Hot Air Fryers?

acpgee
acpgee Posts: 7,949 Member
in Recipes
I'm thinking of getting a hot air fryer. Do you have one? Does it work well? What model is it? How does it compare with a very hot fan assisted oven in terms of cooking results and energy usage?

I guess most people use them for french fries, but could you do buffalo wings in one, for example?

--Alice

Replies

  • anglyn1
    anglyn1 Posts: 1,802 Member
    I have a Black and Decker one and I love it. I've made chicken wings, fried chicken, fried catfish, fried pickles, baked eggs, bacon, etc...you can make anything in them really if it will fit in the basket. You can even bake cookies!
  • jennybearlv
    jennybearlv Posts: 1,519 Member
    crazyravr wrote: »
    acpgee wrote: »
    I'm thinking of getting a hot air fryer. Do you have one? Does it work well? What model is it? How does it compare with a very hot fan assisted oven in terms of cooking results and energy usage?

    I guess most people use them for french fries, but could you do buffalo wings in one, for example?

    --Alice

    Its been discussed many many time. Glorified convection oven. Nothing else.
    If you want something fried, just fry it. Otherwise, your oven is just as good.

    I was just about to mention this. They are just convection ovens. A convection toaster oven also makes toast, garlic bread, and melts cheese. Honesty, I couldn't tell the difference between using the convection fan or not. I got rid of mine when I moved and just use my range. No convection, but it's gas so probably cheaper to run and I have more counter space.
  • mixtaplix
    mixtaplix Posts: 74 Member
    We have the Tfal acti-fry. It's ok. Have yet to try some of the other recipes from their site that sound good, but so far from our experience fries are the best. I like it better than oven as it stirs them and they seem to cook better all around. You could do it in the oven too by stirring repeatedly, but with the actifry you set the timer and let it go. It definitely isn't "frying" anything though. LOL. PS: Destroyed onion rings. Was just a bunch of mush by the end of cooking. Still tasted great though... i also have an outdoor oil-less turkey fryer, and have done wings, turkeys and chickens so far in it. THAT works great!
  • GOT_Obsessed
    GOT_Obsessed Posts: 817 Member
    mixtaplix wrote: »
    We have the Tfal acti-fry. It's ok. Have yet to try some of the other recipes from their site that sound good, but so far from our experience fries are the best. I like it better than oven as it stirs them and they seem to cook better all around. You could do it in the oven too by stirring repeatedly, but with the actifry you set the timer and let it go. It definitely isn't "frying" anything though. LOL. PS: Destroyed onion rings. Was just a bunch of mush by the end of cooking. Still tasted great though... i also have an outdoor oil-less turkey fryer, and have done wings, turkeys and chickens so far in it. THAT works great!

    Hey dude. I have the same one as you. I just got it about a week ago. If you take the spinning piece out would the onion rings not stay together better maybe? I know they would not spin and cook quite so even as the fries do but I bet they would not mush up.

    I already have used mine so much more that I ever would have thought. I love stir fried veggies and it does a great job with them.

    Cheers from ice cold Manitoba.
  • RachelElser
    RachelElser Posts: 1,049 Member
    I have a Big Boss

    https://www.amazon.com/Big-Boss-Oil-less-Fryer-Silver/dp/B007P6SAZ4

    and the taste is WAY different then a regular oven. The fries are way crispier in much less time. However, it doesn't taste like deep fried, because, well, it isn't.

    I've cooked fried, wings, chicken tenders, tator tots, chicken breasts, fish, crab cakes, and meatloaf in it. The meatloaf was a bit weird bc the top got crispy. If you have the counter space I think it's worth it.
  • bonjovi27
    bonjovi27 Posts: 144 Member
    edited January 2018
    Ours is a Philips and it was the best investment we ever made! Cannot recommend highly enough!
    Almost all recipes can be converted for use in the air fryer, and the amount of fat that comes off some food is phenomenal! It's so easy to use it to improve your diet.
    The food comes our very crispy, without burning as easily as it does in an oven.
  • PikaJoyJoy
    PikaJoyJoy Posts: 280 Member
    crazyravr wrote: »
    acpgee wrote: »
    I'm thinking of getting a hot air fryer. Do you have one? Does it work well? What model is it? How does it compare with a very hot fan assisted oven in terms of cooking results and energy usage?

