klmama Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 Shhhhh! Black Friday sales on Amazon have apparently dictated that I am getting an air fryer for Christmas. I have never had any interest in getting one, but there must be some reason people like them. I'd like to know what to expect. Any thoughts or suggestions? 2 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ausmumof3 Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 27 minutes ago, klmama said: Shhhhh! Black Friday sales on Amazon have apparently dictated that I am getting an air fryer for Christmas. I have never had any interest in getting one, but there must be some reason people like them. I'd like to know what to expect. Any thoughts or suggestions? Awesome chicken wings and quick easy home made chips. Love mine. Mostly for the chicken wings. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCal_Bear Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 (edited) If you have even an average sized family, go for capacity. I actually started with a NuWave XL one and ended up with a Breville Smart Oven Air. I was going to settle for the Cuisinart one at half the price, but my husband got a bonus and wanted me to have the Breville. It has replaced me using our ovens which has saved a lot in energy and keeps our house from getting too hot. I have Viking professional grade ovens which take an hour to preheat. I dislike using them if I don't have to. I can do a 14 pound turkey in the Breville. I was solving for capacity. It has a ton of different options, so I really do use this multple times a day. In fact today, I did roasted a turkey breast and baked stuffing in a 9"x13" baking dish at the same time on two different racks. FWIW, I kept my NuWave and yes, there are times when I have both going at once. Both are listed in this roundup of top rated machines.https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/appliances/g34484837/best-air-fryer-toaster-ovens/ Edited November 27, 2020 by calbear 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 51 minutes ago, calbear said: If you have even an average sized family, go for capacity. I actually started with a NuWave XL one and ended up with a Breville Smart Oven Air. How easy is the cleanup if hand wash? I was thinking of getting the instant pot air fryer combo but your Breville model is tempting. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 LOL. That is how I ended up with an Instant Pot. I didn't even hardly know what it was when I got it but ended up loving it. I don't have an air fryer as I don't want one but maybe I'd like it if I got it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
medawyn Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 I have the above mentioned Breville Smart Oven Air, acquired in March because we gutted our kitchen mere weeks before a pandemic shut down our nation. I used the air fryer function for the first time this week to make these: https://gardenandgun.com/recipe/crispy-okra-fries/ If I never use it for anything else, that recipe alone would be worth it. I tossed the okra in a bit less than a tablespoon of coconut oil. Everyone should try this, even if you’ve never had or don’t like okra. Not a single piece made it to our plates. My family literally devoured it out of the pan standing around the counter. If I’m ever in the house alone again, I’d probably make it just for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 I have a Ninja Air Fryer and I really like it. We have a large family, so it means we have to make things in multiple batches if we're all eating together. It doesn't take long, though. I love if for chicken. The clean up is very easy. You just pull out the drawer and hand wash in the sink. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrincessMommy Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 I've been eyeing them myself but wondered about the cleanup for the bigger ones (Breville and Ninja). It seems like a toaster oven on steriods. I used to have a TO and the bottom was easy to clean because you just pulled out the tray and washed but the rest of the oven was a PIA. I'm wondering if there's grease splatters everywhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 Maybe more than you imagine? Hehe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWtJvCKKF_M&t=2s Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 I used mine this morning! I peeled and diced a sweet potato, tossed it in a small amount of oil, and put it on air fry for 8 minutes. I actually make up a bigger bath of diced air fried sweet potato once or twice a week, then use it in various ways. Today it got mixed in with some sauteed peppers and onions and diced turkey and topped with an egg. I use mine mostly for veggies - I do some combination of peppers, red onion, and zuchinni or japanese eggplant several times a week, sometimes with halved cherry tomatoes. After it is cooked I top with a little goat cheese and balsamic vinegar - yum! Also makes way better frozen chicken nuggets or fries than a microwave or oven, and is good for wings, chicken drumsticks (cheaper than wings but I season them the same), home fries, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teachermom2834 Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 We use ours mostly for heating up frozen stuff. Only occasionally have we used it for "real" cooking. My dd breaded and fried up some chicken cutlets once that came out really well. Mostly, it's our method for heating up junky frozen food (taquitos, cheese sticks, fries, chicken tenders). It gets heavy use for lunches and "fend for yourself" meals. All those frozen things can be made in the toaster oven but come out so much better in the air fryer. Not exactly like deep frying but much closer without the mess and fuss of frying. Cleanup varies I guess. The first one I had seemed to easily get cleaned up after every few uses. It really didn't need a clean up after every time someone made chicken tenders. We have a different model here that just seems messier all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebcoola Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 We used our air fryer so much this summer. It doesn't heat up the house in summer like the oven. We do lots of veggies. It also great for bacon, sausage, hot dogs. I just tried air frying a steak and it was amazing maybe better than grilled also faster ad easier. We have the basket kind and clean up is typically dump it out and wipe out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 How does this actually work? Is it like a convection oven on steroids? I have a convection feature in my wall oven that I have never used. Maybe I should start with that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forget-Me-Not Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 20 minutes ago, Carol in Cal. said: How does this actually work? Is it like a convection oven on steroids? I have a convection feature in my wall oven that I have never used. Maybe I should start with that? My question too. Both my regular oven and my Breville toaster oven have convect. I’ve wondered what the difference is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
importswim Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 Piggybacking off the thread: Do those of you who like to cook wings in your air fryer have any good recipes? I have wings in my freezer right now but haven't pulled them out as I'm not sure how I want to make them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoCal_Bear Posted November 27, 2020 Share Posted November 27, 2020 12 hours ago, Arcadia said: How easy is the cleanup if hand wash? I was thinking of getting the instant pot air fryer combo but your Breville model is tempting. I use a rack underneath and bought an ovenliner that I cut in half. I use one to line the crumb tray at the bottom and the other half to line the rack. If I am doing something that will drip, I use a rimmed cookie sheet with some parchment paper underneath the "basket" rack to catch any drips. I bought the largest size cookie sheets that I could fit on those racks. I don't have to use the paper, but it make it quicker to cleanup. The oven liners make clean up a snap. It cleans up easily with a plastic bristle brush. Plastic mesh scrubbers and dishwashing sponges will get ripped up quickly if you use it on the basket. I am pretty sure you are Asian like me. I have made the best Chinese style roast pork with the crackling crispy skin in there and even recently air fried salt and pepper tofu which had that crunch on the outside and velvet smooth texture on the inside without deep frying. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted November 28, 2020 Author Share Posted November 28, 2020 Okay, so I looked at the one dh ordered (because we share the Amazon account, so it was hard to miss), and the food basket is aluminum with teflon coating. Are there other basket options that aren't a pain to clean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted November 28, 2020 Share Posted November 28, 2020 (edited) dh bought one - he tried it several times. Didn't like how the "fried items" turned out, and returned it. Edited November 28, 2020 by gardenmom5 clarity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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