You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
Since we got an air fryer (which I was sceptical about beforehand), we maybe use the oven once per week to do a pizza or something large. Before that it was at least every other day. The air fryer cooks quicker and uses less electricity, so I'm a convert!
Probably 4 evening meals per week. Maybe some daytime baking a bit too. So likely 5-6 uses per week or so.
4-5 times a week at a guess.
Since we got an air fryer very rarely. Oven only goes on for pizzas or meat too large to go in the air fryer, so maybe a couple of times a month.
Exactly like steezysix - an air fryer has massively reduced our oven use. We maybe use the oven once a week.
Four or five times a week sounds a little right for me too. That's not counting the grill, which is also in there
I tend to use the hob more than the oven. So probably once or twice per week.
Air Fryer (actually a multi cooker) took us from 5 or 6 days per week to maybe 5 or 6 days per month
Also an air fryer convert, smaller, quicker, cheaper. Of course, as mentioned above, calling it an air fryer is just marketing gump, it's a really handy mini oven. Only 3 of us in the house though, for larger families might not be as useful.
Ours is used most days, often more than once. 2 late teen males in the house who seem to try and consume their body weight in cooked chicken!
I use one of them nearly every day to warm plates before serving up dinner.
another I use 3-5 times per week for cooking.
but they’re not huge great ovens like we had on our range cooker before I ditched it for two ANOVA precision oven 1.0s. Great little things. Though I see they’ve now been deprecated and replaced by a fancier, more expensive version with ‘AI’. https://anovaculinary.com/pages/anova-precision-oven
Air fryer here, so probably less once per week average.
I use one of them nearly every day to warm plates before serving up dinner.
Is it not more efficient to chuck them in a microwave for a bit?
I use my oven most days, I love cooking 🙂
Now and again as it costs money.
made a stove from scrap metal in the garden. use cardboard and waste wood and toys to run that and cook stuff for nowt.
so outside cooking like James Martin and chefs on telly.
My main oven maybe once a fortnight and I gave away my air fryer as wasn't using it, my microwave though gets used daily for heating up ultra-processed ready meal garbage from the supermarket...
We've an oil-fired Aga - heats the house, the water and because it's on 24/7 it'd be a waste not to use the oven/hot-plates.
Used every single day, more than once. Cooking, mostly from scratch, and warming up food previously cooked/frozen etc.
Obviously plates/dishes are all warmed beforehand.
But based on the way the UK's eating habits are going, how often do other folk actually cook, rather than just warm-up bought in products?
Those above with the air fryers, can you cook from scratch with one?
Probably use the hob more than the oven 4 to 3 days
The large oven probably only gets used 1 day per week and the small oven (air fryer) the other 2
Oven gets used a couple of times a week. Most small oven type stuff is done is the air fryer like others above. Oven mostly used for pizzas or if the daughter is baking. Most cooking is done on the hob.
Still need a proper oven though. Couldn't get by with an air fryer alone.
I'm not convinced by the TCO of an air fryer. The only measured power use I can find is this one
Suggests it saves 10p per cook of something that needs over an hour, so you need to do over 1,000 meals before you break even.
Those above with the air fryers, can you cook from scratch with one?
The name ‘air fryer’ is a bit of a misnomer as it’s basically just a small, compact (more efficient?) oven. We cook everything from scratch. If you can cook it in an oven, you can cook it in an air fryer
Oven - Fri, Sat, Sun. We don't really 'cook' in the week due to passing ships lifestyle. It's mainly eating frozen curry/chilli leftovers.
Microwave every day - just to heat up and defrost.
Hob - pretty much every day.
If you can cook it in an oven, you can cook it in an air fryer
In the last few days I've used the oven for bread, muffins, a tart, a pasta bake, and slow cooked ribs. Can you honestly do those in an air fryer?
I'm a non air fryer person, And this is not me trying to be contrary, but genuine question!
4-5 times a week just for bread and probably the same for meals/other baking. Makes the kitchen nice and warm on bread days.
There's a lot of different things that are tagged as an "air fryer".
I have a Ninja Multi Cooker, which I use most days. The most common mode is "steam air fry", it cooks a perfect roast chicken in around 30 minutes.
