Should I buy an air fryer?

May 4, 2013 6:47 AM

Has any one used an air fryer? If so, would you recommend them? If (further) so, what brand should I buy? (I'm in the UK).
posted by Optamystic to Food & Drink (4 answers total)

Best answer: Got a T-Fal Actifry in this house about six months ago, to general acclaim. Potatoes are good in them; sweet potatoes doubly so. The food produced by them tends to be on the light-and-airy side -- I guess this is the benefit of a tablespoon of oil in a pound of potato. The machine is remarkably easy to use and to clean. If there is any downside it is that the food tends to have a short half-life. Sweet potato fries just out of the machine are superb; keep them warm for an extra ten or fifteen minutes and they become unappealing. It can be an issue when you have something else on the stove or in the oven and you have to time multiple food preps to coincide.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:10 AM on May 4, 2013 [3 favorites]

Both my mother and my sister have Actifrys, and swear by them. The Actifry invariably comes out when the family gets together on a Sunday - you can stick potatoes or even stir fry in there and basically walk away from it. The only reason I don't have one is because I don't have the space to store it.
posted by LN at 7:12 AM on May 4, 2013

We have an actifry and absolutely love it. I make chips including cajun chips and sweet potato chips, roast potatoes, veggie sausages, fried aubergine and fried mixed veg in ours all the time and everything comes out much tastier than when oven baked, plus it's quicker. In fact when ours broke just out of warranty we went right out and bought a new, larger one. So be sure to get one with an extended warranty and go for the family size.
posted by hazyjane at 8:08 AM on May 4, 2013 [1 favorite]

Why my goodness, I was just studying these and wondering if they were worth a darn. Not to hijack the thread buy has anyone cooked seafood?

-signed, Hungry, Wondering, and Conveniently Close to the ocean in Key West
posted by Mike Mongo at 8:36 PM on May 4, 2013 [2 favorites]