Are you part of the 60% of Americans who own...

My air fryer is built into my range's oven.

Has an "Air Fry" key on the control panel and everything.

It is the absolute best for left over pizza. Hot and crispy and in under 5 minutes.

R2 Indeed ! This is how I heat up my leftover pizza now. It's absolutely delicious out of the AF. You'd never know it was left over.

I love mine, use it all the time. Mine is a Ninja air fryer/grill.

One of my favorites is to make chimichangas. Only I mist the stuffed tortillas with olive oil instead of deep frying them. About 10 minutes later, I have a crispy, pretty dish.

Bought one during Amazon Prime in July 2022....haven't used it yet and it has been 8 months.

Nope. Another toy that will take up space in America's garages, once the trend dies down.

[quote]said Adam Graves, president of Nestle U.S.’s pizza and snacking division, who owns two air fryers himself.

He sounds like a great big fat person.

Yes, OP, I jumped on the air fryer train in, I believe, 2020.

As others have already said, it's terrific for almost anything. Before I bought it, I was searching for things you can cook in it, wrongly thinking "there's probably not much other than frozen food you can cook." The list would've been shorter if I checked things you [italic]can't[/italic] cook in one. Seemingly everything.

I now have an addiction to tater tots, which I haven't had since I was a kid.

I have a food writer friend who Instagrams her experiences with an air fryer. Only once or twice have I seen results that seemed impressive, matches with her good reports. Everything else seems a bit of a compromise in one or another way.

I'm happy to get by with an essentially oversized toaster oven, a countertop portable oven with convection options; stove top frying; and a traditional (oil) deep fryer maybe once a week or two.

My health (and weight) are fine. I can't see springing for another small appliance for my compact kitchen that only seems to offer a minor advantage on a narrow range of dishes. It's not as though I'm all day every day frying and roasting.

R8 same with me ! A friend of mine got me hooked on bacon (when I want a BLT) and the bacon comes out delicious. I've also tried hot dogs in the summer last year - they were excellent. Also, if you have day old hard rolls (Italian hard rolls are the best) just dampen the tops with a little water and pop them in for a minute or so - they come out piping hot like fresh baked bread.

I bought mine in July, 2021 - during Prime Days. It was regular $99 and I got it for $49. Best $ I ever spent.

I like mine but I have the room and didn't mind taking the time to learn how to play with them, even though it meant a few mishaps, I'm more inclined now to make things like frozen samosas or egg rolls because they come out so well.

Isn't cleaning a hassle???

I live in a motel so I bought a combination unit that does everything - saute, steaming, dehydrating, baking, roasting, air frying, pressure cooking. The air fryer is just a really effective toaster/convection oven basically. Mine does this steamcrisp thing where you can add water or stock to steam the food as it roasts or bakes and meat comes out amazing. It's a bit inconvenient when trying to make larger meals where I need two or more hot things coming out around the same time so I might get another cheap thing that only does the air frying. I can't really grill but I suppose I could if I could fit some cast iron inside the pot. It even has a yogurt making setting!

I got one and it made everything taste like plastic so I gave it to a friend who likes it

I second the leftover pizza and tater tots shout outs!

Mine also has a rotisserie setting. I’ve used it to cook the most delicious chicken that comes out juicy with the crisp skin.

I bought my brother one and he uses the little basket it came with to air fry shrimp and loves how tasty they come out.

I, too, wondered what I could cook in them but it seems everything turns out tasty if you cook it at the right setting. Roast vegetables, fresh fish and seafood, chicken and anything frozen.

I love mine

No, I don't have one. I have a full-sized oven. If anything, I'd get a counter-top oven with option for convection.

Everything smells like burnt plastic, I must’ve bought the wrong one.

[quote]Isn't cleaning a hassle???

Oh, good heavens, no. The basket (which is the only thing that really gets dirty) goes right into the dishwasher.

[quote]I got one and it made everything taste like plastic so I gave it to a friend who likes it

[quote]Everything smells like burnt plastic, I must’ve bought the wrong one.

The first time, and more rarely the second time, it's used, it can smell like plastic burning for a few minutes. That goes away very quickly. In fact, the instructions that came with mine said to run the air fryer at 400 for 15 minutes sans any food to eliminate the smell. It did.

I purchased one from QVC about 3 years ago. It was defective. While it cooked okay the door expanded after use and it would not close until after it had completely cooled down, which kept me from making more than one recipe for the same meal. I returned it for a refund. I don't miss it, I prefer baking, stove top and steaming my food anyway. I still have a slow cooker for stews and pressure cooker for certain recipes.

