Anyone here use an Air Fryer...?

[AJMD429]

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Supposedly they are a great thing but what can they do that a regular oven and microwave can't?

[Bill in Oregon]

I had a Farberware and gave it to Goodwill as it was big and ugly and took up way too much space. They do cook quickly and without fats. Fine for wings, drumsticks, etc. On the other hand, I tried making sweet potato chips and the things were inedible. There is a learning curve.
I am getting more interested in this traditional cooking device -- this one at Fort Selden, NM, where Douglas MacArthur lived as a boy. It admittedly takes up a bit more space.

[Rockrat]

Think its just another name for a convection oven, but with a higher price tag

[Ray]

Deleted.

[rossim92]

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Supposedly they are a great thing but what can they do that a regular oven and microwave can't?

my mil has one. it does a fantastic job on chicken. cooks thoroughly without the greasy taste. i highly recommend it.

[4t5]

We have a NINJA air fryer and love it , we use it for fries, tots ,wings, did a pork loin once, It also doubles as a crockpot.
The biggest benefit is in summer, doesn’t get the house hot like the oven does.
Also cooking at counter top height is a plus.

[jeepnik]

Apparently our new oven air fries. My wife has used it and the chicken she battered and air fried came out great. Myself I find it's great for heating left over fried food.

In the microwave fried foods always came out mushy. Reheated in the oven set to air fry that remain crispy.

Be aware that air frying ovens may require different venting than a regular oven.

[Walt]

Bill, you posted a picture of an horno, a traditional oven common in New Mexico so I know you're familiar with them. There are 19 occupied Indian pueblos in New Mexico, virtually all of which use hornos for bread and other baking on a regular basis. Many old Hispanic families use them as well. Acoma Pueblo in NM is the oldest continuously occupied settlement in North America at 700 years and they have most certainly used hornos for that entire time.

They are the original air friers.

[GunnyMack]

I have 2 different air fryers. And early style tub type and the first model of the Emerile fryer.
The Emerile is fantastic! Hard cooked eggs in 18 minutes, bacon in 12, has a rotisserie, burgers whatever. This can do just about everything with no ambient heat, a lot less electricity and it's fast!
Yes there is some learning curve.

[horsesoldier03]

Makes awesome french fries.

[Ysabel Kid]

Being empty-nesters now, I really like it for reheating food. Mrs. YK still cooks like she making food for four instead of two, and she knows I love leftovers. Much better than nuking them. She'll make sone of our dinners in the air fryer too. Just another handy kitchen too. After all, I have more than one reloading press, drill, saw... and gun!

[Ray]

Deleted.

[rock-steady]

what can they do that a regular oven and microwave can't?

Well, I have found I can cook a pretty good ribeye steak in my air fryer.

Just season the steak with salt, black pepper & Tony Chachere's and set temp at 400 and keep an eye on it until about medium rare.

[marlinman93]

My wife has one and doesn't use it very often. It seems to cook quickly, but it dries food out quickly also, so not what we like for most things. What she also has is an Instant Pot that's sort of a pressure cooker that can also brown meat and cooks crazy fast. But being a sealed cooker it keeps everything very moist and makes delicious meals in 10-15 minutes where it might take hours on the stove!
She used to soak beans overnight, and then slow cook them on the stove for most of the day. She now soaks them overnight and maybe 20 minutes in the Instant Pot thing and they come out just like cooking all day.

[AJMD429]

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Well here's a new consideration - not really just for AIr Fryers, but any 'smart' appliance....

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/other/w ... r-AA1vRJxW

...like so many things now, they connect to the 'web' so they gather data.

Very annoying.

[Bill in Oregon]

Doc, that is EXTREMELY sobering.
Vall, there is probably an instant pot in my future. Just too versatile not to have one, and who wants to fiddle with a big old aluminum Presto pressure cooker from the 1950s with all the gauges and seals. Years ago, the local Extension Service would offer to pressure test your pressure cooker just before canning season, but canning has kinda gone by the wayside anymore. That said, I did put up one more batch of prickly pear jelly yesterday.

[Streetstar]

I have one - used to use it daily - looked kind of like a big black egg

but have gravitated towards a primarily carnivore diet and it just doesnt get as much use as it used to. --- but will admit it is lights out for chicken wings.

I use a Lodge steel pan (not cast iron, but it is black) - for 75% of my cooking now - as my steaks are sliced thin because its easier for me to digest that way --- just heat that rig up on high - then about 2 minutes per side -- perfect medium well - then throw my eggs in the grease left over from the gristle

-- sorry for topic drift -- but yes i would advocate and use an air fryer daily if my diet was a bit more varied

[COSteve]

My wife bought one because it reheats french fries so well a number of years ago, however, it is so noisy that even on the back deck it's annoying to use. If you were close I'd say if you drive over you could have it for free.

