Recommend me an air fryer

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Hammered
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#2741754 9-Jul-2021 10:32

@michaelmurfy:
I've got a cheap 3.5L one I bought from Harvey Norman a few years back and use it almost every night.

The Kmart one is actually quite good quality wise and does the job well. You seriously can't fault it: https://www.kmart.co.nz/product/7-litre-air-fryer/3204801

@Gordy7 You seriously are missing out by not having one IMO... They're much quicker and more convenient than the oven.

We've never owned one. Also a case of "yet another kitchen appliance taking up bench space".

However, after reading some of these posts, that might change. The price of the Kmart units are well priced for something to try out. Perhaps this one? https://www.kmart.co.nz/product/11l-3-in-1-air-fryer-oven---black/3506306

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#2741759 9-Jul-2021 10:38

michaelmurfy:

Gordy7:

As far as speed goes between air fryers and a fan bake oven... when finger food cooking time is 20 and 30 minutes... not much speed advantage with an airfryer.

This is where I seriously disagree with you and why you need to try an airfryer yourself to test for yourself but airfryers don't have to really preheat, use less power and also can do most finger foods in 10-15mins from experience. You don't need to add oil normally which means they're also healthier.

They're however not faster than deep frying and some things you need to deep fry (like Croquettes) - but again, the health factor.

There is a huge time and energy saving. This isn't just a "fad" as I am considering potentially splurging and upgrading my airfryer to one of the Philips ones as we use it so much.

The times you quote are much shorter than the recommended cooking times I have read as shown on the food packages I have used.

I will have to take a closer look at products that are available with shorter cooking times.

I guess there is also a difference between some food that just requires heating and others that require completion of a cooking process.

I am only quoting the term "fad" from experts and their reviews.

Gordy

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dafman

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#2741785 9-Jul-2021 11:11

Putting aside shortening cooking time and lower power usage, for what foods do air fryers produce a better outcome, ie taste, texture, than conventional cooking?

jonathan18

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#2741791 9-Jul-2021 11:19

dafman:
Putting aside shortening cooking time and lower power usage, for what foods do air fryers produce a better outcome, ie taste, texture, than conventional cooking?

YMMV, depending on what it is. Fries, wedges, onion rings (all the healthy stuff!) are superior, I reckon. We heated samosa (proper homemade ones) in ours the other day, and they were definitely better than conventional oven heated. (I'm vegetarian so others may need to feed back on cooking meat!)

I've had less success with things like cakes, but TBH haven't done much baking in ours.

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#2741792 9-Jul-2021 11:20

dafman:

Gordy7:

Part of my decision not to get an air frier is based on several 'fad' reports I have read like this:

https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/homed/kitchen/125518761/do-air-fryers-live-up-to-the-hype

I had been thinking on and off for a while as to whether or not to buy one, but couldn't decide if they are a 'fad' versus genuine value-added functionality in the kitchen.

Now, after reading the Stuff article, I've been put off. I can't see where an air fryer would add value over our conventional oven and none of the convenience food showcased in the article appeals to me (with the exception of the pork crackling).

And shortening cooking time is not a biggie for me, happy to wait using conventional ovens and elements. We ditched the microwave a couple of years ago for the same reason.

That Stuff article put me off too, but then the comments from fellow Geekzoner's has got me interested again.

Our oven takes an age to heat up and get to the correct temp before we shove the food in, so I'm interested in the air fryer being faster and using less electricity. Our kitchen is small, so bench space is at a premium, but I think we might be able to juggle things around.

I also found this model from The Warehouse: https://www.thewarehouse.co.nz/p/living-co-air-fryer-11-litre/R2655411.html It looks similar to the 11L 3-In-1 from Kmart but the Warehouse one is 2000W vs 1800W and comes with a 2 year warranty vs 1 year from Kmart (yes I know the CGA trumps that but maybe The Warehouse is more confident that their model will last longer?) At $170 it might be worth the punt just to see how well it works.

esawers

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#2741808 9-Jul-2021 11:45

jonathan18:
esawers: 2 defrosted mince savouries 5 minutes
500gm frozen chips 11 minutes
5 fresh carrots chopped in chip sizes 15 minutes until crispy
Most things the kids put in take about 8 minutes (frozen toppers, chicken bites, etc)

There is no ‘preheat’ on the Ninja, our neighbours have another brand which does a 5 minute preheat before you cook anything.

Thanks - that’s really useful, @esawers; if you were to hazard a guess, if you filled one of the drawers with just say oven fries, how many grams would fit in? Briscoes’ site says it’ll take 1.8kg, so do you think a single drawer would take 900g ok?

I just put an unopened 1kg bag of fries in and it’s a tight fit so 900gm is prob accurate

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MurrayM

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#2741814 9-Jul-2021 11:51

Hmm, I've just read both of the manuals for both the Kmart 3-in-1 and the Warehouse air fryer and there are passages of text that are identical in both manuals. From this I assume that they're both made by the same manufacturer and just re-badged. The accessories look near identical but the external shape is different. Interestingly the temp and cooking times for the presets (fries, drumsticks, steak, etc) is different between the two, as is the number of presets. The Kmart model says it does defrosting and dehydration, but the Warehouse model doesn't mention these functions.

