# Bought an air fryer



## Mark Parrott (Apr 16, 2016)

Experimenting with our new toy tonight. Trying celeriac chips in our new air fryer.


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## SlowRunner (Apr 16, 2016)

The title of this thread was making me wonder how (& why) you would fry air! Think I'm having a "slow" day today - brain definitely not in gear


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## Mark Parrott (Apr 16, 2016)

No carbs in air.


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## SlowRunner (Apr 16, 2016)

Mark Parrott said:


> No carbs in air.


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## Carol Robinson (Apr 16, 2016)

We love our air dryer, and the celeriac chips do really nicely in it  nom nom nom


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## Mark Parrott (Apr 16, 2016)

Just had ours. Really impressed!


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## GregP (Apr 16, 2016)

Mark, try chicken drumsticks in there... They are so yummy!!! I do a batch for the week for snacks/lunch


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## Superheavy (Apr 17, 2016)

Greg and Mark,

I know my mum has one of these ... is it really worth the hundred quid or so required for one of there?

Along with this, my space for additional kitchen gadgets - sandwich maker and toaster is pretty limited, so it needs to be good to be worthwhile.

Should I?


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## Pumper_Sue (Apr 17, 2016)

Superheavy said:


> Greg and Mark,
> 
> I know my mum has one of these ... is it really worth the hundred quid or so required for one of there?
> 
> ...


You get more space in a halogen oven and can do a lot more besides fry things in a halogen oven oh and it's a lot cheaper.


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## lucy123 (Apr 17, 2016)

Mark Parrott said:


> Just had ours. Really impressed!


Glad you like it Mark. Steak cooks lovely in mine. Steak flat mushroom and spinach for tea last night.  No fuss - chucked both steak and mushroom in fryer for15 mins whilst I got on with life.  Post things you find cook nice please.


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## Mark Parrott (Apr 17, 2016)

Superheavy said:


> Greg and Mark,
> 
> I know my mum has one of these ... is it really worth the hundred quid or so required for one of there?
> 
> ...


I only paid £40 for ours off eBay. It's quite a small one so doesnt take up too much room.


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## lucy123 (Apr 17, 2016)

Mine is a Philips and got mine for about 40 pounds too but actually paid nothing as I boosted my club card points.


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## Sally W (Dec 16, 2019)

Pumper_Sue said:


> You get more space in a halogen oven and can do a lot more besides fry things in a halogen oven oh and it's a lot cheaper.


 @Pumper_Sue 
I’ve been thinking of a halogenair fryer as I don’t like the idea of the coated teflon fryers. Does it really crisp food using air? I’m thinking swede chips instead of potatoes


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## Bruce Stephens (Dec 16, 2019)

Sally W said:


> Does it really crisp food using air?



Radiation, I think (light, specifically infra-red). The air temperature is also significantly increased, but if I understand correctly air's not that good for transmitting heat (heat capacity is too low). Which is partly why some ovens offer steam (since water's much better at holding heat energy), and why sous vide mostly uses water (sometimes oil or other liquids).

I find (or found, since my oven bulb died and can't be replaced, so I'll have to buy another one) that a halogen oven isn't that good for crisping things. Works OK for things like chips, but less good for (for example) pizza. The issue is that moisture is fairly well retained (which is good for some things, not for others).

I imagine an air fryer has some better way to get rid of moisture. Maybe they're more like a grill (where you're really relying on radiation more than air temperature) than an oven (which is deliberately retaining the hot air (and moisture), which is great for the inside of a baked potato since you're generally heating everything). But I'm guessing a bit.


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## AndBreathe (Dec 16, 2019)

I don't know about all air fryers, but ours have a vortex-style "wind in it.  Just as example of how I know is if I choose to do bacon, to replicate the M&S Crispy Bacon Strips, once it gets to the finished stage, it can be seen flying around the gadget cavity.

Our is slightly less usual in that it has a chamber/cavity and a drop down door, with shelves, a rotisserie or tumbling basket, depending on what is being cooked, so we can watch the magic happen, if really desperate!

Like all gadgets or utensils, it isn't perfect for everything, but were ours to break down, we'd have another in a heartbeat.