I have 3 of them. A regular one which is my second one because I burned the first one up by accidently pushing it against the knob on my stove which turned the burner on and I didn't know it. My ninja foodi and my instapot are both air fryers.

The Cosari recall is a nightmare!

I have a countertop convection oven, basically an air fryer without baskets. I use it almost exclusively, I don't turn my stove oven on unless a turkey is involved. I always felt bad using the big oven for just one person and cooking one baked potato.

I watch some YouTube videos about NYC apartments and the rents. Some are truly small...like closets, with barely enough room for a kitchen at all, maybe a sink and hot plate. An air fryer would be ideal as you can cook a lot of different meals in them. I don't have one, but I don't need one. These would be good in college dorms, too. You have a hot plate and an air fryer. If you have a small 'fridge, you can cook.

I own two air fryers!

I feel so sorry for the relatives who'll have to clean out R21's house when he dies.

I feel like the segment hasn't consolidated into a set of standards like microwave ovens did years ago. They came out around 2010 or so, but didn't become popular until lockdown. Each brand and model has so many random bells and whistles, it's hard to know what you might need unless you actually have one and use it.

I know exactly what I use a microwave oven to do. All the other stuff is just noise, so I don't bother with buying models with those features added.

When air fryers start converging toward a handful of features, I'll get one.

......

Is "you don't like the thing/person/concept I like so you're an elderly old senior citizen gray haired oldster" the latest thing on DL?

(for the record, I am neutral on air fryers and have found convection ovens to be by far the best for all meat roasting)

I've had one for about two years and use it at least 4x a week. It's perfect for roasting a whole chicken. It's also great for making Reuben or grilled cheese sandwiches; better than in a skillet. As mentioned above, things like frozen french fries and egg rolls are much better than doing them in the oven (quicker, too).

I was skeptical about buying yet another small appliance, but I'm definitely a convert.

This thread made me smile because I just bought one over the Christmas holidays. They were on sale and I figured, what the heck. I actually haven't used it much, but the times I have it worked pretty well.

It's easy to cook with and the food doesn't turn out rubbery like it does in a microwave.

R30 How do you make a grilled cheese sandwich in one of them ? Do tell...

I’ve had sandwiches grilled in the air fryer and they are sensational. I would love to get one. What’s a good brand?

A year ago, I bought the Ninja 13-in-1 convection-oven/air-fryer. I've air fried in it, made fresh pizza in it, roasted meats, and baked biscuits. Everything turns out well.

Since I bought it, I hardly ever use my big oven or my microwave. The air fryer does a MUCH better job of reheating than the microwave.

I did buy my mother an Air Fryer recently. It was a model dedicated to air frying, not like mine that does a lot of things. I found that her model did a better job at air frying than mine. It cooked the fook quicker and crisper. So I would recommend that if you are just looking for an air fryer.

I have a Hamilton Beach convection/air fryer/toaster oven combo. Thinking about replacing it-the cord got warped somehow. I use it for most of my cooking so no wonder. I’ve had it for about seven years. The thing that bothers me most about it is that there’s not a lot of room inside it.

We have found that the best thing they do is... Prepared frozen food, the often opposite of healthy food. I tell the eldergay that you can't really fry without oil, it's always sub par even if acceptable. Notice how many prepared foods people have mentioned.

R35 is it the slider lid with three settings? try using Steamcrisp for meat, put like a 1/2 cup of stock or broth at the bottom of the pot and then have the meat in the black perforated pot or one of the racks. Comes out amazing I think.

[quote]I tell the eldergay that you can't really fry without oil

I spray food with avocado oil. Or toss it in avocado oil before putting in the air fryer. It comes out well.

I even did Buffalo chicken wings once and they tasted deep-fried.

I used it a lot also. It's best for fried chicken.

How are people making grilled sandwiches in the air fryer ? Please let me know !

I got mine as a gift. I was hesitant at first.

I read up on it.... Now I use it especially for pizza rolls and fries. They are crisp and not mushy.

But I did have to rearrange my counter top.

Fresh salmon is tasty cooked in the air fryer. I use special parchment paper underneath.

I have the Instant (pot) vortex. I love it. Increasingly I use the stove less and less. Gorgeous, moist chicken breasts. Not bad fake fries. Mine has trays and a rotating basket (best for faux fries.) Instant are a pretty good company. The interior light on mine blew and I reached out: they just sent me a new one. I was impressed.

