Air Fryers - worth it, and what should we look for

I hardly use mine now, can't be arsed to wash the basket up, baking tray in the oven is much easier for most things I'd do in the fryer.
Also -
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/air-fryers-whats-good/

There's only two of us in our house, but I do a lot of cooking so we're probably fairly similar. We got a Ninja multifunction thing a few months ago and it's been really good. If it was just an air fryer, it probably wouldn't justify its space on the worktop, but particularly the pressure cooker and the slow cooker make it worthwhile.

There's been no complaints from the washing up department, which I was worried might happen. The big non-stick bowl is easy enough to clean out, and on the occasions we use it, washing the basket seems to be worth it for the return in crispiness of chips etc. 🙂

Like northwind I have Ninja multifunction. It's a pressure cooker, steamer and air fryer.

I find using it in steam-air fry mode is the best.

It cooks a medium sized chicken in about 25 minutes, with the crispiest skin and very moist meat.

It's dead easy to clean, the main bowl cleans very easily in the sink, the trays and stuff go in the dishwasher.

I haven't used the main oven since I got it.

I had a cheap air fryer that hardly got used and just collected dust.

I wish I had got one ages ago.

https://ninjakitchen.co.uk/product/ninja-foodi-max-14-in-1-smartlid-multi-cooker-7-5l-ol650uk-zidOL650UK

We got a Ninja Foodi Dual MAAAXXX!!!! a week ago, very impressed - two trays, so can cook different things at the same time, not gone crazy yet but any veg you roast, it does quickly and well. Treated myself to a tray of chicken thighs at the weekend and they were OMG lush. Very happy. 🙂

I love mine. Brilliant thing and much prefer using it over using the oven now.

We've got a Cosori which is really good. Seems very well made. Ours is only 4.7l though. Mostly OK for two of us but it sounds like you could use a bigger one.

There was a good thread on them a while back if you search.

Edit-thread is here

Ninja dual max, if the thing I'm cooking usually goes in the oven and it fits in the ninja I use it - it's great for chips and a couple bits of fish or meat. But there are three of us in the household so it can be tricky getting three portions to fit in it and I wish I'd bought a slightly larger one.

If I'm using the oven, I won't use the ninja as well (even though the chips come out much nicer). It's great for matching cooking times too - chips in one side at 25min, Salmon in the other at 12min and they both come out perfectly cooked at the same time (it auto delays cooking the salmon).

It's quicker than the oven and takes some experience to get your timing correct. Those min Chicago town pizzas are great for a late night snack and take about 13 min.

Anyway the dual is ideal for two people I'd say, but look else where for a family.

Like northwind I have Ninja multifunction. It’s a pressure cooker, steamer and air fryer.

We have the Ninja 9 in 1 and use it pretty much every day - our oven went on the blink last week and we didn't really miss it. Cleaning is straight fwd but you can get silicone pots for it which make cleaning even easier.

@zilog6128 ao.com have stock at full RRP.

https://ao.com/product/ol750uk-ninja-foodi-max-15in1-smartlid-multi-cooker-stainless-steel-89035-141.aspx?ef_id=Cj0KCQiAm5ycBhCXARIsAPldzoX8lmrJ95JYxEeLhx2KIEeiRid2xauV85AzDxYc99n4vh3UbpYV-yUaApRlEALw_wcB:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!8149!3!354710409480!!!g!500687654615!&&utm_medium=shopping&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=sda%20-%20multi%20cookers%20-%20brand%7csda%20-%20multi%20cookers%20-%20ninja&utm_term=brand%7cOL750UK_BSS&utm_content=pla-500687654615%7cpaidpla&gclid=Cj0KCQiAm5ycBhCXARIsAPldzoX8lmrJ95JYxEeLhx2KIEeiRid2xauV85AzDxYc99n4vh3UbpYV-yUaApRlEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

ah nice find, thank you! I will probably have to order that as I do actually need the extra cooking capacity for an upcoming big chrimbo dinner, gutted to miss out on the discount though 😭
(at least I can get a few pounds back on Quidco)

Great, so thumbs up for them and sounds like it's worth getting as big as possible.

