Should I go microwave free and buy an air fryer?

[albion]

Well, pescatarian to be honest, bordering on veganism, seeing I hardly eat any dairy produce now. The one below is now out the reckoning as that 60 quid offer on a Tesco club card has disappeared, and it's digital which might be too complicated for me. I asked one of the staff in Tesco if I could put 'sloppy' food in one. He said they make/sell things that make the baskets able to put liquid in, or you can just use tin foil to line the basket. Everyone I've asked in there, and it's a lot all say they'd rather have an air fryer than a microwave, but wouldn't give up their microwave. Tonight I saw some garlic and herb potato wedges in the reduced section. I always fancy them when I see them half price or less, but don't buy them as cooking them in a microwave isn't a good idea. I think you can still use an air fryer for many none meat foods like fish, jacket potatoes, pizzas, chips, fruit pies etc and of course with my dog still being a carnivore, I could use an air fryer to cook raw meat for him.🐶

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The Tower brand are 10 a penny on ebay. New/other will be under £40 for that size.

 

[albion]

To cook porridge you need to simmer it for several minutes until it softens (unless you like uncooked porridge). If you try do that in a microwave, it boils over within seconds unless you stand there peering in the window waiting to catch it just in time and give it a stir. I did mine that way for years until I asked myself why I kept bothering with all the palaver.

I boil a mug of water, add it to the cereal bowl of porridge, further heating in the microwave.
I add my frozen berries, blast it for 30 more seconds then micro simmer for 7 minutes.
In the midst I do my espresso machine mug of coffee..

 

[Accy cyclist]

I could bake my own pies in an air fryer. Buy some ready made pasty, form it into pie shapes then fill it with whatever I want. Garlic and buttery (low fat olive oil spread as I don't like butter) spud pie, salmon, cod, broccoli and mature cheese....the list is endless!🤔 I love butter pies! I used to buy them every Friday from a baker's/confectioners who's windows I cleaned, when I had my window cleaning round. I haven't had a butter pie in must be 8 years since I stopped window cleaning, with that baker's closing soon afterwards.

 

[Dadam]

Cheaper than a gas oven ? Gas is about a third of the cost of leccy. Our oven which isn't that large can cook oven chip in 16 minutes
if you thaw them out before hand

Yes. Oven chips for four people in ten mins, from frozen. It’s much smaller than an oven so doesn’t need preheating and the air circulating much faster than a fan oven carries the heat more efficiently.

16 mins will do chunky hand cut chips golden crisp and fluffy from raw spuds.

 

[Alex321]

I could bake my own pies in an air fryer. Buy some ready made pasty, form it into pie shapes then fill it with whatever I want. Garlic and buttery (low fat olive oil spread as I don't like butter) spud pie, salmon, cod, broccoli and mature cheese....the list is endless!🤔 I love butter pies! I used to buy them every Friday from a baker's/confectioners who's windows I cleaned, when I had my window cleaning round. I haven't had a butter pie in must be 8 years since I stopped window cleaning, with that baker's closing soon afterwards.

You could indeed. Pies are one of the things air fryers are most suited to.

 

[Accy cyclist]

You could indeed. Pies are one of the things air fryers are most suited to.

The previous 70 percent in favour of an air fryer has just gone up to 80 percent!😉👍

 

[Seevio]

You still need both but if you can live without soggy hot food get an air fryer. If you can live without crispy hot food get a microwave.

My rice cooker (the 3rd part of the triumvirate) claims it also does porridge. I'll give it a go if I ever decide porridge is a good idea.

 

[Alex321]

I see Lidl have an airfyer in from today, but probably rather larger thaan Accy would want.

https://www.lidl.co.uk/p/silvercrest-6-7l-air-fryer/p10037855

 

[Electric_Andy]

I don't think you can have an air fryer that's too big, unless you can't physically fit it on your worktop or in your cupboard if you like to put it away afterwards. Reason being - if you have a very small tray like our old one, and do chips for example, they have to be stacked up in layers so the ones underneath don't cook/brown. Whereas if you have a much larger tray, all the chips can sit in their own space and cook more quickly without the need for shaking half way through

 

[Dave7]

Cheaper than a gas oven ? Gas is about a third of the cost of leccy. Our oven which isn't that large can cook oven chip in 16 minutes
if you thaw them out before hand

I don't defrost frozen chips. Straight in and 11 minutes later, brown crispy chips

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I did a baked potato on our last night

I just sprayed it with some oil (air fryer specific - not sure what difference that makes!) and put some salt on in
and baked for 35 minutes at 200 degrees

lovely fluffy spud with crispy skin

BTW - chips in mine tend to take 18 minutes
whether frozen or just spuds cut up with some oil on them

 

[Electric_Andy]

I did a baked potato on our last night

I just sprayed it with some oil (air fryer specific - not sure what difference that makes!) and put some salt on in
and baked for 35 minutes at 200 degrees

lovely fluffy spud with crispy skin

BTW - chips in mine tend to take 18 minutes
whether frozen or just spuds cut up with some oil on them

I think it depends on the brand (if you buy frozen chips). McCain seem to cook quicker and a lot better than cheap own brands of the same thickness. Maybe they've got a better coating.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

I think it depends on the brand (if you buy frozen chips). McCain seem to cook quicker and a lot better than cheap own brands of the same thickness. Maybe they've got a better coating.

Ah - yes
the coating is the problem with McCains - they use flour so I am not allowed them

I am currently trying different own brand ones as they often just have potato and oil - rather than a fancy coating

although I am currently on just making my own as they taste better!

 

[Electric_Andy]

although I am currently on just making my own as they taste better!

my dad has started doing that - he'll peel and chip spuds, coat in oil and freeze in batches. Then throw in the AF when they want them. I might try it myself one day

 

[Bonefish Blues]

Thanks for all the replies so far! It sounds like I still need a microwave, more than I need an air fryer! How about one of those microwaves that act like a conventional oven in browning and making food crisp, if required?🤔 Having a microwave AND an air fryer would be difficult due to a lack of space in my pokey kitchen!

Yes, do this. We put in a multifunction microwave a while back and it's excellent. We do also have an airfryer, I confess, but if I only had room for one, then it'd be the former, not the latter.