College Boy cooking: InstantPot or an air fryer that folds up?

[Harriet Vane]

Folks, my son will be living near campus in a room with no kitchen. He will sometimes be able to use a kitchenette downstairs, but most of the time he will be fending for himself out of whatever we put together in his room. 

I have only cooked in a full kitchen or crockpot or campfire. I don't know about these newfangled kitchen appliances. 😂 My son is a pretty solid basic cook. He can make spaghetti, scramble eggs, saute chicken, that sorta thing. 

Which is best--InstantPot or an air fryer like this one?:

Amazon.com: Ninja SP101 Foodi Counter-top Convection Oven, 19.7” W x 7.5”H x 15.1”D, Stainless Steel/Black: Kitchen & Dining

I lean towards an InstantPot, especially after a friend raved about hers. I have no idea which is best, though.

Please link any recommendations. I appreciate any helpful explanations for your recommendation.

Thanks ever so much.

[ktgrok]

For a college kid? Air fryer. Definitely. He can heat up mini pizzas and nuggets and fries, make toast, cook chicken, pork loin, etc, heat up frozen sausages, etc etc etc.

Now, he wants say, pasta with meatballs, that would be instant pot. 

[Jann in TX]

Instant pot makes a combo unit-- or you can purchase the 'air fryer' attachment separately!

I might lean towards a portable induction cooktop (single burner)... and perhaps an airfryer or toaster oven.

Are you going to be able to set him up with a min-fridge?

[Forget-Me-Not]

Does it need to fold up? If it’s something he can leave out all the time, I’d consider a good toaster oven. I think a lot of the new ones have an air fryer setting, but I have found the “reheat” function on our Breville Smart Oven to work just as well as the air fryer on my mom’s oven. Our toaster oven gets more use than the microwave and in many cases, replaces the microwave entirely (and does the job much better). 

Edited August 11, 2021 by Forget-Me-Not

[Ausmumof3]

I love my air fryer but I’m not sure if I would want it to be my only way of cooking. 

[R828]

Could you get both? They really complement each other well and with an instant pot and an air fryer/toaster oven, he could make pretty much anything he wanted. 

If I had to choose one, for a college student , I'd go with the air fryer. Ninja also makes a countertop grill/air fryer that I have and love. It's really versatile. https://www.costco.com/ninja-foodi-smart-5-in-1-indoor-grill-and-smart-cook-system.product.100646395.html

Edited August 11, 2021 by R828

[fairfarmhand]

I have a Ninja foodi that is an air fryer and an Instant Pot. It doesn't fold up though. IT's pretty big.

[fairfarmhand]

Just now, fairfarmhand said:

I have a Ninja foodi that is an air fryer and an Instant Pot. It doesn't fold up though. IT's pretty big.

https://www.amazon.com/Ninja-FD302-6-5-qt-Pressure-Stainless/dp/B08YP4NHQM/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=ninja+foodi&qid=1628722532&sr=8-8

This is similar, I think I have a larger size.

[Harriet Vane]

38 minutes ago, Jann in TX said:

Instant pot makes a combo unit-- or you can purchase the 'air fryer' attachment separately!

I might lean towards a portable induction cooktop (single burner)... and perhaps an airfryer or toaster oven.

Are you going to be able to set him up with a min-fridge?

He has a mini-fridge, and he is looking into buying a full-size fridge to replace it together with his roommate. 

[Harriet Vane]

1 minute ago, fairfarmhand said:

I have a Ninja foodi that is an air fryer and an Instant Pot. It doesn't fold up though. IT's pretty big.

Intriguing. I will take a look.

[Harriet Vane]

27 minutes ago, Forget-Me-Not said:

Does it need to fold up? If it’s something he can leave out all the time, I’d consider a good toaster oven. I think a lot of the new ones have an air fryer setting, but I have found the “reheat” function on our Breville Smart Oven to work just as well as the air fryer on my mom’s oven. Our toaster oven gets more use than the microwave and in many cases, replaces the microwave entirely (and does the job much better). 

I don't care about it folding or not. I assumed he would like that feature to save space, but who knows.

