Anyone have any thoughts on air fryers?

[LuvOrlando]

I don't have one but DD has been asking since we cook so much these days, is it just a weird microwave?

 

[marcyleecorgan]

it's a convection oven.

 

[Hikergirl]

It's really a very compact convection oven.
There are those that are a combo toaster oven, air fryer too.
Last year I got the Foodi 5 in 1 grill. It's an air fryer, grill, dehydrator, and you can bake and roast in it.
I pretty much just use the air fryer and grill function.
I personally don't like the way it looks, I think it's pretty ugly but I do like the function of it.

 

[marcyleecorgan]

I love ours. I'd put it in the category of small appliances that can take the place of bigger ones, should things go wrong. Like if my stove suddenly up and died, I would have the airfryer, a microwave, and a coffee maker AND a tea kettle to heat/cook things with.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Marcyleecorgan, I read the convection oven part but my gas oven has a convection oven feature so I suppose I'm trying to figure out why they are popular to justify giving up counter space lol. Is it that they keep the heat down in the summer maybe?

Hikergirl, hmmm I do think the dehydrator feature would be nice since I could do fresh sweet potato snacks for my dog and maybe banana chips and mango for me since at the moment we are far from Trader Joes dried fruit. Do you think the grill feature is decent? I'm thinking a George Foreman type thing

 

[LuvOrlando]

I love ours. I'd put it in the category of small appliances that can take the place of bigger ones, should things go wrong. Like if my stove suddenly up and died, I would have the airfryer, a microwave, and a coffee maker AND a tea kettle to heat/cook things with.

Makes sense, it could be up in my pantry like my slow cooker.

I wonder if anyone has tried one with a rotisserie feature, it seems like a good idea but I wonder if it's a beast to clean up after, like does it catch the drippings for a gravy?

 

[DLgal]

Marcyleecorgan, I read the convection oven part but my gas oven has a convection oven feature so I suppose I'm trying to figure out why they are popular to justify giving up counter space lol. Is it that they keep the heat down in the summer maybe?

Hikergirl, hmmm I do think the dehydrator feature would be nice since I could do fresh sweet potato snacks for my dog and maybe banana chips and mango for me since at the moment we are far from Trader Joes dried fruit. Do you think the grill feature is decent? I'm thinking a George Foreman type thing

So, I have a standard gas convection oven and I also have a Breville Smart Oven with convection. I use the Breville most. My large oven takes forever to preheat and even then, takes a long time to cook foods to crispy. Baking things like cakes and roasts is fine in the large oven, but for things I want to cook quickly and crisp, like frozen foods, the Breville wins by a long shot. Its smaller size allows the air to circulate faster and since the food is closer to the heating elements, gets crispier.

I'd pass on a standalone air fryer and instead HIGHLY recommend a Breville Smart Oven. There are several models, but any that have the convection feature will blow away any air fryer or standard oven out of the water, if what you are after is crispy foods.

As a bonus, you can very easily bake a full sized frozen pizza in the Breville, as well as a standard sized pie, and anything that you would bake in up to a 9x9 baking pan. I use it almost exclusively for pies and small batches of cookies (a quarter sheet pan fits perfectly) and things like creme brulee and cheesecake, which benefit from a well controlled temperature that doesn't fluctuate much when you open the oven door. My standard oven drops a good 25-50 degrees when you open the door to put things in.

 

[Hikergirl]

Marcyleecorgan, I read the convection oven part but my gas oven has a convection oven feature so I suppose I'm trying to figure out why they are popular to justify giving up counter space lol. Is it that they keep the heat down in the summer maybe?

Hikergirl, hmmm I do think the dehydrator feature would be nice since I could do fresh sweet potato snacks for my dog and maybe banana chips and mango for me since at the moment we are far from Trader Joes dried fruit. Do you think the grill feature is decent? I'm thinking a George Foreman type thing

I had every intention of using the dehydrator function to do things like chickpeas but just never tried it. I do think it would be nice if you regularly eat dried fruits and snacks.
The grill feature is nice, it doesn't have the top grill part like a GF, it's a grill plate insert that you put in and you do have to flip (unlike the GF). I haven't used it a ton because it isn't better than my outdoor grill and I use that year round. The foodi is nice though if it's really snowing and raining and I don't want to go outside LOL
I love the airfryer function the most. I do have a convection oven but the air fryer is so quick, I don't have to pre-heat the oven and in the summer it's nice to not have to turn it on.
I also can use it as a 2nd oven, which is a nice option when I have guests over. I do chicken wings in it while my hot dips and other stuff is cooking in the oven. It is small so with my family of 5 I do have to do multiple batches of things.
I really like to do fish in it and I just take it outside when I do because I can't stand even the faintest smell of fish in the house.

It does take up counter space, if you have limited space like I do it's kind of a pain to store. When I use it I just sit it on top of the oven, but if I am using the stovetop I have to use it on the counter and it eats into my workspace. I still really like it though, and am glad I have it.
My SIL has the Breville one mentioned above, I'd love to upgrade to that someday.

 

[LuvOrlando]

So, I have a standard gas convection oven and I also have a Breville Smart Oven with convection. I use the Breville most. My large oven takes forever to preheat and even then, takes a long time to cook foods to crispy. Baking things like cakes and roasts is fine in the large oven, but for things I want to cook quickly and crisp, like frozen foods, the Breville wins by a long shot. Its smaller size allows the air to circulate faster and since the food is closer to the heating elements, gets crispier.