For those of you that love your air fryer please tell me a good make and model. I’m interested in buying one!

R45, as mentioned in R44.

is an air fryer an convection oven? If not, what is an convection oven?

Mine is called PowerXL. Nice big basket.

Anyone want to buy a slightly used-air fryer attachment for an InstantPot? It's worthless, since the convenience of an actual airfryer is the slide-out fry tray.

[quote]How are people making grilled sandwiches in the air fryer ? Please let me know !

Here's one of many, many ways available on YouTube.

Yes, it appears that an air fryer is a convection oven.

Thanks R50 !

Here's the Air Fryer I bought nearly two years ago. For a single person, I love it. It's just the right size on the counter-top and cooks very fast. The basket and attachment is dishwasher safe. I highly recommend it. It's currently marked down to $70 at Amazon - a great price. (A friend recommended this model to me, and I'm glad she did).

DASH Tasti-Crisp™ Digital Air Fryer with AirCrisp Technology, Custom Presets, Temperature Control, and Auto Shut Off Feature, 2.6 Quart - Aqua

I got this one. I love it

[quote]Are you part of the 60% of Americans who own...

no

Another New Yorker with a teeny-tiny kitchen. Only way I could get an air fryer is if I toss out my toaster oven.

Stupid question: Do air fryers make good toast?

Stupid question #2: People keep saying how easy it is to wash the basket in the dishwasher. But what about washing by hand? Does it have sharp parts?

(My contribution to the thread on how to say you’re old without saying you’re old!)

[quote]question: Do air fryers make good toast?

Yes. To me, even better than a toaster because you have greater control over how toasted you want it, i.e., slightly, just a little brown, dark brown, burned, etc.

[quote]question #2: People keep saying how easy it is to wash the basket in the dishwasher. But what about washing by hand? Does it have sharp parts?

It's easy to wash by hand. There are no sharp parts. In fact, it may be easier to wash by hand because it'll be quicker and they don't usually get that filthy unless you don't clean them frequently.

(I removed 'stupid' from before your questions because I refuse to believe they're stupid.)

Mine is more like the one posted by R46. So far, the air fryer function has worked well, only negative was that with burgers the fat was a real mess to deal with! I'd broil those on a foil-lined tray exclusively from now on. Works much better than nuking for items like empanadas.

If you use parchment paper or even foil for the air fryer, it'd be much easier to clean up. Very similar to what you do when you broil, which is toss the foil out.

Thank you R46. Have you ever made a rotisserie chicken in it?

I love my air fryer. Like R59, I've used parchment paper inserts (purchased from Amazon) to make clean-up easier. Recently, I purchased these silicon reusable liners and found that they work for many (but not all) of my recipes with hardly any cleaning. I especially like them for reheating Costco Rotisserie Chicken. I just put a little chicken stock in the liner and add the pieces of chicken I want for dinner. The chicken comes out moist and delicious. And the leftover juices make a delicious "gravy."

My oven has a convection setting but I don’t have a clue how or why or when to use it. I can fry things with it?

R62, just try some Tater Tots of Ore-Ida frozen French fries (set to convection) and see how you like it.

R1 Cool you have one of those fancy ovens. Air fryers are the bomb though. Crisp frying or fast baking with little to none oil or grease. Great for keto too.

Are you a part of the 90% of the DL who doesn’t give a fuck?!

I am!

R58 Have you sprayed the bottom (or the detachable 'tray' at the bottom if you have one) with cooking oil ? I use vegetable cooking oil to spray the bottom of the basket, and I have little - if any - greasy mess. The only time I have some grease is when I'm air frying bacon - and now I have learned to line the very bottom of the basket with tinfoil. It makes cleaning up so easy.

And to whoever asked about washing - there are no sharp parts, so handwashing is an option.

R57, you’re a doll!

(And I’m a hypocrite. In fact, I hate when others needlessly call themselves stupid.)

i just bought one and i cannot believe how much i love it. Salmon came out better than a restuarant. My broccolli was crispy and so good! This will not be an appliance that i use a few times.

I have a Cuisinart toaster oven/convection oven/air fryer and I love it. I love making frozen hashbrowns in it. It preheats in about two minutes and can cook the hashbrowns perfectly golden brown in about 5 to 6 minutes. Way easier than trying to fry them in a pan.

