New Air Fryer, Who Dis?
ahhhhhhh My air fryer. I seriously don’t even know how I survived life without one. and if you have kids….you probably can’t. I throw almost everything in there- nuggs, french fries, pizza, taquitos….you know, all of the kid food. But, you can make a ton of healthy stuff for yourself too. I usually am always using either my air fryer or instant pot for something every night. lol
So recently when my air fryer broke, I was on the hunt for a new one. I’ve always used the basket style and although I loved it, there are all of these new fancy ones (also with a fancy price tag) that I have had my eye on.
The Ninja Foodi-
which is almost like an Instant Pot, but it can also be an air fryer. With the price tag of $219 there was no way I was going to convince my husband, plus, I already have an Instant Pot. I also don’t really see the need to pressure cook something and turn around and air fry it. I’m sure there are a ton of recipes people have come up with, but this thing just didn’t have what I was looking for.
Not to mention, this one is so big and bulky. You cant just leave it on the counter. It’s fancy, but not functional.
The Basket style-
This is what I had previously (different brand). It got me through so many dinners and I loved it, but there were some flaws in the design and functionality. First off- my handle broke off pretty soon after purchase. I couldn’t glue it back on, so I dealt with it. Then there was the cooking space- If you have a large family or plan on cooking actual meals in there, this is not for you. Even if you get a 10 Qt, you still have to cook in batches. There is no room, they are a pain to clean because you have to take out the whole basket and if you are cooking something light (like bacon) it always gets sucked up into the fan. Another thing I did not like about the basket style is that if you go to empty it the tray always falls out. This makes a big ole mess….crumbs everywhere. Super annoying!
The Air Fryer Oven-
Ugh that name……you mean its an air fryer and an oven??? Yup! This is ultimately what I ended up going with- The Instant Vortex Plus Air Fryer Oven. I am a huge fan of the Instant Pot brand, so I knew this was going to be a good product, but I didn’t know I was going to love it as much as I do….well I kinda did because, it can air fry, bake, roast, broil, dehydrate, re-heat and cook a rotisserie chicken! Say whaaaa???
This bad boy has two (yes, two) racks for more cooking space, a drip pan that can also double as a sheet pan and has the attachments to roast a whole chicken like they do in the grocery stores.
The two racks/trays allow you to cook two differnt things at once and are easy to rotate because we all know heat rises and stuff gets crispier on the top rack. It is so so easy to clean. I thought the window would get dirty, but I just wipe it down with a sponge each time and it’s still shiny in there. The front door also comes off to make cleaning easy (you will catch some crumbs in there). The trays slide in and out and clean up with just hot water. If I am making something I know is going to be super messy, I just slide the tray without holes under the food to catch the drippings.
I hate having clutter on my counters, but I use this thing at least twice a day so it stays out on the counter and it looks nice with our appliances and kinda just blends in. Besides being aesthetically pleasing this thing checks all the boxes for me and it fits my budget! I’ve also added the “supersized” version of this air fryer to the link bellow. It can cook a 12 inch pizza!
I hope this helps you decide.
All items linked bellow!
xoxo
Les
Still not sold on an Air Fryer? here are some things I love to make in mine!
- chicken parm
- stir fry
- homemade taquitos
- roasted veggies
- baked potatoes
- sweet potato hash
- breakfast potatoes
- homemade chick-fil-a chicken strips
- fries
- burgers
- chicken wings
- potato skins
- cauliflower bites
- brussels sprouts
- burnt broccoli
- nuggets
- burritos
- pizza
- french toast sticks
- bacon
the list can go on forever…..
Using and air fryer is also healthier because you will use less oil. I usually always just use olive oil spray for everything!
I also want to think it’s healthier than using a microwave. lol
Air Fryer Links
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