Big qns now ...

- are 2 drawers better than baskets better than several shelves?
- is it worth having steamer/multi cook Vs just an air fryer

I'm thinking of Tower 11L which seems big and has shelves https://www.towerhousewares.co.uk/air-fryers/xpress-pro-combo-2000w-11-litre-10-in-1-digital-air-fryer-oven-with-rotisserie
Vs Ninja Dual Max https://www.currys.co.uk/products/ninja-foodi-max-dual-zone-af400uk-air-fryer-black-10226767.html

I have for a couple of weeks a Ninja AF400UK double jobbie and its a revelation.

Getting in from work and a great meal in 30 minutes or after a ride is what I got it for and it simply works.

@Aus I'm only going off the Which mag ratings, all the Ninja ones came out well/best buys, all the Tower ones scored poorly.

Defo getting a Ninja personally, more features the better as we cook a lot & I know I'll use all the different options. If you just want to do chips probably a boggo air-fryer is better?

I got the simplest/cheapest Tower a few months back when it was on sale for about 40 quid. Mostly gets used for heating up pastries, mince pies etc but also things like roasties or chips etc better and easier than the oven and must be a lot cheaper on electricity (though I wouldn't over-do the energy efficiency angle, cooking costs are pretty modest really in the grand scale of things and the energy used does also heat your house). Sausages are good too.

Small size and powerful fan makes it very quick to get a mince pie piping hot.

As for washing...I do it when I can be bothered, I'm not that fussy about collecting a week's worth of sausage fat and pastry crumbs - all adds to the flavour 🙂

Ninja foodie 11in1 (smartlid!) here, very impressed in the couple of months we used it. Did a sear/pressure cook stew last week in 25 mins and was delish. Roast veg is great, halloumi fries & cauliflower wings are ace. Only thing is to make sure you have enoughh worktop space with no wall cupboards above...

We got a Ninja Foodi lately. I really did NOT want anything made in China but my wife was like, ‘oohh our Davids got one & swears by his, uses it all the time, blah blah blah’ & I couldn’t be arsed to argue.
I made chicken biryani in it last night & hate to say I was well impressed, & only about 20 mins from start to serving up.

I haven’t read this thread, but 9 mins at 170c produces perfect boiled eggs with slightly runny yolks.
Just sit em straight in the fryer.
They are fantastic devices.
We have a £40 asda one, full manual control.
Works well.

I got the Salter twin drawer one, I think it's 7.4l across the two drawers. There's only me and my lad here most of the time so the size is perfect. I wouldn't say the results are amazingly superior to traditional cooking but it definitely cooks quicker and a lot more efficiently so will probably pay for itself in time (£129). Done full chickens, thigh fillets, burgers, pork belly, roasties, proper chips, frozen chips, hasselbacks, fish all very well. Easy for lad to use on his own too. Basically, if it can be cooked in the AF, it gets cooked in the AF. Simple to wash by hand (no dishwasher anyway). Would recommend for sure...

I’m thinking of Tower 11L which seems big and has shelves https://www.towerhousewares.co.uk/air-fryers/xpress-pro-combo-2000w-11-litre-10-in-1-digital-air-fryer-oven-with-rotisserie /blockquote>
After months of debate over drawers vs baskets plus stock issues, we have recently bought the one as per your link ... early days but very impressed so far. Positive reviews on Amazon & Argos and went with Argos when it briefly came back in stock at £150. 3 of us to feed and haven't used oven since

 

We've got that exact Tower one you are looking at Aus... and it gets used pretty much every day in place of the main oven.

We chose it over the type with drawers/baskets because it really is just a mini oven, and we use it as such. Do pastries, roast sausages, chickens, and even did a very nice apple crumble in there the other day... and it can be proper size as you'll fit a decent sized casserole dish in there.

