Air Fryers

[HouTex 1901]

Is there a way to cook chicken strips (fresh not frozen) in an air fryer that tastes good?  I did some dipped in buttermilk, then breaded in flour and panko bread crumbs.  I sprayed them with olive oil and cooking spray and cooked for 12 minutes.  I've never eaten shake and bake chicken, but I'm guessing that is how it tastes.  Am I better off sticking with Crisco and a frying pan?

I say yes. Fried chicken works for me in the air fryer when you leave the skin on. Wings and thighs work well. I've tried breaded tenders and the flour never seems to cook. It needs fat. I have used it on skinless breasts and thighs and it turns out like grilled chicken.

[hopkinsnhorns 533]

Despite its name, it's not really a fryer, just a turbo-convection oven.  If you're trying to cook something that would otherwise need to be deep fried to taste good, you won't get the results you want from an air fryer.

That said, cooking previously fried foods (like popcorn shrimp, frozen french fries, etc) in an air fryer is a great idea.  All of the breading has already been fried, so the unit lets you cook/reheat the food quickly while crisping up the crunchy exterior wonderfully.

My favorite use so far has been roasting veggies.  Whether broccoli florets, carrot chunks, brussels sprouts, or cauliflower, air fryers do a great job of achieving a nice roasted flavor/texture in less than half the time you would need to achieve similar results in an oven.

[52-80 19277]

4 hours ago, HouTex said:

I say yes. Fried chicken works for me in the air fryer when you leave the skin on. Wings and thighs work well. I've tried breaded tenders and the flour never seems to cook. It needs fat. I have used it on skinless breasts and thighs and it turns out like grilled chicken.

Yep.  Raw wings work a treat in them.

Did a breaded pork cutlet recently and it was a disaster.  I think spraying or brushing some oil/fats on the surface might help. 

[Biff Tannen 45761]

Yes, you are supposed to use a little bit of oil.  Usually just a few sprays of olive oil does the trick.  We use ours once a week or so and it's fantastic.

[HouTex 1901]

43 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

Yes, you are supposed to use a little bit of oil.  Usually just a few sprays of olive oil does the trick.  We use ours once a week or so and it's fantastic.

I tried that on home-breaded chicken tenders--I sprayed them down very well, but they still came out with a raw flour taste.  Maybe I need to use a lot more spray.  I'd rather do skin on wings and thighs and I'll soon try skin on breasts to see how they turn out.

[Patron 230]

Here's a facebook page dedicated to air fryers. It has some good recipes and a lot of Vic Mackey's food thread material.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/882420908476095/

I'm gonna try chicken thighs like this.

 

[Lhorn 5002]

Damn, those do look good.

[Patron 230]

17 minutes ago, Lhorn said:

Damn, those do look good.

Copy and paste recipe.

Deb said something last weekend that caused my ears to perk up, she said after dipping the chicken in the egg and seasoned flower to spray with oil on both sides and let it rest in the fridge for a while. I did chicken thighs tonight and gave it a try, I dipped in beaten egg and then coated it in seasoned self rising flour, placed it on a plate with parchment paper and sprayed both sides with some grapeseed oil and put it in the fridge for about 20 minutes. I cooked it in the PD air fryer on 360° for 15 minutes, turned and cooked another maybe 10 minutes and turned it again and cooked for maybe 6 minutes on 400°. Here is the result, not one bit of the coating came off or stayed white and I never sprayed it other than a quick spritz when I first put it in the basket. The best yet.

[52-80 19277]

7 hours ago, Patron said:

Here's a facebook page dedicated to air fryers. It has some good recipes and a lot of Vic Mackey's food thread material.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/882420908476095/

I'm gonna try chicken thighs like this.

 

 

why are people cooking steaks and lobster tails in them

 

[Patron 230]

47 minutes ago, 52-80 said:

why are people cooking steaks and lobster tails in them

 

To contribute Vic Mackey's food thread posts.

[HouTex 1901]

49 minutes ago, tjhooker said:

Stepped it up. Threw a whole chicken in there.  Turned out great.  Very juicy.  

How long and at what temp?  Looks good.

[HouTex 1901]

5 minutes ago, tjhooker said:

5 lb chicken.  350 40 mins down then 25 mins right side up.  Breast was at 165 degrees.  Perfect.  I did a rub with lemon pepper, butter and olive oil spray.

That just might have to be our Mardi Gras dinner tonight.  Maybe with cajun spices and some dirty rice.  Oh, and some Sazaracs.

[hopkinsnhorns 533]

When you say down, do you mean you start breast side down, then finish breast side up or vice versa?

[52-80 19277]

Breast down ass up that's the way I like to fuck.

 

 

[RPM 26422]

On 1/28/2019 at 9:37 AM, Deej said:

Aren't these countertop ones just small convection ovens? You'd be better off buying a nice counter-top convection oven, which would be more versatile and useful. I have one. It does a great job on frozen fries, plus can be used as a toaster oven, pizza oven, etc. 

This is my thought. An air fryer is just a small convection oven and they kick serious ass. After buying one I quickly figured out I should have bought a dedicated convection oven instead of a hybrid that limits what you can cook. I have a medium size air fryer I bought off Amazon and a dedicated oven would be 100x better. You need one big enough to cook a pizza. This one couldn't hold 1/2 a pizza, but it has a 5 inch deep pan that can hold a bunch of fries, etc.They do kick serious ass on sammiches. World class grilled cheese.

Pro Tip: Air fryers do not like exposed cheese. They will melt/blow away any exposed cheese if it has anywhere to go, i.e. putting slices on top of burritos/sammiches. You'll wind up scraping it up off the bottom of the fryer.