Quick meal

[Shane R]

I first bought an air fryer around Christmas of 2018. It was a round unit with analog controls and about a 5 liter basket. I spent over a year experimenting with it. I learned that pretty much any frozen appetizer or snack food (think burritos, taquitos, onion rings, fries, egg rolls, etc.) is more palatable prepared in an air fryer rather than the oven. A variety of meats, poultry, and fish can also be air fried with good results.

Last fall I upgraded my air fryer to an Instant pot Vortex, which cost $98 at a military BX. It has a square basket, which I find more useful than a round basket, and performs 4 functions: air fry, roast, bake, broil. It is also a couple of liters larger in capacity than my first one.

Many of the units coming on the market claim to do multiple functions. Naturally, they do some better than others. Most air fryers top out at 400 degrees, which is not sufficient for broiling. You do have to turn the food from time to time to get an even texture all the way around. It's also good to buy a handful of accessories, at least a cast iron searing plate, to accompany the unit. Air fryers do not like much liquid in the cooking chamber so foods like eggs don't work well in them.

 

[Shane R]

The exception to liquid in the cooking chamber is foods that produce some liquid as they cook. Bacon, burgers, and shrimp all do very well in the air fryer. My colleague Fr. Tom was amazed at how easy it was to make great breakfast sausage links in an air fryer: set it to about 350 or 360 and 6 minutes of cook time and standard size sausage links are perfect every time.

 

[Under_the_moon]

Thank you for the info Shane R! I am looking forward to getting one, especially after you mentioned the breakfast sausages!! The shrimp too.. Very interesting

 

[Shane R]

The one other thing I thought of that is important to know about air fryers is they vent some serious hot air out the back. You've either got to move it out on the counter when it's running or set it in front of something that can take the heat. I've got mine set up in front of one of the kitchen windows so I can crack the window and let that hot exhaust escape. I had a little baggy of flower food sitting on the sill behind it one time and when I went to use it I found the air fryer exhaust had melted the packaging and turned the flower food into a little rock.

 

[Under_the_moon]

Thank you for the tip on that.. I would have put it on the counter against the wall. I'll have to think of a better way to set it up, maybe a microwave stand.

Have you ever heard of a "turbo flavour wave" cooker? That's what I use now. It is kind of simular to an air fryer.. the antique version i guess. I've had it for a long time. It cooks with light and blows the air around inside for an even cook. It works great but time for me to upgrade to air fryer. The turbo waves use to be really popular.. if I remember correctly it was Mr. T who endorsed them. I am actually really surprised it still works after all these years and the light bulb hasn't burned out yet.