It's just so much quicker and easier than using the oven.

That said, I wouldn't be using it for bread, it's just not big enough for a proper loaf. It's also going to struggle a bit on cooking big meals for a family of 4... but one of the reasons we initially got it was so that we could easily cook our son something from the freezer before dashing him out to running/rugby/etc without having to use the main oven just for some fish fingers or something...

Ninja website still have stock apparently and the ninja foodi max 15 in 1 is £249.
Other models available as well

Ninja website

'SAVE MONEY ON YOUR ENERGY BILLS - PLS GIVE US £249 FIRST'

Ninja website still have stock apparently

Out of stock when you click on the link.

‘SAVE MONEY ON YOUR ENERGY BILLS – PLS GIVE US £249 FIRST’

I can cook a chicken in 25 minutes, compared to 75 minutes in my main oven.

Can easily save me 50p a day, so pays for itself in 14 months.

Food tastes better, easier to clean and saves my time. What's not to like?

I bought a nice, but basic one in the summer, gets used 4 or 5 times a week. For bits of a meal if i have the kids, or sometimes my entire meal if they are at their mothers.

In hindsight, i should have got a better one...

Apologies thought they had stock last night.
AO have them in stock but looks like they are selling fast

£250 is a lot but when you factor in it's a pressure cooker, slow cooker, air fryer among other functions, cheaper to run than conventional oven, less washing up it starts to make sense.

Can easily save me 50p a day, so pays for itself in 14 months.

So after 14 months you're no better off financially than you were before.

I'm all for saving energy, and I'd buy another Ninja if it cost the same to run as the oven, but I think there's a lot of companies trying to use that angle to sell you stuff, and a lot of people using that justification to buy stuff.

So after 14 months you’re no better off financially than you were before.

You are better off for all the time you've saved.

I can cook a chicken in 25 minutes, compared to 75 minutes in my main oven.

Yes, but your oven will not be heating for the whole time so the numbers are not that simple. In addition you can cook a lot of other stuff in the oven at the same time.

We have an AF from Costco (£42) - it's great (digital controls, 6L) we use it a fair bit at the moment as there's just the two of us at home, but when any of my 3 girls are back then it makes less sense due to capacity other than for quick snacks, sausages, chips, etc.
In the couple of months I've used it I've found it to be brilliant for a number of things esp those that are supposed to be crispy due to the strong fan. Sausages are excellent!
But there's no way I'd bake bread in one.

£250 is a lot but when you factor in it’s a pressure cooker, slow cooker, air fryer among other functions, cheaper to run than conventional oven, less washing up it starts to make sense.

Personally I think £250 is an insane amount to spend on one but then I'm tight!
I also don't like stuff on the worktop and I'm lucky enough to have cupboard space for the AF.

Yes, but your oven will not be heating for the whole time so the numbers are not that simple. In addition you can cook a lot of other stuff in the oven at the same time.

Although the energy saving is a bonus, it's not the main reason I use it.

The time saving is great and the way it roasts meat are the main things.

£250 is a lot but I spent £2000 on a range cooker, that is hardly used now.

The time saving is great and the way it roasts meat are the main things.

Absolutely agree that they're better at doing some stuff - but do you not eat anything else with the meat?!

I couldn't fit the meat, roast veg, spuds and the yorkshires (and possibly a desert) into the air fryer - even for just two of us. And if there was one that was big enough then it would possibly be no better than an oven*

* An air fryer works quickly because of two things: it only has to heat a smaller volume and the more powerful fan right above the food. Take away the volume advantage and some of the cost savings are lost also.

You are better off for all the time you’ve saved.

That's why I said financially.

Like I said, I'd buy one even without the energy saving. Spending some of that extra time eating crispier chips is worth it for me.

Apologies thought they had stock last night.
AO have them in stock but looks like they are selling fast

Absolutely agree that they’re better at doing some stuff – but do you not eat anything else with the meat?!

