Air fryer thread

[Thug]

Been thinking about getting an air fryer and have no idea about them at all.
Are they worth getting?
Which one would you recommend?
Been looking at this one https://www.amazon.co.uk/COSORI-Electric-Portable-Reminder-Function/dp/B07GBQFNT9/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?s=kitchen-appliances&ie=UTF8&qid=1549866207&sr=1-2-spons&keywords=air+fryer&psc=1#

 

[PsyVision]

We've got an actifry and chips are pretty good in it, crispy enough to not miss the deep fat fryer (esp. given I eat a metric F-ton of chips), we get the McCain Skin-on Fries, they seem to work the best.

Missus does roast potatoes in there if shes being healthy and she has tried "fried" chicken before too, which was OK, not quite as crispy and the arm pushes the batter off a lot.

Onion rings are pretty good too, the Ocado beer battered ones.

Don't really use it for anything else, I gather you can do chilli con carne etc in them but nothing wrong with a pan or slow cooker for that IMO

 

[Sy1441]

We have the phillips one.

https://www.philips.co.uk/shop/household-products/cooking/viva-collection-airfryer/p/HD9621_91

It's excellent, better results than an oven by a mile. I use it mostly for chips and chicken wings.

 

[Sonic67]

See Techmoan does chips. There's a fryer at the end.

 

[LexDiamond]

I have the Tefal actifry and Phillips Airfryer.

Use both of them regularly. They make good tasting chips and roast potatoes that are relatively healthy. Have done chicken and a few other things.

Personally prefer the Actifry as the paddle means no need to shake midway.

Edit: I forgot to add a very important point regarding convenience. The actifry requires potatoes to be absolutely dry so needs a teacloth to dry then once peeled and cut. If not, they wont cook evenly. For the Airfryer, the potatoes are cut and then put into a bowl of cold water for a minimum of 30 minutes and then dried off and put in a bowl to mix in with oil before going into the airfryer.

 

[Thug]

Well I have ordered the Cosora 3.5l air fryer.
Hope its good.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07GBQFNT9/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[mr starface]

Like the look of the Corsora and our current air fryer needs replacing so any feedback one you get it would be appreciated!

 

[Thug]

I got it day before yesterday and used it the same night for sweet potato and normal potato fries.
I chopped them up, washed them, dried them, placed them in a bag and sprayed sunflower oil on them, plus a bit of salt and pepper and agitated the bag.
Whilst I prepared them I set the air fryer up and started a preheat.

I placed them into the basket and pressed the 'fries' quick setting and cooked them, shaking the basket when indicated to.
The machine has a fairly loud fan, but this could show that its powerful and has good air circulation I guess. I don't have anything to compare it to, so may be even quieter than some.

They actually turned out closer to oven chips than fried chips, but were quite evenly cooked and the sweet potatoes were better and not soggy at all (like they are sometimes are when done in the oven). They tasted great too, which I guess is what mainly matters.

I think next time I will put them in the bag with a tablespoon full of oil (rather than a spray) and see if they come out more crispy.

The machine itself is a little smaller than what I thought it would be, but still ideal for me and the wife and her daughter (when she stays). If I had a family of 4 I would go for the larger one.

I am going to try Kentucky style chicken today I think.

 

[LexDiamond]

Really like the digital display on that machine. My philips one had round dials which are fine but digital would have been much better.

I've never personally had much luck with spray myself. I just usually put the cut and dried potatoes in a bowl, add oil and then use a large spoon to keep on mixing until they all seem to have been well covered.

 

[Thug]

Well I tried KFC style which was actually really nice (if not a little over cooked).
I then tried just chicken (thighs and drum sticks) which were very nice (no oil added).
Then I tried Brussel sprouts, with bacon pieces (and a little salt and pepper) then ground some parmesan on top. These were lovely.

 

[PsyVision]

What was your KFC style recipe? Did you do a normalish buttermilk / flour combo or a special air fryer recipe?

 

[Thug]

it was an airfryer recipe I found on youtube (amongst the many) and did use buttermilk beaten with a single egg to soak the chicken in for an hour, then rolled the chicken in the flour/seasoning mix.
I cant remember which it was now, but to be honest, it was nice but not KFC as it needed more (stronger) taste.

