Air Fryers

[Earthmaiden]

I've done it too. It's good but I think I prefer just putting it in the microwave (quicker and doesn't give a di.rect heat)

[PatsyMFagan]

I just cooked two corn cobs in mine. 10-12 minutes at 180, spritzed first. Very good.

Just seen on the other thread how a whole corn cob seems larger than you think, so for that reason I buy the quarter sized ones and also bake for about 10 minutes in my mini AF

[KeenCook]

We don't have an AF, and are very unlikely to get one as it would mean getting rid of the microwave - we haven't got space for both so it's an either... or.

Watched the C4 Denise van Outen prog this evening that was on again - missed it last time.

It certainly wouldn't have convinced me and I thought the health comparisons she made were pretty fatuous ... not just deep frying vs AF, but the oven baked aubergines with the AF - I mean what is the point in comparing aubergines baked with five tablespoons of oil and AF baked with a spray of oil? Surely it's obvious????

And I know they said that a single baked potato cost 14p to cook in the AF v 41p in the normal fan oven, but, for goodness sake, how many people put the oven on for a single potato? Even if it did weigh 300g. I'd at least combine it with baking something else.

I wasn't surprised that the families were less convinced by its usefulness; regularly cooking for 5 or more would be problematic - eg didn't they only make 5 or 6 fairy cakes? And yes, the halloumi chips looked great, but how many batches would you have to cook to get enough for the entire family?

I can certainly see that for one or two people they have their uses, but I still don't think I'd be happy to get rid of the MW in order to have space for an AF.

Sorry if someone has already said all this - I didn't read the entire thread

[Earthmaiden]

I'd struggle to decide which to discard now. As you say, it depends so much on how many you normally cook for and what you tend to cook. On my own, I have been known to put the oven on for finishing a jacket potato (and hoping my frugal forebears aren't looking down on me in horror!). The air fryer is good for one or two people I think. I don't know how much it costs to run but my gas consumption is less than it was last year and my electricity consumption is too so it can't be too bad!

I think I use the AF more than the microwave but there are times when the latter is a godsend and I know I'd miss it if it went..

[Suelle]

I can certainly see that for one or two people they have their uses, but I still don't think I'd be happy to get rid of the MW in order to have space for an AF.

Sorry if someone has already said all this - I didn't read the entire thread

I haven't watched the programme, but I 've read reviews of it, so got the gist.

I can see your point of view; if space is at a premium then you're likely to stick to what is familiar and what has become useful through experience.

I've certainly found it very useful, as I'm cooking for one. It's not so much that I couldn't plan to fill an oven when it's needed for a baked potato, but with an air-fryer, I don't need to.

If I want a baked potato, or a few chips, then I can do it quickly. In many cases I can also fit in a piece of frozen battered fish, a fillet of salmon or a couple of sausages as well, and just use the hob to cook some vegetables. A meal in less than 20 minutes, cooked much more cheaply too.

[KeenCook]

Yes, that does make sense. My MW is also an oven but I must say I've rarely used it as one although that was the reason I got a combi.

I remember having a discussion on here when I was trying to fit all the incompatible Christmas items in our normal sized oven and requesting advice!!

[PatsyMFagan]

There's not many days I don't use my AF and in almost the same way as Suelle.

[scullion]

i don't have an air fryer or microwave though i do have a halogen oven and a conventional 'hide and slide' oven. the halogen cost a fiver on marketplace. i think i find it just as useful as i did the microwave.

[Pepper Pig]

Scotch eggs in the air fryer.

https://www.nigella.com/recipes/guests/ ... g_20230908

[Stokey Sue]

I'm a bit unconvinced by several things in that recipe, but cooking the whole Scotch egg in the air fryer sounds fine

1. I don't see why you'd "soft boil" the eggs in the air fryer(or an Instant Pot) but maybe if you are using it anyway... Those look a bit too soft for my taste

2. If you need to add mixed herbs and (for some reason) garlic powder to your sausage meat, then you really should buy different sausages. There are things worth adding, but not dried mixed herbs surely?

3. If it takes you 2 beaten eggs to pané 4 Scotch eggs, give up, one should be enough I'd have thought? Maybe add a dash of milk to make it easier to handle.

[Earthmaiden]

I imagine you cook the eggs in the air fryer because it's an air fryer recipe (and people say you can 'boil' eggs very successfully in them).
The rest is just a matter of taste, I know quite a few people who like to add things to perfectly well seasoned sausage meat. Perhaps they all buy cheap and tasteless ones. Wouldn't mind trying the recipe. I've never made a scotch egg but don't have much inclination to.

[Stokey Sue]

I can see adding things to the sausage meat - chunks of black pudding or chorizo or leftover gammon for example, many pubs do - but mixed dried herbs and garlic powder are a bit student style to me

I haven’t made a Scotch egg since I stopped routine deep frying, some time in the last century, but I’d made them with hen’s eggs, quail’s or bantam’s ( my favourite)

[Pepper Pig]

At the birthday party yesterday three of us were sporting wrist burns caused by mishandling of the air fryer.

[Earthmaiden]

I tried for the third time tonight to make Yorkshire pudding in the AF. I have read other people's comments saying they've done it successfully. My efforts have fallen short each time (the mixture rises but stays heavy). I can do it perfectly well in an oven.

If you've been successful, what did you put the mixture in? I think individual ones might work better than a dish but I haven't anything I could make them in which would fit.

It's possible I don't leave it to cook long enough but don't think it would help.

[RockyBVI]

I received an AF for my birthday. First try this evening. Bread crumb chicken with chips (and veg cooked separately). Wow. How crispy. Very much looking forward to experimenting.

[Pepper Pig]

How are you getting on with it Rocky?

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radi ... r-based-tv

[Stokey Sue]

Air fryer vs microwave which is better? Channel 5

Doesn’t this make about as much sense as kettle vs espresso machine…? Depends entirely on whether you want tea or coffeee

[Suelle]

Air fryer vs microwave which is better? Channel 5

Doesn’t this make about as much sense as kettle vs espresso machine…? Depends entirely on whether you want tea or coffeee

Depends which aspects they are comparing.

Running costs - I'm guessing m/waves still win there.

I think m/waves would win on versatility too, but they're not so good if you want to cook things like chips, sausages, frozen battered fish or anything you want to brown during cooking, unless you spend a lot on expensive gadgets to use in them.

[Earthmaiden]

I recorded the Ch4 programme about air fryers but haven't watched it yet. I didn't bother with the microwave v air fryer one so can't comment but my current opinion is the same as Sue's. Two different animals ... but if you have a microwave/combi and so can do oven cooking in a microwave it might just be the winner if you could only choose one appliance. Otherwise, too different to compare.

With my current set-up I would miss a microwave but keep the air fryer.

[RockyBVI]

How are you getting on with it Rocky?

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radi ... r-based-tv

Absolutely love it PP. The first thing we tried was crispy chicken breast in one basket and chips in the other. Huge success. Sausages are obviously easy. Other successes that we do all the time are toasted ham and cheese pittas and also halloumi. By far the best way of doing it