Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: K Frame on February 06, 2020, 08:14:48 AM
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Anyone have one of these?
I originally thought air frying was a bunch of bunk, but several coworkers report really good results with their air fryers, so I thought I'd give one a try as part of a toaster oven.
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I was at a friend's house the other day and noticed one on their counter, a Ninja air fryer/oven/pressurecooker/etc. These friends are are gourmets, and they told me they now cook nearly everything in it, but I have no first hand experience with one.
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There's one being hyped on TV a lot by "Emeril" that looks like it has enough capacity to make a meal for more than one person, but it's a pretty damn big unit for most kitchen counter tops. And like most toaster ovens, nearly the entire exterior gets HOT when it's in use.
Otherwise, I guess it depends on what kind of food you like.
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We've been using an air fryer for a long time, probably a couple of years. It's much lower fat than deep-frying or pan-frying. It's awesome for reheating things that don't normally reheat very well like pizza or fries because it keeps them crisp, whereas a microwave just makes pizza a chewy gob. We use it for everything from brats to tempura. The one we've got is a PIA to clean though, that's my only complaint.
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I've got those two appliances in separate units, and like them both. My wife uses the toaster all the time for various things, and I'll use it for small bake jobs. (pot pies and the like)
We got the airfryer more recently, and really like it. Cooks frozen stuff very well, makes awesome wings, good veggies, like was said above brats are pretty good. I pretty much only charcoal grill and air fry at home now. I fire up the stovetop maybe once a week when I'm at home.
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So what does an air fryer combo do differently than a toaster/convection combo? I've never looked into them, but maybe I've got some room on the counter...
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"So what does an air fryer combo do differently than a toaster/convection combo?"
Not 100% sure, but the impression I get is that an air fryer toaster oven moves a LOT more air than a standard convection toaster oven.
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I'm thinking this is the one I'm going to get. Cuisinart is a good brand.
https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-TOA-60-Fryer-Toaster-Silver/dp/B01K0W8LTE/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=air+fryer+toaster+oven&qid=1581012640&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExUU5SSjhFRkNHTEdYJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwOTY4MDgzWUhBTUNSQU9GM0pUJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA0NDk0NzYxSU5QVTM2UjkxOFlSJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
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I like my air fryer. Pull some cod and fries out of the freezer and have them done by the dtim eep fryer would be hot enough to start cooking.
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I'm rethinking the Cuisinart. A small, but troubling, number of users have said that their units have melted the knobs when in use.
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That just means it's got More Power
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"Air Fryer" = fancy name for mini convection oven.
Brad
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Here's a buying challenge: get one that's NOT made in China.
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Not quite that simple. As I noted before, air fryer ovens move more air at a higher velocity.
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Here's a buying challenge: get one that's NOT made in China.
Why? Worried that your Corona Virus Combo might not cook through?
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Here's a buying challenge: get one that's NOT made in China.
Such a racist thing to say. How dare you reject the Corona culture?
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I'm rethinking the Cuisinart. A small, but troubling, number of users have said that their units have melted the knobs when in use.
Prius or Priui catch fire too, but people still drive them.
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Prius or Priui catch fire too, but people still drive them.
But I don't. I'm not particularly a fan of the "toasting marshmallows" optional package.
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Finally made a decision and ordered the thing.
This is what I ended up with, a Hamilton Beach.
It gets good ratings (only 18 at Amazon) but other places it also gets good ratings. It should come tomorrow.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VC3M4JQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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Ran the air fryer for the first time last night.
Made sweet potato wedges and chicken tenders.
The wedges didn't really come out crispy, so I need to mess with the settings, apparently.
The chicken was very nicely done, but I think next time I'm going to spray the breaded chicken with a little oil so that it crisps a bit more.
I want to pick up a bag of either tater tots or french fries to do some experimentation, as I think it's going to take a while to dial this in to where I can really get the results that I'm hoping to get.
The unit itself is nice, but large. For the time being I'm putting it on the stove top when I use it because I still haven't figured out quite it will live. It's a bit too high to go on a kitchen counter (worried about scorching the cabinets) during a long cook, and I have a galley kitchen, so space is kind of limited. Hence the stove top for now.
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My dad puts oil on everything he cooks in his or mine when he is here. My frozen battered cod and the skinny best choice fries I do come out great without oil but you have to get the fish 3/4 done before adding the fries or they burn up.
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Thought I'd revisit this now that I've had a bunch of time with it.
Let's just say that... it's freaking brilliant!
I've made TONS of stuff in it, and everything I've done with it has turned out well.