[Pawz4me]

1 hour ago, Harriet Vane said:

 

Which is best--InstantPot or an air fryer like this one?:

Amazon.com: Ninja SP101 Foodi Counter-top Convection Oven, 19.7” W x 7.5”H x 15.1”D, Stainless Steel/Black: Kitchen & Dining

 

I don't have an InstantPot but I do have that Ninja air fryer. I bought it at the end of April. I was a little hesitant because I don't have a ton of counter space and I guard it carefully. But that little oven more than earns its space. I really, really like it. I haven't used my regular oven much at all this summer for anything other than baking sourdough bread (which is too big to fit in the Ninja). That little Ninja handles many things beautifully. It heats very evenly and seems to be well insulated. DH and I had some roasted veggies tonight. Last night I baked some frozen yeast rolls in it. The night before that was salmon fillets. Makes great toast and reheats takeout fries to hot and crispy perfection. I've baked chicken in it, baked homemade chicken pot pie, reheated pizza and on and on. I haven't tried anything that didn't turn out great.

ETA: The one thing I don't like about it is the baking pan that came with it. It's pretty cheap and hard to clean. If I'm baking something I use my own quarter sheet pans. If I'm using the basket I put a piece of aluminum foil between it and the baking pan to make cleanup a lot easier (the basket won't go in the oven on one of my good pans).

Edited August 11, 2021 by Pawz4me

[Innisfree]

1 hour ago, Jann in TX said:

I might lean towards a portable induction cooktop (single burner)... and perhaps an airfryer or toaster oven.

This! My single burner induction cooktop is great. Just make sure he has a pan or two which are compatible, i.e., magnetic. With the Ninja air fryer, he'd be all set for small-scale cooking.

[Spy Car]

I also think I'd go for an induction burner and a convection toaster-oven.

Bill

 

[TechWife]

Instant Pots are very finicky in my experience. Ours rarely gets used. A good toaster oven and a microwave  would be my recommendation. I can’t imagine a college student having or the time to make good use of a crockpot as it requires planning and storage of appropriate amounts of food. 

[Kanin]

How is he going to wash everything?

[MEmama]

DS and one of his apartment mates have already decided to get an air fryer. I think it’s a perfect choice for students—versatile, foolproof and totally safe. 
 

Their apartment has a hob (just a stovetop, no oven) and microwave but an air fryer will give them even more flexibility. My 18 yo knows his way around an air fryer just fine, but wouldn’t have any idea what to do with an instant pot (me neither, though). They are just made for young person food. 🙂 

[PeterPan]

As the others said, an Instant Pot will have a learning curve. If he was already used to using it and knew what he wanted to cook, it would make sense.

Agreeing with the others that a burner plus convection toaster oven will be more than adequate. Does he like a microwave? I don't use one, but it's another normal thing. I use a convection toaster oven and LOVE it. You can get them now with an air fryer feature. Personally, I find our air fryer (which we also have as a freestanding unit, something metal and rather nice) a pain in the butt to clean. It will look like a hog's stye by the end of the term. Just a plain normal countertop convenction/toaster oven (the big size) will do tons. He can get frozen foods from Trader Joes and cook them right up. Burritos, spanikopita, eggplant parmensan, fish and chicken dishes, etc. Super easy. Waffles, pancakes, hashbrowns for breakfast. He can even bake bacon in the toaster oven. 

Edited August 12, 2021 by PeterPan

[Harriet Vane]

32 minutes ago, Kanin said:

How is he going to wash everything?

There is a kitchenette downstairs, but it's really dinky and it's shared among 30+ guys. I am also going to send him with a small plastic tub. He'll have to work it out somehow.

[Harriet Vane]

3 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

As the others said, an Instant Pot will have a learning curve. If he was already used to using it and knew what he wanted to cook, it would make sense.

Agreeing with the others that a burner plus convection toaster oven will be more than adequate. Does he like a microwave? I don't use one, but it's another normal thing. I use a convection toaster oven and LOVE it. You can get them now with an air fryer feature. Personally, I find our air fryer (which we also have as a freestanding unit, something metal and rather nice) a pain in the butt to clean. It will look like a hog's stye by the end of the term. Just a plain normal countertop convenction/toaster oven (the big size) will do tons. He can get frozen foods from Trader Joes and cook them right up. Burritos, spanikopita, eggplant parmensan, fish and chicken dishes, etc. Super easy. Hashbrowns for breakfast. 

I should have mentioned that he will have a small microwave in his room as well. 

Edited August 12, 2021 by Harriet Vane

[Clemsondana]

Between the 2, you can cook almost anything.  But, if you only have 1, it would depend on what he eats most often.  The instapot is great for rice, mashed potatoes, meat that you can cook until tender and shred, etc.  It's good for other things, too, but that's what we do most often.  The air fryer is something we use for things that roast/crisp - it's great for bacon, fries, chicken nuggets, etc, and we've done burgers/meatballs, too.  I'm sure with fiddling I could figure out more baking but I haven't yet. 

