Topic: Frying tonight - or not as the case may be.

[smokester]

I'd like to take a moment to talk about an fryer I bought a couple of months ago.  This is no ordinary fryer though, it is an air fryer that I've had my eye on for at least a year but that were/are too damn expensive.

Anyhoo, I decided as I was spending a lot of cash on a new washing machine that I'd but one so I'd only have to feel the wallet burn once, and initially we opted for a Breville Halo Health Fryer as they stirred as they cooked which is apparently a problem with other types (not cooking food in the centre of the portion).  This turned out to be folly as after about 3 minutes of taking it our of the box and starting to cook with it, it made a very worrying grinding noise and the halogen lamp went out... then on.... then off and so on.  45 minutes later nothing was even warm so we promptly packed it back up and exchanged it for a Philips HD9220 Airfryer.

I was please at the capacity of this machine as it could take enough chips (fries) in it to feed at least 6 people, and probably 8 normal people.  Of course we were skeptical about how well it would "fry" and the first few attempts I overcooked what I was attempting to fry.  However, 2 months of trial and error later, and I absolutely love this device. It doesn't do chips from raw potatoes terribly well even though they are not bad, but low fat oven chips cook even better than using a fat fryer.

I cook a lot of other things in it like Indian snacks but I start them off in a pan so they keep their shape.  Even so, I am hardly using a tablespoon of oil when cooking them so they are far, far healthier. I have yet to work out how to substitute other thing I used to deep fry, as wet batter is an obvious no-no but I am trying to work out alternative methods.

I will probably update this thread as I develop more techniques.

[xtopave]

I've heard of/read about those fryers and I thought naaah... they probably don't work well and I didn't give them another thought but now I'm interested.
We have a fryer we seldom use and we use it to fry empanadas and chips (fries) when we're a lot of people. Common fryer, lots of liters of oil... But this is completely different. A bit expensive in my country though.

[smokester]

I too had an oil fryer for about a year, but considering how expensive basic cooking oil is at the moment and how often we had to fill it, I thought splashing out on one of these would be economical in the long run.  Not only that, but the kids can have chips anytime they like without the guilty feeling I'd get if they were fried (the chips that is, not the kids).

Of course some things are going to be impossible like battered fish (unless it's pre-cooked in oil already) but for dryer stuff like spring rolls, samosas and even breadcrumbed items, this thing really works well.

It is hot enough to cook in almost immediately and is very safe.  You'd have to be an idiot to get a burn from it.

[goldshirt*9]

Are they fresh cut potatoes  or from frozen .( no insult intended)

This looks like a great product

[smokester]

I use the frozen oven chips now as they are naturally low fat and cook in this fryer better than chip shop chips (say that 3 times fast).

Chips from raw potatoes need to be tossed in a tablespoon of oil and cook quite well too, but you must remember to keep shaking the basket to get them to cook evenly.

[xtopave]

Chips from raw potatoes need to be tossed in a tablespoon of oil and cook quite well too, but you must remember to keep shaking the basket to get them to cook evenly.

How long do they take to cook if I may ask?

[smokester]

How long do they take to cook if I may ask?

I haven't really paid much attention to the time, more the colour of the chips.  I would say no longer than 10 minutes and no sooner than 6 or 7.

The frozen chips I use are done in a few minutes and I actually have to cook them when everything else is done (salad, pizza etc) otherwise they get cold.

[xtopave]

I would say no longer than 10 minutes and no sooner than 6 or 7.

That's quick. I like this thing!

My family doesn't like frozen french fries that much.

[goldshirt*9]

interesting indeed