[ikocher]

I can say from experience that I love having an air fryer. The biggest advantage is how it cooks compared to a microwave and the speed (thanks to it being smaller than an oven) compared to a regular oven. The biggest advantage comes in from specific foods being cooked or reheated vs the microwave. For example, if I have left over fried something then putting it in the microwave kills the crispiness of the breading because of the moisture but the air fryer maintains the crispiness. French fries are the same way.

Sometimes we do brussel sprouts with a glaze and bacon. Doing them in a cast iron pan takes a while but the air fryer is just faster but I wouldn't ever do them in a micro wave. Also if you haven't had air fried bacon, try it. Once you learn how to do it, its the best bacon ever!

[Crazy Horse]

Yep, reheating fries is what I use ours mostly for.

[Rube Burrows]

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Supposedly they are a great thing but what can they do that a regular oven and microwave can't?

We have one and They do a great job. We really enjoy some things in there more than a regular oven. Also reheat things better than a normal oven so leftovers taste better.

[CowboyTutt]

I have an air fryer/pressure cooker combo from Instapot that I really like. It has two interchangeable lids, one for pressure cooking functions and one for air frying. The air frying function is useful for quicker cooking and as stated, does not heat the house up as much.

As a side note, I made the best BBQ brisket for Thanksgiving I think I have ever had partially using the Instapot. I smoked a whole brisket on a charcoal BBQ after hand trimming it for 3 hours which imparted true BBQ smoked flavor, then finished cooking it in the pressure cooker in BBQ sauce for about an hour. It was tender and juicier than from a BBQ alone, but still had some crispy portions on the exterior in half the time it would take on a BBQ alone. Highly recommend this for anyone who likes good BBQ!

-Tutt

[2ndovc]

They are also great for starting kitchen fires if you’re up for a remodel and having your insurance company pay for it.

I’ve had several and a friend in TX had a fire so severe that it ended up a total gut. Even the mechanicals had to go.
Used to get those from the old Mr. Coffee pots until they were sued so many times that they finally figured out how to put an auto shutoff on the darned things.

[CowboyTutt]

Jason, you know I respect your opinion regarding firearms and also matters of home insurance as I believe something similar is like that to your current professional livelihood.

I just wanted some clarification about what items you were referring to that were such a severe threat to home fires. Were you referring to "air friers' in particular, or "Insta Pots" (electric pressure cookers) or combo electric pressure cooker/air fryer combo units?

I would sincerely like to know. I own an Instant Pot Pro Crisp that has the dual heads with no issues after over a year of use. Not saying it can break down, only reporting no issues here. I take you as my friend and also as a professional in your field seriously, so if you could just please take a moment to clarify exactly what you meant.

Thanks Brother....

-A-

[Ray]

Deleted.

[2ndovc]

Jason, you know I respect your opinion regarding firearms and also matters of home insurance as I believe something similar is like that to your current professional livelihood.

I just wanted some clarification about what items you were referring to that were such a severe threat to home fires. Were you referring to "air friers' in particular, or "Insta Pots" (electric pressure cookers) or combo electric pressure cooker/air fryer combo units?

I would sincerely like to know. I own an Instant Pot Pro Crisp that has the dual heads with no issues after over a year of use. Not saying it can break down, only reporting no issues here. I take you as my friend and also as a professional in your field seriously, so if you could just please take a moment to clarify exactly what you meant.

Thanks Brother....

-A-

Hey Andy,

The appliances I was referring to were strictly “air fryers”.
I haven’t had any of the newer combination types cause any problems yet. No insta pots at all, though any appliance can cause a problem. I recently had a microwave cause about $80k in damages. First one I’ve had. I’ve had toasters, coffee pots, even a dishwasher cause a fire. That one was a Bosch. They had a recall out, but the homeowner didn’t know.
The biggest cause of fires I’ve had as a contractor and now an adjuster has been the cheap indoor extension cords being used improperly and candles. Little kids with lighters and matches get into a lot of trouble too. Just had one last month. Fortunately, mom kept a level head, tossed the three year old out the back door and put the fire out. The smoke alone did $60-70k in damage.
It happens incredibly fast, unfortunately.
On a more positive note, in the 30 years I’ve been doing this stuff, I’ve only had losses with two fatalities. All because of working smoke detectors!