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Air Fryers I'm Becoming A Fan


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So my better 1/2 had some Sears rewards point to use before Sears goes completely out of business. Our Brick & Mortar store will cease to exist after March of this year. So she came home with a B&D Air Fryer. I have to admit I was always a bit skeptical of such devises and now that we had one my research mode went into full tilt. Now we all know by reading info on today's internet you can find anything you wanted to know didn't want to know or even some things you were completely unaware of. You can find those who like, dislike, love, hate or are indifferent to what ever subject you are researching. Sometimes too many opinions does more harm than good :wacko: :LOL: So as I was in learning, I found out these gadgets are not "Fryers" at all! They use no oil (just what is on or in the food) which is why they are touted as a healthier way to cook. They are in essence counter top convection ovens that do not fry but with a small cook area and concentrated heat and forced air flow can emulate the effects of fried food to a degree. I saw plenty of recipe disasters where folks were trying to make Southern Buttermilk "fried" chicken and ended up with mealy mush over under-cooked chicken. There were those that complained that it actually took longer to prepare food than just using an oven or an actual deep fryer and so no benefit to what they called a waste of time and $$$. Then there were those that raved about these devices and if used properly and within their design parameters the results were amazing. I saw a middle ground developing so before counting this little oven out and decided I would try it out. 1st attempt was frozen french fries. now to the defense of the air fryer the 1st fries I used were "store brand" and may have been in the freezer for a little minute :P However the fries were edible and I did some fine tuning on time & temp settings and the results improved. Next up cold pizza. Now i am sure everyone here has heated up pizza either by microwave (yuck) & ended up just rather eating it cold (which is cool sometimes too) or you have to heat the whole oven to rekindle the crispy melty quality that good pizza is supposed to have. Well let me tell Y'all a slice of pizza less that 5 minutes @ a temp of 400 degrees (f) and I had one of the best slices of reheated pizza ever. Next reheated chicken wings, same result as the pizza, reheated faster and actually better than if reheated in the oven. Are you starting to recognize a pattern here :) Next adventure I some friends over for a hockey game and wanted to make some snack food for munching on. So I got some good quality frozen Fries, onion rings (Nathans frozen onion rings are incredible!!) and some good quality frozen chicken nuggets. Now the secret with the air fryer is small batch! You don't want to overload the basket (Which are not that big to begin with) because the airflow will be blocked and the food will not get crisp and just stick together. Another thing that I found helping with keeping food crispy is an occasional shake. Which is when you remove the cook basket and gently toss the food. This method provides excellent results. Any way no batch took over 10 minutes for hot crispy yummy finger food. Everyone complimented and made comment on getting an air fryer for themselves. One of the tricks I figured out was the cook time on the chicken nuggets and the fries were about the same so I started combining the two and the result is crispy Chicken nuggets with chicken flavored fries. I plan to continue using and experimenting with this nifty little cooking tool. The one thing I am learning to appreciate the most is the small batch aspect. My better 1/2 & I are new "emptynesters" We (myself especially) have not quite (re)learned to shop and cook for just 2 people. With the air fryer it is really hard to make too much as you couldn't even if you wanted too :LOL: So I an very pleased with the air fryer concept and can see it being a " how did I ever live without this" item very soon. Edited by Crimsonmistymemory
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I got one for my wife for Christmas (her request). So far she's just made potato wedges mixed in oil and garlic and they turn out pretty good. Hopefully we'll continue to use this and it doesn't end up on the pile with other 'good' kitchen appliance ideas.
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I can see myself using this air fryer more and more. Just tonight we ordered Chinese take out and had it delivered. The place is not that far but the egg rolls were a bit on the cool side. So in the air fryer they went and within 5 minutes with a little toss inbetween, hot crispy egg rolls :D
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I'm intrigued by the air fryer concept. But, do I really need another big clunky gadget in my kitchen? It would have to be life-changing for me to get one, kind of like my food processor or stand mixer. I'd have to use it a lot for it to be worth it.
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I'm intrigued by the air fryer concept. But, do I really need another big clunky gadget in my kitchen? It would have to be life-changing for me to get one, kind of like my food processor or stand mixer. I'd have to use it a lot for it to be worth it.

This is exactly how I felt about this gadget when my better 1/2 walked in the door with it. All I can say is the more I use it the more I want to find different ways to use it. As far as counter space goes, yeah it takes up some real estate but it is not that heavy to move. It's lighter than my crock pot. The thing I am really digging is having oven quality foods in way less 1/2 the time it would take to heat up and use a conventional convection oven!

Edited by Crimsonmistymemory
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I'm confused, what is the difference between a hot air fryer and a convection oven? Would I see any benefit? Seems like they both circulate the air to cook the food. For those with hot air fryers, what am I missing?
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I'm confused, what is the difference between a hot air fryer and a convection oven? Would I see any benefit? Seems like they both circulate the air to cook the food. For those with hot air fryers, what am I missing?

A hot air friar is a small countertop convection oven that you can add oil to as part of the cooking process. Kind of a pressure cooker idea.
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I'm confused, what is the difference between a hot air fryer and a convection oven? Would I see any benefit? Seems like they both circulate the air to cook the food. For those with hot air fryers, what am I missing?

A hot air friar is a small countertop convection oven that you can add oil to as part of the cooking process. Kind of a pressure cooker idea.

So forgive my ignorance but is there a spot within the hot air fryer to add the oil? Or do you just lightly coat the food? A healthier/smarter alternative to a deep fryer would be intriguing.
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I'm confused, what is the difference between a hot air fryer and a convection oven? Would I see any benefit? Seems like they both circulate the air to cook the food. For those with hot air fryers, what am I missing?

A hot air friar is a small countertop convection oven that you can add oil to as part of the cooking process. Kind of a pressure cooker idea.

So forgive my ignorance but is there a spot within the hot air fryer to add the oil? Or do you just lightly coat the food? A healthier/smarter alternative to a deep fryer would be intriguing.

Yes you put what ever oil you would use (as a light coating) on the food itself. As described the air fryer is not a fryer but a small convection oven. The food sits in a perforated basket suspended in a metal "bowl" for lack of a better term. Its concentrated heat and air flow can emulate fried food taste and texture. It truely has endless possibilities as I have discovered after having one for a few weeks. The link that goose posted pretty much sums it up nicely. I find myself using it more and more.

Edited by Crimsonmistymemory
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I'm confused, what is the difference between a hot air fryer and a convection oven? Would I see any benefit? Seems like they both circulate the air to cook the food. For those with hot air fryers, what am I missing?

It's basically an oven with a high-speed fan. In my opinion its a waste of money and just another useless kitchen gadget. Most ovens now days are convection ovens and some models come with microwave combination too, so I think investing in one eliminates the need for microwave and air fryer, anyway I found this article

https://www.reviewho.com/are-air-fryers-worth-it/ hope its useful.

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