Do I want an air fryer for Christmas?

[HopperFan]

Sigh, bought one because relatives loved their. I don't love it.

We bought a nice one, a big one for the family ....

A BIG ONE. Thing is huge and fits no where. It bounces between garage and pantry floor.

It gets HOT so we have a thick wood tv stand for it, I won't use on counter.

So far we have struggled in getting anything to come out really good. We bought books, asked relatives and the ONLY thing I'm happy with is heating frozen soft pretzels.

It's big and yet still doesn't make enough of anything for the four of us.

I would say its nothing but a faster toaster oven.

Maybe this winter we will work it a bit more to see if we can improve our results but if you asked me right now, I wouldn't buy again. Same with InstaPot. Great pressure cooker but it's other components not so much.

 

[ronandannette]

Usually I have a few ideas for various Christmas lists, but this year I am really struggling to come up with any ideas. I thought about maybe an air fryer, but does it really work? Everything I've seen seems like it would be useful.

So, let's hear your reviews. Good, bad, ugly. I want it all.

I don't have a toaster oven so I couldn't just make more use out of it.

Can you cook normal food in it too or does everything just turn out deep fried ish?

Just read in another thread you got the air fryer. Let us know what you're doing with it.

 

[peabody58]

"Today's latest kitchen gadget (air fryer) is tomorrow's yard sale item (bread machine)."
Confucius

 

[mrodgers]

In one word, YES. You need an air fryer. My 2nd one just came but it's a gift for someone else. I have the Cosori 5.8 quart, back to regular price of $89 on Amazon down from the inflated "Black Friday Sale Price" of $119.

These videos are what made up my mind...

And also this fabulous girl, every one of her videos, LOL

https://www.youtube.com/c/fabulesslyfrugal

My wife got a small one for under $20. It's interesting but kind of tiny. And we're having difficulty with proper oil application. I guess some use cooking sprays, but that seems like kind of a waste. The other thing is that it's so tiny and when we tried a few things like fish the smell just stays everywhere. I tried turning corn tortillas into chips, but I think I put too many in and some turned brown while others were soggy with oil.

The one thing it's perfect at is reheating Chicken McNuggets. They feel almost like they're fresh out of the fryer at McDonald's, and since they already have oil in them I don't have to spread it.

If you want to make tortilla chips or potato chips, which I make all the time, you have to keep checking unless you only want to cook a couple at a time in a single layer. That would mean what, 4 chips at a time in a small air fryer? I just made tortilla chips 2 nights ago. And made potato chips last week to go with a sandwich. Both are fantastic coming out of the air fryer, but a small one is nearly useless for just about everything.

 

[Bianca and Bernard]

I have a Ninja Foodi DT251. The air fry is great for breaded frozen veg and frozen fries.
I use the Foodi at least 3x a week. I bake in it. (Got mini cupcake and mini loaf pans to fit in it)

The one I have has a smart thermometer, that will shut the oven off when it's hit the temp I program to! Better than guessing, haha

 

[mrodgers]

I don't have a convection oven. I have an old fashioned burner stove/oven. Not harvest orange, but not many steps above that.

I don't even have a regular oven. Ran out of propane almost immediately after moving in and in the attempts to get someone to deliver propane to a new customer my furnace went out so had to take a loan out for a new furnace instead. Someone gave me an induction burner which works great with my cast iron, then I got an instant pot for Christmas. 3 years to pay the furnace off, I never gave thought to getting propane as I never used the stove and had my burners on the counter. Added the air fryer last year. Being by myself, I have no use for the stove/oven at all. The burner cooks skillet and pot stuff, the instant pot now makes all my soup and chili, and the air fryer cooks anything I want to bake.

Here's a small 2 piece lasagna I baked which I gave the dish a quick clean and baked the brownies while I ate half the lasagna.

 

[Metro West]

I have a Ninja grill and love it! I haven't been too bold with it...only grilling steaks but want to experiment more.

 

[MamaMermaid]

Yes - totally worth it! We don't use the toaster or microwave anymore. The air fryer is wonderful!

 

[_19disnA]

In general. At its core, the air fryer isn't really a fryer. It's a convection oven with a bit better circulation

I agree and not interested in yet another of the latest kitchen gadgets. About this time every year, they come out with some new gadget and likely sell a few of them for Christmas. Most probably end up in storage in your basement or you dispose of it at your next garage sale.

 

[canadianjovigirl]

I went from the Ninja foodi to the Ninja grill and just got the Kalorik Maxx Air Fryer Oven Grill and love it. Its large but replaces so many applicances and has enough space to cook for more then one person so i use it daily for all kinds of things.

