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Jul 2023
12:51pm, 12 Jul 2023
2,368 posts
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Roberto
We have the dual zone ninja (as we realised we had vouchers we hadn’t used from our wedding). I was on the fence at first but we use it for nearly everything now.
And there was a show on a few weeks ago which looked at how much more efficient they are in terms of energy useage and speed and it was impressive. And it looked at the nutritional benefits of it which was good as well as it’s not technically frying.
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Jul 2023
12:59pm, 12 Jul 2023
15,108 posts
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jda
I got a cheap one off Amazon a few months back (Tower brand) and thought it’s just a small fan oven really (which we already had) it’s v useful for heating pastries and also does great chicken (portions) and similar stuff.
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Jul 2023
1:01pm, 12 Jul 2023
106,375 posts
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Hanneke
How does it actually cook/heat/fry things then? Fan oven technique you say? Not microwave? I have no microwave, don't want to nuke my food!
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Jul 2023
1:49pm, 12 Jul 2023
47,248 posts
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HappyG(rrr)
Hann, a microwave is very efficient - it directly heats the water, food, whatvers, not the pan or dish that you are cooking in. And it doesn't use anything nuclear (by the way!), the waves are like sound. Think of it like very high energy version of ultra sound that you use to warm your muscles.  G
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Jul 2023
2:05pm, 12 Jul 2023
15,109 posts
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jda
Air fryer is literally a small fan oven, but with quite a vigorous fan in a small volume meaning it heats up and transfers heat much faster than most normal fan ovens. The difference in running costs can be quite significant if you often find yourself heating up or cooking small portions of food in the oven. And it's overall better for crisping up most higher temp stuff (though does still fall some way short of a proper deep fat frier).
Microwave is also v efficient and appropriate for some foods, primarily cooking and reheating water-based things like soups, stews and veg. It is electromagnetic radiation rather than sound, perhaps more akin to a normal (infra-red) electric heater but the energy is a somewhat lower frequency meaning it penetrates further into the food before being absorbed as heat energy. Which is why it's so fast and efficient but doesn't crisp things up.
If you've ever had an MRI scan I wouldn't worry about microwaving food
(Well actually I wouldn't worry about microwaving food even if you haven't had an MRI scan.)
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Jul 2023
2:05pm, 12 Jul 2023
6,868 posts
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ThorntonRunner
Air fryer us misnamed - it's basically a compact fan oven. We've got one and use it all the time (for two of us). Only really use the oven when family over for dinner - when the air ryer is still useful as son is coeliac so we use the air fryer to keep his food isolated from food with gluten.
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Jul 2023
2:06pm, 12 Jul 2023
20,599 posts
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rf_fozzy
EM radiation in the micrometer wavelength part of the spectrum that induces rotation of the polar molecules (i.e. usually mostly water) in the thing being heated - that rotation is obviously kinetic energy which is what causes the increase in temperature (T being proportional to KE).
It's a form of RF heating.
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Jul 2023
2:13pm, 12 Jul 2023
20,600 posts
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rf_fozzy
Whereas Convection ovens (and Air Fryers) essentially use an element to heat air in an area and then use a fan to push the hot air around the oven which then heats up the thing being cooked.
That's why microwaves are much more efficient - they result in more direct energy transfer to the material.
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Jul 2023
2:37pm, 12 Jul 2023
26,788 posts
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TROSaracen
Agree that air fryers are misnamed, they are also subject to 'fad' disease with people leaping on board making outlandish claims etc because they were trendy.
It's not like deep frying - you don't get that oily crispness - but you do get a nicer crispness than most ovens on things.
Mine is 4.7l (IIRC) Cosori - one basket, v simple, c£70. You don;t NEED a huge one, dual baskets etc - obviously you can get that perfect crunch with the seperation/air flow with a larger one.
But overkill for one person - and you can cook multiple things with a bit of thought. Few new potatoes, some veg in the bottom, couple of chicken thighs on top comes out lovely for example. Experiment and have fun.
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Jul 2023
3:19pm, 12 Jul 2023
106,378 posts
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Hanneke
Oh! Only £70 sounds very affordable, thank you. I am mainly on my own and would use the oven when having friends round so small and simple sounds best! I don't eat meat but sometimes fish, so I reckon you can easily cook what I normally cook in the oven in it.
Do you have to use the basket, or can you put a small oven proof dish in it too?
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