A quick 1 year air fryer review

We kept hearing about these air fryers (from basically everywhere...TV, other people, etc.) "You just GOTTA' get one of these things!!"...is all I kept hearing. I didn't know what to make of these things really. Ultimately, we resisted the urge to get...another...countertop appliance, and didn't get one.

Well, a widow neighbor down the road who is friends with the wife was getting a bigger air fryer so she gave us her (basically new) old air fryer because, you know..."You just GOTTA' try these things!! They're just so AWESOME!!"

We've had it now for right around a year now, and here's my brief summary report...

Are they really ALL THAT? - I honestly can't say. We've tried a number of things in it. Some came out good, and some came out, well, not so good (some even awful). The surprising part was the things which I didn't expect came out awesome, and most of the things they show people cooking in them didn't come out so often. Some were just obvious.

Pros
-Chicken wings! Hands down, these things are the absolute BOMB for cooking chicken wings!

- French fries and especially hash browns. I can't stand McDonald's, but I do have a soft spot for their breakfast sammiches and especially their hashbrowns. The air fryer will blow the doors of Mickey D's in the hash brown dept.

- Baby Lamb Chops. Another surprise. Air Fryers will cook absolutely terrific lamb chops!

- Fish. This one was a real surprise. Fish like salmon and other fresh fish fillets come out fantastic.

Cons

- Lots of other stuff! Anything like thick cuts of meat, or anything else with a lot of mass. Don't do it, you'll regret it!! In fact, most other stuff we tried in the air fryer pretty much sucked.

Summary - If you like the 'Pro's' items, air fryers are great. Otherwise, probably walk away. We'll keep ours for just the chicken wings alone! The chicken wings are absolutely the BEST chicken wings I've ever eaten any way, any where, any time! Just spectacular. You don't use any wet seasonings or marinades. Just dry seasoning (I use Paul Prudhommes Blackened Redfish seasoning) and cook 'em up. That's it. Then just have some chunky bleu cheese dressing, celery, some habanero mustard sauce or Asian Mae Ploy chili sauce on hand and you're in for a real treat!

That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it.

My MIL gave us her air fryer cause she didn’t like it. I love it. Chicken fingers , mozzarella sticks ,fish . We love our air fryer . Yes hash browns are the bomb in air fryer

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

You had me sold at chicken wings.

Hot dogs are better out of the air fryer then off the grill.

originally posted by: just4fun
Hot dogs are better out of the air fryer then off the grill.

Hmmm...might have to try that. Though I'm tryin' to cut back.

originally posted by: Grenade
a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

You had me sold at chicken wings.

Oh MAN!...and they are GOOD too! They come out just absolutely per-fect! Nice and crispy on the outside, moist and juicy on the inside (never dry). Just pure chicken wing perfection! And this coming from a real hardcore chicken wing fan too!

You won't regret it, if only for the wings.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk

originally posted by: just4fun
Hot dogs are better out of the air fryer then off the grill.

Hmmm...might have to try that. Though I'm tryin' to cut back.

You will never throw them in the microwave again

a reply to: just4fun

They are fantastic in the air fryer. Also we do spice rubbed chicken thighs with olive oil which are really solid. Bacon is also one of the best things to make, comes out exactly the same as the pan.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk
I love using mine for the pre marinated pork loin’s.

Fish sticks are amazing in the air fryer. 400 12 minutes

You can make a can of biscuits in 5 minutes

Reheat your pizza perfect. Those frozen burritos and chimichangas are just way better out of the air fryer

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Yup, what you listed is basically the limit of what we use our air fryer for. Of course i only do the chicken breasts and theighs there when i do not have the time to fire up the grill. I always prefer the flame grilled flavor.

It's also good for the mini pizzas or pizza rolls. The red barons, totinos and hot pockets types. When i do the fish, i tend to wrap it in foil so the marinade has no choice but to soak and cook into it. I tend to find the sweet spot for fries or any other potatoes product is 360-375 degrees for up to 11 minutes depending on temp chosen.

Although some things may need more time than the microwave, I just feel it gives everything a superior texture. We barely ever use our oven anymore. It's basically just storage for our pots and pans except when roasting something like turkey, casseroles, or bakery stuff.

a reply to: Hypntick
I second your testimony on the bacon. Although I seldom ever eat bacon anymore, my kids prefer its consistent crispyness. I also enjoy that it never has to soak in its own grease and has a chance to drain properly. I do occasionally like to use bacon grease when cooking rice.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

We got a small one this year and the only reason I ever use it is to reheat french fries and make hash browns. I would never cook a cut of meat in it...hell it wasn't very good one reheating pizza either compared to the oven. The one thing I will say though...cook everything half as long and check it often because most of the stuff I have used it for burnt the first few times until I dialed in the temps in times myself. If the bag says 18min at 400 degrees start with 9min at 400 or maybe 12min at 350.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Can't beat some good spicy chicken wings, a surprisingly difficult art to master.

