Air Fryers

[DanG]

I'm seriously considering buying an air fryer but can't decide which one to get. They have front loaders and top loaders. I wonder which type is more versatile. Having watched some of the sales pitches on TV, I'm leaning toward the Emeril Lagasi one that is both a pressure cooker and air fryer. Do any of you have one of those? Anybody have experience with both basic types?

[Raider Bill]

I have and love my instapot. Use the pressure setting the most. Insta pot brand has a 6qt that is dual use and is rated pretty high.
I do not have a air fryer but that may change soon. A friend that is a real good cook swear by hers.
I'm thinking diet chicken wings myself.

[RichTired]

Consumer Reports rates a few air fryers at the link below.  I am a big believer in CR and their testing.

Air Fryer CU ratings

[stavebuyer]

We have a front load air fryer only as we already owned 2 pressure cookers and a crock pot. The capacity was 7 qt and less than half the cost of the hot pot combos. I had my doubts; but the stuff comes out pretty darn good. I have a table top toaster/convection that will produce similar results but it takes more than twice the time. Ours is a "Gourmia" ordered from Amazon. Well worth the counter space.

[21incher]

We have a 6 quart one from Costco and love it. We bread precook and freeze a lot of eggplant from our garden and that airfryer cooks it up crispy in 10 minutes. Does a good job  with things like tater tots and Oreida fries also. Bacon cooks up fast on the racks also with no mess on the stove. I would go with at least a 6 quart capacity for 2 people so you don't have to prepare multiple batches.  We love ours.

[breederman]

We have had a front loader for a couple years. We use it all the time. Ours has a rotisserie basket. That is a waste. I hate to say it but it makes very good steaks in about 8 minutes. 
  We love ours.  That and the vacuum sealer live on the counter and get used often.

[stavebuyer]

I do think the "quart" rating is little misleading for the air fryer. Your not going to fill a basket and get uniform cooking like you would with an oil deep fryer. More like a cookie sheet. It wouldn't work so well inviting a crowd for a fish fry...one or two people without the big mess is its niche.

[pineywoods]

Ours works well for most things. One item that is an absolute disaster is shrimp. It cooks ok but is so tough you can't even chew it...

[Jeff]

Tammy's just arrived from the pampered chef party she had. I put it to use this morning!

Better than Wallyworld!

Garlic and Herb Chicken - YouTube


 

 

 

 

[stavebuyer]

Tammy's just arrived from the pampered chef party she had. I put it to use this morning!

Better than Wallyworld!

Garlic and Herb Chicken - YouTube


 

 

 

Just curious how much trouble your new oven type air fryer was to clean after cooking the chicken? We bought a small table top toaster type oven several years back that had a rotisserie specifically because we love the roasted chicken but abandoned it after a couple uses because it was so much trouble to clean up and get the chicken tied up to the spit.

[stavebuyer]

We have had a front loader for a couple years. We use it all the time. Ours has a rotisserie basket. That is a waste. I hate to say it but it makes very good steaks in about 8 minutes.
 We love ours.  That and the vacuum sealer live on the counter and get used often.

I usually cook most my meat over charcoal and many times cook extra stuff for later in the week. Would never have even occurred to me to air fry a steak but the next windy and rainy cookout day I may give it a go!

[kantuckid]

Regarding Brussel Sprouts, once we got into stir frying them we've never looked back. It improves the flavor and overall makes something I already liked far better. We halve them and avoid buying if their too big as flavor isn't as good.
Air fryers: I'm wondering how they'd do making home made Asian egg rolls? They take lots of grease/oil to fry them is made from scratch which is on our do list. The wrapper (similar to pie dough) needs to get browned nicely.

[stavebuyer]

Regarding Brussel Sprouts, once we got into stir frying them we've never looked back. It improves the flavor and overall makes something I already liked far better. We halve them and avoid buying if their too big as flavor isn't as good.
Air fryers: I'm wondering how they'd do making home made Asian egg rolls? They take lots of grease/oil to fry them is made from scratch which is on our do list. The wrapper (similar to pie dough) needs to get browned nicely.

The frozen egg rolls crisp up nicely with a little veggie spray so I would think your fresh ones would as well.

[Jeff]

We sprayed the rotisserie and drip pan before cooking. The clean up was  worth the taste!