I eat a LOT of roast chicken with steamed vegetables. Also do like a pork hock, which the steam-air fryer cooks to perfection, with a 5 minute blast of just the air fryer to really crisp it off. I have an electric steamer for the veg.

The air fryer is great for tandoori style chicken as well.

Pressure cooker does a great beef stew as well.

Personally I think £250 is an insane amount to spend on one

I think it's insane to spend £??? on a jacket but that's another thread.

The air fryer is great for tandoori style chicken as well.

recipe for that would be great!!

recipe for that would be great!!

Nothing to it. I cheat and buy the mix off ebay. Tandoori Masala

Mix it with plain yogurt and some veg oil, then marinate the chicken. Works well with thighs as well as boneless.

The only thing is that it has no colouring, which is probably a good thing but I do miss the bright red colour!

Personally I think £250 is an insane amount to spend on one

There's loads of free recipe books on Amazon for the air fyers.

I cooked a brisket in the pressure cooker function on the ninja. Took 1.5 hours and it was dropping to pieces.
Also using the slow cooker a lot.

@gobuchul thanks will try that one

I cooked a brisket in the pressure cooker function on the ninja. Took 1.5 hours and it was dropping to pieces.

Timely thread because the MIL wants to get us a Cosori AF based on her neighbours telling her it's the best thing ever. They've even offered us a demo and to cook for us, so might have to take them up on that.

But, really not sure we want another appliance sitting on the worktop and we've run out of storage space in the cupboards (even after my recent declutter). I might feel like justifying it if we get one with all the pressure cooker / slow cooker functions because we have those already and could move them on... but knowing the missus, she'll want to keep them as backups!

Timely thread because the MIL wants to get us a Cosori AF based on her neighbours telling her it’s the best thing ever. They’ve even offered us a demo and to cook for us, so might have to take them up on that.

Anyway, if you're up Glasgow way, there might be som Aldi air fryers going cheap.
One of my lads trucks* had 250 nicked after some scrotes went through the curtains in a truckstop the other night.

Not 'his' truck. The company he works for.

https://flic.kr/p/2o3okub

You are better off for all the time you’ve saved.

That's true, I do like to stare at my roast non-stop for the entire cooking time. 🙂

I'm sure they're great and fill a very specific need, but I have no doubt the hype and 'energy-saving' marketing means that a lot of people will pay over the odds, and never recoup their money, because the gadget will end up festering alongside the spiraliser at the back of the kitchen corner cabinet about six weeks after Christmas.

Daft question: does anyone use a small one in a campervan/motorhome?

Our van only has a 2 gas ring hob and a small one might be useful on mains hook-up

From the FT

Sales of air fryers at Argos are up 420 per cent year on year, while Currys is selling 18,000 to 20,000 air fryers a week, compared with 1,000 to 2,000 around the same period last year, according to Ed Connolly, chief commercial officer. Sales of microwaves, also a cheaper alternative to ovens, are up 70 per cent.

https://www.ft.com/content/8f55e42f-00a7-4ba6-b8ad-3ef0df3d0250

We have a Ninja at home and I think its a bit heavy/bulky for the camper. Saying that most of the Germans on the campsite in Finale last year were cooking outside the vans with them. I think they have taken over from the barbeques they usually have. I was surprised at how many of them left them outside under awnings for the duration of their stay

We have a Ninja at home and I think its a bit heavy/bulky for the camper.

We have just got a 5l Cosori one (a present for me at Christmas - go me) and it's pretty light and compact and would be suitable for use in a camper van.

I have a xaiomi Mi air fryer. Nice and compact. If I ever get around to camping again with an electric hook up I'll be taking it along. The single ring induction hob will also be taken. Probably work really well in a powered wooden hut with the toastie machine as well.

I rather have this one. Size is larger but good reviews overall.

Cuisinart Air Fryer Mini Oven £250. But may be able to get them for £200 from Argos.