Air Fryers?
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Discussion

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

75 months

Wednesday 26th September 2018
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Friend of mine has an air fryer and is always going on about how good it is, so i'm intrigued.

Does anyone have one, are they any good or will it go the same way as a Breville sandwich toaster and find it's way into the back of a cupboard after 2 weeks, never to be seen again?

Tony Angelino

2,033 posts

134 months

Wednesday 26th September 2018
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Had one for about 6 years now, the Phillips Airfrier - brilliant peice of kit. We probably only scratch the surface with it by doing:

Chicken wings (absolutely excellent)
Chicken thighs
Home made chips/wedges
Oven chips in an 'emergency'
Warming up previously cooked pakoras/samosas/indian goodies
Fish peices

Chicken wings are superb done in it, marinade as normal then cook for around 25 mins on around 160 then coat in BBQ sauce and bob back in for another 5-6 mins on 200 degrees to get the maillard effect. Chicken falls off the bone but like most meat products they're hotter than the sun when they comes out.

There are 2 types, one with a 'paddle' that moves the food around for you (but can knock any breadcrumbs/coating off them) or the ones without. The phillips one doesnt have a paddle. Gets used weekly at the very least, a very well spent £100 or so a few years back.

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

75 months

Wednesday 26th September 2018
quotequote all
Good to know thanks, I have seen one with good reviews for £80 so got to be worth a punt.

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

211 months

Wednesday 26th September 2018
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Yep we have one. Very impressed. Like all things, you have to use it. And it will require a little more cleaning than just using an oven. But the results are worth the effort. Used minimum of once or twice a week, but often much more.

sgrimshaw

7,566 posts

271 months

Wednesday 26th September 2018
quotequote all
+1 on the Philips Airfryer.

Also worth looking at is the Power Air Fryer Cooker, got mine from QVC on a TSV. So far been very impressed, but would still replace the Airfryer if/when it dies.

https://www.highstreettv.com/power-air-fryer-cooke...

hyphen

26,262 posts

111 months

Wednesday 26th September 2018
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300bhp/ton said:
And it will require a little more cleaning than just using an oven...
Im out!

fizz47

3,118 posts

231 months

Wednesday 26th September 2018
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The airfryer is the most used 'gadget' in our kitchen -After getting ours everyone in the family got one too...

Cooking time is greatly reduced vs traditional oven - very easy and convenient.

For us as a fam of 3 its great and can use it for so many things....

If you have a big family then i can see the use will be reduced as the size of it will limit quantities vs traditional oven..

Even made it a cake in it once ..

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

75 months

Wednesday 26th September 2018
quotequote all
Thanks chaps, I have ordered one and it is the Power Airfryer I was looking at, looking forward to getting it.

Only 2 of us in our household so should be ideal.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0711QLFQ8/ref...


techguyone

3,137 posts

163 months

Wednesday 26th September 2018
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We use ours a lot and it has completely replaced our deep fat fryer, I'm struggling to find a downside, I certainly don'y miss buying 5l of oil and cleaning the sludge out etc.

geeks

10,969 posts

160 months

Wednesday 26th September 2018
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Intrigued by these, how do chips turn out? All dry and naff like oven chips? We have a traditional fryer, I can't remember the last time I had terrible/oven cooked chips! It also gets used for samosas, onion rings, home made fried chicken and on one particularly drunk Christmas battered deep fried Christmas Pudding!

fizz47

3,118 posts

231 months

Wednesday 26th September 2018
quotequote all
geeks said:
Intrigued by these, how do chips turn out? All dry and naff like oven chips? We have a traditional fryer, I can't remember the last time I had terrible/oven cooked chips! It also gets used for samosas, onion rings, home made fried chicken and on one particularly drunk Christmas battered deep fried Christmas Pudding!
They will be dryer than deep frying but use normal frozen chips ( doesnt have to be oven ones) and they come out great...for chips i get 100% taste compared to deep fried.

Onion rings and fried chicken have worked well, - very crispy..

Samosas need a tiny but of oil rubbed onto the pastry and then come out well..

If you are used to deep fryer you may not get as much satisfaction but remember its also a lot healthier and the house doesn't stink afterwards...

Tony Angelino

2,033 posts

134 months

Wednesday 26th September 2018
quotequote all
Ref: cleaning.

I only really find they get properly gunked up when cooking something in BBQ sauce and this can be reduced by lining it with foil - although you do lose some of the benefit of the air circulating all the way round the food. Under normal use with minimal oil we usually get 3-4 uses out of it before we need to give it a proper clean, just wiping out the oil from under the basket generally does the trick.

skinny

5,269 posts

256 months

Wednesday 26th September 2018
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Mine is one with a rotating basket. I just give it a wipe with a kitchen paper every time after use. The basket is still spotless. The outside top bit is a little sticky tho...!

Chips are good but not as good as deep fried - maybe mine doesn't go hot enough? Or maybe not enough oil. Done them like 10-15 times. Getting better but not perfect. Settings to work better with non frozen chips tho. Chicken wings I'm getting really good at. Minimal flour seems to work best.

DoctorX

7,930 posts

188 months

Thursday 27th September 2018
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digimeistter said:
Thanks chaps, I have ordered one and it is the Power Airfryer I was looking at, looking forward to getting it.

Only 2 of us in our household so should be ideal.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0711QLFQ8/ref...
We have this one, gets used a lot. Anything that needed heating in the oven goes in this now. Oven chips are great cooked in one of these. Just don’t try cooking a whole chicken in it like the manufacturer says you can.

Northbloke

643 posts

240 months

Thursday 27th September 2018
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Got a Tefal Actifry in the Amazon Prime sale a year or so ago. It has a removable paddle so can be used with or without

It lives on the Kitchen Top and gets used for loads of stuff say 3 times a week.

Sausages, bacon even eggs are great. Warming up anything.

Best is guilt free chips though as less than a spoonful of fat per load.

It is quite noisy though.

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

75 months

Saturday 20th October 2018
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Well I've had it for about 3 weeks now and - what a great gadget!

I've been using it almost every day. Fried chicken & chips takes 15 minutes, steak and chips 12 minutes, I did a roast pork joint on Sunday in it, my god the crackling was superb, better than I can achieve my normal oven without over cooking the meat.

Fantastic piece of kit!

HootersGsy

738 posts

157 months

Saturday 20th October 2018
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Might be a daft question but can you cook raw batter in these things? Someone further up mentioned doing onion rings?

Sy1441

1,283 posts

181 months

Saturday 20th October 2018
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Have the Phillips one, second best kitchen gadget after the Nespresso.

mp3manager

4,254 posts

217 months

Sunday 21st October 2018
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I was given one as a gift a few years ago, the original Tefal one, so it's a big old unit.

Great for chips, (Tesco Finest with a teaspoon of goose fat), chicken, sausages etc...and as it's soup season, I just made a big batch of croutons with 8p bread from the reduced aisle and froze them into about six containers ready for the winter.

Great gadget and second only to my Ariete Mister Cappuccino.

Tony Angelino

2,033 posts

134 months

Sunday 21st October 2018
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HootersGsy said:
Might be a daft question but can you cook raw batter in these things? Someone further up mentioned doing onion rings?
Frozen onion rings come out a treat in it - 100% better than in the oven. Crispy and crunchy, like proper home made ones compared to soggy, fatty ones when done in the oven.