[PeterPan]

Just now, Harriet Vane said:

I've raised him on actual cooking

Ooo, very good! You can make things ahead and wrap and freeze them. We make our own pancakes our way and freeze ahead. And he may just get busy. I can't imagine having to cook during college. It sounds like people do it. 

[PeterPan]

The Instant Pot (in general) requires 1 cup of liquid to run. So like if he's cooking potatoes and has no tap, that means he needs at least 1 cup of water to make it work. 

Don't know what he likes to eat, but my super favorite thing to cook in the IP is brown rice. We do whole potatoes, but that's kind of boring. Even br rice I'm usually putting in butter and stock. 

I guess start with what he wants to eat and work backwards.

[Harriet Vane]

1 minute ago, PeterPan said:

Ooo, very good! You can make things ahead and wrap and freeze them. We make our own pancakes our way and freeze ahead. And he may just get busy. I can't imagine having to cook during college. It sounds like people do it. 

Yup, that's my plan. I'm sending him with a tub of homemade spaghetti meat sauce, among other things. 

Laughing here--after I typed that, I thought that sounded kind of snotty so I edited it out. 😂 I grew up in a family that made everything from a box or a can, and learning how to cook from scratch was both enjoyable for me (I adore trying to cook different styles and cuisines) and also opened a world of flavor I have come to appreciate. But I cannot rhapsodize about that too much around my loved ones as it feels to them more than a little judgmental of the way they cook, kwim? 

[Spryte]

Another vote for induction burner and toaster oven.  Unless he’s already used to using instant pots and air fryers.

[PeterPan]

Although in theory you can cook nice whole foods in an air fryer (I got a Cooks Illustrated cookbook to learn how, hahaha), reality is the whole point of an air fryer is to crisp up premade frozen foods. So fries, chinese stuff (wontons, kung pao chicken, spring rolls, vege rolls, gyoza, etc.), hashbrowns, anything greasy comes out brilliantly. 

[ktgrok]

I use the air fryer to make pork loin that is SO good (although I do sometimes buy the preseasoned ones), chicken breasts, salmon fillets, even steak! I also use it to roast small potatoes or diced sweet potatoes, veggies, etc. Plus warm up sausages. WE do sometimes use it to heat up frozen fries but it makes really really yummy homemade fries! SOOO good. 

Edited August 12, 2021 by ktgrok

[prairiewindmomma]

Personally, I would go convection toaster oven with the air fryer feature. Our oven broke earlier this year and repair took two months. We bought a convection toaster oven that could handle an entire frozen pizza and cooked with it extensively. My college kid fell in love with it. 

Edited August 12, 2021 by prairiewindmomma

[PeterPan]

1 minute ago, Harriet Vane said:

Yup, that's my plan. I'm sending him with a tub of homemade spaghetti meat sauce, among other things. 

Laughing here--after I typed that, I thought that sounded kind of snotty so I edited it out. 😂 I grew up in a family that made everything from a box or a can, and learning how to cook from scratch was both enjoyable for me (I adore trying to cook different styles and cuisines) and also opened a world of flavor I have come to appreciate. But I cannot rhapsodize about that too much around my loved ones as it feels to them more than a little judgmental of the way they cook, kwim? 

Ok, so work backward. He likes to be able to make spaghetti? If he has *one pot* that is a decent size (3 quarts), he can cook the pasta, drain, brown meat (if he uses it in pasta, I don't), add the sauce, and throw back in the pasta, boom. He could microwave meatballs if he has them. So then one pot, one burner, along with that microwave, and he can make that dish nicely.

I think just work backward from your list of what he wants to eat. It really depends on what he wants. 

Fwiw, I have a personal private hack and fettish with frozen turkey burgers. You can get these small pans at Target that fit in a toaster oven. They're right in the baking aisle. Or you can use glass pie dishes. LOVE glass pie dishes in the toaster oven. With those he can make nachos. If he nukes a little frozen taco meat (portioned into baggies) and puts it on nachos, that's an easy meal. And nachos are fast in the toaster oven. You just arrange the chips, layer some cheese, and bake for a few. Jalapenos, yum. I canned my own so they're extra delish. 