Stu

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#2741827 9-Jul-2021 12:43

The Warehouse model mentions 'dried fruit'. The cooking time variations could be due to the difference in max power between the two units?

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jonathan18

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#2741829 9-Jul-2021 12:53

MurrayM:

That Stuff article put me off too, but then the comments from fellow Geekzoner's has got me interested again.

Our oven takes an age to heat up and get to the correct temp before we shove the food in, so I'm interested in the air fryer being faster and using less electricity. Our kitchen is small, so bench space is at a premium, but I think we might be able to juggle things around.

I also found this model from The Warehouse: https://www.thewarehouse.co.nz/p/living-co-air-fryer-11-litre/R2655411.html It looks similar to the 11L 3-In-1 from Kmart but the Warehouse one is 2000W vs 1800W and comes with a 2 year warranty vs 1 year from Kmart (yes I know the CGA trumps that but maybe The Warehouse is more confident that their model will last longer?) At $170 it might be worth the punt just to see how well it works.

Similarly, it was a 2015 thread on GZ that got me interested in them, following which I bought a s/h small Philips model as a proof of concept before buying a larger new one. For those not totally convinced by the idea I think this make sense - I don't think we lost any money when we sold it a few months later, plus there's less environmental impact if you don't end up liking it.

Also, before buying I do suggest taking a look at them in-person - I've visited a few shops this morning, and there is considerable variation as to design; it's also good to see the real-world size of the baskets etc in the flesh. Doing this has also ruled out the rotary-based ones for us, such as this '11 litre' model sold by KMart and The Warehouse - that rotisserie basket is indeed pretty small, as confirmed by the manual, which says it fits up to 700g. By contrast, another member has confirmed ONE of the two drawers in the Ninja two-drawer model can take 900g.

What this shows is have a think about what you'll be using it for: certain types will be better for particular foods, eg those 11 litre ones will clearly be good for a full chicken - not an issue for me being vegetarian, but chip capacity definitely rules supreme!

MurrayM

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#2741839 9-Jul-2021 13:38

jonathan18:

What this shows is have a think about what you'll be using it for: certain types will be better for particular foods, eg those 11 litre ones will clearly be good for a full chicken - not an issue for me being vegetarian, but chip capacity definitely rules supreme!

Indeed, different models will be more suitable than others depending on the needs of the users. I like the look of the oven-style ones because they have three shelves; a typical weekend dinner for us is burgers and wedges and I like the idea of being able to put the burger patties on one shelf and the wedges on the other two shelves.

I also like the idea that this might save a bit on electricity. Being a 2-person household we don't use a lot of power (average cost for us at this time of year is about $100-$120/month). I notice that power usage for us is more on the weeks where we use the oven every night as opposed to when we cook with different methods (BBQ, microwave, etc).

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#2741859 9-Jul-2021 14:23

I have the kmart 3 tray ones. Perfect. You don't have to use all 3 trays.

And there's nothing to wash. Trays go into dishwasher.

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#2741908 9-Jul-2021 16:22

I also have the Kmart option, use it to speed up jerky making. That was the reason for the purchase initially

Works fine as an air fryer. Did some pork chops in it the other night and they were fine. We have never relied on the presets though.

And as above, the dishwasher cleans up the racks perfectly.

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#2741968 9-Jul-2021 18:43

I recently got this from Briscoes: https://www.briscoes.co.nz/product/1088841/tefal-easy-deluxe-air-fryer-ey401d/

Got it for about $170 when they had one of their usual Sales on. Does an awesome Pork Belly.

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#2741977 9-Jul-2021 19:15

We got one of these a couple of months back:

https://www.dicksmith.co.nz/dn/buy/kogan-82l-digital-low-fat-1800w-air-fryer/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=product_listing_ads&gclid=CjwKCAjw55-HBhAHEiwARMCszvn2gbQcYZijn_6rP80kQMdTEHA7gQT3nQdN0ZcyRkWWRk0Ed3zyMBoCbwIQAvD_BwE

Our exp:

Faster than the oven - ie. less heat up time / smaller volume to heat.
Far less oil used ie. light spray. only and it drains away
Brilliant for fries, chicken nibbles, savouries, bacon, whole chicken + roast potatoes, dried vegie chips, big breakfast (hash browns, bacon, sausage) in one go, roasted vegetables and reheating KFC! (Lol my body is clearly a temple!)
Easy to clean.

Massive fan of our air fryer and at $99 I consider it a bargain.

Note: The one we got is LARGE - so it may not fit in your cupboards / pantry - but we have a decent sized kitchen bench and it has its own out of the way corner.

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#2741980 9-Jul-2021 19:39

We've had the big model Philips one. It's in regular use for years now and works like a charm! Is on the pricier side though.

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