Let's Talk BBQ
Other Cooking Equipment => Other cooking Eqipment => AIR FRYERS => Topic started by: TMB on February 01, 2018, 03:19:57 PM
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I bought and air fryer after many days and nights watching this site and Tom's YouTube channel.
After seeing things that were done in them I just had to get one and talking Kimmie into it was no easy task.
She kept saying "Why do you need another cooker"? I said because this thing cooks without oil and does it in
a way where it's close the Big Easy way of cooking. Well with that she agreed to get one, so I asked for info
from folks here and outside the forum. Some said this was a good one some said no that one is better.
After a few weeks of thinking it over and looking at $$$$ I decided to go with the Air Fryer XL 5.3 qt.
Now I know these have their issues just like all products do, but the $$$ was right and I could have it that day
which gave me 14 days to play with it before going back to work after my surgery. This was the main reason I
pulled the trigger on it. Now I know that sounds crazy and I'm nuts anyway but I could give it a run for 90 days
then take it back if not happy. Being off for 14 days really gives me time to try things and I have believe me.
After reading issues with this unit and talking to forum members I knew what the weak spots were going to be
so I unboxed it and looked it over real good. I ran it dry for a min to make sure there was no issues with
the controls then I washed the baskets and divider tray. Got it ready to use then noticed the door is kinda
strange the way it goes in, but once you figure it out it's all good. Many issues I read about were the door
issues. I think some people just forced their doors and they broke. I could be wrong but I could see how that
could be the case. The next thing I noticed was the way the basket sits in the grease tray. it's not supported
on the end which will cause long term wear on the handle, so I am looking into a way to support the basket
without hurting the finish. This should help keep pressure off the handle/grease tray.
I started with an easy bread mix, then I made a pizza from that recipe. From there I moved to making hamburgers
in it and Kimmie love it so much she has her own recipe/info book for this air fryer.
Next, I moved on to breakfast sausage keeping track of times and temps (for Kimmie) then we moved to BACON
and then candy bacon. I found with wings a 3 to 4 min preheat helps out a lot. With bacon or another small
meat the fan blows it all over the basket so having a wire grate or something to hold it in place would help a
lot.
All in all I'm pleased with this unit, not to say I'm overly impressed with the quality of the materials used
to make it BUT like a Bradley smoker there are good ones and bad ones. This seems to be holding up to the test
so far and I can see why folks have issues with it, but if (to me) you know what it is and how it's made (again
like a Bradely smoker) I feel this unit can go for awhile without issues. For those that own a Bradley OBS you
know how the door would break or the lower panel would crack, but my Bradley is 8 years old and keeps going so
to me how you treat a cooker will determin how well it holds up.
I will put it through a few more test before I decide if I think it will stay, but right now I have really no complants with it (but that can change) ::) ::)
Thanks to all that gave advice :thumbup:
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Congrats Tommy on your new cooker! Awesome looking cooks! Sure you haven't used one before?? ;)
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Congrats Tommy on your new cooker! Awesome looking cooks! Sure you haven't used one before?? ;)
Nope never have, but reminds me of a small Big Easy :D :D :D :D So I feel good about trying things and kinda having ideas on what will and wont work
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Great write up Tommy but I do have one question "do you really need another cooker" ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;D ;D ;D ;D LOL
I have this on a short list too. Next years budget.
Thanks for your review as always...I like what you said an indoor big easy ;D ;D ;D ;D
Enjoy it
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Great write up Tommy but I do have one question "do you really need another cooker" ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;D ;D ;D ;D LOL
I have this on a short list too. Next years budget.
Thanks for your review as always...I like what you said an indoor big easy ;D ;D ;D ;D
Enjoy it
That is what Kimmie said, my answer was YES :D :D :D The timing was right for a good test and I couldn't buy one this size for the price anywhere so I pulled the trigger and hope for the best
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Looks like you are an expert already. The bottom under the basket will most likely flake off. Drives many people crazy. Mine did. Doesn't bother me. As I knew it would happen. Like I you said not great materials used
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Looks like you are an expert already. The bottom under the basket will most likely flake off. Drives many people crazy. Mine did. Doesn't bother me. As I knew it would happen. Like I you said not great materials used
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
If it does no bigger, but the basket seems loose in the tray so I can see where that will be a long term issue. I'm looking at making a leg for the end of the basket to sit flat in the tray so it will stay steady and not put undue stress on the plastic tray
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Congrats on the new Cooker Tommy! Like the idea of supporting the back side of the inner basket that should take some stress off the latch that holds the two together. Nice lookin Chow! :thumbup:
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Thanks for your run down. I been thinking about pulling the trigger on a air fryer myself but not to sure on which one would suit me best.
This one is one sale for a 100 bucks off. So many good and bad reviews on all of them makes deciding which one to but that much harder. :)
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/t-fal-acti-fry-2-in-1-tray-0431456p.html#srp
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Looks like you have been putting it through it's paces Tommy.
IMHO an air fryer is not good at everything, but it does a good job at a lot of small jobs.
Quick, easy to use, & easy to clean up.
You can't beat that combination.
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Thanks for your run down. I been thinking about pulling the trigger on a air fryer myself but not to sure on which one would suit me best.
This one is one sale for a 100 bucks off. So many good and bad reviews on all of them makes deciding which one to but that much harder. :)
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/t-fal-acti-fry-2-in-1-tray-0431456p.html#srp
That particular unit is not a true "air fryer" - as it requires a tablespoon or 2 of oil. Works by a different set of rules....However the Phillips unit in the lower right corner of the page in your link is a true - oil-free air fryer.
