Should I ask for an air fryer for Christmas?

[Anonymous]

Is the Breville counter top oven, set on convection, the same as an air fryer?

[Anonymous]

I love our air fryer, and we use it 3-4 times a week--for veggies, potatoes, and reheating fried things. So fast and easy.

[Anonymous]

I thought I would love it, but any food we cook in the air fryer has a distinct aftertaste that ruins it. Has anyone else experienced this?

[Anonymous]

I love my air fryer, which is the larger Cosori model. I don’t think the Instant Pot air fryer lid works as well, and the Cosori performs significantly better than our convection oven or the combo toaster, air-fryer, whatever else countertop models I’ve tried. I’m very into cooking and kitchen gadgets and have nice friends who let me play with theirs as well.

On the question of whether it will sabotage your diet, that will depend entirely on how you use it. If you currently eat a lot of deep-fat fried foods, then you can save significant calories with as good or almost as good results by air-frying those items with a light coating of oil instead. Chicken wings, sweet potato fries, falafel, arancini, crispy potato wedges, crispy shallots with zero batter, are all fantastic in the air fryer. However, so are a lot of things that are huge calorie bombs like pre-packaged fries, onion rings, or tater tots from the freezer aisle. If you ordinarily eat few fried foods and start using the air fryer a lot, you could definitely end up gaining weight if your overall oil or simple starch consumption increases.

In addition to the things listed above, we like ours for reheating anything that we want to stay crisp. It works better and faster than the toaster oven. I have also learned to love tofu for the first time. I have posted this before, but you can get amazingly crunchy results by coating the tofu lightly with oil and potato starch, and the crunch will stay even after you coat the tofu in a sauce. You can make large batches of crispy quinoa too, which is nice as a salad topping.

[Anonymous]

I love my air fryer. We have 3 convection ovens that have now been put out of use for the most part.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:i dont consider apliances as christmas gifts. yuck.

This!! Op, just buy the family an air fryer.

Ask for a cashmere scarf, or great lotion, or a spa day -SOMETHING FOR YOU!!!

Not OP, but all of your suggestions would be huge disappointments to me. I’d probably donate them, or worse let them languish in a closet for a few years because I’m supposed to like them.

I’d rather have a “toy” related to one of my hobbies that I’d consider a splurge. For me a splurge could even be something that costs $5 depending on the item. If cooking is OP’s hobby and she’d not buy it for herself, then she should add it to her wish list!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love my air fryer. We have 3 convection ovens that have now been put out of use for the most part.

That is... so many ovens.

[Anonymous]

I use mine a lot. It’s the type that is also a toaster oven, not the bucket kind.

Today the kids heated up frozen empanadas for lunch. Last night I roasted some sweet potatoes. I can even do two things at once if I time right and use the different racks

[Anonymous]

We use ours several times a week. It’s perfect for roasting veg and I cook quite a lot of meat in it. It’s easier to clean up and more efficient than our oven.

[Anonymous]

I mean, theyre not that expensive. So I wouldnt ask for it for Christmas, I would just buy it. But I use mine all the time and it actually helps me cook healthy. I can just throw a frozen piece of salon in there, set the timer for 15 minutes and it's super nice and crispy without any oil. Ditto for vegetables. So I'd definitely say go for it, just make sure you get on that doesnt have a nonstick lining

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I mean, theyre not that expensive. So I wouldnt ask for it for Christmas, I would just buy it. But I use mine all the time and it actually helps me cook healthy. I can just throw a frozen piece of salon in there, set the timer for 15 minutes and it's super nice and crispy without any oil. Ditto for vegetables. So I'd definitely say go for it, just make sure you get on that doesnt have a nonstick lining

Careful, your privilege is showing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My extended family always teases me because my wish list is pretty much 75% cooking or house related. But honestly, these are the areas where I spend most of my time. I'd much rather have a new wet vaccuum that saves me 10 minutes each time my toddler dumps his food on the floor 3 times a day every day. This year I have new sheet pans and oven mitts on the list, because my 10 year old ones are nasty/ineffectual. What am I going to do with a cashmere scarf? I have scarves. Get me the useful stuff.

I'm exactly the same as you, and this thread has convinced me to ask for an air fryer for Christmas. I won't buy it because I have a MIL who is convinced that it's not Christmas without giving me a gift, and I don't need another cashmere scarf as she's already given me 10. I'd rather get something I'd actually use than something that is just going to take up space 9 months of the year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean, theyre not that expensive. So I wouldnt ask for it for Christmas, I would just buy it. But I use mine all the time and it actually helps me cook healthy. I can just throw a frozen piece of salon in there, set the timer for 15 minutes and it's super nice and crispy without any oil. Ditto for vegetables. So I'd definitely say go for it, just make sure you get on that doesnt have a nonstick lining

Careful, your privilege is showing.

I mean they're like $200 and a standard part of a kitchen! As an adult, I dont think that's an expensive item.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean, theyre not that expensive. So I wouldnt ask for it for Christmas, I would just buy it. But I use mine all the time and it actually helps me cook healthy. I can just throw a frozen piece of salon in there, set the timer for 15 minutes and it's super nice and crispy without any oil. Ditto for vegetables. So I'd definitely say go for it, just make sure you get on that doesnt have a nonstick lining

Careful, your privilege is showing.

I mean they're like $200 and a standard part of a kitchen! As an adult, I dont think that's an expensive item.

You just sort of proved their point. While it’s not insanely expensive, $200 is an extravagance for some families. Many of us get by with little left for gadgets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I mean, theyre not that expensive. So I wouldnt ask for it for Christmas, I would just buy it. But I use mine all the time and it actually helps me cook healthy. I can just throw a frozen piece of salon in there, set the timer for 15 minutes and it's super nice and crispy without any oil. Ditto for vegetables. So I'd definitely say go for it, just make sure you get on that doesnt have a nonstick lining

Careful, your privilege is showing.

I mean they're like $200 and a standard part of a kitchen! As an adult, I dont think that's an expensive item.

You just sort of proved their point. While it’s not insanely expensive, $200 is an extravagance for some families. Many of us get by with little left for gadgets.

But it's not a gadget? It's like a standard item. Like when you move into a kitchen generally people buy a blender, an instant pot, etc. I feel like this is just the same thing.