Work in progress

In October 2018 we bought an “air fryer”, really a small high pressure forced convection oven:

Image title: Digital air fryer 3          Dimensions:          3540 x 4990, 1699 kB Make a single page with this image Hide this image Make this image a thumbnail Make thumbnails of all images on this page Make this image small again Display small version of all images on this page All images taken on Tuesday, 23 October 2018, thumbnails          All images taken on Tuesday, 23 October 2018, small Diary entry for Tuesday, 23 October 2018 Complete exposure details

 

It proved to be useful, though not for the purposes for which it was advertised, and when a second, bigger one came on the market in March 2019, we bought it too:

Based on the appearance, we call the first one the “coffee machine” and the second one the “hair dryer".

Only much later did I discover that I already had an “air fryer”, only it was ahead of its time and didn't use the most modern buzzwords: it calls itself a “convection oven”:

Image title: Convection oven 1          Dimensions:          5184 x 3888, 5972 kB Make a single page with this image Hide this image Make this image a thumbnail Make thumbnails of all images on this page Make this image small again Display small version of all images on this page All images taken on Tuesday, 29 November 2022, thumbnails          All images taken on Tuesday, 29 November 2022, small Diary entry for Tuesday, 29 November 2022 Complete exposure details

 

It still uses analogue dials, the kind that don't reset when you turn the thing off. And it has temperature settings up to 250°, and it's even a little larger than the hair dryer. I'm still trying to understand why I stopped using it; was it maybe the missing hype? It could be: as I discovered on 12 January 2023, the first “air fryer” didn't hit the market until the following year. And that article also uses the term “hype”.

I'm still gaining experience. It took me a while to note the consequences of the fact that “air fryers” use very little air, and it's recirculated: as a result, it can get very humid, and things like peanuts and ikan bilis don't get crunchy. After a few minutes cooling down after cooking they do, however, get better.

Things to avoid

Over the course of time, I've found some things that don't work well in an “air fryer”:

• Beef kebabs.
• Chicken cordon bleu.
• Chips. Yes, I know this is the main things for which people recommend “air fryers”, but they don't do a good job.
• Ikan bilis (initial cooking). It's fine for reheating pre-fried ikan bilis.
• Steak and kidney pie.

I've included the times for some of these below, but it's still not a recommendation.

Times and temperatures

Here are some times and temperatures that I'm working on:

Food		Temperature		Time		Comment		Link
Baked beans		230°		10 min		Add water at start		diary entry
“Bisque pots”		180°		12 min		15 min in oven		diary entry
Beef kebabs		230°		9 min		maybe not the way to go		diary entry
Bratwurst		210°		14 min				diary entry
Chicken cordon bleu		200°		15 min		Don't do it!		diary entry
Chicken filo		180°		20 min				diary entry
Chicken kebabs		230°		18 min				diary entry
Chicken Kyiv		180°		18 min				diary entry
Chicken tanduri		230°		5 min		experimental, first 10 minutes at 600 W in microwave oven		diary entry
Chicken wings, cooked		160°		12 min				diary entry
Courgettes		200°		4 min?				diary entry
Ćevapčići		210°		10 min				diary entry
Enchiladas		200°		8 min				diary entry
Fish (Tilapia)		200°		30 min		experimental, measure temperature		diary entry
Ikan bilis		200°		20 min		Add oil, still not useful		diary entry
Ikan bilis		160°		5 min		Reheating		diary entry
Kidneys, lamb kebabs		200°		15 min				diary entry
Lamb kebabs		230°		12 min		guessed; not the way to go?		diary entry
Papadam		170°		4 min		slow!		diary entry
Peanuts		180°		20 min				diary entry
Peanuts		160°		5 min		Reheating		diary entry
Pizzas (reheat)		230°		5 min				diary entry
Potatoes (raw)		200°		30 min		Bath tub		diary entry
Salmon		180°		8 min		small fryer		diary entry
Sardines		230°		8 min				diary entry
Schinkengriller sausages		200°		15 min				diary entry
Spring rolls		200°		8 min		size dependent		diary entry
Steak and kidney pie						not recommended		diary entry
Turkey Kiev		180°		10 min		to be confirmed		diary entry
Wiener Schnitzel		180°		8 min		subsequently brown in friteuse		diary entry
Vols-au-vent		160°		6 min		to be confirmed		diary entry