Got a Philips Viva on Black Friday. Will say it fries very nicely but not sure it justifies the counter space. It’s a pretty big unit but the basket only holds 10 wings or 2 servings of fries max. Have tried a few things: Wings - This is where it excelled. Nicely fried without the grease. Held about 10 wings but still took 25-30 minutes to cook. Frozen fries - Just as good as frying them although timing was hard to gauge. Ended up overcooking some. Holds 2 servings max. Fresh Cut Fries - Not worth the trouble. Reheating Fried Chicken - Got the outside crispy again, much better than trying to toast or bake it. Still dried out a little which is inevitable. Turkey - In laws did a whole turkey in an off brand air fryer and was the best homemade turkey I’ve tried. Absolutely delicious. Unit was huge though.
My parent's neighbors built one in their back yard. While it does make great pizza and breads, he barely uses it because it only makes pizzas and breads. Plus, cooking with it during the summer is pretty difficult. It'll get to around 1,000 degrees. Took him about a year to build (though that was mostly due to his own schedule). Getting the bricks in the dome right was the toughest part.
Speaking of cooking gadgets: thinking about buying my mom (thus me) a sous vide contraption for Christmas...anyone have any experience with any particular make/models?
My sous vide setup has been perfectly fine for three years. No complaints. Lid isnt rly needed. Thing that controls water temp: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B077P73F2V?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_pd_title Tub: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000R8JOUC?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_pd_title Lid: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B071L6PRY8?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_pd_title
I've had a larger phillips for over a year now, and we keep it in the utility room off of the kitchen. I have the other goofy kitchen gadget (an instapot), and I use it more. The air fryer does okay on wings, but even with the added second level accessory, you just can't cook that much. Where it excels is for my ten year old. For a snack, he like those mini tacos from Trader Joes, or egg rolls from Costco, or the occasional French fry. Frozen foods that are supposed to be "fried" work really well in it, so I see it being something great for peeps who don't cook a whole lot.........kids just learning up to college age. Best tater tots I've ever had........for someone who likes to cook (and eat well), not worth the money or counter space.
Sous vide advice? eta, re: wings, have you seen Alton Brown's new? method for wings...you steam them for a bit to render off some of the fat and soften up the connective tissue, then he bakes them for a good while on a rack over a baking sheet in a hot oven, turning once, to get the skin all crispy, then toss with sauce. Haven't tried it but it sounded interesting.
imo the predecessor of the air fryer which is the benchtop convection oven/turbo broiler does a better job. at least the ones using an element and not halogen lights which may not reach high enough temps to cook food safely. air fryers do have the advantage when it comes to fries.
Right on. I have a bunch of cooking stuff in the yard (built a smokehouse a few years ago that I've used all of 5 times). I just don't have one of those yet. I do love fresh baked bread and pizza. I imagine it would get used every other month, weather permitting, doubt I'll be doing much baking june-sept.
I have not seen Brown's wing thingy.......and I although I've done all kinds of stuff in the kitchen, I haven't messed with sous vide. All the things sous vide seems the best for, I'm pretty confident in my current cooking strategy.
I have one of these and it works well. I don't know if it's any healthier since you still have to spray a little on your food to get true fried food taste but it's a lot cleaner and more convenient than traditional frying. I like to make egg rolls, pot stickers, and cheese sticks in it. https://www.samsclub.com/sams/power-air-fryer-xl/prod20298033.ip I think the brand matters. Just get one with good reviews and enough capacity.,
I've had a Joule for almost a couple of years. I've only made steaks and tuna with it and they're awesome. Just have to perfect the sear, which I'm still working on. The connectivity is sometimes flaky on mine, but "eventually" works. Others don't have the same problem, I don't think. That being said, the most popular one may be one of the Anova models. They usually have good sales on these around Black Friday, so there may still be some going on.
If you're talking about the dome thing, then no. An air fryer is basically just for air frying. I used to have a NuWave oven years ago back when Hearthware I think was producing it. The originals were great when they had halogen lamps for heating elements. Until mine caught fire. lol. The replacement died after a year or two, I think. I never bought another one. I used it primarily for cooking steaks from frozen, but since I found sous vide, no way I'd buy one again for that. I air fried potatoes/french fries in the Nuwave years ago. Can't remember how that turned out, to be honest, but it was capable of doing it. I don't know which one does it better.
My Wife has wanted one. I think I will get one. Thanks for the input. I am not sure which one. I am trying to gauge the sizes. There is only the two of us. So I don't think I want the Big ole Monster sizes. Rocket River
Air Fryer - Good for frozen french fries and other frozen fried items, NOT good for home made fried shrimp, chicken (with the exception of unbreaded wings) or CFS etc. You'll end up with a gunked up mess. My son made some amazing pizza rolls but I was hella stoned so what take that for what it's worth Sous Vide - I love mine. Steaks perfectly cooked (quick sear afterward in cast iron) Pork belly fully cooked beautifully, slice and sear. emmmm "a friend" also told me it works great to decarb your MJ if you're into making edibles, no stink or smell. you can then use the sous vide with some canning jars to infuse any fat, oil or honey for your cooking.
