min fan ovens” with the intent of suggesting that anything you would cook in a normal oven will also cook in one of these devices allowing for limitations due to size. I described conditions where they excel or perform better than a normal oven but certainly didn’t intend to infer that’s all they should be used for.

Originally Posted by Chief Tiff

Where did I say anything about “primary purpose”? I described them as “glorified min fan ovens” with the intent of suggesting that anything you would cook in a normal oven will also cook in one of these devices allowing for limitations due to size. I described conditions where they excel or perform better than a normal oven but certainly didn’t intend to infer that’s all they should be used for.

Sorry I picked up the wrong post to reply to

what you buy has a huge impact on the cooking process ours does frozen chips a treat [used not very often]they will do the job for two people with veggies and meat whatever you choose. The cleaning can and will be a chore on the glass front ones from what's I've seen may be even harder to clean due to the element that does the cooking.

We bought this one to replace a failed microwave, and it does convection and airfrying too. For the price, it is very well built and the controls feel good, and it would be a great all-rounder for a single person or small household I reckon

https://www.kmart.com.au/product/28l...lack-43151585/

Edit: and it grills too!

We bought a cheap Aldi airfryer mainly to see what all the fuss was about, and see how much use we got out of it, before spending decent $$$ on a better one. The upgrade never happened....because the Aldi one works just fine, and it still gets used 2-3 times a week (enough to be left out permanently on the kitchen counter).

Certainly more power efficient and faster than using the standard fan-forced oven for smaller meals.

Smidsy

We started out with an air frier like this one:

P1090122.jpg

The inner basket parted company with the outer and it became unsafe to use. I had a go at repairing it, but was unsuccessful. It hasn't been thrown out, but it has been pensioned off. I think it cost about $100. We were hooked on it as an additional cooking aid.

P1090123.jpg

After some adverse comments by me as to how unsafe it had become, this new one miraculously arrived. I don't know how that happened, although I have reason to believe it cost about $200. It can operate as an air frier or with the fan off as a conventional oven so more versatile than our old pod style machine. It is also close to twice the size, but still suited to one or two people. It is a much better device.

P1090127.jpg

As others have mentioned, it is not really a frier and it certainly doesn't cook everything well, but what it does cook, it does well and better than other cooking methods. Hash Browns, bacon and lamb chops come to mind as some fortes. Bread rolls first dowsed with water and then placed in the frier for 5/6 minutes come out crisp and as if they have just been freshly baked. Really we have not even scratched the surface of what it will do.

One comment I would make is that we are in the middle of installing a new kitchen and much of the build is designed around various appliances we have. I commented that we had not allocated a spot for the air frier. SWMBO said it is staying in our outside laundry. I raised my eyebrows in a questioning manner, and she said it creates too much heat to have in the kitchen. That's OK with me as there is no room left with it all having been allocated.

I think it is a useful addition much in the same way a microwave oven is useful. My recommendation would be to go with a machine like our second buy. However, don't think it will cook everything well.

Regards
Paul