Since getting the Ninja I have only used the oven to cook a turkey at Christmas, I do use the smaller side oven to store and warm plates and carving trays.
Maybe a few times a month, but I use the convection oven function on the microwave 3 or 4 times a week.
It's basically a better oven than the oven, which heats up a lot quicker.
Can't justify an air fryer as well as that. But why didn't they call it "the funcooker"?
But based on the way the UK’s eating habits are going, how often do other folk actually cook, rather than just warm-up bought in products?
We cook probably 80% of all our meals from scratch (the kids have a thing for frozen chips or it would be higher).
In the last few days I’ve used the oven for bread, muffins, a tart, a pasta bake, and slow cooked ribs. Can you honestly do those in an air fryer?
We regularly make muffins in our air frier - using this recipe.
Air fryer household. Oven is turned off, last used a few months back to cook a big lasagna. I would say on average it’s now used once every 2 months (expect it will be used a couple of times at Christmas).
a lot less since i moved to a bread machine for my fresh bread addiction which seemed like a better use of my limited counter top space than an air frier
but 3-4 times a week.
had it on for 4 hours the other week on a sunny sunday for the Xmas cake.
we are uncouth - we dont warm plates.... but this made me chuckle.
Is it not more efficient to chuck them in a microwave for a bit?
In the last few days I’ve used the oven for bread, muffins, a tart, a pasta bake, and slow cooked ribs. Can you honestly do those in an air fryer?
Yes. At the end of the day it’s just a small compact oven. The name ‘air fryer’ is a bit misleading.
Now I'm back to baking bread the oven is on probably 2-3 times/week, but there's only two of us at home most of the time (although two of our daughters were on a one-night flying visit last night so the oven was used for bread and an apple crumble).
We have an air fryer [6L] which definitely earns its keep and is the go to for some things, but we still use the ovens for baking, casseroles and larger meals.
If you can cook it in an oven, you can cook it in an air fryer
Not true really.
(casseroles, bread, slow cooked meat and meringue have all been cooked here in the last week and couldn't be done in an air fryer)
Hob use is most common. Oven 2-3 times a week, always a Sunday roast when the kitchen is like the centre of a nuclear reactor, especially when the Yorkshire puddings go in. Air fryer once or twice a week - depends on meal size/what's cooking. Jacket spuds still best in oven ! Very rarely use the grill.
casseroles, bread, slow cooked meat and meringue have all been cooked here in the last week and couldn’t be done in an air fryer)
I tend to default to the slow cooker for casseroles and slow cooked meat. It’s chicken and bacon in cider and mustard going in shortly for this evening 😀
Air fryer convert here, I was sent along to Argos a few weeks ago to get it, I grumbled, complained and procrastinated for ages before finally doing as I was told.
My smart meter display thingy tells me it uses half of the amount of energy as my oven, and it cooks much quicker, so is burning electricity for less time. My kids often ignore the meal plans and just cook what they want when they get in from school, so oven could go on twice a day. Now it is used 2-3 times per week max.
The only annoying thing is that Mrs S was right, again, and I should have listened to her sooner, again.
Oven use is massively less since getting an Air Fryer (well, Ninja multi cooker)
warm plates in the microwave, obviously. Anyone using an oven just for that clearly doesn't have a smart meter 🙂
Sage multi-cook/air fryer AND both offspring moving out leaves Oven use maybe once a month. Use the gas hob mostly for steaming Veg. Almost everything else gets done in the Sage. I am tempted by a pressure/slow cooker but still traumatised from the explode-y noises than came from my Mum's back in a 1970s kitchen!
I am tempted by a pressure/slow cooker
the Ninja is also both of these things! Haven't used the pressure-cooker function but "steam roast" is a similar concept and awesome (except stuff comes out crispy!). Use the slow-cooker function all the time. Definitely cut down on worktop clutter!
Barely ever use the oven, or microwave, and have no air fryer, what are you lot eating!
what are you lot eating!
I'm wondering what you're eating!!
🙂
what are you lot eating!