[pabst79]

This item has been on the maybe purchase list for our household for a couple of years. Has anyone used one for frying fish (battered of course  )? The reviews I've read say that it's possible but you have to coat the fish when you flip the fillets? When we have a group it's fine to burn up a jug of peanut oil on the cooker, but when you just want to do a few walleye or crappie fillets, it would be nice if there was a different option.  digin_2

[Jeff]

I'd try it if I had some fish.

[kantuckid]

Regarding Brussel Sprouts, once we got into stir frying them we've never looked back. It improves the flavor and overall makes something I already liked far better. We halve them and avoid buying if their too big as flavor isn't as good.
Air fryers: I'm wondering how they'd do making home made Asian egg rolls? They take lots of grease/oil to fry them is made from scratch which is on our do list. The wrapper (similar to pie dough) needs to get browned nicely.

The frozen egg rolls crisp up nicely with a little veggie spray so I would think your fresh ones would as well.

The store bought egg rolls have already been fried then frozen. So if you air fry them, or use a toaster oven as we do, the fat/oil/grease is there.

[Jeff]

Let me tell ya, you can cook perfectly cooked fish in a hotair fryer.  We picked up some lake perch fillets and they came out awesome.



 

 

[pabst79]

They look perfect, I think we're going to add one to the cupboard lineup. I showed my wife the pic of perch, she agrees.

[stavebuyer]

Let me tell ya, you can cook perfectly cooked fish in a hotair fryer.  We picked up some lake perch fillets and they came out awesome.



 

That Perch looks great. Just curious what you used for the coating? 

[Jeff]

Flour, a beaten egg, and panko bread crumbs.seasoning of choice. If I would of had old bay or Lowry's I would have used it, but as it turned out, salt and pepper was perfect.

Pat your fillets dry, season, dredge in flour dip in beaten egg, then  dredge in the bread crumbs. Place on the cooker screen trays and cook 4 minutes.  Turn and swap tray position and cook for 4 more minutes.

[petefrom bearswamp]

Jeff that food all looks great.
How about fish smell?
I am banished to the garage or the deck to fry fish.

[Jeff]

Fish should not smell. If you have fish that smell, it means they are beyond peak freshness.

[Magicman]

No matter with Pete, he is beyond fresh too !!! 

[Jeff]

Fresh flash frozen. Not even froze to each other. No smell, but then again we dont thaw on the cupboard for hours.



 

[petefrom bearswamp]

Darn near past my use by date but not the expiration date.
I have fried  fish that have been out of the water for just a few hours and my wife still banishes me,

[Jeff]

Fish should  come out of the water and go directly into a livewell or on ice.  Put em in a bucket in warm weather until you get home and they will smell.

[WV Sawmiller]

   I have a live well in my boat I put the fish in as soon as caught, I put the plug in and fill it when loading up at the landing and if I am going to be delayed cleaning them I put them out on a long stringer in the creek next to my cleaning spot. Sometimes I will stake them out overnight there if I run my lines late at night. They are always flopping when I clean/fillet them. I store/chill the fillets in a 5 gallon bucket of water in a spare reefer on the lot next to my cleaning station then cut them into fingers/strips and vacuum freeze them the next day. That seems to work well for us. I'm talking about catfish in my case. I have not tried cooking any in an air fryer but would love to try them cooked that way.

[pabst79]

I like walleye fresh as possible, but the difference in flavor on our Canada trips when we went from 14ftrs dragging a stringer all day to bigger boats with live wells is night and day. Same can be said for catching a mess of gills in Jan on the ice versus July when its 90.

We are looking at the Bella pro or the Instant 7in1 if anybody has a take?

[petefrom bearswamp]

Fish I catch go from my livewell to a cooler with ice if I have very far to travel.
Shore lunches, when possible, are the best tho.

[Magicman]

Some people cook fish using beer and wine.  Heck some of them actually put it on the fish!! 

[petefrom bearswamp]

I sometimes use some gin too, in the manner in the first half of your post

[Jeff]

I did cod in ours tonight. It was great. 