 

[Thug]

Well been watching a few YouTube vids on what to cook in the air fryer and seen lots of good reviews on steaks so decided to give it a try.
I love my steaks, and like a nice charred outside and a rare inside and usually cook them sous vide before cremating them on a BBQ so wasn’t convinced airfrying would be any good.
Due to this I bought a couple of cheap (£3.49) sirloins from Aldi to test.
My air fryer has a quick setting for steaks which gives a temp and time of 205 deg for 6 minutes.
My steaks were straight out of the fridge (so the insides don’t cook quite as quick), I patted them dry and seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder.

I have to admit, they were VERY good. The knife fell through them and they melted in the mouth. Not quite as charred as I would like and possibly closer to medium than rare, but I will still be doing them again like this.
I also did the asparagus in the air fryer too.

 

[mr starface]

Just ordered the Corsora, has great reviews and your feedback is good Thug.

 

[Thug]

Made my best chips ever 2 days ago (going to do them again tonight).
Cut the potatoes thick, rinsed them well and boiled them for 5 or 6 minutes.
I then left them to cool and dry (the steam coming off them helped here).
I then put them in a bag with a tbl spoon of crisp and dry (sure its just 100% rapeseed oil), then put them in the airfryer for about 20 mins (just the quick 'chip' setting), shaking half way through, and they came out perfect and the closest to fried I have tried so far.

 

[Thug]

Just ordered the Corsora, has great reviews and your feedback is good Thug.

Just noticed it’s now gone up to £99, did you get it for the cheaper price?

 

[mr starface]

Got £10 off through an amazon code, arrives tomorrow

 

[Thug]

Got £10 off through an amazon code, arrives tomorrow

Have you tried it yet?

Another great dish is roasted Brussels Sprouts (even if you don’t like sprouts you have got to try them).
Wash them, cut the ends off and the outer leaves and cut them in half. Put a little oil on them (I put them in a bag with a spoon full of oil and agitate the bag). Add a little salt and pepper and put them in the air fryer for 15 mins at about 195. Shake the basket and add some lardons (bacon pieces) and cook them for a further 10 mins.

They are amazing. Taste great and have a great crispy texture.

I tried to do a full chicken but it just wasn’t big enough.

 

[MisterRigsby]

Grabbed myself an air fryer from Tesco’s yesterday, prompted by this thread and my wife’s refusal to have a deep fat fryer, (agree with her to be fair.)

Mine’s a Tower VortX, bit of a budget model - 50 quid down from 75 quid - but an inexpensive way to give it a go. Tried it with chips first which I guess is the law. Maris Pipers chopped, washed and thoroughly dried. Very impressed. 25mins to produce nice, crunchy fries with no mess and next to no oil.

Looking forward to experimenting when on my days off. Will try the sprouts recipe. Fancy trying onion bahjis as well.

 

[mr starface]

Have you tried it yet?

Not yet, Amazon screwed the delivery up somehow so having to order it again.

 

[Hixs]

What's a good but cheap air fryer? Only used for chips. Enough space for 2 or 3 decent portions.

 

[simonlewis]

Just come across this thread i bought a breville recently love doing sausages, diced lamb, lamb steaks with garlic butter and fish.
Halo+ Low Oil Health Fryer - VDF105, VDF120 | Breville

 

[Thug]

What's a good but cheap air fryer? Only used for chips. Enough space for 2 or 3 decent portions.

What do you want to spend?

 

[Hixs]

Well somewhere between cheap, but not crap

Max 200ish, but lower the better. Like I said, only for chips. Current fryer stinks the house out even with fresh (proper) chip oil.

 

[Thug]

Well I would still recommend the Cosora 3.5 which is the one I bought.
Its now about £100 from Amazon.
They do a larger one for a little more money, but this is ideal for 2 or 3 people.
I know @mr starface bought one too, but not sure what his findings are.
This was my first, so nothing to compare it against, where he has had a previous one so may have a better idea than me.