Air fryer for the boat?

[nicknorman]

1 hour ago, blackrose said:

The chicken legs were better than yesterday's veg but nothing I couldn't do just as well in the oven. Nowhere have I said that all air fryers are the same. I'm not sure where you're getting that from? I'm sure some are better than others, however the reviews of the Tower T17079 3L Air Fryer that I bought on the Argos website are generally good, in fact some people rave about it in the same way some do on this thread. But I'm afraid I'm not a convert. The Argos reviews are genuine because a few wrote negative reviews complaining that theirs were faulty.

 

I am limited to 2kW by my inverter so while I could run a 1700w unit it means I've got to watch what else I'm using. It's just more practical to run smaller AC loads from inverters & batteries. But do we know for certain that a 1000w air fryer will cook slower than a 1700w unit? The cooking basket in my fryer is probably a lot physically smaller than yours which was part of the reason I bought it as I don't need a bigger model. For any given cooking space the fryers reach a cooking temperature which is regulated by a thermostat, so you might be right but I'm not sure if a smaller unit with a lower power draw will necessarily cook slower, or if it does then how significant that difference is.

 

I don't think it's the cost of the fryer that's influenced my opinion, I just don't really like the style of cooking and I'm sure I'd still feel the same if I'd spent £100. Anyway, the bottom line is that you're a fan and I'm not which is fine, we all have our own preferences and what you like doesn't have to be what I like and vice versa. 

One big advantage for us is that we have a domestic sized gas fan oven which does seem to chuck a huge amount of heat into the boat, during cooking and for quite a while afterwards. Fine in the winter, problematic in the summer! Maybe with a wide beam this is less of an issue. But anyway the speed of heating up, lack of heating up the boat and perfectly ok cooking is what we like about it.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, blackrose said:

The chicken legs were better than yesterday's veg but nothing I couldn't do just as well in the oven.

 

Which is what one expects really. Their purpose isnt really to cook things differently from an oven or in anyway 'better'.

 

They however generally cook quicker and dont need a pre heat (though some have this function) and being a smaller compartment they use less leccy, which if you are paying for it is an advantage. (I havent worked out the time and money taken to recoup the purchase cost though).

 

But if you generate your own power as on a boat with solar this isnt really a relevant factor.

 

But if you use one instead of a gas oven and/or hob you will save money on gas. (This is one reason why we got one for the caravan).

[Ianws]

Oven chips that take around 22 minutes in an oven take approx 11 minutes in an airfryer and are, in my opinion, better.

[TheBiscuits]

3 hours ago, M_JG said:

being a smaller compartment they use less leccy, which if you are paying for it is an advantage.

 

3 hours ago, M_JG said:

But if you generate your own power as on a boat with solar this isnt really a relevant factor.

 

Hard disagree!  If you make your own electric from sunshine/wind/magic pixies as opposed to hookup or otherwise wasted diesel while cruising you are far more likely to want to save every precious kWh....

 

In summer it's less of an issue, so can someone arrange summer to happen please. Soon would be good!

[blackrose]

8 hours ago, M_JG said:

 

Which is what one expects really. Their purpose isnt really to cook things differently from an oven or in anyway 'better'.

 

You may be right but that's not what others have been saying. There are posts in this thread saying that things are cooked better, not just quicker. I've found neither to be the case and I don't eat chips so for me the thing is fairly pointless. I'll keep it for occasional use when it's sunny and it can save using gas as I'm probably going to have difficulty returning a used item. As others were saying at the start of this thread, it'll probably just end up being another gadget at the back of a cupboard that doesn't get used. 

Edited August 20, 2023 by blackrose

[Guest]

7 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

 

 

Hard disagree!  If you make your own electric from sunshine/wind/magic pixies as opposed to hookup or otherwise wasted diesel while cruising you are far more likely to want to save every precious kWh....

 

In summer it's less of an issue, so can someone arrange summer to happen please. Soon would be good!

 

I was refering to the cost. Short cooking times are better cost wise, But when you generate your own leccy for free cost isnt a relevant. factor.

 

[Lily Rose]

I bought this one a few months ago when it was £50.  https://www.argos.co.uk/product/2998361?clickSR=slp:term:instant air fryer:2:71:1

 

It's on the boat but only for use in the marina, left in the car boot when we go out (batteries, solar and inverter are not up to it). I bought something similar for home use.

 

Observations...

 

Chicken thighs seem to work better than legs. I cook them upside down for about 10 minutes then right way up for about 15 minutes. The crispy skin is far better than in my fan oven at home.

 

Seasoned potato wedges work well. I par boil for 5 minutes, leave in the hot water for another 5, drain and leave a few minutes to dry off. Stick into air fryer basket, bit if oil, bit of seasoning, shake all about, cook on full with a shake every 5 minutes until they look good enough to eat.