 

[KristaZ]

If you're looking for good air fryer recipes - check out Skinnytaste - she has tons, plus a couple of air fryer cookbooks - they're all on the more healthy side and everything I've tried turns out great. You can definitely do more than just frozen, snacky, type foods. The only down side is, depending on the size of your air fryer, you may have to batch cook things.

 

[K and K's Mommy]

If you're looking for good air fryer recipes - check out Skinnytaste - she has tons, plus a couple of air fryer cookbooks - they're all on the more healthy side and everything I've tried turns out great. You can definitely do more than just frozen, snacky, type foods. The only down side is, depending on the size of your air fryer, you may have to batch cook things.

Love Skinnytaste!

 

[DVCjj]

Me: I need a Hot Pot
DH: Please no. You don't even use the 5 crockpots you have

Me: I need an Air Fryer
DH: Please no. You don't even use the 5 crockpots you have.

Me: I need a Ninja 10-in-1 do everything contraption
DH: Please no. You don't even use the 5 crockpots you have.

You get the picture......

 

[jdb in AZ]

A friend fixed us dinner with her Instapot. Ribs turned out great. I asked DH not to get one for us because I have too many kitchen appliances as it is. He bought me one anyway. That was two years ago and it hasn't been out of the box. I offered it to DD but she wasn't interested.

So no, I wouldn't want an air fryer either, tho DD loves hers.

I still have a nice bread machine that has gone years without being used, then pressed into service maybe three times this past year. DD makes bread all the time -- without a machine.

Basically, different strokes for different folks.

 

[cpep42]

This is the best invention since Disney World. I cook almost everything in it. Vegetables come out crispy if you want or regular if you want. Couldn't do without it or at least i wouldn't want to.

 

[LuvMyEAR]

i bought one on a whim, seeing them on sale in Costco one day. Figured if it was horrible, I could easily return it. It has earned its space on the counter. We find that our favourite crispy-coated frozen fries are every bit as tasty as the ones you buy at the Costco snack counter (a family favourite). Egg rolls, spring rolls, chicken strips, nuggets, etc, all great. It reheats leftover pizza better than anything. I have roasted broccoli and cauliflower and enjoyed the results, but not experimented with any real cooking beyond that. I was amazed at what the little cookbook says can be done, but have just been too lazy to try…yet. For just the two of us, it is fine, but there are real limitations of how much can be prepared at once, which is the only disadvantage I have found over the convection oven.

 

[AussieFan8]

I have a Cuisinart TOA-65 which is a toaster over/air fryer combo. I use it every single day for something.

May I ask if you have any issues with overheating, which is the biggest complaint I've read about the TOA-65? We are trying to decide between buying this one or the Breville.

 

[robinb]

I have a Cuisinart TOA-65 which is a toaster over/air fryer combo. I use it every single day for something.

It's funny that this thread has popped up again. My Cuisinart died the same day I posted this. It was only 2 years old and covered under warranty. I contacted Cuisinart the next day (12/20) and I had to cut my cord and send them a photo of it. I still do not have my replacement . I really miss it!

 

[robinb]

May I ask if you have any issues with overheating, which is the biggest complaint I've read about the TOA-65? We are trying to decide between buying this one or the Breville.

It did got hot on the outside and it ran hot inside too. I would have to adjust the temperature about 50-degrees down when I used it for baking or air frying. Like I said in my last post, it died last month. It began to have a grinding noise which is a failure of the fan.

I too was torn between the Cuisinart and the Breville. Right now, I wish I had purchased the Breville. I had a regular Breville toaster oven for YEARS AND YEARS and my DD has had it for the last 2 years after I replaced it with the Cuisinart. It's still going strong. I had previous back luck with a Cuisinart coffee maker. I had to have it replaced just within the warranty period and then the replacement broke less than 2 years later. So, the breaking of the air fryer wasn't unexpected but I didn't expect to still be waiting for a replacement nearly 3 weeks later . FWIW, my Cuisinart food processor and my Cuisinart immersion blender are both still working (*knock wood*). The food processor is literally decades old and the blender is also 15-20 years old. So, I think that Cuisinart used to be a better brand than it is now. When my Cuisinart AF dies the next time, I'll invest in the Breville instead. It's twice the price as the Cuisinart, but more reliable.

 

[Piglet843]

My 2 cents - and to wrap up what others have said - if you have a microwave, an oven, a crockpot, and any other kitchen appliance - you don't need an air fryer too. If your intention is to replace one or more of them, then yea - its a great tool to take up space on your counter.
If your intention is to do some good ol southern Deep Frying - don't waste your money or your time and don't get rid of your deep fryer. It is Not the Same!