Mom wants an air fryer?

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
Post Reply
Topic Author
LuigiLikesPizza
Posts: 512
Joined: Tue Jan 05, 2016 6:54 am

Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by LuigiLikesPizza »

My mother's birthday is coming up and I asked her what I could get for her and she mentioned an air fryer, no brands or specs.

Anybody use one of these? any brand recs? looks like you can slice up chicken and vegetables and with minimal added oil, get the texture of fried food. One site mentioned they use induction cooking.

Thanks
Frisco Kid
Posts: 421
Joined: Sun Nov 16, 2014 5:18 pm
Location: San Francisco Peninsula

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by Frisco Kid »

Interested in hearing peoples input on this. Never heard of these until seeing one in latest Williams Sonoma catalog
User avatar
F150HD
Posts: 3926
Joined: Fri Sep 18, 2015 7:49 pm

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by F150HD »

LuigiLikesPizza wrote:My mother's birthday is coming up and I asked her what I could get for her and she mentioned an air fryer, no brands or specs.

Anybody use one of these? any brand recs? looks like you can slice up chicken and vegetables and with minimal added oil, get the texture of fried food. One site mentioned they use induction cooking.

Thanks
Like this one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGj0sGAsjUU

I've been wondering if they're tried and true too. This is the one I see on TV all the time.
Long is the way and hard, that out of Hell leads up to light.
SoHobo
Posts: 19
Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2016 8:39 am

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by SoHobo »

In Europe they have been around for (many) years. Here is a Dutch consumer web site: https://www.consumentenbond.nl/friteuse ... r-olie-vet. Here is a french one: http://www.mafriteusesanshuile.fr/. Google lets you translate a page. The french site might give you more insight in the product. Enjoy your fries!!!
mhalley
Posts: 10424
Joined: Tue Nov 20, 2007 5:02 am

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by mhalley »

I read a review of one of these the other day where they prepared several different recipes compared to normal frying in a cast iron skillet. The reviewer said the traditionally fried food was much moister, with the air fried leaving the food dried out and less tasty. Good for doing something quick like frozen chicken nuggets.
Sorry can't recall where I read the review. I believe the reviewer cooked turkey sliders, French fries, chicken nuggets.

Ahh, found it.
http://ovens.reviewed.com/features/what ... -i-buy-one

Summary:
In all cases conventional cooking, either on a stovetop or in an oven, offered better flavor and texture
drawpoker
Posts: 2809
Joined: Mon May 19, 2014 6:33 pm
Location: Delmarva

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by drawpoker »

Have also been pondering a purchase of one of these. Was confused about the wide range of prices for what looked like about the same sizes. Turns out that the high end (Phillips brand) was in the $300 range because it works 30% faster than the $69 or $100 models.
Here's a recent (Dec 2016) list of the Top 11 recommended fryers tested. Interesting, most of the ones recommended as best are from brands & company names I never heard of. :? And the ones pushed on QVC, HSN, so aggressively didn't make the cut. :shock:

http://www.bestproducts.com/appliances/ ... s/?slide=1

So it seems speed of the cooking process, and the accessories that come with the various models, are among the top criteria, so if the OP knows his Mom's preferences that might make choosing easier.

Of course, in the fine print, nearly all carry the official proclamation "Imported" -meaning Made in China.
BuckyBadger
Posts: 1221
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2011 11:28 am

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by BuckyBadger »

I got a ~$100 model for christmas. I really like it! I like not having to heat up my oven and clean a bunch of stuff when I want to roast some potatoes. It cooks chicken thighs very well.

But the "frying" part of the name seems silly to me. It's more like a quick, efficient, mini convection oven.

But I like mine.
barnaclebob
Posts: 5564
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2012 10:54 am

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by barnaclebob »

I don't see the purpose of pretty much any counter top cooking devices aside from a toaster, toaster oven, or crock pot. Air fryers seem like small convection ovens to me.