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## Drummer (Dec 16, 2019)

I have a Tefal Actifry which is really quite old now - I was told when I ordered some spare parts for it a few months ago - one advantage of buying a brand name I suppose.
The chicken thighs alone are worth the money. I keep a couple of packs in the freezer, take one out the previous day, then just drop them into the pan set the timer and wait for the smell to come wafting through from the kitchen. I can put the pan and stirrer into the dishwasher, ready for next time, and it can do a Kg of thighs easily, so I usually do the whole pack and save some for next day - minus the skins which mysteriously evaporate whilst they wait for the mushroom stirfry to cook in the juices. <G>


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## Pumper_Sue (Dec 16, 2019)

Sally W said:


> @Pumper_Sue
> I’ve been thinking of a halogenair fryer as I don’t like the idea of the coated teflon fryers. Does it really crisp food using air? I’m thinking swede chips instead of potatoes


Hello Sally,
I found this review which may help you out https://reviewsrevealer.com/air-fryer-vs-halogen-oven/


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## Drummer (Dec 16, 2019)

I have both air fryer and a Halogen oven - they don't do the same things in my kitchen - though I believe that there have been bits aded to make them more capable of doing what the other thing does.
I use the Halogen oven for roasting whole chickens or joints of meat, making cheese on toast (for my husband) defrosting in a hurry, and it is a safer option for cooking chestnuts - I tried some in the Actifry and they exploded....


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## Bruce Stephens (Dec 16, 2019)

Pumper_Sue said:


> I found this review which may help you out https://reviewsrevealer.com/air-fryer-vs-halogen-oven/



Well I never. So I largely misunderstood air fryers, and really the two categories of appliances overlap more than I thought in what they can do. Thanks very much for the link. Maybe I'll buy an air fryer instead.


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## Sally W (Dec 17, 2019)

Thanks all for your very helpful comments. I think from what you’ve all said & the helpful link @Pumper_Sue that a halogen isn’t the way to go. I haven’t found an air fryer that has no Teflon coating sadly, but I’ll keep looking now I’ve an idea.


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## Pumper_Sue (Dec 17, 2019)

@Sally W, Try this link https://www.aircookers.com/air-fryers-without-teflon/ it's USA links but there appears to be plenty of other options for the uk after a quick search. Another option is to go into your local electrical shop and ask them to order one for you if that would make you feel happier.


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## Sally W (Dec 17, 2019)

@Pumper_Sue wow thanks, that is such an interesting article! I don’t cook with anything non stick and use green pans for frying so that’s just the kind of info that would really appeal to me. Fab!


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## Drummer (Dec 17, 2019)

I suspect that a lot of the problems with Teflon are due to overheating.
I have a teflon coated pan which is a couple of decades old and the surface is intact and undamaged - but I cook at low temperatures even when frying - I don't want to turn food black - not even dark brown. Having seen non stick pans where there is a central ring of exposed metal I can see why you don't like the idea of using them - I disposed of a fairly expensive grill when the plates began to lose chunks of the coating.


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## Edgar (Dec 18, 2019)

lucy123 said:


> Glad you like it Mark. Steak cooks lovely in mine. Steak flat mushroom and spinach for tea last night.  No fuss - chucked both steak and mushroom in fryer for15 mins whilst I got on with life.  Post things you find cook nice please.


I do a lovely fish and chips in mine. Fish straight from the freezer done in 20 minutes, sometimes I do my own "naughty"  potoato chips without oil but mostly with parsnip chips. Yummy


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## Edgar (Dec 18, 2019)

Drummer said:


> I have both air fryer and a Halogen oven - they don't do the same things in my kitchen - though I believe that there have been bits aded to make them more capable of doing what the other thing does.
> I use the Halogen oven for roasting whole chickens or joints of meat, making cheese on toast (for my husband) defrosting in a hurry, and it is a safer option for cooking chestnuts - I tried some in the Actifry and they exploded....


I do chestnuts in my air fryer. 10 minutes at 180 but you have to make a cut in the skin before you put them in. That's why they exploded!


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## Drummer (Dec 18, 2019)

My air fryer has no temperature control - I did cut them, but I think they boiled inside the shells as the ones which did not explode were all floury.


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## Sally W (Dec 19, 2019)

Yes I have a real aversion to coated stuff!  @Edgar 
do your parsnip chips come up crispy?


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## Edgar (Dec 20, 2019)

Carol Robinson said:


> We love our air dryer, and the celeriac chips do really nicely in it  nom nom nom


What's an air dryer!


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## Edgar (Dec 20, 2019)

Sally W said:


> Yes I have a real aversion to coated stuff!  @Edgar
> do your parsnip chips come up crispy?


Yes they do


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