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Do Air Fryers really work? Any recommendations?

holbritter

holbritter

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I'm a little late to the game on this, but I've taken a interest in getting an Air Fryer....that's if they really work.

Does the food really taste like it's fried? French fries for instance. Are there any brands that you would recommend?

I also see there are two types: one that uses a little bit of oil, and the other that uses none at all.

Sorry for all the questions, but it's not a cheap buy (for me anyway) and I'd like to do it right the first time ;)

Thanks for any input!
 
holbritter said:
I'm a little late to the game on this, but I've taken a interest in getting an Air Fryer....that's if they really work.

Does the food really taste like it's fried? French fries for instance. Are there any brands that you would recommend?

I also see there are two types: one that uses a little bit of oil, and the other that uses none at all.

Sorry for all the questions, but it's not a cheap buy (for me anyway) and I'd like to do it right the first time ;)

Thanks for any input!
Click to expand...
We tried one (it used a small amount of oil) and no it didn’t taste as good. It wasn’t horrible but we returned it to the store.
 
holbritter said:
I'm a little late to the game on this, but I've taken a interest in getting an Air Fryer....that's if they really work.

Does the food really taste like it's fried? French fries for instance. Are there any brands that you would recommend?

I also see there are two types: one that uses a little bit of oil, and the other that uses none at all.

Sorry for all the questions, but it's not a cheap buy (for me anyway) and I'd like to do it right the first time ;)

Thanks for any input!
Click to expand...

My girlfriend has a convection oven with an air fry setting (mode?) that works very well.
 
I have been using the Power Air Fryer and have been very happy with it. It uses trays that slide in and out instead of a basket. I have successfully cooked salmon,fried chicken, sliders(turkey,beef,chicken). I have gotten my money’s worth from it already.
 
We've had an air fryer for years and we use it for everything, meat, fries, etc. It makes food quick and delicious. Clearly it's not going to be exactly like oil doused restaurant fries, but they're still warm and crispy and I personally like it better. I would highly recommend it, very versatile.
 
My husband uses an air fryer. He was hooked on frying in oil and he made the switch last year and it was a fairly smooth transition.

Some people have fancier air fryers with a rotisserie element and in the last discussion I had on the subject, they seemed even happier with their fryers than my husband.



I don't like pierogies from the fryer ... a little too crispy ... but he eats them. And I don't cook things like eggrolls or puff pastry in our fryer because I think it tastes slightly different from if I did it in the oven and I prefer the oven flavor.

All in all, I'm very happy my husband made that choice. Much better than the oily mess in our kitchen or in his arteries.
 
holbritter said:
I'm a little late to the game on this, but I've taken a interest in getting an Air Fryer....that's if they really work.

Does the food really taste like it's fried? French fries for instance. Are there any brands that you would recommend?

I also see there are two types: one that uses a little bit of oil, and the other that uses none at all.

Sorry for all the questions, but it's not a cheap buy (for me anyway) and I'd like to do it right the first time ;)

Thanks for any input!
Click to expand...

For fries, you need specific varieties, as many do not do well, The ones I get, in Canada, are made by McCain.
Wings- wash, pat dry, add salt and pepper- I like a spicier type of black pepper, Malabar, sold at our Costco.
They both turn out crispy and tasty
 
holbritter said:
I'm a little late to the game on this, but I've taken a interest in getting an Air Fryer....that's if they really work.

Does the food really taste like it's fried? French fries for instance. Are there any brands that you would recommend?

I also see there are two types: one that uses a little bit of oil, and the other that uses none at all.

Sorry for all the questions, but it's not a cheap buy (for me anyway) and I'd like to do it right the first time ;)

Thanks for any input!
Click to expand...

I got one - spent almost $200 on it at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I kept it a week and sent it back. It did nothing for me at all. I hated it. I tried 3 different things in it, and they all bombed, so I just took it back and got a regular fryer instead. We don't deep fry a lot of foods, but it's nice for french fries, etc.
 
Blue Dog said:
I have been using the Power Air Fryer and have been very happy with it. It uses trays that slide in and out instead of a basket. I have successfully cooked salmon,fried chicken, sliders(turkey,beef,chicken). I have gotten my money’s worth from it already.
Click to expand...

RabidAlpaca said:
We've had an air fryer for years and we use it for everything, meat, fries, etc. It makes food quick and delicious. Clearly it's not going to be exactly like oil doused restaurant fries, but they're still warm and crispy and I personally like it better. I would highly recommend it, very versatile.
Click to expand...