 

 

 

[NotEnoughTime]

My wife bought herself an air-fryer last year.  Didn't think much of it, now I use it all the time for quick meals.  Fantastic for crispy fish without the mess, great for one-person meal with frozen french fries/fish filets/ breaded chicken out of the freezer.  Good to re-warm leftovers that used to be crispy (sometimes I warm in the microwave, then re-crisp in the air fryer).  Great for for ham and cheese on a Kaiser roll, rather than bread slices in a pan for grilled cheese.   Also makes a cheese steak that is melted with crusty bun on all sides.

We have the simple front-loader 4 Qt counter model.  Simple to operate as a microwave.

[Jeff]

I found some smoked pork chops in a deep dig into the deep freeze and fired I better do something with them. Just dredged in egg then seasoned flour, 7 minutes a side. The veggies were cooked in our quick cooker pressure cooker.


 

 

 

 

[TimRB]

Shore lunches, when possible, are the best tho.

Back in our diving days we had just come in off a beach dive in Monterey Bay and were relaxing in the sun.  Two other divers, not from our party, came ashore.  They had been successfully spearfishing.  They built a small fire right on the beach and pan-fried their fillets with olive oil, wine, capers, maybe more, and made sandwiches.  Since they saw my tongue dragging in the sand, they took pity on me and invited me to share.  To this day, I have never, ever had fish of any kind that was as good. 
Tim

[Raider Bill]

Dan,
Did you ever decide which one to buy?

[Jeff]

I cooked perhaps the best tasting meal of perch tonight I have ever cooked and maybe eaten. Or at least remember!



 

 

 

[DanG]

Dan,
Did you ever decide which one to buy?

No, I decided to hold off for a while. My Daughter is out of work and I may have to help her out, so I'm hoarding my pennies. ;)

[Jeff]

Tammy's mom was given some beef, which they rarely eat. She gave us 4 t-bone steaks.

I made one in the airfryer last night for Tammy and I to split. 10 minutes a side for medium rare.



 

[doc henderson]

so who gets the bone?  

[Jeff]

We don't feed bones to dogs. Not safe in my view.



 

[doc henderson]

we do not do chicken bones, but big pork butt ones we do.  takes them days to make them smaller.     how do you  make the mushroom caps?  recipe?

[Raider Bill]

Save your bones in the freezer. When you get a bunch bake then boil for broth.

[Jeff]

.    how do you  make the mushroom caps?  recipe?

https://www.freshdirect.com/pdp.jsp?productId=veg_pid_2301578&catId=msh_portabella
But we get them at walmart.  All out now. We like them as they are only about 33 calories each, and they really fill out a meal.

[Walnut Beast]

Jeff you are making me hungry with all the tasty stuff you are making   smiley_clapping.  

[armechanic]

And so, what is the air fryer to have ?  this one, that one , both or neither ?  DanG would probably like to know as I am holding my breath for the answer.

[Jeff]

All i know is what I got, one is all i can afford! Tammy had a pampered chef party and earned a hostess gift of 60% on one item, so she got their pampered chef one.

[thecfarm]

We bought ours right after Christmas,$45, should of been twice that. It's a Instant Vortex, 6 quart. 
We just started to use it in the last month. We like it. Have not tried to bake fish, just frozen fries, onion rings. We did do some French fries and olive oil. We sliced the fries and put them in a bag with some olive oil. shook them a little and cooked them.

[stavebuyer]

I tried Jeff's air fried pork chops yesterday. Flour/egg/Panko crumbs. 10 Minutes per side. They were fantastic. Meat was tender and juicy and the coating was crunchy. Not greasy like oven or pan fried.  8) I will be trying skinless chicken breasts with the same treatment.



 

[Ianab]

With the current lockdown here, 99% of the shops are closed, so no takeaways. 

But stores are now allowed to sell "essential" cooking appliances etc online, phone etc. So if your fridge blows up, you can call your local store and they can deliver a new one. 

It seems Air Fryers are an essential for the folks hanging out for a takeaway chips fix. I thing we have delivered a new one to someone on our mail/courier run every day for the last week  :D 

Some frozen fries from the supermarket + air fryer = good hot chips. 

Essential service right there. 

[Jeff]

I roasted some potatoes to go in my chicken gizzard soup yesterday. They almost didn't go in the soup!



 

[Jeff]

I dont know about others, but our air fryer has dehydrate and jerky functions. We tried it out on some thawed, frozen, wolf river apples I put up last fall for pies.  Wonderful snack. Sweet and intense.