My in laws got a counter top pizza maker and were amazed by how good of pizza it made...they had just finished a kitchen remodel with a top of the line oven. The difference? The pizza cooker came with a pizza stone. They litterally could have just put the stone in their convection oven and gotten the same if not better pizza. They are also amazed at their slow cooker that does all kind of other redundant tasks such as "roasting", steaming, or sauteing.
User avatar
cheese_breath
Posts: 11769
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2011 7:08 pm

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by cheese_breath »

barnaclebob wrote:I don't see the purpose of pretty much any counter top cooking devices aside from a toaster, toaster oven, or crock pot.....
You forgot the most important... coffee maker. :D :D :D
The surest way to know the future is when it becomes the past.
barnaclebob
Posts: 5564
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2012 10:54 am

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by barnaclebob »

cheese_breath wrote:
barnaclebob wrote:I don't see the purpose of pretty much any counter top cooking devices aside from a toaster, toaster oven, or crock pot.....
You forgot the most important... coffee maker. :D :D :D
Oh yeah, I guess I don't drink coffee so it didn't cross my mind.

I guess really any frequently used cooking device can be justified such as a panini press or what not but it seems that people turn to these things as the answer instead of learning how to use what they already own. I do also own a waffle maker that gets used maybe 10 times a year.
User avatar
cheese_breath
Posts: 11769
Joined: Wed Sep 14, 2011 7:08 pm

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by cheese_breath »

barnaclebob wrote:... I do also own a waffle maker that gets used maybe 10 times a year.
I was given a Mickey Mouse waffle maker a few weeks ago. (Seems appropriate for someone named cheese_breath). The waffles are shaped like Mickey's head and ears. Used it a couple times already. My guess is we'll probably end up at about 10 times per year too.
The surest way to know the future is when it becomes the past.
miles monroe
Posts: 1290
Joined: Mon Jan 20, 2014 11:14 am

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by miles monroe »

they sell em regularly on the QVC and Evine cooking shows but that doesn't mean anything.

here's emeril pitching his.

not recommending this at all. just passing along a link.

http://www.qvc.com/qvc.product.K44483.html?sc=PSCH
wolf359
Posts: 3206
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2015 8:47 am

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by wolf359 »

I got one for Christmas. Just whatever they had on sale at one of the wholesale clubs.

It really is just a small convection oven.

As a fryer, it works best on things that are pre-fried or pre-made. They're just fine on hash browns, raw french fries, frozen chicken nuggets, frozen cheese sticks, frozen battered fish, and egg rolls.

They're also good for chicken wings and chicken thighs.

They're not so good for wet battered items that you want to fry from scratch. They're fine for something you dip into crumbs.

Overall, they're perfect for small batches when you don't want to heat up the whole oven. They use much less oil than a deep fryer, and you don't have much oil to dispose. I'm using the heck out of mine (all the things listed above I've actually tried, and I've only had it for a month.)

Be sure to have a place to store it -- it takes up a lot of counter space. Unlike a coffee machine or a microwave, you won't want to leave this on your counter when not in use.
User avatar
buccimane
Posts: 270
Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2016 12:34 pm

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by buccimane »

I've used Emeril's for quite a while. As stated above, I mainly use it for chicken wings. Haven't found too many other practical uses.
A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion still
2retire
Posts: 400
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2012 9:00 am

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by 2retire »

Returned one after two uses.

I believe it was a Phillips model. It was basically an electric coil (like from a stove) that had air passed over it to form a convection oven.

On homemade fries, it burned the points. As others have said, they weren't moist, just dried out. Unless you want to want to make sure all your fries are perfect rectangles, don't bother.

It was really purchased to make chicken wings in. It was terrible at that. The default cooking time (something like 18-20 minutes) left you with wings with rubbery skins (not golden at all). I typically cook wings in a 425 degree oven for 1-1.25 hours. My wings come out looking like those pictures of a well roasted Thanksgiving turkey.

In order to get crisp skins on the wings the time was upped significantly. This caused more fat to render out of the wings, which then splattered up onto the coil and made a horrendous amount of smoke in the house. Enough to set of the smoke detectors down the bedroom hallway.
wolf359
Posts: 3206
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2015 8:47 am

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by wolf359 »

2retire wrote:Returned one after two uses.

I believe it was a Phillips model. It was basically an electric coil (like from a stove) that had air passed over it to form a convection oven.

On homemade fries, it burned the points. As others have said, they weren't moist, just dried out. Unless you want to want to make sure all your fries are perfect rectangles, don't bother.

It was really purchased to make chicken wings in. It was terrible at that. The default cooking time (something like 18-20 minutes) left you with wings with rubbery skins (not golden at all). I typically cook wings in a 425 degree oven for 1-1.25 hours. My wings come out looking like those pictures of a well roasted Thanksgiving turkey.