    I guess most people use them for french fries, but could you do buffalo wings in one, for example?

    --Alice

    Its been discussed many many time. Glorified convection oven. Nothing else.
    If you want something fried, just fry it. Otherwise, your oven is just as good.

    Wow, thanks for the info! Was wondering that myself.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,949 Member
    So I got an air fryer for my birthday and I quite like it. It's the compact Phillips Viva model for small households. It's essentially a small, well insulated fan oven that does get french fries crisper than in a hot fan assisted oven. I am finding that a liberal coating of olive oil (more than the instruction manual) gives food more of a deep fried taste. It was a success for making Di San Xian, a Szechuan ratatouille style recipe where different vegetables are deep fried separately and then stir fried together in a sauce. I plan to use it for roasting vegetables, chicken wings, etc when a conventional oven is too inefficient in terms of energy use, or when I don't want to warm up the kitchen in summer.
  • ShelbyLynnMFP
    ShelbyLynnMFP Posts: 10 Member
    I LOVE my air fryer! It’s great for potatoes, you can turn tortillas into chips, and my personal favorite is making roasted chickpeas! You can season them how you like and fry until nice and toasty!
  • pamfgil
    pamfgil Posts: 449 Member
    It's great for roasting veggies, without heating up the kitchen, how much you use it will depend on what you're cooking.
  • kristinahlt
    kristinahlt Posts: 1 Member
    My roommate has one and I use it for chicken wings about every other week. I coat them with avocado oil and a Cajun dry rub, then cook @the highest temp for about 20 minutes. If you have an aldi, that's where I go to buy the wings. Best price I've found so far and its a perfect portion for one person.
  • Treece68
    Treece68 Posts: 780 Member
    I have one and it's ok I have tried to make fries several times and the best way is to have one layer take out then another layer. Really it is not worth it and I am going to sell mine in a garage sale come the spring.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I use the convection setting on my oven...it's the same exact thing. Made some pretty amazing wings yesterday for the Super Bowl. I don't really know how much healthier it is than just deep frying, but it's a lot less messy and I don't have to store used oil.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,949 Member
    Thanks for the tip about roast chick peas. I made this in the oven once and like them, but considered it a total waste of energy. The air fryer is perfect for jobs like this.
  • snowiebuggie
    snowiebuggie Posts: 49 Member
    I got a Air fryer for Christmas and I love it I have made so much in it there are a bunch of groups on fb for air fryers you should look into it
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,949 Member
    Have discovered the air fryer is the perfect instrument for blackening red peppers prior to peeling. Doing them in the oven is a pain because you need to keep turning them. Alternatively you can half the peppers to blacken in the oven but then you lose the tasty juice that comes out of them.
  • GOT_Obsessed
    GOT_Obsessed Posts: 817 Member
    Treece68 wrote: »
    I have one and it's ok I have tried to make fries several times and the best way is to have one layer take out then another layer. Really it is not worth it and I am going to sell mine in a garage sale come the spring.

    Doesn't it spin the fries! Mine turns and flips them as they cook. Does a great job!
  • GOT_Obsessed
    GOT_Obsessed Posts: 817 Member
    Today at the last minute I decided to have a piece of garlic bread. (You know the frozen pieces) I thought, heck why not throw it in the actifry?! It worked great. Who would have thought?
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,949 Member
    I just did the best chicken wings in the hot air fryer. Dredge chicken wings in a mixture of a table spoon of salt, half a teaspoon of baking powder (dehydrates the skin) and 2 or 3 tablespoons of cornstarch. Pre cook for 15-20 minutes in the air fryer at 150C. When you want to eat get a sauce ready (buffalo sauce, or I used a Vietnamese caramel and fish sauce) and zap the wings for 20 minutes at 200C. Toss in the sauce before serving. The skin was incredibly crispy.

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