Like the title says, SWMBO got me an air fryer for a gift. Reading online this sounds like the latest and greatest, and popular.
I'm trying a hamburger first, see how this goes. I've never done well indoors, always a mess and lots of smoke. I think I have the right settings.
In the meantime, got any good ideas? Links?
Two years now......
One day it will occupy real estate next our bread machine in the basement.
First hamburger wasn't bad, bit more cooked than I'd prefer. Second one I went with higher setting and less time. Oh boy I think we have the winner.
Time to explore.
For warming things, it's basically a reverse microwave. It heats things from the outside and crisps them, rather than from the inside and makes them moist. Using them in combination can be useful.
They are especially effective in heating up frozen things like chicken fingers / nuggets etc.
As you noted, they can also be use to cooks steaks etc. It is, after all, a small convection oven.
aircooled said:It is, after all, a small convection oven.
That's the key part of one of those.
Really enjoy cooking with a toaster sized convection oven we have, this should be fun.
My #1 cooked item is bacon, BTW.
Yep, its just a small convection oven. Nothing special about it, but its really handy if you want serving size stuff and you aren't a big family.
A handfull of roasted potatoes are so much easier to do in the air fryer vs. waiting for the oven to warm up.
That said, I always wondered about the form factor of those - they dont seem conducive to many of the things I want to roast. My air fryer was basically a toaster oven/microwave combo and had wire racks so you could easily keep things separated.
The things I use my air fryer for
1: Roasting vegetables. Broccoli, brussels sprouts, Cauliflower. Good results in less a quarter of the time it takes (if we include preheating to 425) the conventional oven. 4-5 nights a week.
2. Roasting chicken pieces. It does a wonderful job of rendering the fat under the skin so thighs and drumsticks turn out great. Wings can be just fantastic.
3. Trader Joe's Falafel
These precooked, frozen falafel are better than any falafel I can get at a restaurant locally anymore. The air fryer makes them crisp on the outside and tender on the inside in 8 minutes. pair with hummus, yogurt, cucumbers and microgreens on a pita..... easy weeknight deliciousness
4. A distant 4th is the rest of the frozen foods. Fries, chicken tenders and what have you.
I use my air fryer for sides. Some of my favorites that have not yet been mentioned...
Tater tots
Mozzarella sticks
Onion rings
Fried pickle chips- great with Hidden Valley Ranch dill dip.
Asparagus. Cost with olive oil and seasoning, air fry. Comes out great. Other veggies too- carrots, broccoli.
My mom got me an air fryer about 5 years ago after all of us spent Thanksgiving at my sister's house and saw her using one. I wanted one to start eating healthier. Umm, yeah. Let's just say it makes fantastic corn dogs lmao. But also frozen potatoes, tater tots, fries, chicken strips and basically anything else that you would normally find in the frozen food isle that you would bake on a cookie sheet.
It does have its limitations though. Last Thanksgiving I tried to air fry a 4lb boneless turkey breast. By the time the middle was cooked, it was really dried out and tough. And I kept having to add time to get the middle cooked. It would have been less time to just cook it in a roaster pan in the oven.
Plantains can be pretty awesome-- wait until they are ripe(black), slice, spritz with a little oil and salt to taste.
I bought a couple at a yard sale , a simple small one (3.5 Qt) that had old style mechanical timer , no LEDs at all ,
So far I have done potatoes wedges from fresh whole russet potatoes , cook them 15 minutes , then cut them in quarters and "brown" them for 7 minutes , They are great with BBQ sauce or Blue cheese dressing , Yummm
Then there was a larger one (7 QT ) that had a broken handle and lots of LEDS and presets , I have not tried to tackle that one yet as the directions say you can put half a chicken in it , but I have not had the time yet to try .
I think they are great for what they do , better than my convection toaster oven , but if I could only have one it would be the microwave !
Anyone use a converction microwave ?????
So far, the two sizes seem pretty useful. Small for bachelor man meals, big to do a whole...steak or something, I don't know.
Also it says the two glass containers can go from frozen to heating and back without worrying about breakage. They both have lids to pop in the refrigerator if there's leftovers. And not waiting for the oven to warm up to cook something simple like nuggets or appetizers. SWMBO is searching TikTok and Facebook for ideas.
TravisTheHuman said:...That said, I always wondered about the form factor of those - they dont seem conducive to many of the things I want to roast. My air fryer was basically a toaster oven/microwave combo and had wire racks so you could easily keep things separated.
Realistically, if you are interested in an air fryer and do not have toaster oven, just get a toaster oven that has a convection feature. You will get all the utility of both with a more practical size than most air fryers. Of course, if you only want to do small batches of things, a typical air fryer works fine.
Datsun240ZGuy said:One day it will occupy real estate next our bread machine in the basement.
hard to enjoy a sammich with a hole in the center of the bread. Unless you're using a Krispy Kreme donut as the bread...
Aren't these just a hair dryer in a fancy bucket?
You'll need to log in to post.