In order to get crisp skins on the wings the time was upped significantly. This caused more fat to render out of the wings, which then splattered up onto the coil and made a horrendous amount of smoke in the house. Enough to set of the smoke detectors down the bedroom hallway.
To get the crisp skins on the wings or thighs, you lightly spray it with oil from a Misto (or Pam cooking spray, but that's expensive). Same thing for the homemade fries to brown them without drying them out. The oil will fry, and crisp it up.
2retire
Posts: 400
Joined: Wed Jun 13, 2012 9:00 am

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by 2retire »

wolf359 wrote: To get the crisp skins on the wings or thighs, you lightly spray it with oil from a Misto (or Pam cooking spray, but that's expensive). Same thing for the homemade fries to brown them without drying them out. The oil will fry, and crisp it up.
That was done, per the instructions that came with the machine.
scienceguy
Posts: 219
Joined: Sun Feb 16, 2014 4:26 pm

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by scienceguy »

2retire wrote:Returned one after two uses.

I believe it was a Phillips model. It was basically an electric coil (like from a stove) that had air passed over it to form a convection oven.

On homemade fries, it burned the points. As others have said, they weren't moist, just dried out. Unless you want to want to make sure all your fries are perfect rectangles, don't bother.

It was really purchased to make chicken wings in. It was terrible at that. The default cooking time (something like 18-20 minutes) left you with wings with rubbery skins (not golden at all). I typically cook wings in a 425 degree oven for 1-1.25 hours. My wings come out looking like those pictures of a well roasted Thanksgiving turkey.

In order to get crisp skins on the wings the time was upped significantly. This caused more fat to render out of the wings, which then splattered up onto the coil and made a horrendous amount of smoke in the house. Enough to set of the smoke detectors down the bedroom hallway.
I also returned mine after two uses. Fries not particularly good, and one other thing we tried also not good. We immediately realized it is just a self-contained convection oven. We already have a convection oven. I think it was just the flavor of this Christmas season and will disappear in a year or two. Not a real thing, in my opinion. Just marketing fiction. Different from, say, a breadmaker, which were super popular for a few christmases. Breadmakers are real things that do something new, interesting, and well. Air fryers are just BS (in my opinion).
User avatar
Phineas J. Whoopee
Posts: 9675
Joined: Sun Dec 18, 2011 5:18 pm

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by Phineas J. Whoopee »

Mmm, fried air.
minesweep
Posts: 1667
Joined: Fri Mar 02, 2007 8:17 pm
Location: 27,000 light years from the Galactic Center of the Milky Way Galaxy (the suburbs)

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by minesweep »

barnaclebob wrote:
cheese_breath wrote:
barnaclebob wrote:I don't see the purpose of pretty much any counter top cooking devices aside from a toaster, toaster oven, or crock pot.....
You forgot the most important... coffee maker. :D :D :D
Oh yeah, I guess I don't drink coffee so it didn't cross my mind.

I guess really any frequently used cooking device can be justified such as a panini press or what not but it seems that people turn to these things as the answer instead of learning how to use what they already own. I do also own a waffle maker that gets used maybe 10 times a year.
I have a waffle maker that I haven't used in 10 years. :happy
Time is your friend; impulse is your enemy - John Bogle | Learn every day, but especially from the experiences of others, it's cheaper! - John Bogle
mouses
Posts: 4217
Joined: Sat Oct 24, 2015 12:24 am

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by mouses »

I thought waffle makers were wedding presents that went immediately into the closet never to be seen again.
curmudgeon
Posts: 2630
Joined: Thu Jun 20, 2013 11:00 pm

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by curmudgeon »

Our waffle maker gets fairly regular use. Air fryers look like infomercial gimmicks to me.

I did bite on the "Sous Vide" bandwagon for this last Christmas, and we have been pretty happy with that for cooking several styles of meats (pork chops, steaks, tri-tip). Less than $100 on Amazon, and doesn't take a lot of space to store either. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017HX1FTC?psc=1
Last edited by curmudgeon on Tue Jan 31, 2017 12:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Phineas J. Whoopee
Posts: 9675
Joined: Sun Dec 18, 2011 5:18 pm

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by Phineas J. Whoopee »

minesweep wrote:...
I have a waffle maker that I haven't used in 10 years. :happy
Yeah, I agree. These thingy-makers don't make the thingies. They only apply heat to the already-made thingies, and I already have a perfectly good heat-applying appliance to use on the thingies I've already made.