And I do use it as a toaster.

There's no way I paid $189 for it when I bought it. I think I paid something closer to $120. I have no idea why it's so expensive on Amazon right now, but I highly recommend it. It's narrower than it is deep so it takes up very very little space on my countertop. And I don't have a convection oven and a toaster taking up real estate.

But the basket and the tray have to be swapped out with a rack, depending on what you're cooking, and the tray and drip pan get very sticky. But they're easy to toss in the dishwasher. And I don't think people realize how fast and hot they are, and how easy it is to accidentally burn something in one. I've made many a charcoal tater tot.

But mine is really tiny. There's no way I could roast a chicken or anything that size in it. I have an oven for that.

(It's also one of my cats favorite places to take a nap on top of for some reason 🙄.)

Other than the Instant Pot Duo Crisp model being a tad smaller than I‘d like, it’s quite versatile since it’s an Air Fryer AND a pressure cooker, among other functions. Plus everything cooks pretty quickly.

I’ve done fried chicken, cheesecake, chicken noodle soup, pastrami (damn good), and yes, grilled cheese.

See the link for the Pastrami and read the reviews - it really does work. (unfortunately this site only accepts one link).

nicer toaster/convection oven.

I don't buy into shit marketing. you people are suckers!

bet you guys had that george forman grill too lol.

Makes good chewy FUDGE too!

R72, Several posters above were skeptical, thinking it was a fad thing like a George Foreman grill, yet they were surprised and converted by the absolute usefulness of this device, which they seem to use with much frequency, as do I.

It’s not a fad, it’s here to stay.

My most frequently used appliance - well, second to the microwave.

A little crispy hasbrowns in the morning? How about a couple of veggie samosas for a snack? Old fries - not anymore!

I like crispy crunchy things apparently.

Used mine tonight for asparagus. Fabulous.

I got one for my birthday last year. I was skeptical, but it’s great for roasting vegetables.

I am. I use it all the time. Actual "cooking", I use it for real basic stuff usually - meat and veggies. Fantastic for veggies. Great for reheating pizza or wings. An appliance that wasn't a fad for me.

Used mine today for frozen breaded cod. Really good.

I see them on the sidewalk on trash days in the summer when people move. Lots of them.

Maybe everyone's upgrading?

I love leftover pizza cold from the fridge.

R80, the entry model that most people get when they’re still on the fence about it isn’t very big— only big enough for one or two servings of whatever the person is making since food has to be spread out a little bit so it crisps up. Pretty soon people get tired of standing at the air fryer cooking each person’s serving individually and they get one with a bigger capacity.

Air Fryers are the truth in electric boots.

I love my air fryer, but we got my dad the air fryer lid for the instant pot and it just isn't the same. It's hard as hell to get stuff out of. The little trivet that came with it always collapses. He gave up on ever using it.

But he loves his instant pot.

I love my instant pot more than my air fryer. Those things are fucking magic.

Yeah, I bought the air fryer attachment for the Instant Pot a year ago, and have used it just twice, with disappointing results. A dedicated machine would probably have been better, but I already don't have room for any more appliances.

Sound velly dangelous!

I’m not an air frying person. I dislike percolated coffee, I’m a French presser The farthest I go would be a rotisserie that does convection, but I kind of prefer roasting the chicken and veggies together in a huge pot I like enameled iron cookware and just make things the old way, because I’m old haha.

Punctuation is free, regardless of age.

We have an air fryer/ dehydrator. We make our own dried fruit chunks and beef jerky for camping snacks.

I air fry in my countertop oven. It's the Breville Smart Oven so I probably overpaid but it's bigger than most and works beautifully.

To R74, I'm on my 3rd George Foreman grill. The original died from overuse, the 2nd my daughter destroyed from trying to cook while gossiping on her phone and the 3rd one works still works great. As long as my daughter Marina doesn't try to use it.

I brought mine first of the year. Best thing this non-cook has ever purchased for the kitchen. I've cook/reheat/roast everything in that machine. I haven't turned my oven on since.

I'm too broke to get one right now. I'm still cooking on a stove everyday. I want to get a Roomba, too.

R92 It’s so amazing. And it allows you to eat so much healthier. And it cooks fast.

my neighbor just bought one, the one by emril lagassi. is that any good?

R89, which one did you get?

I don't know why we have competing bumped old thread on air fryers, but here's the video I posted in the other one.

No, I am among the 40% or so that do not have an air fryer.

no, never