The air fryer feature does a great job on prepackaged french fries, tater tots, and the like. I did fried shrimp a few months ago and they turned out really nicely.
The real surprise, though? Air fried baked potatoes. Crispy skin, light, fluffy interior, and not waterlogged/steamed as if you were to do them in the microwave.
All in all, it's turning out to be one of the best kitchen purchases I've ever made.
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If you like mashed potatoes air fry then peel and mash. The flavor doesn't get lost in the water.
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Yep, I figured mashed would be superior, too.
In the past I've steamed potatoes for mashed potatoes. That method of cooking also gives superior results because you don't end up with waterlogged potatoes.
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Welcome to the club. We have one of these.
https://www.target.com/p/the-ninja-foodi-digital-air-fry-oven-with-convection-flip-up-and-away-to-store-sp101/-/A-54637571
It does about 80% of our cooking now. Everything from home made fries done with peanut oil, to hotdogs that look and taste like they just came off of a gas grill. The things are awesome. I'm going to have to try the mashed and baked potatoes next. A buddy of mine swears by his for steaks too. He sears them in a pan, then into the air fryer to cook. He says they come out perfect every time.
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Thread necro because SWMBO and I are joining the air fryer revolution.
I still view Air Fryer as a fancy name for a glorified mini convection oven, a way to throw premium prices on a heat gun with an insulated box. However, it seems a darned useful and convenient glorified mini convection oven. The Cosori brand seems to get consistently good reviews so went with that. Ours arrives today.
Also, finally got new valves on the propane tanks so need to get the grill cleaned up and back in operation.
Finally, need to drag out the vacuum sealer and give it a once over. SWBMO said it stopped working but pretty sure all it needs is a new seal. Plan is to make up a bunch of 2-person portions we can freeze.
Brad
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Yes AND no, as I said back in 2020.
Here's an article that describes the similarities as well as the important differences between them.
https://cookpanel.com/how-is-an-air-fryer-different-from-a-convection-oven/#:~:text=Air%20Fryers%20and%20Convection%20Ovens%20have%20a%20Few,Fan%20size%20and%20speed.%20...%205%20Accessories.%20?msclkid=a476a066bb3e11ec9948cb31d683133b
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About 20 years ago, I bought a "nice" countertop convection oven to use to make dye-sublimated coffee mugs. I hated the look so it sat.
It is now what I have used to make pizza and stuff like that for the past five or so years. I really need a new one, or a helluva lot of oven cleaner. I think I threw the rotisserie stuff away.
My air fryer came from Aldi, and I think I could live off air-fried toasted ravioli and Winking Owl cabernet...
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I've not used my toaster oven since October/November last year.
I need to buy some Russet potatoes and make some air fryer steak fries.
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We just bought an Aria unit from Home Depot on line. It is stainless, 1800 watts strong and does air frying, convection oven, toasting, baking, broiling and dehydrating. It is 18" wide, 15" deep and 15" high. It is digital and does everything well. We have baked pizza and casseroles, made cookies, air fried chicken chunks and tater tots, toasted english muffins, bread and bagels. We like it so well we are going to put in a gas cook top and use the Aria unit and eliminate the freestanding stove. The only thing I can see it won't do is cook a Thanksgiving turkey, but there are only 2 of us now, so someone else can cook the turkey.
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I've had an Emeril 360 airfry toaster oven since early November 2020 - it was on sale at Kohl's, and between rebates, coupons, Kohl's bucks, etc, it cost around $75. I had to build a cart table for it since it took up too much counter space.
I use it - A LOT. Frozen pizza comes out just fine, it reheats pizza better than a microwave, breaded chicken, chicken kiev, air fryer steak fries, and even hot dogs come out just fine. Most ambitious item - did a 7 1/2 lb. turkey breast, cooked to perfection in only 80 minutes. Ribs didn't come out "fall off the bone tender" like they were supposed to, but so far that's the only shortfall.
Overall it's pretty good, but the presets need a little tweaking, and both the recipe book and instruction manual had typos. I had a circuit breaker pop once, but I'm not sure if it was the oven or some other glitch.
Cleaning the interior isn't fun =( but otherwise I like it.
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Unpacked it last night. I knew they were energy hogs, but damn. 1700w. Our kitchen only has two circuits and one includes the fridge. That means only one place to plug it in that's (mostly) guaranteed to not pop a breaker. We just can't make coffee, use the toaster, or microwave anything while the fryer is in use.
I won't have time to get it cleaned up and start cooking anything until Saturday, but I have a tray of chicken thighs thawing in anticipation.