Cooked food.
warm plates in the microwave, obviously
Won't that only work if the plates aren't microwave safe?
No, works fine
It doesn't work on mine, they must be a different sort of pottery.
Won’t that only work if the plates aren’t microwave safe?
I did smash an old plate once doing it on full power (would usually use 2/3rds!)
No idea if you're supposed to (a quick google suggests maybe not!) but I've done it for years without issue. I have seen people suggest using damp plates or putting a cup/bowl of water on top.
It doesn’t work on mine, they must be a different sort of pottery.
I wouldn't do it with your fancy gold leaf plates, no 🙂
I have seen people suggest using damp plates or putting a cup/bowl of water on top.
That sounds like it'd work, even if my plates don't cooperate the water will!
No lah-di-dah gold leaf here, I think they were from Argos.
It doesn’t work on mine, they must be a different sort of pottery
I warm milk in the mug in the microwave before adding coffee.... I can't use some some mugs as the handle becomes way too hot to hold whereas the other mugs are OK. I can only assume it's something to do with what they're made of.
Lots of air inside the ceramic likely
As above since the airfryer has reacked montylikesbeer towers the oven has been reduced only for urchin pixxas which is about twice a month.
It has surprised me how much the airfryer has replaced the oven.
I’m wondering what you’reeating!!
I might have a roast a few times a year, only really eat pizza from the pizza place. I might eat more roast mixed veg or patatas bravas if the oven wasn't such a faff or I had an air fryer I suppose but I cant think of much else.
Virtually all my home meals are cooked from scratch but its all on the hob or bbq (gas grill sorry)
Every day, to make apple crumble, in order to use up the apples from our tree that are not nice enough to eat raw.
Yes, then wait ages for a huge box to heat up, Its time inefficient if not energy, if it isn't energy inefficient i'll happily use it more, but it seems a lot of heat for some veggies for two people.
Yes, then wait ages for a huge box to heat up, Its time inefficient if not energy, if it isn’t energy inefficient i’ll happily use it more, but it seems a lot of heat for some veggies for two people
You don't need to wait for it to warm up with lots of food - baked potatoes, roasted veg, etc will just cook while the oven is warming up. My oven warms up in less than 5 minutes anyway. By the time I've wedged up some potatoes, or sliced the veg, it's warm. And efficiency/ineffiiciency? Surely it depends on what you're cooking and what you want to eat?
Yes, then wait ages for a huge box to heat up, Its time inefficient if not energy, if it isn’t energy inefficient
Is your the oven featured in the house at the start of Indiana Jones and the crystal skull.....
It's ok my old oven was shit too. I replaced it 4 years ago and it's like night and day
Maybe 2-3 times a week, usually at weekends. Generally do stews and casseroles etc in the pressure cooker instead - way quicker, makes it easy for a weeknight.
I don't think its a really old oven, but i'll happily change it if there is something significantly better available, just took 10:40 to get to 180c and its got to be 70l capacity, seems worth it for a big roast but not for a few veg. Im a big fan of my induction hob, is there a similar leap forward in oven technology that I have missed? I really hope there is, im sick of that one, mainly cos the door is in the way when I use the grill, next one will have a slide away door
About once a week I roast some beef short ribs for 30-40 minutes before putting them in the slow cooker. That’s it. Everything else is either on the bbq, in the slow cooker or in a cast iron pan on the hob.
im sick of that one, mainly cos the door is in the way when I use the grill, next one will have a slide away door
Don't get a neff with a slide away door then... The grill only works when the door is closed.
Im a big fan of my induction hob, is there a similar leap forward in oven technology that I have missed?
Yeah, the air-fryer. It's perfect for roasting veg for two people.
Don’t get a neff with a slide away door then… The grill only works when the door is closed.
How bloody stupid is that! Thank goodness you said that, I was just looking on currys and they dont mention it, I'd have been livid!
4 or 5 times a week in winter when I'm doing more hearty food. Baked potatoes, lot's of roasted veg, casseroles etc.
I'm reluctant to get an air fryer as it will just clutter up the kitchen like that breadmaker that now lives in the shed. But I think I've got the solution. I can store it in the oven. Might even be able to get the breadmaker in there as well.
