What do you think of airfryers

[Janiebakes]

I inherited an airfryer and have used it a couple of times. It made a passible crust on breaded chicken breast and browned some sweet potato fries very well but did not leave them crispy. I read that airfryers use convection baking to get a crisp crust. Wouldn't my convection oven do the same thing? And no, my convection oven does not give a crust that is just as "tasty as deep fried". The fryer is also noisy, and bakes only small batches. It took 90 minutes to cook two potatoes worth of fries. I think mine is destined for Goodwill.

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[BakerAunt]

I have not gotten on board the air fryer craze. I felt tempted by the idea of guilt-free onion rings, but that would not justify having to store an additional appliance, and I have not heard from anyone that it makes great onion rings.

One of the Holderness family You Tube videos is the wife praising the air fryer. Perhaps it is a matter of finding the right recipes?

Also, I think that Chocomouse mentioned that her new convection oven also has an air fryer feature?

As a general rule, I am slow to try new kitchen appliances, maybe because my dear mother was always getting hooked in by the latest gimmick, and they piled up. Some were still unopened when the house was cleared out after she died.

I ignored bread machines for the longest time, until I decided that having a secondhand one in our then second home, when I did not have the mixer, would be useful for kneading. I now have two, the original small one that can travel with us, and a larger Zo. They work well for me for pizza dough, sweet rolls, or a single loaf of bread.

[chocomouse]

My new Breville Smart Oven Air with Super Convection has 13 pre-set functions, including air fry, proof, dehydrate, and the usual bake, roast, reheat, etc. I bought it because my oven/stove is 37 years old and not working consistently well, and replacing it would require some major remodeling, rethinking of my kitchen.

I've never fried foods in my entire life, and air frying is not something I've ever wanted to do; I don't know how to cook or eat that kind of food. It's been a steep learning curve to use this Breville, but I think I do really like it and would buy it again.

Onion rings are the ONLY food I have air fried in it that came out really good!! I bought Alexis brand frozen, breaded onion rings - and they came out perfect! The second time I cooked them, they were not as good - dry, overcooked, but that was my fault because I used an incorrect temperature. There is no simple cookbook (that I have found) for the Breville. I am gradually making my own - a lit of temps and times for different foods.

I have tried doing french fried potatoes, several times - not good. Not crisp and crunchy, cooled off (got cold!) very quickly. I tried chicken thighs - made a greasy mess of the oven and smoked up the whole house. I'm not sure if I should air fry in place of roasting fresh vegetables, but some cooks say to do that.

Sorry, this is more about the Breville than air fryers --and I have read many comments on line from owners that if you want to air fry, get an air fryer, not a Breville convection oven. I think a lot of the problem is me - I like vegetables plain steamed or roasted, usually with herbs. I like meat marinated and roasted or grilled. After 78 years eating that way, it's not easy to change.

Janie, I would suggest you find an air fryer forum online and follow the discussions. Choose carefully - I think many of the air fryer users (of course, not all!) are new (pandemic?) cooks who are looking for a simple (toss it in the air fryer and push start) "magic" way to cook food at home, replacing their usual their usual fast-food take out.

Sorry for the rant, and hope this might be helpful.

[Mike Nolan]

Finding good onion rings locally is always a challenge. So many restaurants just buy a big bag of frozen rings from Sysco. They taste bland.

I like the ones at Red Robin, though they're not as good if you order them to go. Dining in just isn't something we're comfortable doing yet, and Red Robin has only a limited number of sandwiches we like anyway; many of their burgers would feed us for 2-3 days! Popeye's used to make really GREAT onion rings, but most stores don't carry them any more. Runza hand breads their own onion rings, but they just don't quite hit the spot most of the time. Buffalo Wings and Rings says they make their onion rings in house but they weren't very exciting to us.

I buy Nathans frozen onion rings at the store and bake them on parchment (they stick to the metal if you bake them directly on the pan), they're not quite as crisp as I'd like but are pretty good for when we have a craving for onion rings. I'm not sure I've had them at a Nathans, the nearest one I know of is at an I-80 rest stop in Ohio.

[Janiebakes]

My MIL bought the airfryer then decided it was too much work to learn how to use it. I have heard a lot about them being good at low fat frying so I thought I would give it a try. I make chicken cordon blue in large batches and stock the freezer: mine and my son's for fast meals. Frying those chicken breasts in a frying pan makes a mess and uses more oil than I like. So I thought I would give it a try. I will look on Youtube for some recipes. The booklet that came with the machine is very limited but I an not shelling out for their cookbook. I think you are right about kitchen gadgets Baker Aunt. All to easy to fill the counters with things you use a few times a year. The oven in my range does convection so I think I will try that next. I really limit the fried foods I eat too Chocomouse. Lately I have been doing a lot of sheet pan dinners with the veggies and a protein roasting together. Easy, fast and minimal clean up. Roasted veggies are our favorite, not steamed. I think that fries and rings are being marketed for these fryers that contain more oil so they emerge crispy. My instructions have you spray olive oil on whatever you are cooking. The amount they recommend does not give the desired result. You need way more than they suggest. Mike, your knowledge of fries and rings is impressive. I have lived in Ohio 20 years and never noticed a Nathans! Turns out there is one fairly close to me.
Thanks for all the tips and ideas. I will try to find better recipes and give my convection oven a try with "airfrying" then decide if that machine stays or goes.

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