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The inlaws have a Ninja Air Fryer thing and swear by it.
We are a bit more on the fence, but since energy bills are rising we have wondered, is it cheaper to use one of these rather than switch a big oven on to cook a burger or fish fingers etc.
Are they just the latest George Foreman grill fad thing or are they worth buying?
Obviously I know I we wont recoup the £200 that one costs anytime soon, but in theory they cook quicker and use less electric in the process ?
Your thoughts please
We've got an Actifry. 'Tandoori' or chicken tikka is excellent. Ours gets a fair bit of use, you can actually do a lot more in it than just chips.
is it cheaper to use one of these rather than switch a big oven on to cook a burger or fish fingers etc.
Well, you're heating a smaller space and not needing to pre-warm it, so I'm guessing that you'll use less energy. I haven't checked our s against the meter, though. Mind you, we're a family of 5, so the air fryer doesn't get used as much as it might do in other families.
How many are you cooking for? I read something recently that said if cooking for 1 they definitely were cheaper in running costs. The more people = the more hassle to use one and the less saving - if cooking for more than 4 probably no benefit was the conclusion of the article.
How many are you cooking for?
Good point ! Family of 3 but a 12yr old son who eats more than the 2 of us combined. So in many ways it could be when our son just needs that extra snack etc.
Info on the net is actually quite limited. Is Ninja the go to brand, or just the one that has done its marketing well ?
I'm tempted to get one for the above reasons as a single person.
I'm not sure how to accurately do the maths in terms of energy efficiency, but as said... I have a gas oven and by the time it's pre heated and done the cooking I would assume an air fryer will use a lot more energy but offset by the vastly shorter period it's turned on for.
That said I have a combi microwave grill /convection oven which I've only ever really used as a microwave but I've been toasting buns in it recently and it works really well.. So maybe I'm better off just using that more.
Theres a long thread on air fryers here which is quite interesting though.
https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/threads/air-fryers.18952211/page-5#post-35702154
We have a ninja multi cooker thing - bought it for the pressure cooker but the air fryer has been a revelation.
Definitely better than an oven energy use wise - no heat up time, shorter cooking time and relatively well insulated. Can roast a chicken in 40 mins (pressure cook then air fry for a bit) as an example.
Definitely! Currently having this battle to get kids to cook their 2 sausages or 1 burger in it rather than pre heating the full size oven for the same task - they refuse to eat at the same time as us/each other so the oven has been on and off numerous times a day, much to my frustration.
They are quicker and a smaller area to heat so should be much more efficient.
We have an actifry which allows chips in the main pan and anything else (burger, sausage, chicken, fish fingers etc) in a smaller top pan at the same.
This is our second machine as the first one succumbed to high use, heavy handed usage and poor cleaning regime by the kids (they would use it and not clean it properly then slam it all back together).
As above, they can do much more than just chips and I don't think it cost £200 when we got ours. There are lots to choose from these days.
I bought a Tower brand cheapy from Tesco recently. £49 and it's brilliant! Sausage and chips in 20 minutes compared to 40 minutes plus warming time in our electric oven and the chips are much nicer out of the air fryer too.
It's not big enough to cook for 3 people though, as 6 sausages doesn't leave much room for anything else, but works well when my wife and I eat a different time to my son who often finishes work at 8:30.
Wasn't impressed when I did burgers in it so I use the George Foreman-alike grill for them and just do chips and onion rings in the air fryer.
We've also done pork kebabs, chicken kebabs, pork belly, pork chops and it's been great every time. Haven't done a joint in it yet though as we'd still to turn the oven on to cook roasties and Yorkshire puds.
2 teenage boys at home and the house constantly stinks of fried chicken.... It gets used twice a day most days here..
Ninja Dual (400AF ?) here. I was scepitcal but the decision maker had decided. Honestly it's the best kitchen gadget we've ever bought. Whole roast chicken in 50 minutes with no fuss. Chips that are evenly cooked instead of random burnt ans soggy (both frozen and homemade). Sausages, burgers, meatballs all so much easier and quciker than using the oven. Quickly reheating leftovers is a breeze. I find myself eating more hot food because I don't have to faff with pans and ovens.
Energy use is definitely less but could take a while to offset the £200 purcahse cost.
The only downside is if doing a chicken in one drawer then there isn't really enough space in the other drawer to get plenty of decent roast potatoes for the five of us.
So got one of the large Ninja things with 2 trays.
Does appear good so far.
Build quality does appear to be a bit low, but we will see over time.
@funkydrac link?
I've seen these on tiktok and am curious about them!
Can you cook stuff likes pies and small pizzas in them ?
Small pizzas ( I think the ones I did were Goodfellas ones, like Chicago town size ) and pies most definitely. Just keep a watch on the cooking time/temperature. I knocked 5 minutes off for the pies and had a look at the pizzas about halfway through the suggested time.
We loved the Tefal Actifry but killed it after about 5-6 years, it was the best way to make low fat fries or potato wedges IMO.
My missus bought a monstrous 'Ninja' thing about a year ago that is an air fryer/steamer/pressure cooker combines, but she's terrified of using because she thinks it's a steam bomb and I simply can't be arsed half the time it and so it sits pretty unused now.
I does an awesome chicken: stuff some herbs and lemon up it's arse, Pressure cook for ~30 mins, and air fry for another 20. it comes out moist and flavoursome with crispy skin...