 

 

[thecfarm]

Nice. 
Don't have that on ours. But she made a chocolate cake it in this morning. Came out thick!

[Jeff]

Tonight we made hamburgers and tater tots at the same time. Hamburgers were 20 min total, turned the tots and burgers at 8 minutes, then took the tots out at 12, then 8 more for the burgers. I think 16 would have been perfect for me. Tammy is a 20 chick   400°



 .

[Jeff]

A big deal sealer for me now, if it twernt already apparent.  JERKY SUCCESS!!
Air fryer Jerky. - YouTube


 


There abouts Jerky Recipe: (There abouts applies to all measurements. Do not measure. Guess.

1 lb or so of thin meat 3/8" or there abouts
¼ cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon meat tenderizer
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika

Set to dehydrate 170° 3 hrs. Switch trays at 1.5 hrs.  Cool and done.

[YellowHammer]

So after reading this topic, I went and got a basic air fryer from Wal Mart, and just love it.  It makes great food, and since I had sworn off deep fried food years ago, I can now start eating things I haven't been able to eat in a long time.  So I am sold, 100%.  I've been using it pretty much every day, but mine is too small.  I can't cook multiple items and I couldn't even cook the fries from 3 potatos the other day, much less chicken drumsticks and one potato worth of French fries. 

I was looking at Jeff's Pampered chef model, and it looks nice and big, but the Pampered Chef one is on backorder. Are there others out there as good that can do family meals that people have had  experiences with?

     

[stavebuyer]

So after reading this topic, I went and got a basic air fryer from Wal Mart, and just love it.  It makes great food, and since I had sworn off deep fried food years ago, I can now start eating things I haven't been able to eat in a long time.  So I am sold, 100%.  I've been using it pretty much every day, but mine is too small.  I can't cook multiple items and I couldn't even cook the fries from 3 potatos the other day, much less chicken drumsticks and one potato worth of French fries.

I was looking at Jeff's Pampered chef model, and it looks nice and big, but the Pampered Chef one is on backorder. Are there others out there as good that can do family meals that people have had  experiences with?

   

I am hoping ours breaks so I have an excuse to order the one Jeff has Well that and we have a top end convection counter top toaster oven that's used daily. I ain't building a bigger kitchen

[Walnut Beast]

So after reading this topic, I went and got a basic air fryer from Wal Mart, and just love it.  It makes great food, and since I had sworn off deep fried food years ago, I can now start eating things I haven't been able to eat in a long time.  So I am sold, 100%.  I've been using it pretty much every day, but mine is too small.  I can't cook multiple items and I couldn't even cook the fries from 3 potatos the other day, much less chicken drumsticks and one potato worth of French fries.

I was looking at Jeff's Pampered chef model, and it looks nice and big, but the Pampered Chef one is on backorder. Are there others out there as good that can do family meals that people have had  experiences with?

   

Looks like I might have to get one and get in on the air fryer craze 😂

[Walnut Beast]

A big deal sealer for me now, if it twernt already apparent.  JERKY SUCCESS!!
Air fryer Jerky. - YouTube


 

😋😋mmm

[Jeff]

4.2 lb butt roast.It came in a web wrap.I shoved the spit through it and secured it. Much easier than a chicken.  I took a small shallow baking dish and put a bunch of fresh ground pepper, sea salt, garlic pepper, thyme, parsley in it and mixed it together. Then I just rolled the roast in it picking it all up. I then spritzed it with Pam canola 0 calorie pump spray. The time was around an hour and 15 minutes.  400 degrees. I used my Meater bluetooth thermometer to monitor from my phone. It akso sends me an alert when Ive reached my target temp. For the beef it alerts early so you can pull the heat and let the meat reach the last few degrees at rest. It was cooked perfect for us.



 

 

 

[Jeff]

Ohboyohboyohboyohboy

Tammy loves shrimp so we made her air fried coconut shrimp for the first time for Mother's day. . Again, OMG!

My dippin sauce is half ketchup half ranch, several chunks of jalapeno and a dash of sweet relish.  Tammy has ranch.

So  good! When will this bag of tater tots ever run out??


 

 

[doc henderson]

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

[Jeff]

I made bluegill in the air fryer for the first time. Total of 6 minutes. Perfection. As good as any i have ever eaten and no oil!!