Air Fryer V Combi Microwave

[Vagus]

What are your thoughts?
I pondered long and heard, read reviews, read all the discussions on AB, etc, etc, about airfryers, and decided not to buy an air fryer, one of the reasons being I really didn’t want another gadget sitting taking up room on the worktop.
Instead (we’ll, kind of instead, we were getting one anyway) we bought a microwave which is also a ‘proper’ fan oven, and is a much larger capacity than our previous 15 year old very basic one. It sits in the same space as the old one.
I’ve not used the big oven since we got it and am very pleased with the way it cooks food, this new one takes a big casserole pot and has a stand which allows me to cook two tiers.

[Old_Geezer]

Your choice. I already have a combi. I think they have different strengths.

[barry1010]

I decided against an air fryer although I was tempted. I already have a flatbed combi microwave which I use a lot, a slow cooker, a stove top pressure cooker and an electric slow cooker/pressure cooker combi.

I still use my main oven when I can fill it, my opinion being that it is extremely well insulated so doesn't use much electricity once it has reached temperature.
I have two very large freezers so do a lot of batch cooking - that saves electricity too as it quick to reheat dishes.

[Vagus]

I was thinking particularly about energy usage and ease of cooking. So you don’t have an air Fryer?

[Canary42]

I already had a microwave so chose the air fryer because it has a much smaller footprint than another oven.

[Vagus]

That was to OG
I followed your interest in them Barry.

[Vagus]

Don’t you have a big oven canary?

[Canary42]

No, only a worktop one which has become almost obsolete with the coming of the air fryer.

[barry1010]

What concerns me about air fryer s is whilst they are cooking they are constantly 'on' and lose a lot of heat, unlike my main oven which is very well insulated and uses less electricity when it has reached temperature.

[jennyjoan]

And you can do a large Jacket Potato in the microwave for 12-15minutes. No I gave my air fryer away.

[barry1010]

I would recommend a slow cooker to anyone who makes their own soups, casseroles, bolognese, chilli con carne, curries, braised meats such as lamb shanks, bread, puddings such as sticky toffee, traditional suet puddings.
I 'roast' shoulder of lamb, joints of brisket, pork shoulder, chicken and cook a lot of boiled bacon/gammon.
I make fabulous paella in it, too.

They are very cheap to buy and cost pennies to use. They are also indestructible, I've had my old fashioned one for probably 40 years and it used most days. Have a look at some of the recipes here https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/slow-cooker-recipes?page=3

[barry1010]

Yes, I cook a lot of milk puddings in mine, always turns out well.

[Old_Geezer]

I do not, neither has my partner, although she is keen to get a decent one that's large enough to cater for two.

[Canary42]

////I was interested to find it takes 40-50 minutes to do a jacket potato in an air fryer,///

What rubbish. Under half that time in mine.

[pastafreak]

I see 40-50mins quoted a lot. But I'd go by personal experience from users on here. Obviously it may vary by make and model...and size of potato(s).

[bednobs]

i just had jackets for lunch done in my airfryer. I cook them for 1 hr. However, as the AF is much smaller than my main oven, it's (presumably!) using less electricity than heating the oven

[barry1010]

Maybe not, bednobs, as your main oven will use much less electricity when it has reached temperature as it is much better insulated than an air fryer