Joining the air fryer craze

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gzt

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#318993 11-Mar-2025 20:04

I'm interested in air frying for two reasons - faster than oven in total, less heating of the house compared to the in-wall oven.

It will be used for roasting small quantities of veges, and maybe if it works well then chips from fresh potatoes would be nice.

I see prices from $99 to $899. I'm guessing the $99 item will do 90% of the job. I might get a better one if the cheap one gets good use.

What are the essentials in an air fryer in your experience?

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#3352804 11-Mar-2025 20:37

Cheaper ones seem to be smaller. I got a Phillips one for $40 on special recently and seems to work well. They are really simple and not much to them, just an element with thermostat, fan and timer. Technology Connections did a video on them recently basically saying to just to get a basic one. https://youtu.be/6h9JhW-m35o I think I having a window on them would make it easy to see how things are cooking, but it probably gets baked on grime fairly quickly

Stu1

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#3352807 11-Mar-2025 20:41

We brought a sunbeam one less than $150 from briscoes. Main use is chicken nuggets and chips for the kids in the weekend. We also make our own wedges from our potatoes they are amazing . Haven’t done any veges yet mainly fake away meals in the weekend

jonherries

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#3352835 11-Mar-2025 20:50

We got our first one at Xmas, didn’t pay RRP:

https://www.briscoes.co.nz/product/1105645/russell-hobbs-satisfry-airfryer-xl-8-litre/

It works well, basket and flat plate go in the dishwasher, non-stick works as advertised - it gets hot fast so starts cooking fast and fan forced so I think this is what makes it the “fryer”.

We make sure we have extraction on coz hot/often moist air is forced out the back so needs venting. Most usefully it is another place you can run a cook in parallel to other stuff or for “quick things” eg. Reheating pizza etc.

I def wouldn’t spend a lot on one coz I don’t think there is a lot of difference but also wouldn’t get two drawers - single bigger drawer is better than two smaller ones. I would buy this one again depending on price.

vexxxboy

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#3352836 11-Mar-2025 20:57

they are great for heating frozen pies, 90 seconds in microwave and then 7-8 minutes in the fryer . we have this one and it works well.

https://www.smithscity.co.nz/sunbeam-diamondforce-3-in-1-digital-5l-air-fryer-9067403?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwvr--BhB5EiwAd5YbXoFM0AVUb2zvRncKyRUeWC8YO7pd8vPKgrQ5bbva6CZQaSbGmWkoRRoCxJ0QAvD_BwE

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richms

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#3352842 11-Mar-2025 21:06

I got a couple of little kmart ones so I can do the nuggies in one and the chips or wedges in the other. Work fine, but add a few mins to the time on the pack of the food. Decent saving over the deep fryer with oil costs and faster too. Foods not as nice sometimes but other times its just as good.

Richard rich.ms

MadEngineer

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#3352858 11-Mar-2025 21:45

Wait till you try sausages in one

Check out the packets of flavored sodium chloride in the Maggi isle at your supermarket - there are many that are perfect for the air fryer. Our favourites at the moment are the new chicken shake n bake style mixes. Some are super salty so I usually halve the mixture packet and add stuff from our own herbs n spices drawer.

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liquidcore

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#3352923 11-Mar-2025 22:52

We have one of these and the dual drawers work a treat for being able to cook different things at the same time. Looks to be a good price at present:

https://www.harveynorman.co.nz/home-appliances/kitchen-appliances/grills-and-cookers/ninja-foodi-max-xxxl-smart-dual-zone-9.5l-air-fryer-black-copper-af450.html

When we were in the market for one, I watched a few videos and read a few articles and most people recommended either Ninja, Instant (Pot) Vortex, or Cosori (hard to get and $$$ in NZ it seems).

cddt

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#3352957 12-Mar-2025 08:40

We got a BBEK1137 from Briscoes for $150. More like a benchtop mini-oven, which also has an air fry function. Does the job and fits a lot more in than a regular air fryer.

My referral links: BigPipe | Mercury

Jizah

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#3352960 12-Mar-2025 08:49

liquidcore:

We have one of these and the dual drawers work a treat for being able to cook different things at the same time. Looks to be a good price at present:

https://www.harveynorman.co.nz/home-appliances/kitchen-appliances/grills-and-cookers/ninja-foodi-max-xxxl-smart-dual-zone-9.5l-air-fryer-black-copper-af450.html

When we were in the market for one, I watched a few videos and read a few articles and most people recommended either Ninja, Instant (Pot) Vortex, or Cosori (hard to get and $$$ in NZ it seems).

It was $249 at Harvey Norman just a few days ago.

scuwp

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#3352961 12-Mar-2025 08:49

We have a basic Phillips one, just timer and temp control. Don't really touch the temp control much to be fair. Didn't think we would use it much, but I was very wrong! Does awesome roast potatoes, chicken, and veges. My only wish is to upgrade to a 2-drawer one so I can use it for different foods at the same time and avoid the oven all together.

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

liquidcore

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#3352965 12-Mar-2025 08:59

Jizah:

liquidcore:

We have one of these and the dual drawers work a treat for being able to cook different things at the same time. Looks to be a good price at present:

https://www.harveynorman.co.nz/home-appliances/kitchen-appliances/grills-and-cookers/ninja-foodi-max-xxxl-smart-dual-zone-9.5l-air-fryer-black-copper-af450.html

When we were in the market for one, I watched a few videos and read a few articles and most people recommended either Ninja, Instant (Pot) Vortex, or Cosori (hard to get and $$$ in NZ it seems).

It was $249 at Harvey Norman just a few days ago.

What are the chances - it was $249 when I posted it last night

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maoriboy

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#3352968 12-Mar-2025 09:05

Basic Warehouse air fryer here. Had for 3 years and hasn't skipped a beat. Has been used almost daily with my young adults in the house, providing them with a quick, easy meal. Chicken, sausages, roast vegetables and more. Highly recommend getting an air fryer! I see Jamie Oliver has a cooking show advertised on tv recently devoted to the air fryer. Could be worth a look.

Handsomedan

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#3352972 12-Mar-2025 09:11

We have a Russell Hobbs Satisfryer XL (I think that's what it's called) and got it when the oven was disconnected during our home "renovation".

It's been an eye-opener.

We use it pretty much every day. Anyone that comes to ours for any length of time and sees how much we use it and how it's used becomes a convert.

I actually thought Airfryers were a bit of a gimmick. I certainly don't feel that way any more.

We've cooked so many different types of meals in it, as well as using it to reheat and crisp up things. It's quick, easy to clean and does the job efficiently.

https://www.briscoes.co.nz/product/1105645/russell-hobbs-satisfry-airfryer-xl-8-litre/

We only paid about $100 for ours, so must've ben in one of the huge sales that Briscoes rarely have.

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Lias

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#3353083 12-Mar-2025 10:47

Jumped on the bandwagon a couple of years ago.. was skeptical but am totally a convert, we now have 2 air fryers and almost never use the oven.

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johno1234

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#3353089 12-Mar-2025 11:19

We have one in Auckland and one in Whangamata. The AKL one is a Nutribullet brand with a single large basket. The beach one I'm not sure the brand but it has twin independent baskets.

Both are very good at what they do. The only grizzle I have is that the touch sensitive button driven user interface is very non intuitive. They need to get better designers for that.

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