I just ordered the Phillips Airfryer

[Kaido]

These are pretty awesome for small batches of food, ime. A friend's wife uses hers religiously for making Taiwanese 2x-fried popcorn chicken, and dare I say it is probably some of the greatest chicken I have ever eaten.

I just did chicken tonight, came out great! Actually I did a Ron Swanson "Turf & Turf" dinner tonight, starting out with a 10oz NY Strip:

Followed by a chicken breast pounded down & coated with honey mustard sauce, paprika, basil, and garlic salt:

The steak was...cooked. Again, I prefer crust. My #1 way of making steak is in my wannabe salamander broiler (Namath Rapid Cooker), followed by Alton Brown's cast iron oven-stove method (which imo yields a better crust, but smokes out my unventilated house). Third place would be sous vide, just for the tenderness, although I've never been able to get a crust quite to my liking (granted, I need to try again now that I can have real butter). Anyway, with enough butter & seasonings, it was decent. The nice thing was all I had to do was take it out of the fridge, slather it up with some canola oil & salt, and drop it in the airfryer for 15 minutes, turning once. So for seven bucks and fifteen minutes of not having to cook, I got a decent steak. Not bad!

The chicken took a bit longer, 20 or 25 minutes. I actually overcooked it just a tad...still getting the hang of how the airfryer works. The last like 30 degrees go QUICK in this thing, so you really have to watch when it gets close because all of a sudden you've overshot by ten degrees. The design of the airfryer makes it easy to check temps (just pulled out the tray) without losing too much heat in doing so, which is nice. Or if it shuts down on timer & you need to run it a few minutes longer, you just tap the on button again, no biggie. Definitely doesn't hold much food...one very large flattened chicken cutlet took up the entire grill tray. Granted, that's enough for a meal for two, but you're not going to be cooking for a whole family on this thing.

It's like a crispy version of my Instant Pot...dump food in, press button, minutes later you're eating :thumbsup:

 

[gorcorps]

Is Kaido the sworn enemy of Alton Brown? I feel like he's always convincing us to buy the specialty equipment Alton says we don't need.

But I like it

 

[Ns1]

Is Kaido the sworn enemy of Alton Brown?

he stuck a steak in an air fryer, so my magic 8 ball says "yes".

 

[Subyman]

Steak is the easiest thing in the world to cook. Salt, pepper, lay on smoking hot skillet, turn after 2-3 mins, wait another 2-3mins, put on plate, let rest 2-3 mins, and serve. Use grill when possible.

No trickery needed.

 

[Ns1]

Steak is the easiest thing in the world to cook. Salt, pepper, lay on smoking hot skillet, turn after 2-3 mins, wait another 2-3mins, put on plate, let rest 2-3 mins, and serve. Use grill when possible.

No trickery needed.

works great unless your steak looks like this

 

[CraKaJaX]

he stuck a steak in an air fryer, so my magic 8 ball says "yes".

lol

 

[Kaido]

Is Kaido the sworn enemy of Alton Brown? I feel like he's always convincing us to buy the specialty equipment Alton says we don't need.

I love AB, but unitaskers is something we mightily disagree on. If there's a tool that only does one thing, but does that one thing amazingly well & is something that you'll actually use, then it's silly to skip over it because of an arbitrary rule. Go down to IKEA, buy a bookshelf, stick it in your basement, and put your unitaskers on it. Problem solved

 

[Kaido]

he stuck a steak in an air fryer

Wow, it sound so wrong when you actually write it out like that :biggrin:

 

[Kaido]

works great unless your steak looks like this

 

[gorcorps]

I love AB, but unitaskers is something we mightily disagree on. If there's a tool that only does one thing, but does that one thing amazingly well & is something that you'll actually use, then it's silly to skip over it because of an arbitrary rule. Go down to IKEA, buy a bookshelf, stick it in your basement, and put your unitaskers on it. Problem solved

Yeah I know. I didn't agree with his unitasker rule either. It depends on what it is and how often you do that one task. Before I got my pressure cooker I had a rice cooker and used the shit out of it. It made cooking rice consistently a bit easier, and if you make enough of it it's totally worth it.

 

[Kaido]

Yeah I know. I didn't agree with his unitasker rule either. It depends on what it is and how often you do that one task. Before I got my pressure cooker I had a rice cooker

I had a roommate who had a fuzzy-logic rice cooker, which I thought was stupid until I tasted the rice. When I moved, I got my own. Totally worth the $100+ cost. Moved up to an electronic pressure cooker, which also makes awesome rice, but I've kept it around because I can use the pressure cooker for other things while also cooking rice as a side. I can throw chicken in the airfryer, steam veggies in the pressure cooker, and do rice in the rice cooker. Dump food in, 30 minutes later I have a full meal & only 3 bowls to rinse out. Easy peasy :thumbsup:

 

[CraKaJaX]

Yeah I know. I didn't agree with his unitasker rule either. It depends on what it is and how often you do that one task. Before I got my pressure cooker I had a rice cooker and used the shit out of it. It made cooking rice consistently a bit easier, and if you make enough of it it's totally worth it.