I'd pass on a standalone air fryer and instead HIGHLY recommend a Breville Smart Oven. There are several models, but any that have the convection feature will blow away any air fryer or standard oven out of the water, if what you are after is crispy foods.

As a bonus, you can very easily bake a full sized frozen pizza in the Breville, as well as a standard sized pie, and anything that you would bake in up to a 9x9 baking pan. I use it almost exclusively for pies and small batches of cookies (a half sheet pan fits perfectly) and things like creme brulee and cheesecake, which benefit from a well controlled temperature that doesn't fluctuate much when you open the oven door. My standard oven drops a good 25-50 degrees when you open the door to put things in.

You just made the thought of chicken wings pop into my head. We haven't had any since Feb because I don't order in and DH doesn't want anything to do with them homemade because the skin is never the right amount of crispy, if he takes a bite and one ends up with that weird rubbery texture he punches out.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I had every intention of using the dehydrator function to do things like chickpeas but just never tried it. I do think it would be nice if you regularly eat dried fruits and snacks.
The grill feature is nice, it doesn't have the top grill part like a GF, it's a grill plate insert that you put in and you do have to flip (unlike the GF). I haven't used it a ton because it isn't better than my outdoor grill and I use that year round. The foodi is nice though if it's really snowing and raining and I don't want to go outside LOL
I love the airfryer function the most. I do have a convection oven but the air fryer is so quick, I don't have to pre-heat the oven and in the summer it's nice to not have to turn it on.
I also can use it as a 2nd oven, which is a nice option when I have guests over. I do chicken wings in it while my hot dips and other stuff is cooking in the oven.
I really like to do fish in it and I just take it outside when I do because I can't stand even the faintest smell of fish in the house.

It does take up counter space, if you have limited space like I do it's kind of a pain to store. When I use it I just sit it on top of the oven, but if I am using the stovetop I have to use it on the counter and it eats into my workspace. I still really like it though, and am glad I have it.
My SIL has the Breville one mentioned above, I'd love to upgrade to that someday.

That's amazing! I just made salmon last night and the smell just hangs in the house, same with chicken cutlets. It helps with foil I can remove but still, and tonight is fish taco so another gag-fest after dinner. Fine with the smells during dinner, well except for peppers like in stuffed peppers which cause immediate migraine, but as soon as dinner is over I want it all gone. I really wish I had a stove in the garage or in the yard like those chefs do on TV, but this can work haha

 

[Hikergirl]

That's amazing! I just made salmon last night and the smell just hangs in the house, same with chicken cutlets. It helps with foil I can remove but still, and tonight is fish taco so another gag-fest after dinner.

Salmon comes out great in it, I won't cook it any other way now!

 

[LuvOrlando]

Seems I've been sold on it, now a quest to find the best one, I'll look at "Breville Smart Oven with convection" first

 

[SaintsManiac]

I have a Cosori and I love it. We use it almost every day. I make “boiled” eggs in it the most.

 

[DLgal]

FYI, there is a Breville Smart Oven that specifically has a dehydrate feature, but all it is is baking with the convection fan for a long time at a very low temperature.

I have dehydrated several herbs as well as strawberries and bananas in my standard Smart Oven by using the lowest oven setting. It goes down to 120 degrees.

 

[havaneselover]

I have the Ninja Foodi Oven and the grill. Haven't used the air fryer feature of the grill yet. Use the oven all the time. Use the airfryer for french fries, Trader Joe's Orange Chicken, air fryer chicken parm, etc. Love that it's multi-functional and flips up. I got rid of my toaster.

 

[DLgal]

You just made the thought of chicken wings pop into my head. We haven't had any since Feb because I don't order in and DH doesn't want anything to do with them homemade because the skin is never the right amount of crispy, if he takes a bite and one ends up with that weird rubbery texture he punches out.

Oh, I make wings all the time in the Breville and they definitely come out crispy! I use it to crisp up the skin on the Costco rotisserie chicken also, because I love it but hate the soggy texture it gets in that plastic container.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I have the Ninja Foodi Oven and the grill. Haven't used the air fryer feature of the grill yet. Use the oven all the time. Use the airfryer for french fries, Trader Joe's Orange Chicken, air fryer chicken parm, etc. Love that it's multi-functional and flips up. I got rid of my toaster.

I like the ideas, and if it can do what my giant toaster does then problem solved, that thing takes up a lot of space.

 

[DLgal]

Seems I've been sold on it, now a quest to find the best one, I'll look at "Breville Smart Oven with convection" first

I bought mine at Bed Bath and Beyond using a 20% coupon. FYI.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Oh, I make wings all the time in the Breville and they definitely come out crispy! I use it to crisp up the skin on the Costco rotisserie chicken also, because I love it but hate the soggy texture it gets in that plastic container.

Oh yeah when it sort of shrivels - ick, I just peel and serve but if it can be refreshed to crispy then that works.

 

[LuvOrlando]

Off to do research, we have had a Breville cappuccino maker for a few years now and it's a solid reliable brand that has saved a fortune in making coffee.