Air fryers? (2,315 views)

I couldn't find anything on  a search. made me feel I  MUST be missing something.   I don't have an IP yet,  but I must be the last person in the US who doesn't.    Yes, I hope I get some input.  

No, maybe everyone else already HAS one.   

I ordered one yesterday.  I have a toaster oven that gets limited use. I can sub this for  the toaster oven plus other things.  I haven't tried anything new in a  longtime  so  here we go.  hope this doesn't end up in the same category as the spiralizer.  I am on WW  these days, and there is a whole group of people talking about  how they use one, so no shortage of  ways to try it, especially vegetables.  


ETA so after waiting and procrastinating for years I  am now impatient because it won' t come until Monday.  aren't we all  weird  sometimes!

I'm reading this with anticipation. I have been waffling on getting this and the IP, so I am reading all the threads. I cannot contribute since I don't own them but happy to virtually cheer you on.

Appreciate the update.
DH usually grills our salmon outside, though frankly, I could eat it raw (and have!) but the veggies are of interest to me.
Thank you for taking the time.

I hear you, Traildoggie. DH wants his stuff cooked (though I am changing that day by day, year by year---a worthwhile rock to roll uphill, LOL). Since we fish, we have gotten used to cooking up full fillet (side) of the salmon. Easier for me to gut/prep after a catch but we noticed that a lot of the sockeye (which we prefer) is sold as a full side, which we were thrilled to discover. We buy the wild and maybe it is easier to get in these parts. When I lived in WI, I used to have to watch sales and/or ask the meat gal to order a case of frozen sockeye (and find room in the freezer!!). I typically pull the salmon on a sheet of heavy duty foil. DH can just plunk it down and haul it up with little effort or skill. He has done tuna on the grill sans foil and the trick (which we learned) was to oil the heated grill BEFORE he puts it on there, thereby making it as non-stick as possible. Since the grill has a hot side and a cooler side, he always puts the tail end on the hotter side (his side) and mine on the lower heat so I can get as raw as it can be. I preface this with the fact that I only, ONLY do this with frozen/thawed salmon. When we catch our own, if I don't freeze it but cook it right after a catch, it is cooked thoroughly. Salmon is prone to worms. Not a fan.

Sorry for the ramblings.
I'm happy to hear you can make salmon despite your DH's reluctance. If the dry "skin" and top are important, than poaching is probably not an option...easy and allows for faster, cleaner cooking.
I wonder if your DH would entertain salmon burgers as a "dipping his toe' into the salmon world....
I get it; people like what they like. DH won't touch pickles or anchovies or olives or cucumbers...I've made some headway but not much.

Traildoggie, what air fryer did you get?

We eat a lot of salmon. I sometimes grill it on a well-oiled perforated pan or on a cedar plank but my husband prefers to bake it in the oven. I do grill tuna steaks which only take 2-3 minute per side on a screaming hot grill. I use a folded paper towel held with tongs and dipped in oil to brush the grill grates right before I lay the tuna down.

We eat a lot of sushi and sashimi but the fish is usually frozen before preparation, although I am a little concerned about the raw mackerel from my Asian market which I am not sure has been frozen. Last year we were gifted with a huge piece of fresh tuna caught by an acquaintance. We ate half immediately and froze half. I did have to blank my mind to all those shows I've watched about parasitic infections (Monsters Inside Me), but the taste experience was worth it to us.

In terms of risk of food-born illness, a real walk on the wild side for me is eating raw beef which I will only do at one restaurant where I know the owner and her standards for selection of the beef and it's preparation. Raw kibbe is one of those things folks either like or loathe; we love it.

wowee, no  raw stuff in my house!. I remember tasting raw beef and onions on new years celebration long ago ( in Wisconsin)   and  was ….  can I say...  revolted?   ugly texture and knowing what it was... oh my.  no. not in this lifetime.   I tried oysters too.  no way.   I'm  finicky about food textures. raw  stuff is  way WAY over the line for me.      

DH simply doesn't like fish.  I have a few things with tilapia he will eat because its so non fish- like.  he'll eat trout but the tiny bones are an issue.  I like poached salmon. the only salmon I had for a long time was salmon burgers and he wont touch them. so I quit!  so  salmon is for me, all of it.   


I made asparagus again tonight in the air fryer.  tossed with a bit of sesame oil and salt,  cooked 370 for 7 minutes. it was great.  it seems to get nicely done without the thinner ends  being overdone and the  fatter ends still tough. it shuts off  when time is up, so easier not to over cook vegies like asparagus  which happens in a regular oven if you aren't watching.   it   heats French bread  quickly without drying out the inside.  

 I don't know how I missed this back in the day, but add me to the raw beef crowd!  Early on when we were dating, DH and I had a very funny conversation where we were both dancing around the admission that in our respective families, we used to eat raw beef.   We have one local butcher that I trust enough to still do that with with their house ground, or we'll buy a small tenderloin and just chunk it up with a tiny bit of Lawry's season salt.  We don't do that when we have people over, because I know many people have very strong feelings about it, or are downright revolted.

Oh yeah, ETA:  I got one of those combination toaster oven/air fryer/countertop convention ovens last year and still haven't tried out the air fryer function.  It just seems like it's going to be so messy.  I need to just get over it and try it out.