Air fryer -- do you use it?

I my air fryer! I agree with all the other posters and will add that in addition to making wonderful food, it's very easy to clean up after using.

Great question, I have been wondering too.... Can't wait to see what everyone says

So any recommendations for brand/cost? We would only do small volumes for 2 people.

I just bought a Cuisinart air fryer/toaster over combo about a week ago and have enjoyed it. It is a breeze to cook individual fish fillets, I have used it to make a pre-packaged chicken-crust pizza, and to reheat/crisp less healthy foods for the family. I especially like that ai don't have to heat up my entire oven to make a small meal for just myself.

We use it for wings, also. The kids all love them so that speaks volumes (they are so hard to please).

I had been toying with the idea of an air fryer for awhile as I wasn't sure how much I'd use it either. I found myself needing new toaster over as well, so I got a combination toaster oven / air fryer (it's wasn't cheap, but it does conserve counter space). I've had it for a week or two, and I'm actually shocked at how much I use it! And given that it's a combo deal (essentially just a small convection oven), I find myself using it for things (like roasting garlic of peppers) that I would have normally used my full size oven for - it's just so convenient!

And I guess if the novelty wears off (I don't think it will), I still have a very large and expensive toaster ;-)

I also bought a pressure cooker at the same time, and I find myself using that quite a bit as well - and again for things I didn't necessarily think I would use it for (like steaming vegetables).

I didn't read all the responses, but I will say I don't like mine.

I get a lot of kitchen gadgets as gifts because people know that I cook pretty extensively. I wanted to love this, but I find it to be an unnecessary waste of space and energy. I actually gave mine to my MIL because I found it really useless. It's impractical for family cooking, IMHO -- and I can get things "crispy" without the use of another gadget taking up space in my kitchen.

I make wings an awful lot -- and I never fry them. People have no idea that they aren't fried, and ask for my wings a lot during football season. The secret to this is three things:

1. Put the wings in a bowl with a towel loosely covering them for a few hours (to dry out). I have even done this overnight. (I am assuming we are starting with thawed wings, BTW)
2. Pat the wings dry with paper towels when ready to cook.
3. Toss the wings in baking POWDER and salt. About 2-3 Tablespoons BP/1 tsp. salt to 3-4 lbs of wings.
4. Put them on a pam sprayed rack over a baking sheet -- put the wings close together on the rack (they shrink up!) -- I use half sheet pans. All my pans are from a restaurant supplier.
5. Bake about 1/2 hour at 250º
6. Raise temp to 425º and bake about another 45 minutes, give or take -- more if you want them to look really "brown" -- if you are making more than one rack/tray at a time, you can swap and rotate the trays.
7. Toss with your sauce of choice

I make zucchini fries, etc all the time -- all crispy without an air fryer. I make falafels in my waffle iron -- and they are awesome -- falafel waffles!

Ingredients

1/4 cup olive oil

lemon juice to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or 1.5 of almond flour

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 large egg whites or 1 whole egg

2-3 cloves garlic

1.5 cups of cooked chick peas (I use ½ dry to make 1.5 c.)

Toss it all in the food processor and pulse. It should be pretty smooth when ready. I heat my iron to medium - spray with some pam - fill ¾ full and shut gently. You don't want to smash them down. It takes about 5 to 6 minutes maybe? I usually get about 6 or 7 of them from a batch.

Often, I double or triple the recipe and then flash freeze them. Once they are frozen you can toss them in a baggie and heat them in the toaster oven to reheat whenever you like. I like to eat them with a strong tahini sauce I make as well. They are a bit carby - so I do portion control them - and I certainly don't eat them every day. My husband usually eats 3 in a pita sandwich (naturally thin jerk). My son can eat all 6, if I let him.

I have a noob question. Are the wings drying out in a bowl in the fridge or room air?

I don't have room for most small appliances. An air fryer doesn't call to me. The boy loves his Cuisinart panni/grill. My old toaster is dusty.

Thanks for the wing recipe.

The Mrs. said we have to find the waffle iron to make falafel!

I dry them in the fridge, with a tea towel laid on top.

I use my air fryer a lot.

A few things I learned......

Air Fryer #1:

My first one was the small size.... opt for the large size.

Don't remember the brand.... but the bottom of the basket was wire mesh... very difficult to clean, unless you use parchment paper inserts for the bottom from Amazon (a/k/a bamboo steamer papers)

Air Fryer #2:

Got the XL1....the one that has an infomercial every other hour... Eric someone.

Got large size. Wish there was a bigger size, but this one is 6 qt. I think and it is big enough...I cook for three adults and 8 yr. old granddaughter.

Easy to clean.... no wire mesh so no need for the parchment papers.

Love cooking whole chicken, chicken pieces, pork chops, fish and steak. Also zucchini fries, cauliflower, etch. And for daughter and granddaughter...French fries, chicken nuggets, corn dogs, and various appetizers.

Looked into Air Fryer Oven.... three trays of food cook at once, $199. But reviews were very bad.

Bottom line... I use it a lot, and enjoy it. Lots of Facebook recipe pages too.