How bloody stupid is that!
Dunno.... It kinda makes sense but might be a bit frustrating.
I generally don't use the grill now anyway.
I’m reluctant to get an air fryer as it will just clutter up the kitchen
It does. We will need to replace our very old range cooker at some point and I hope that, by then, there will be a range cooker available with an air fryer in place of the second oven.
I can store it in the oven.
That's all well and good until you stick the oven on to warm up without checking if there's anything in there first.
I’m reluctant to get an air fryer as it will just clutter up the kitchen
I agree.... don't like having stuff on the worktops so the air fryer lives in a kitchen cupboard which we were lucky enough to have spare*
* well it was after I threw out a load of crap that had been 'hidden' in there!
Thank goodness you said that, I was just looking on currys and they dont mention it, I’d have been livid!
Just checked for you - yep, no grill with the door open... it tells you to close the door. The thing is why do you want the door open anyway?
(Actually I have just one scenario - make a Spanish omelette and then want to finish the top off under the grill, but the pan [inc the handle] doesn't fit into the oven with the door completely closed. My solutuon is to finish the top with a blow torch.)
Don’t get a neff with a slide away door then… The grill only works when the door is closed.
daft question - but why would you want to grill with the door open ? Mines also only works with the door up - which contributes to my food cooking quicker.
I hope that, by then, there will be a range cooker available with an air fryer in place of the second oven.
But an air fryer is hardly any different to a small oven - and they already do ranges with a normal size oven and a small oven alongside.
I warm milk in the mug in the microwave before adding coffee…. I can’t use some some mugs as the handle becomes way too hot to hold whereas the other mugs are OK. I can only assume it’s something to do with what they’re made of.
Microwaves work by generating heat by vibrating water molecules.
The heat you are feeling in the handle of your mugs is from the hot milk conducting heat through the mugs.
Some materials maybe more effective at conducting the heat than others but it's not the microwave heating up the mug directly.
Why would I need a slide away door if I cant grill with it open, when its shut its not in the way! Plus- handles!
Currently going through this debate as we are soon to replace our kitchen.
We decided on a double oven to start with as that's what we have now. We tend to only use the main oven section of it. This is partly because it is a crap old oven that needs replacing & doesn't work very well.
But, we very rarely use both ovens at the same time. So, we then thought perhaps we only need a single oven.
Then we realised you can get compact ovens with microwave function, so to get rid of the microwave on the worktop we are now erring towards a single oven and a compact oven with microwave.
But we do regularly use an airfryer too, so I wonder if we are going to have massive oven overkill and appliances that don't really get used.
The heat you are feeling in the handle of your mugs is from the hot milk conducting heat through the mugs.
No, it's not - the handle gets hot enough in the microwave to burn your fingers yet the milk is only just reasonably warm. Other mugs behave differently on the same power and time.
But, we very rarely use both ovens at the same time. So, we then thought perhaps we only need a single oven.
One the my best ever decisions was to change our hateful range (electric normal/small ovens and gas hobs) for a largish induction hob over two identical single ovens.
No we don't use both ovens simultaneously very often - but it does happen (xmas, people round for dinner, etc). I definitely wouldn't have it any other way if I have the space.
But we do regularly use an airfryer too, so I wonder if we are going to have massive oven overkill and appliances that don’t really get used.
A double-oven would be a great luxury to have if you entertain regularly - that said, I did (successfully!) do Chrimbo dinner for 13 a couple of years ago with just one oven, an air-fryer and a microwave! It was fine in the end but 2 ovens would have been really nice. Realistically how often would that be the case though?
We have a built-in microwave above the oven which is convenient & cuts down on the worktop clutter. I personally wouldn't bother with a combo oven/microwave because 1) an air-fryer is better and 2) I wouldn't want to be without a microwave when cooking for a lot of people!
Had an air-fryer for about a year. Big double oven has been rendered near redundant and gets used about once a month. When we upgrade the kitchen next year, the new oven will be a single with grill and will probably only be used for big roast dinners / Christmas etc. Air-fryer, being a small fan oven, is way more efficient for most meals.