Brad
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Well, they do have ones that are so energy efficient that they don't use any electric at all.
They take up the same amount of room on the counter, though, which is the same thing, right?
Just google "bread box."
Dude, it's got heating elements and is designed to cook your food.
You can have low energy use or you can have timely cooking performance. You can't have both.
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Love it so far. First test was boiled eggs. Impressed. Reheated multiple items with much success, including impressively crispy leftover tacos. SWMBO has become a salmon fiend.
The only thing that doesn't seem to do well is frozen biscuits. At lower/longer settings it will get the biscuit cooked through and browned nicely, but the outside is dry and crunchy. At higher/shorter I can get them perfectly GBD and tender on the outside, but the center remains doughy. I have one method left to try, going lower/shorter with a three or four minute rest inside the fryer after it stops. Maybe the residual temp without a running circulating fan will get them cooked through without drying them.
Oh, sausages. Tried it on uncooked brats. Cooked to perfection, including browning and crisping the casing.
Brad
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Can biscuits come out great. The next time I try frozen I was thinking of thawing them first because I had the same problem you did.
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My toaster/convection oven will do five slices of thick-cut bacon very nicely in about 22 minutes. That's enough for the first sammich.
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So how many times have you popped the breaker?
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So how many times have you popped the breaker?
None. Minor reconfiguration of appliances for circuit management and all is well.
Brad
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Does anyone else have one of those things you can use to trace which breakers are running which outlets? I've got one, and it works pretty well.
An electrician buddy said my house was good to go, but there are some odd groupings - for instance, the bathroom outlet and the outlet at the back of the house are on the same circuit.
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Are they both on a GFI breaker?
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The bathroom outlet is gfci... So is the single outdoor outlet, and the washer outlet. I need to wire up a 220 circuit for a decent dryer eventually. When I get around to rehabbing the kitchen I'm going to redo the outlets for more/better...
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"Does anyone else have one of those things you can use to trace which breakers are running which outlets? "
Yes. It has come in VERY handy over the years.
"An electrician buddy said my house was good to go, but there are some odd groupings - for instance, the bathroom outlet and the outlet at the back of the house are on the same circuit."
Actually, not uncommon at all.
My house was built in the mid 1970s, when GFCIs were expensive as hell. Bathrooms and outdoor circuits were required to be on them, but kitchen circuits were not at that time and they would often chain the outdoor and bathroom receptacles onto a single GFCI.
About 15 years ago I recounted here how my bathroom receptacles were working intermittently. I couldn't figure it out until I finally realized that the GFCI in the basement next to the power panel controlled the patio outlet, the half bath outlet on the first floor, and the outlets in both bathrooms on the second floor.
I then discovered that the patio outlet, which was back stab wired, had a failed clamping spring in the one backstab, so it was only intermittently making contact. I replaced that outlet, wiring it properly, and rewired the bathroom outlets properly, as well.
No power problems since.
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Joe said the wiring was all oversized for application, and we replaced all the breakers and neatened things up. I _still_ have not crawled into the attic.
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"Does anyone else have one of those things you can use to trace which breakers are running which outlets? "
Yes. It has come in VERY handy over the years.
Same. Has saved lots of headaches.
Whomever built our house was kind enough to not label a single breaker. Couple hours with a circuit finder fixed that.
They also did some weirdness in the end of the house with all the bedrooms. Outlets in all three bedrooms and both bathrooms are on the same circuit. Lighting, however, is broken out by room. I figure a freshly-minted trainee got his orders backwards the day he wired that end of the house. Our plan is to install discrete circuits for each bathroom, just gotta map out the circuit. If I get lucky, each room will have it own discrete feed from a common junction box in the attic. If it's all daisy chained in-wall, that's going to suck.
Brad
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Same. Has saved lots of headaches.
Whomever built our house was kind enough to not label a single breaker. Couple hours with a circuit finder fixed that.
They also did some weirdness in the end of the house with all the bedrooms. Outlets in all three bedrooms and both bathrooms are on the same circuit. Lighting, however, is broken out by room. I figure a freshly-minted trainee got his orders backwards the day he wired that end of the house. Our plan is to install discrete circuits for each bathroom, just gotta map out the circuit. If I get lucky, each rooms will have it own discrete feed from a common junction box in the attic. If it's all daisy chained in-wall, that's going to suck.
Brad
Unfortunately, it will likely be daisy chained. That's done to save copper and labor costs.
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Unfortunately, it will likely be daisy chained. That's done to save copper and labor costs.
Yeah, presuming that, but there's always that slim chance...
Brad