air fryer opinions

Carol Reed

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Coolidge, AZ
I know some of you have been using air fryers. Tell me about your fryer and opinion of both the process and the fryer you got. Loves, hates, worth it, buy it again or the next one would be different how? Is the thing worth the space it takes to store it?

Is my assumption that it is safer than a pot of hot oil correct?
 
I've got a Gowise Air fryer and I love it. I use it practically everymorning.

I've been making these little breakfast burritos and I have one every day. I make a bunch of them and freeze them. 2 minutes in the microzapper at 50% power to thaw, a light mist of spray, then 10 minutes in the air fryer at 400 and I get a nice crispy little breakfast treat.

I generally put some pintos, eggs, salsa, and whatever other leftovers we might have had in them.

The fryer also does a great job on frozen fries and tots and the like.

I'll admit, that's about all I have used it for. Way easier than heating up a pot of oil. Lets face it, I like fried foods and if I can enjoy the crisp and crunch without all the oil, I'm all for it.

Basically, it's a little counter top convection oven. It just whips super hot air around the stuff that's in there.

Wet stuff doesn't work so good, so, like batter dipped things are pretty much out, but anything else that fairly dry is game.

And you can use it for roasting things, they say, but I have no experience doing that.
 
Both my boss and one of his siblings have bought an air fryer that Sam's club was selling. (it was recently on sale after they had bought them) They both love them and have tried to get me to buy one. I don't have a lot of space, (poor kitchen layout, designed for long ago), and thought as a single person, realistically I would be better off with something like that and a hotplate, then a full oven at times.
That said, I looked at reviews online and the ones (like theirs) that have a digital keypad, people either have great luck, or they seem to fail after 4 months, due to an issue with the controls. The manual control models seem to get better reviews.
That said, since I have a toaster oven, still in the box from a few years ago (Xmas present from work), from a company who makes/sells toaster/convection ovens, I will try that first, since I already own it.
 
Well its interesting that this item has come up because Linda the non shopper in our house came home with one a few months back.
In our view its been an amazing gadget. We no longer have a pot of oil on stove to make fries. Instead its a toss of the cut potatoes in a table spoon of olive oil and into the basket. We love what comes out and speed. Works for medallion cut fries as well as strip cut.
Then chicken legs have been cooked in there with a dusting in a flower and spice mix and they come out crispy and brown. You need to stop it and shake the basket during the cooking to get it to brown on a different spot.
Also sweet potato has come out great.

Thats it thus far. Have to say i had to eat my words. I thought she fell for the "as seen on tv direct marketing add for gadgets that look like they work but dont.
We will save on cooking oil ,and health benefits and having to deal with disposal of oil not to mention safety.
Plus given we don't have a dishwasher, this manusl dishwasher guy finds it easy to clean up.

I have no idea on the make, its a black almost ball shape unit with a dial of sorts in center.
Highly recommend.
 
Well, I took the plunge and picked up a 5.3 quart version today. I had mentioned them to my wife the other day and she thought it sounded like something to try. Of course why she was making the statement "We're going to eat so much healthier" I was browsing over the bacon wrapped tater tots recipe. ;)
 
Don't know. Will look later. Found a deal at the local Target.

Found it. It is a Power AirFryer XL. Made by Tristar Products.

And I found a recipe book in the paper work. Still interested in others' recipes and experiences.
 
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Last night I tried out the air fryer for the first time doing some toasted chick peas.

The process was:

1) To drain the chick peas, add a 1 tbsp of olive oil with them in a bowl and mix well
2) Cook in the air fryer for 15 minutes @ 400*
3) Remove and pour back into your mixing bowl
4) Mix another 1 tbsp of olive oil with seasonings (in my case BBQ rub, onion powder, and a little more salt)
5) Place back into the fryer for another 5 minutes @ 350*

2017-05-11 22.52.46.jpg

They were good, but a little over done for my liking, but were crispy all the way through and could have used more seasoning. Will give it another try at a little lower temp and play around with the seasonings a bit.
 
This is interesting, I looked at buying one of these a few months ago when the old fryer gave up the ghost but was put off by lots of reviews that said that they weren't any good at chips (fries) which would be one of the main reasons for getting one :)
Reading through this it seems that may not be quite true, not a fan of oven chips at all but it looks like some of you are doing real potato fries in them :)
 
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