Oh, back to my little hack! Turkey burgers. Have you see these? He'll have ketchup around anyway. I sometimes use designer ketchups (homemade or bacon ketchup from a local store) or mix up ketchup and whatnot (too much hassle). Anyways, you just bake the turkey burgers in the pie dish in the toaster oven! I usually slice thickly an onion and lay the entire slice on top then top with that tasty ketchup. Super simple, very satisfying with a salad.

Does he like Madras Lentils? Trader Joes sells them in bags. They used to sell these precooked beluga lentils that were the bomb for easy cooking. You'd just open a bag and mix to make up a nice salad or whatever. I think the Trader Joes baked beans are particularly good, way better than random salty stuff you find. (Just thinking to avoid starvation, have some healthy convenience stuff)

Ok, I'm not seeing them on Target online but I must be missing it. They have in the store sometimes these smaller metal baking dishes. Super handy. 

[PeterPan]

11 minutes ago, Harriet Vane said:

learning how to cook from scratch was both enjoyable for me

Is it for him? I like to cook on occasion, and a lot of the time I'm much more pragmatic, lol. I like to EAT more than I like to cook apparently, lol. 

It's a fun stage. 😁

[katilac]

I know some college kids do cook, but he's really not going to be set up for it, so I would do the air fryer. He can do frozen foods, restaurant leftovers, hot sandwiches, a pretty good number of things in that. Homecooked food, I would plan on cooking, freezing, and sending with him, lol. 

My had a mini freezer in college, because we all cooked and packed food for her. It let her have more real food than a mini fridge would have. 

[SoCal_Bear]

I thought I would chime in and suggest you double check that his college allows people to have appliances. Some do ban them or have a list of acceptable ones.

[madteaparty]

I recommend uber eats.

(sorry couldn’t resist. For instant pot though I’ve read you can package and freeze entire meals in bags and dump and cook. Haven’t tried that yet. I guess my question would be does he use an instant pot or air fryer regularly now? Because if not, I don’t see that he will learn in college. I also can’t see any college dorm permitting these appliances either.).  

Edited August 12, 2021 by madteaparty

[Harriet Vane]

1 hour ago, calbear said:

I thought I would chime in and suggest you double check that his college allows people to have appliances. Some do ban them or have a list of acceptable ones.

No worries there. It’s not a dorm or other campus housing.

[Bootsie]

How much space will he have to devote to food prep in his room?  What type of refrigerated space will have?  What about access to water/washing dishes/appliances?  

[Harriet Vane]

5 hours ago, Bootsie said:

How much space will he have to devote to food prep in his room?  What type of refrigerated space will have?  What about access to water/washing dishes/appliances?  

All good questions, and some are as yet unknown until I see the space. There is not a lot of extra room in his room. He is considering sharing a full-sized refrigerator with his roommate but has not yet pulled the trigger so who knows what will really happen. There is a small kitchenette downstairs--he will likely  use that some as well. The idea is that he will carry his own pots/pans down as needed (he'll have one big frying pan and one pot). Cook and wash up and bring them immediately back to his own room. I would have liked him to purchase a bigger meal plan through the university and plan to cook less, but he is eager to save money and cook some basics for himself.

Edited August 12, 2021 by Harriet Vane

[Kanin]

13 hours ago, Harriet Vane said:

There is a kitchenette downstairs, but it's really dinky and it's shared among 30+ guys. I am also going to send him with a small plastic tub. He'll have to work it out somehow.

Whoa, how big is this place? Wonder why it doesn't have a regular sized kitchen. 

I like your meal plan idea ... The logistics of this situation seem like cooking and cleaning will get old fast. Raw meat with no real kitchen will be difficult. I'd encourage him to do healthy but low key things with the toaster oven, and get at least one meal a day on campus. 

[Harriet Vane]

1 hour ago, Kanin said:

Whoa, how big is this place? Wonder why it doesn't have a regular sized kitchen. 

I like your meal plan idea ... The logistics of this situation seem like cooking and cleaning will get old fast. Raw meat with no real kitchen will be difficult. I'd encourage him to do healthy but low key things with the toaster oven, and get at least one meal a day on campus. 

Lol…Let’s just say it’s pretty big and was not intended to be like this. Sometimes things are not quite up to code on a college campus, kwim? 😂

[Jann in TX]

There are some cute 1/2- 3/4 sized refrigerators out there-- fairly inexpensive-- that have a decent amount of freezer space... If getting a full size fridge-- make sure the wiring can handle the load!