Amelia said:
My husband uses an air fryer. He was hooked on frying in oil and he made the switch last year and it was a fairly smooth transition.

Some people have fancier air fryers with a rotisserie element and in the last discussion I had on the subject, they seemed even happier with their fryers than my husband.



I don't like pierogies from the fryer ... a little too crispy ... but he eats them. And I don't cook things like eggrolls or puff pastry in our fryer because I think it tastes slightly different from if I did it in the oven and I prefer the oven flavor.

All in all, I'm very happy my husband made that choice. Much better than the oily mess in our kitchen or in his arteries.
Click to expand...

JANFU said:
For fries, you need specific varieties, as many do not do well, The ones I get, in Canada, are made by McCain.
Wings- wash, pat dry, add salt and pepper- I like a spicier type of black pepper, Malabar, sold at our Costco.
They both turn out crispy and tasty
Click to expand...



Thanks all! Next big question: There are just the two of us now, so what size would you recommend and what brand of fryer?
 
Superfly said:
I got one - spent almost $200 on it at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I kept it a week and sent it back. It did nothing for me at all. I hated it. I tried 3 different things in it, and they all bombed, so I just took it back and got a regular fryer instead. We don't deep fry a lot of foods, but it's nice for french fries, etc.
Click to expand...


I'm guessing it's going to depend a lot on what we like. We don't eat a lot of 'fried' stuff either, but I do like french fries occasionally and my husband loves chicken wings. I think I'll give it a try.....we'll see!
 
holbritter said:
Thanks all! Next big question: There are just the two of us now, so what size would you recommend and what brand of fryer?
Click to expand...


We're two people on a small budget for extras. Hubby waited for a sale. I don't know if this is the same sale price he got, but this looks like the air fryer we have.

Farberware. Simple. Non-rotisserie. No added oil. Drop your fries and whatnot into a basket. He cooks most things at the 375 degree setting and just changes up how long he cooks it for.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Farberware-3-2-Quart-Digital-Oil-Less-Fryer-Black/722613447
 
holbritter said:
I'm guessing it's going to depend a lot on what we like. We don't eat a lot of 'fried' stuff either, but I do like french fries occasionally and my husband loves chicken wings. I think I'll give it a try.....we'll see!
Click to expand...

Get it from a place with a good return policy. If you hate it, it'll be easier to return it.

Hope you like it, though! Wish mine had worked as well as we hoped for.
 
Amelia said:
We're two people on a small budget for extras. Hubby waited for a sale. I don't know if this is the same sale price he got, but this looks like the air fryer we have.

Farberware. Simple. Non-rotisserie. No added oil. Drop your fries and whatnot into a basket. He cooks most things at the 375 degree setting and just changes up how long he cooks it for.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Farberware-3-2-Quart-Digital-Oil-Less-Fryer-Black/722613447
Click to expand...

He cooks a variety of fry styles, pierogies, breaded chicken, chicken-fried steak fritter thingies ... stuff like that.
 
holbritter said:
Thanks all! Next big question: There are just the two of us now, so what size would you recommend and what brand of fryer?
Click to expand...

Depends- I use the larger TFal as wings take a few rounds of cooking. And when I have fries, my plate is heaping full.

I bastardize a poutine- Cook the fries, gravy is hot, use Havarti or Gruyere cheese. Layer and salt fries accordingly, cheese is torn into pieces and layered as well on fries, a few layers,throw in the microwave, melts the cheese, then add gravy. Great and gooey
 
holbritter said:
Thanks all! Next big question: There are just the two of us now, so what size would you recommend and what brand of fryer?
Click to expand...

How many are you looking to cook for?
 
I'd love to buy one and try it out, but my kitchen is stuffed with so many other appliances (and I rarely use most of them) that I dont see the need at this point. If I want healthy fries I usually just bake them- twice (once to cook and the other to make them crisp).
 
holbritter said:
I'm a little late to the game on this, but I've taken a interest in getting an Air Fryer....that's if they really work.

Does the food really taste like it's fried? French fries for instance. Are there any brands that you would recommend?

I also see there are two types: one that uses a little bit of oil, and the other that uses none at all.

Sorry for all the questions, but it's not a cheap buy (for me anyway) and I'd like to do it right the first time ;)

Thanks for any input!
Click to expand...

They work great for the basic stuff, but some things I'd skip though. It's supposed to do good veggies, but my brussel sprouts were overdone on the outside, before they softened. As for brands, it's best just to check reviews.
 
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