On a bit of a tangent but what's your thoughts on beef jerky? I know it's loved over there, are there any brands that nail good beef jerky? On a Friday night i can't eat enough of the stuff however my choices in the UK are limited, it's something i'd be willing to pay premium to import.

Ive been wanting to get one, but keep putting it off. If it cooks crispy enough wings Im in like Flint.

a reply to: Grenade

I know you asked him, but may i interject with a recommendation??
Rio Grande Beef Jerky is from Albuquerque New Mexico. I thought I knew what beef Jerky was until I met my lady in 2006 and visited her home town a year later. She told me to try this stuff, and let me tell you, they know how to dry meat. I have dubbed everything else I find in stores "gummy meat" ever since. Some of the Mexican stores in my area make a decent dried meat, but not like Rio Grande Beef Jerky. Did I mention they ship all over the world??

Now we always buy a few pounds to bring home with us whenever we visit her family in New Mexico. It never lasts long though lol. All of our kids love it. But they now also use the term gummy meat when they point to a bag in a store and ask for the mass produced stuff. Although bass Pro shops does sell a really nice steak strips product that I have a hard time putting down in one sitting.

originally posted by: Grenade
a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Can't beat some good spicy chicken wings, a surprisingly difficult art to master.

On a bit of a tangent but what's your thoughts on beef jerky? I know it's loved over there, are there any brands that nail good beef jerky? On a Friday night i can't eat enough of the stuff however my choices in the UK are limited, it's something i'd be willing to pay premium to import.

www.food.com...

Evidently, you can numerous recipes online for air fryer beef jerky, hell I could practically live off beef jerky and chicken wings

I order beef jerky from all over and different brands, but when I had my big green egg I could make outstanding jerky

That said Alton Brown Good Eats had a way to make it your oven, and I tried and it was good too, I did it a lot when I lived in an apartment pretty much once a month on a Saturday or Sunday I could make enough too last almost 30 days. Using just a box fan a couple of bungee cords and 4 paper air condition filters.

YOU can also use your regular oven while it's off if you have one of those portable ceramic heaters, just turn it on low and put it in the oven. both ways work pretty well but your place will smell like jerky for a while

altonbrown.com...

a reply to: worldstarcountry

Ordered myself 4lbs of various flavours.

Charged me $36 for international delivery, not bad i suppose, i'll let you know how it tastes in 2-3 business days.

Cheers for the recommendation although tbh when it comes to Beef Jerky it wasn't going to take much.

a reply to: putnam6

I've thought about trying it myself, ill have a look after work but again it's one of those easy looking recipes that are hard to perfect. For now i'll leave it to the experts.

originally posted by: worldstarcountry
a reply to: Grenade

I know you asked him, but may i interject with a recommendation??
Rio Grande Beef Jerky is from Albuquerque New Mexico. I thought I knew what beef Jerky was until I met my lady in 2006 and visited her home town a year later. She told me to try this stuff, and let me tell you, they know how to dry meat. I have dubbed everything else I find in stores "gummy meat" ever since. Some of the Mexican stores in my area make a decent dried meat, but not like Rio Grande Beef Jerky. Did I mention they ship all over the world??

Now we always buy a few pounds to bring home with us whenever we visit her family in New Mexico. It never lasts long though lol. All of our kids love it. But they now also use the term gummy meat when they point to a bag in a store and ask for the mass produced stuff. Although bass Pro shops does sell a really nice steak strips product that I have a hard time putting down in one sitting.

It's a tad expensive but Ive ordered some that 2-3 day delivery is great though.

Im still on a limited budget though

For a decent cheaper brand I like People Choice that has a good variety of flavors, Ive had them all they are really good and last time I checked they were about $27 a pound. Mingua, Ralph's, and Hard Times do a pretty good classic thin dry salty jerky. Ive literally have had dozens of others over the years. Ive found the designer brands like Katies and Jeff's Famous were good but too expensive for the amount you get.

Ironically Ive had good luck getting just Old TrapperJerky 18ozs for 16 bucks and tweaking the seasonings myself, I can do a fair imitation of my favorite People's Choice flavors Nashville Hot and Orange Teriyaki Maple, with some orange and ginger seasoning and some Carolina reaper powder. I get a true citrus lime powder and add chipotle powder it's really good too.

a reply to: putnam6

Please stop, i need to wait 3 days for Jerky goodness, not sure my keyboard can survive this amount of drool.