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alias_sqbrIt really is just a small, efficient convection oven, it's less that you can cook new things and more that a bunch of recipes become faster and easier. But that has made a pretty big difference, to us as people who spent a lot of time thinking "I WOULD cook that in the oven but ehhh... too much effort".
Even when the dish itself cooks in the usual way, the air fryer preheats quickly (3 minutes), and doesn't heat up the kitchen as much. Also it turns itself off and beeps when the timer is done.
On the other hand ours is pretty small, so it's no good for bulk cooking, and idk how much heat a larger one produces. Things only cook evenly if they can be spread into a single thin layer, unless you constantly open it and stir everything.
We got a 5.2 litre Ninja AF160.
Based on a couple of weeks of experimenting:
Things it's really convenient for:
frozen fried stuff like spring rolls/battered fish etc.
little toasted things like smores (marshmallow on a biscuit with chocolate), caramelised banana etc
Quick cooked meat/vegetables etc on high heat
boiled eggs, if you can believe it
Things it is basically like a small oven for:
Cakes
reheating/toasting things in foil
slow cooking meat/vegetables on a low heat
Failed/annoying:
Anything with a combo of thick sections I want to get cooked, and thin sections I don't want to burn or dry out too much, eg broccolini. Parboiling can help with this.
Omelette
Anything you have to keep an eye on or frequently stir, much easier to do in a pot or pan
We haven't tried the dehydrate or max crisp settings yet (the air fryer setting gets things plenty crispy!) We do use the roast/bake settings, they allow for lower temps and less intense air flow which can be useful (marshmallows+airfryer setting = sticky burned tornado lol)
Most recipes say to put things directly on the grill but we always use foil/baking paper/silicone. The fryer itself still gets dirty and needs to be cleaned, but way less than it would. That said, if we had a dishwasher we could just chuck it all in there which would be nice and easy! I suspect that items cooked on a surface that allows for more airflow would cook more evenly.
The little pre-shaped air-fryer baking paper circles are ridiculously overpriced for what they are but damn if they're not convenient.
In my experience, air-fryer recipes online or even from the manual don't always work, especially in smaller quantities. So there's been a learning curve, including stuff like "removing cooked food without making a mess or burning myself" (baking paper etc helps here too). Other than that it's very easy to use. Frozen foods generally come with air fryer instructions which have all worked as stated.
I've been writing up my experiments at![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
squaremeals but that's heavily influenced by my ten million food intolerances.
Even when the dish itself cooks in the usual way, the air fryer preheats quickly (3 minutes), and doesn't heat up the kitchen as much. Also it turns itself off and beeps when the timer is done.
On the other hand ours is pretty small, so it's no good for bulk cooking, and idk how much heat a larger one produces. Things only cook evenly if they can be spread into a single thin layer, unless you constantly open it and stir everything.
We got a 5.2 litre Ninja AF160.
Based on a couple of weeks of experimenting:
Things it's really convenient for:
frozen fried stuff like spring rolls/battered fish etc.
little toasted things like smores (marshmallow on a biscuit with chocolate), caramelised banana etc
Quick cooked meat/vegetables etc on high heat
boiled eggs, if you can believe it
Things it is basically like a small oven for:
Cakes
reheating/toasting things in foil
slow cooking meat/vegetables on a low heat
Failed/annoying:
Anything with a combo of thick sections I want to get cooked, and thin sections I don't want to burn or dry out too much, eg broccolini. Parboiling can help with this.
Omelette
Anything you have to keep an eye on or frequently stir, much easier to do in a pot or pan
We haven't tried the dehydrate or max crisp settings yet (the air fryer setting gets things plenty crispy!) We do use the roast/bake settings, they allow for lower temps and less intense air flow which can be useful (marshmallows+airfryer setting = sticky burned tornado lol)
Most recipes say to put things directly on the grill but we always use foil/baking paper/silicone. The fryer itself still gets dirty and needs to be cleaned, but way less than it would. That said, if we had a dishwasher we could just chuck it all in there which would be nice and easy! I suspect that items cooked on a surface that allows for more airflow would cook more evenly.
The little pre-shaped air-fryer baking paper circles are ridiculously overpriced for what they are but damn if they're not convenient.
In my experience, air-fryer recipes online or even from the manual don't always work, especially in smaller quantities. So there's been a learning curve, including stuff like "removing cooked food without making a mess or burning myself" (baking paper etc helps here too). Other than that it's very easy to use. Frozen foods generally come with air fryer instructions which have all worked as stated.
I've been writing up my experiments at
squaremeals but that's heavily influenced by my ten million food intolerances.
no subject
Date: 2024-12-11 09:04 pm (UTC)Good luck with your air fryer! ;D
no subject
Date: 2025-01-20 11:56 pm (UTC)Yeah they're not for everyone! But we are continuing to have fun :)
no subject
Date: 2024-12-12 10:26 am (UTC)