 

Occasionally cook oven chips but not that fussed.

 

Very good for heating up pies and pasties etc. Far better than the microwave!

 

Probably my favourite use is homemade bread rolls. The c.4 litre size is perfect for 4 bread rolls made with about 440g of dough (275g flour, 165g water, optionally about 30g of seeds). Mixed up (NOT kneaded) before bedtime using just one third of a teaspoon of yeast. Leave overnight. In the morning do a quick one minute knead to knock CO2 out then divide into 4 and place on a non-stick sheet in the basket, cover and leave to double in size. They join together as 4 batch rolls but separate easily after cooling. After trial and error I now cook for about 16 minutes at 180 then remove, peel off the non stick and put back upside down for 5 minutes to ensure the bottom is cooked. Lovely rolls and far more economical than doing in an electric oven.

 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, blackrose said:

 

You may be right but that's not what others have been saying. There are posts in this thread saying that things are cooked better, not just quicker. I've found neither to be the case and I don't eat chips so for me the thing is fairly pointless. I'll keep it for occasional use when it's sunny and it can save using gas as I'm probably going to have difficulty returning a used item. As others were saying at the start of this thread, it'll probably just end up being another gadget at the back of a cupboard that doesn't get used. 

 

You could flog it? The Cosori we have just bought for the caravan was sold by someone who for whatever reason just didn’t get on with it.

[Lily Rose]

 

Forgot to mention, I went for this one and something similar for at home because I wanted simple manual controls. When you read the reviews concerning air fryers that failed soon after the warranty ran out it often seems to be the electronics that are the problem. Often an error code on the display and the damn thing is rendered useless.

[gatekrash]

We've got exactly the same model at home that @blackrose has got. It does some things really well, some stuff not so well. Mainly depends on how full the basket is, as others have said. 

 

We cook loads in ours, without issues as long as you don't overfill it and are sensible. It's also really good for keeping stuff warm without having to turn the fan oven on,...for example, this morning, the fried potatoes and mushrooms went into it to stay warm after being cooked whilst we cooked the black pud, bacon and eggs.

 

We've used it for sausages, chops (although our butcher pork chops are way too big to fit 😁), chicken thighs work well, heating pies etc.

 

Oven still goes on for anything bigger, like a full roast though.

 

Haven't got one on the boat as we don't have space for it.

[Andyaero]

I'll resurrect this one, as just watching a  Jamie Oliver prog on air fryer meals, which made me thought.....we use ours a lot in the house, but it's a big un.....will it be useable on the boat?

I'm currently educating the mrs that 2kw kettles, irons, toasters, grills are a no no on the boat, which is fine, we dont use them, but......just discovered our airfryer is 2470w 😯😬.

We are having a 5kw inverter and atleast 600Ah Lithium, I'm guessing the air fryer will be nowhere near its max most times, so is it doable? Or shore power only, which for the first year will be 3ish out of 7 days.

Or buy a lower powered airfryer.

Hopefully someone's gonna pop up and tell me they've got one and it's fine 😁.

Ours is the Ninja Foodi dual zone, double drawer AF300UK.

Ta.

[Alan de Enfield]

22 minutes ago, Andyaero said:

I'm currently educating the mrs that 2kw kettles, irons, toasters, grills are a no no on the boat, which is fine, we dont use them, but......just discovered our airfryer is 2470w

 

Your airfryer will be drawing 250 (Two Hundred and Fifty) amps out of your battery bank whenever it is under power.

 

I have a 1400 watt air fryer with a 1200 AH battery bank, and that works for me.

[Momac]

We just bought an air fryer and tried it the first time yesterday evening at home. Hopefully it will not join my wife's collection of unused kitchen gadgets.

 

From a boating perspective we would be using the air fryer when hooked up to shore power which we have at our home mooring and at some locations we visit on our travels on salty water. Similarly we have an electric kettle on the boat  for use with shore power.

 

 

 

Edited Monday at 20:00 by Momac

[peterboat]

Used mine tonight excellent item, wouldn't be without it. Mine is an AF100UK and the batteries and inverter handle it fine

[Andyaero]

So if mine is 2470w and has 2 drawers, can I assume that if only one drawer is in use, it's max use would be 1235w?

[Ianws]

21 minutes ago, Andyaero said:

So if mine is 2470w and has 2 drawers, can I assume that if only one drawer is in use, it's max use would be 1235w?

Ninja site spec says one drawer is 1200W https://ninjakitchen.co.uk/product/ninja-foodi-dual-zone-air-fryer-af300uk-zidAF300UK