Kaido talked me into a rice cooker a while ago. I'm beginning to think he's a sales rep for some kitchen appliance outlet and is getting some sort of cut. It's easily one of the most used things in my kitchen. I love rice.... And it goes well with a lot of things. Not to mention it's completely mindless to make rice now.

 

[sactoking]

Alton Brown goes overboard on the unitasker thing but he does it for a good reason. The average American has WAY too much useless junk in their kitchen. If the goals are to save space, save money, get organized, use what you buy and simplify your life then the unitasker rule makes perfect sense. It's pretty much a "cold turkey" method for the average Joe. If you are disciplined then you can break the rule but you're definitely in the minority.

I view it similarly to investing. The rule is you should ALWAYS buy index funds because most managed funds are overpriced and under perform (general kitchen gizmos) and the average investor doesn't have the knowledge and discipline to appropriately research and choose individual investments (specialized kitchen tools). That obviously doesn't apply to everyone but if you start spouting exceptions then the average person is too dumb to realize that they're average and not an exception.

 

[Subyman]

Eh, anyone with a house has plenty of space for kitchen gadgets. I guess if you live in an apartment you may want to pare down your stuff.

 

[Kaido]

Finally tried wings - coated with flour & cooked at 360F for around 35 minutes, shaking the basket & spraying with Pam spray every 10 minutes to get them crispy & cook evenly. Melted some butter & mixed in some sweet & sour and a bit of hoisin sauce, along with some garlic powder & salt for Chinese-style wings, not bad!

The one thing I've struggled with is foods being oddly dry, more in a dehydrated way than an overcooked way. Not sure if I need to lower the temp or add a small amount of water to help steam it or what...I've been messing around with different timings on different foods & haven't really "nailed" anything yet. I think the small bin size is what contributes to that. Like with chicken, especially wings or stuff with skin like thighs, I'm still experimenting with the right mix of crispy vs. moist. Like, I would have liked the wings to be even crispier, but they were already fully cooked, to the point where they weren't juicy, they were just cooked chicken. I might try cooking another batch at a lower temp & then using my Searzall (or broiler) to finish them.

I'd be interested in comparing the results to one of the larger halogen fryers (same concept, different heating technology) with the clear bubble tray. For example, this VonShef 10.5-quart model is only $119, which is a way better price than $349 for the Philips:

http://www.amazon.com/VonShef-10-5-QT-10-Liter-Electric-Halogen/dp/B00P2HKW2C/

One of the reviewers said:

Turns out this is better than my Philips!

When I purchased this, I also purchased the Philips. Because this air fryer did not get as hot as Philips and because the accessories were not available at time of purchase, I kept it in the box in a closet. Ever since I managed to get the accessories I have been using this over the Philips. Turns out, the temp not getting as hot as Philips is not an issue. I've been making BBQ chicken and it comes out just like you had it on a real grill. I've also made Sea Bass whole fish Greek style. Mmm.. Good! I highly recommend this. The only problem that you can't get around is the size, it does take a lot of counter space. But its needed to be able to use the rotisserie.

 

[zinfamous]

looks like I have a new backyard project.

 

[Howard]

Finally tried wings - coated with flour & cooked at 360F for around 35 minutes, shaking the basket & spraying with Pam spray every 10 minutes to get them crispy & cook evenly. Melted some butter & mixed in some sweet & sour and a bit of hoisin sauce, along with some garlic powder & salt for Chinese-style wings, not bad!

The one thing I've struggled with is foods being oddly dry, more in a dehydrated way than an overcooked way. Not sure if I need to lower the temp or add a small amount of water to help steam it or what...I've been messing around with different timings on different foods & haven't really "nailed" anything yet. I think the small bin size is what contributes to that. Like with chicken, especially wings or stuff with skin like thighs, I'm still experimenting with the right mix of crispy vs. moist. Like, I would have liked the wings to be even crispier, but they were already fully cooked, to the point where they weren't juicy, they were just cooked chicken. I might try cooking another batch at a lower temp & then using my Searzall (or broiler) to finish them.

I'd be interested in comparing the results to one of the larger halogen fryers (same concept, different heating technology) with the clear bubble tray. For example, this VonShef 10.5-quart model is only $119, which is a way better price than $349 for the Philips:

http://www.amazon.com/VonShef-10-5-QT-10-Liter-Electric-Halogen/dp/B00P2HKW2C/

One of the reviewers said:

I think that's just the nature of the beast. By the time the food cooks through, the hot air dries it out.

 

[Kaido]

I think that's just the nature of the beast. By the time the food cooks through, the hot air dries it out.