PJW
barnaclebob
Posts: 5564
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2012 10:54 am

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by barnaclebob »

mouses wrote:I thought waffle makers were wedding presents that went immediately into the closet never to be seen again.
That's if you have a crappy waffle maker and don't know how to make waffles.
Phineas J. Whoopee wrote:
minesweep wrote:...
I have a waffle maker that I haven't used in 10 years. :happy
Yeah, I agree. These thingy-makers don't make the thingies. They only apply heat to the already-made thingies, and I already have a perfectly good heat-applying appliance to use on the thingies I've already made.

PJW
You know you are supposed to use batter in a waffle maker and not premade waffles right???
Independent George
Posts: 1590
Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2016 11:13 am
Location: Chicago, IL, USA

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by Independent George »

curmudgeon wrote:Our waffle maker gets fairly regular use. Air fryers look like infomercial gimmicks to me.

I did bite on the "Sous Vide" bandwagon for this last Christmas, and we have been pretty happy with that for cooking several styles of meats (pork chops, steaks, tri-tip). Less than $100 on Amazon, and doesn't take a lot of space to store either. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017HX1FTC?psc=1
The current generation of sous vide machines are totally worth it. It used to cost $1,000+ for a setup that actually regulated temperature properly; I've gotten way more in value than the $150 I paid for mine.

What gets expensive are specialty vacuum bags/sealers. They can be worth it on their own since it lets you freeze meat better than without them, but if you don't care about freezing, the simple alternative is to use this water displacement method. I own a (now discontinued) Waring vacuum pistol which works with regular zip-top bags simply by attaching a disposable coffee stirrer to the nozzle.
barnaclebob
Posts: 5564
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2012 10:54 am

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by barnaclebob »

Independent George wrote: What gets expensive are specialty vacuum bags/sealers. They can be worth it on their own since it lets you freeze meat better than without them, but if you don't care about freezing, the simple alternative is to use this water displacement method. I own a (now discontinued) Waring vacuum pistol which works with regular zip-top bags simply by attaching a disposable coffee stirrer to the nozzle.
Ziplock bags and vacuum sealer bags cost about the same (14 cents per gallon ziplock vs about 16 cents for the equivalent amount of vacuum bag). Now if you cut your bags to size you might be able to get vacuum bags to less than the cost of a ziplock. However compared to cheap store brand ziplocks, vacuum bags may not be able to compete well. But, using the water displacement method or anything involving a straw still has your meat packaged at atmospheric pressure and not really vacuum sealed.

Food saver bags are a ripoff so don't use those, "foodvacbags" brand vac bags off amazon work very well.
tampaite
Posts: 585
Joined: Wed Feb 18, 2015 8:29 pm

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by tampaite »

Deleting my messages on this forum
Last edited by tampaite on Mon Jun 03, 2019 9:16 am, edited 1 time in total.
691175002
Posts: 352
Joined: Tue Mar 17, 2015 7:22 pm

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by 691175002 »

barnaclebob wrote:Ziplock bags and vacuum sealer bags cost about the same (14 cents per gallon ziplock vs about 16 cents for the equivalent amount of vacuum bag).
I purchased a chamber sealer and bags are sold in cases of 1000 for 0.02-0.04 per bag depending on size. I regularly use vacuum bags in place of ziploc.
wolf359
Posts: 3206
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2015 8:47 am

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by wolf359 »

If the Mom is asking for an air fryer, get an air fryer. Don't get a sous vide device.

I've been using sous vide for 10 years at this point. I've found that as wonderful as I know sous vide is, I can't gift the capability to anybody who doesn't already understand the method and wants it already. When I've tried it as a gift, I find I'm needing to explain it too much.

"So it's a boil-in bag? I put the steak underwater? What if I don't want a poached steak. Oh, so you cook it, then cook it again on the grill. Why not just cook it once? And it takes an hour to cook instead of 15 minutes? That sounds... complicated. Well, thanks, I guess." <Regift.>
barnaclebob
Posts: 5564
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2012 10:54 am

Re: Mom wants an air fryer?

Post by barnaclebob »

691175002 wrote:
barnaclebob wrote:Ziplock bags and vacuum sealer bags cost about the same (14 cents per gallon ziplock vs about 16 cents for the equivalent amount of vacuum bag).
I purchased a chamber sealer and bags are sold in cases of 1000 for 0.02-0.04 per bag depending on size. I regularly use vacuum bags in place of ziploc.
Yeah i wasn't counting chamber sealers since people like you are a small minority of the minority of people who even own vacuum sealers.
Post Reply