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Tommy - you will have fun with it. It can do a lot of things - more than just fry.....it will convection bake, etc. Still prefer cooking outside on my MAK - but, man - this thing can really help out when the weather is bad - or I need a side dish in a hurry.
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Tommy - you will have fun with it. It can do a lot of things - more than just fry.....it will convection bake, etc. Still prefer cooking outside on my MAK - but, man - this thing can really help out when the weather is bad - or I need a side dish in a hurry.
Tee my ovens have the convection bake feature (I love it but my wife does not) so does this unit besides, smaller, quicker have any other advantages as far as the convection bake feature goes over a regular oven or are they the same.
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Tommy - you will have fun with it. It can do a lot of things - more than just fry.....it will convection bake, etc. Still prefer cooking outside on my MAK - but, man - this thing can really help out when the weather is bad - or I need a side dish in a hurry.
Tee my ovens have the convection bake feature (I love it but my wife does not) so does this unit besides, smaller, quicker have any other advantages as far as the convection bake feature goes over a regular oven or are they the same.
My kitchen ovens have convection...but not to the same degree as these "air fryers". The smaller chamber and higher fan rate/air-thru put make for a better crisping of most foods. And they are much more energy efficient, easy to clean and require little storage space. Pretty neat tool.
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Tommy - you will have fun with it. It can do a lot of things - more than just fry.....it will convection bake, etc. Still prefer cooking outside on my MAK - but, man - this thing can really help out when the weather is bad - or I need a side dish in a hurry.
Tee my ovens have the convection bake feature (I love it but my wife does not) so does this unit besides, smaller, quicker have any other advantages as far as the convection bake feature goes over a regular oven or are they the same.
Now I need you to talk to my wife ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) As always Thanks it is on my list
My kitchen ovens have convection...but not to the same degree as these "air fryers". The smaller chamber and higher fan rate/air-thru put make for a better crisping of most foods. And they are much more energy efficient, easy to clean and require little storage space. Pretty neat tool.
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Way to go Tommy. We use are Air Fryer more and more these days.
Do some bacon wrapped tater tots............you will lose your mind.
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Sure didn't take you long to start making some good looking cooks. Congrats on your new cooker. You will find many new ways to do your cooks, but for me, some of the food will always need SMOKE.
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Sure didn't take you long to start making some good looking cooks. Congrats on your new cooker. You will find many new ways to do your cooks, but for me, some of the food will always need SMOKE.
You can pre- cold smoke anything that you want to cook in an air fryer...... ;)
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Thanks for your run down. I been thinking about pulling the trigger on a air fryer myself but not to sure on which one would suit me best.
This one is one sale for a 100 bucks off. So many good and bad reviews on all of them makes deciding which one to but that much harder. :)
http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/t-fal-acti-fry-2-in-1-tray-0431456p.html#srp
That's the one I have. I love it. You only need a little oil for the fresh french fries not much else. It cooks a steak or chicken perfect. Go to the other cooking equipment menu and look under the air fryers for some pics. It is as good as new and I use it about twice a week.
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We need to separate the air fryers by description.....
Those that you use oil with ( How the hell they market THAT as an..."air fryer" escapes all sense for me... ::))
And those that are TRUE air fryers.
So- how would you guys like to do this? Suggestions? Ideas?
Here is one:
OAAF - ( Oil Added Air Fryer )
NOAAF ( No Oil Added Air Fryer )
Or even OA or NO as an abbreviation that helps the reader know more about how accurate the description "Air Fryer" is ( even tho any of them are truly a convection oven...not really a fryer anyway :D ).
It will help folks know enough o decide which way they want to go - for health/dietary reasons....
Will post this as a separate thread as well....
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We need to separate the air fryers by description.....
Those that you use oil with ( How the hell they market THAT as an..."air fryer" escapes all sense for me... ::))
And those that are TRUE air fryers.
So- how would you guys like to do this? Suggestions? Ideas?
Here is one:
OAAF - ( Oil Added Air Fryer )
NOAAF ( No Oil Added Air Fryer )
Or even OA or NO as an abbreviation that helps the reader know more about how accurate the description "Air Fryer" is ( even tho any of them are truly a convection oven...not really a fryer anyway :D ).
It will help folks know enough o decide which way they want to go - for health/dietary reasons....
Will post this as a separate thread as well....
Tee I vote oa & no simple works for
me. Lol
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We need to separate the air fryers by description.....
Those that you use oil with ( How the hell they market THAT as an..."air fryer" escapes all sense for me... ::))
And those that are TRUE air fryers.
So- how would you guys like to do this? Suggestions? Ideas?
Here is one:
OAAF - ( Oil Added Air Fryer )
NOAAF ( No Oil Added Air Fryer )
Or even OA or NO as an abbreviation that helps the reader know more about how accurate the description "Air Fryer" is ( even tho any of them are truly a convection oven...not really a fryer anyway :D ).
It will help folks know enough o decide which way they want to go - for health/dietary reasons....
Will post this as a separate thread as well....
Tee I vote oa & no simple works for
me. Lol
Hey that works for me :thumbup:
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I don't see how you can "fry" with air. It is like calling The Big Easy a turkey fryer. It is a roaster and a darn good one. Frying requires pan, grease (oil) and heat. Just my two cents worth from an old Southern Boy who was taught how to fry and cook by my Granny and Mother. I like fried foods, especially fried chicken in deep fat, bacon grease if you have it. If it kills me, like I told my wife "I want to die from Something, I don't want to die from Nothing".