I read one article that said they dropped the temp 70F on recipes when using an Air Fryer, so I tried a second NY strip steak using the reverse-sear method, but instead of doing 275F (oven), I did 210F (it does 30F increments). It reached the required 125F baking temp in about 30 minutes, then I did a cast-iron pan-sear in butter to crust it & raise it up to 135F. Better than last time, but still kinda dry inside (the picture makes it look more pink than it really was); I'll try 180F next time (lowest it goes is 150F). It had the proper sweat & bulge post-bake, but was still kinda...off...in the middle. So #1, still need to play with temps, and #2, still curious about how it compares to a (much) cheaper halogen unit (especially the VonShef model, which optionally rotates the food).

 

[SaltyNuts]

Bump for further updates - how goes airfryer cooking these days?!?!

 

[Kaido]

Bump for further updates - how goes airfryer cooking these days?!?!

If you really want to get one, I recommend a cheap one over the expensive ones. Otherwise, just get a convection toaster oven (more versatile). I have a Philips AirFryer XL. I have struggled with it; I use it now & then, but I have not perfected the technique of air frying by any means - I need to spend more time with it to get the hang of it, but I have a huge backlog of "stuff to try making" on my other kitchen appliances, like my Instant Pot, so it just hasn't gotten as much attention as it needs.

Look at either a VonShef or a Big Boss, both are under $100. GoWise has one for about $30 more that is similar in design to the Philips. As far as toaster ovens go, the Breville Smart Oven Pro for $260 is probably the best one around, if you have room for the large size: (for a price comparison, note that the Philips AirFryer XL is currently listed at $300)

https://www.amazon.com/Breville-BOV845BSS-Convection-Toaster-Stainless/dp/B00XBOXVIA/

That one comes with a couple nice trays (including a pizza pan), plus you can get a nice fitted cutting board accessory for storage.

 

[Kaido]

Also, one of the big reasons I don't use it that much is that it tends to smoke out my kitchen. The rock salt trick on the bottom helps, but even so, it emits a greasy fine mist that kind of fills up the air. My kitchen does not have ventilation & my family complains about it. I'm installing a vented blower above my stove, hopefully around Thanksgiving break, so if I get that project done, I'll play with it more after that because I can send the fine smoke outside.

In the case of the XL, it is expensive & is still fairly small inside. But if you eat a lot of say frozen meals & only cook for one or maybe two people, it's pretty useful.

 

[SaltyNuts]

Thanks so much Kaido! Question - what exactly is the difference between convection toaster oven and an airfryer? And is a convection toaster oven different than the standard oven that is pretty much in every house? I would think so. Thanks!

 

[SaltyNuts]

Would a convection toaster oven emit less smoke than an airfryer? Too much smoke in the house is definitely a bad thing!

 

[Kaido]

Thanks so much Kaido! Question - what exactly is the difference between convection toaster oven and an airfryer? And is a convection toaster oven different than the standard oven that is pretty much in every house? I would think so. Thanks!

So the term "air fryer" is basically just a marketing gimmick. All an AirFryer is is just a convection oven (oven with fans, in this case, high-speed fans) in a very small size. Preheat time is very fast & cook time is quick (with the risk of drying out your food...you have to adjust every recipe to work for the gadget). The Philips model uses a top-mounted coil burner, similar to a broiler, along with a fan system & a mesh tray to let the air circulate, which is then pushed out the top of the unit like a mini smokestack.

Air Fryers tend to do better at reheating stuff & making things really quickly, again with the risk of drying out the food, so you have to be willing to tweak recipes as needed (I recommend logging your progress so you know what works & what doesn't...I need to try out more things because I still tend to make pretty dry food with mine). If you are mostly cooking for yourself, and do a lot of frozen foods (or want to reheat foods & keep them crispy or crunchy), then an airfryer is a pretty good little device. I can cook for like 2 people at most with my XL model.

I plan on getting a cheaper airfryer at some point to compare, probably a Big Boss. iirc Newegg has a Rosewill model & Walmart has an Oyama model that are worth looking into as well. The Oyama one is actually a convection oven but with high-speed fans, and it's also super cheap: (under $50)

https://www.amazon.com/Oyama-TRO-110C-Turbo-Convection-White/dp/B003XJE60U

Nuwave also has some interesting options. Some use electric coils, some use infrared halogen...I'd really like to see a shootout of all of the available models, because I think they are useful little devices, especially if you're usually stuck cooking stuff for yourself after work & whatnot. However, if you're low on counterspace & kitchen storage, just buy a quality convection toaster oven. The Breville Smart Oven Pro is the best option I've seen to date. Really pricey at $259, but again, cheaper than the "large" Philips AirFryer by $40, and does a lot more & includes more accessories.

 

[Kaido]

Would a convection toaster oven emit less smoke than an airfryer? Too much smoke in the house is definitely a bad thing!

I would say yes, although anything smokey will still smoke. But the airfryer has a little chimney steamer setup on top, whereas a toaster oven is sealed like a tiny oven. I have a crappy tiny kitchen that has no ventilation & is weirdly-shaped, so even using my floor fan, it still takes forever to air out.

What kind of stuff do you want to use it for? That will help narrow down the device.