Air fryer

[Craig234]

I heat things as pretty much all I cook. Having said that, I bought an air fryer perhaps a year ago, and opened it this week.

It has four settings, air fry and whatever.

So, I have some frozen Mozerella breaded sticks. They say, fry at 475 for 2 minutes, or bake at 350 for 7 minutes. So what the heck do I do on the air fryer?

Well, 'fry' is 'fry', so I tried 2 minutes. They weren't cooked. So I did them longer and they were fine, but I'm guessing, how am I supposed to know how to translate the cooking?

Second problem: to no one else's surprise, they had melted cheese pour out. Onto the nice metal plate thing that came with the fryer. That's a mess and I don't like cleaning.

So, how would I normally deal with such melted cheese oozing out? I'm guessing a layer of foil isn't the answer? For what it's worth - the (two) things heated in it are coming out fine so far.

 

[Red Squirrel]

I assume this is similar to an Actifry? You pretty much need to find recipes/time tables that are specific to it, as it's not really interchangeable with a deep fryer or other forms of cooling. It's a different kind of frying.

I would probably avoid anything with cheese in there, since yeah it will be quite a mess. Probably take a couple dishwasher runs for that one.

 

[snoopy7548]

When the directions say "fry" I think that means to deep fry.

Put a layer of foil on the metal tray. I always have one on the tray in my toaster oven.

 

[Kaido]

1. Which model did you get? What temperature settings are on it?

2. If your mozzarella sticks are leaking, that means you have the temperature too high. Cheese melts then boils. So if it's to the point where it's leaking, that means it's boiling, which means the temperature is too high.

3. Air fryers aren't fryers, they are just turbo convection ovens. That means every single recipe you try is going to have to be adjusted to the way your particular air fryer cooks, and every air fryer cooks differently because of the fan speed, heat settings, and space available. It's super easy to burn, dry-out, and over-heat (ex. boil) foods because of the variability. I would suggest keeping a small notebook & pen next to your machine to store notes on, because you will have some failures before you have a lot of successes.

4. I would suggest investing in an oil mister, which lets you spray-coat your food with a small amount of oil, which will help it crisp up easier: https://www.amazon.com/Anmyox-Sprayer-Dispenser-Roasting-Grilling/dp/B07TZDZW4D/

 

[OccamsToothbrush]

As Kaido says, temp too high and/or probably in there too long. With an air fryer you essentially have to relearn how to cook everything. Nothing cooks in an air fryer the same way it cooks in an oven or a deep fryer. And depending on the size, power and airflow of your particular model, nothing cooks the same way in yours that it will cook in other air fryers. It's not a "set in and forget it" form of cooking when you first get one. You have to watch everything closely until you learn timings for the things you cook often.

 

[balloonshark]

If you have stuck on food in your air fryer basket I suggest soaking it to loosen the food since most baskets are non-stick and the coating could flake off if you try scrubbing without soaking. My model is known for this so I also use a little oil on some foods to prevent sticking.

When I air fry I tend to check often and give them a shake every couple minutes or so unless I know something takes longer to cook.

P.S. Fast food french fries warmed up in the air fryer are awesome and best of all it only takes a minute or two at the most. You have to keep a close eye on them.

@Kaido, Have you used that particular air sprayer model?

 

[Craig234]

It's a Ninja air fryer. So foil is the only answer to things that might melt?

 

[Kaido]

@Kaido, Have you used that particular air sprayer model?

Yeah, I use one for EVOO & one for canola.

 

[Kaido]

As Kaido says, temp too high and/or probably in there too long. With an air fryer you essentially have to relearn how to cook everything. Nothing cooks in an air fryer the same way it cooks in an oven or a deep fryer. And depending on the size, power and airflow of your particular model, nothing cooks the same way in yours that it will cook in other air fryers. It's not a "set in and forget it" form of cooking when you first get one. You have to watch everything closely until you learn timings for the things you cook often.

That's pretty much it, and that's why I recommend keeping a little notebook nearby, because you really do have to learn the timings for everything you cook.

I kind of have a love-hate relationship with air fryers. I've had an Oyama, a Philips, and currently a very large Breville Air combo unit. It's useful for kid food (nuggets, fish sticks, fries, etc.) as well as reheating homemade quesadilla triangles. I sometimes have trouble getting the results I want out of it with other stuff tho...

 

[Craig234]

So here's something that came up: I have frozen, uncooked Chicken Cordon Bleu. Put it in the oven an hour normally.

Can this even be cooked in the air fryer? No idea how long, and cooking raw chicken, experimenting sounds like a bad idea (ya, I know about 165 internal temp if I ever get/find the cooking thermometer, but even then). The potato cakes to bake at 350 for 14 minutes, come out great air fried at the same temp and time.

 

[quikah]

So here's something that came up: I have frozen, uncooked Chicken Cordon Bleu. Put it in the oven an hour normally.

Can this even be cooked in the air fryer? No idea how long, and cooking raw chicken, experimenting sounds like a bad idea (ya, I know about 165 internal temp if I ever get/find the cooking thermometer, but even then). The potato cakes to bake at 350 for 14 minutes, come out great air fried at the same temp and time.

Google it. Find out approximate times, start at the lower times and keep checking. Once it is done make a note of the time/temp and use that for the next time.

Chicken wings work pretty well (the skin gets nice and crispy). I do mine @ 375 for about 20 minutes, turning over halfway and keep an eye on it the last 3-4 minutes to avoid burning.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I'm tempted to get one of those contraptions since they're for sale everywhere. They seem to be pretty nifty, but not sure I'd use it that often.

 

[Craig234]

I'm tempted to get one of those contraptions since they're for sale everywhere. They seem to be pretty nifty, but not sure I'd use it that often.

So far, I got a big thing of like 20 potato patties and am having 2-4 at a time a day. I suspect it would be good for reheating something like pizza, haven't tried it.

 

[OccamsToothbrush]

I'm tempted to get one of those contraptions since they're for sale everywhere. They seem to be pretty nifty, but not sure I'd use it that often.

And there's the problem with new gadgets. If you buy one you want to be able to justify the purchase and you try to use it a lot and that usually fails because most gadgets have a very narrow range of functions. There are some things that air fryers cook well and a lot of other things that they don't cook well. If you get one you have to accept that it's going to spend a fair amount of time on the shelf doing nothing, otherwise you'll try to use it for things you shouldn't and just be disappointed in it.

 

[nakedfrog]

What I read when I started looking into it has me pretty well sold on just getting a convection toaster oven instead of an air fryer.

 

[Scarpozzi]

And there's the problem with new gadgets. If you buy one you want to be able to justify the purchase and you try to use it a lot and that usually fails because most gadgets have a very narrow range of functions. There are some things that air fryers cook well and a lot of other things that they don't cook well. If you get one you have to accept that it's going to spend a fair amount of time on the shelf doing nothing, otherwise you'll try to use it for things you shouldn't and just be disappointed in it.

Right. I just assumed an air fryer would be ideal for tater tots or fries...

I rarely use a microwave because it's not the best tool for the job most of the time. I will say that the electric pressure cooker craze is legit. I prefer those over stove-top by far....otherwise, I'm a gas range/stainless steel cookware kind of guy.

 

[BoomerD]

We bought one last spring...IIRC, we've used it 3-4 times. It works for french fries and tater tots...sort of.