Air fryer microwave - Just marketing?

anon_ymous

So there's this 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-NN-DS596BBPQ-Steam-Combination-Microwave/dp/B01G6Y7PIS

But from what I've seen is that air fryers are mostly just quite similar to counter top ovens? I'm all for combining as many possible devices into one but I'm not sure if it's worth buying this instead of say a combination microwave instead? 

Rosa_Damascena

Plenty of stuff on the same on the OS board - but generally, we concluded the same.

Bendy_House

Blimey, that packs a lot. What it DOESN'T appear to have is a 'fan' oven, but must have some other way of circulating the heat produced by the elements (grill and bottom?) instead, so a fan 'somewhere'?!

The steam feature is interesting, and I'm sure there are many things that are best cooked this way - I'm thinking fish and veg in particular - but you wouldn't use it for a roast, would you?

So, big Q then, I guess, is; how much stuff would you steam? If the answer is 'not a lot', then it would appear to be a complex feature that has gone faulty for many, especially if you have hard water.

Air-friers are badly named - they don't 'fry'. They are just 'focussed' fan ovens, in that the have an element at the top and a fan immediately behind them. No oil is needed (tho' a light spray can be added to some items if wished), and it just seems to work by more forceably firing hot air through the food in the pan below, rather than 'bathing' it in hot air like a fan oven.

All I can personally say about them is that they work! Chips are awesome, and in half the normal time. I do my daily shed-load of veg in it now, and again it's more tasty and quick than other methods (sometimes I'll heat through the veg chunks in a microwave for a few minutes first).

Pakoras, garlic bread, bacon, anything like that - done beautifully, and in half the time.

They are only limited by volume, usually, so you couldn't stick a whole roast in there, not unless you got a real biggie. 

Our last combi-microwave - a Sharp R59 - was just about the best overall oven we've ever had, big too at 42 litres, so could handle most things. That did pretty much our daily cooking, roasts an' all. Physically big, tho'.

Merlin139

Basically an updated Panasonic dimension 4 with changed features that I bought in 1987 the day my son was born. Told my 4 year old daughter it was a telly for the kitchen. Back to the hospital and dear daughter blurts out we have a telly for the kitchen.

We used it for virtually everything and it lasted 26 years.  Microwave, Oven, Grill and combination. 

We are now on our 3rd one. The 2nd one only lasted 4 years. Panasonic said we cooked too much Rice in it! Too much steam effected its systems.

Bendy_House

It doesn't have a turntable, I don't think, to that's a significant departure. Also, I hope it's steam-proof!

As far as I can see, UNLESS the OP does a lot of steamin', OR the steam feature is useful for ALL/ MOST cooking methods, then I'd suggest a normal 'combi' would be better. By 'combi' I mean a proper fan oven, separate grill, and microwave, ideally with some USEFUL preset programs such as jacket pots ...

The Sharp I mentioned is a beast, and will easily cater for couples and even families. 

anon_ymous

Bendy_House said:

It doesn't have a turntable, I don't think, to that's a significant departure. Also, I hope it's steam-proof!

As far as I can see, UNLESS the OP does a lot of steamin', OR the steam feature is useful for ALL/ MOST cooking methods, then I'd suggest a normal 'combi' would be better. By 'combi' I mean a proper fan oven, separate grill, and microwave, ideally with some USEFUL preset programs such as jacket pots ...

The Sharp I mentioned is a beast, and will easily cater for couples and even families. 

Thanks. Tbf not a huge amount of streaming 

I already have a Thermomix which does most things for me. I've already also got a very old Panasonic Dimension 4 microwave too.

Aside from the steaming function, I take it that the air fryer is basically served by the convection oven feature? 

ashe

[quote]Air-friers are badly named - they don't 'fry'. They are just 'focussed' fan ovens, in that the have an element at the top and a fan immediately behind them. No oil is needed (tho' a light spray can be added to some items if wished), and it just seems to work by more forceably firing hot air through the food in the pan below, rather than 'bathing' it in hot air like a fan oven.[/quote]

Not using oil with an air fryer is, imo, like not adding seasoning to meat. You can do it, but you won't get best results, especially for things like wings, breaded chicken, fries etc. It's the addition of the oil that makes them so good at giving things a deep fried effect, otherwise all you really get is a slightly more efficient fan oven due to smaller size. The combination of the circulation of the air, and the heat on the surface of the food from the oil, is where the magic happens hence the name. 

We have a dedicated air fryer unit, and a Ninja multi cooker which has an air fryer mode. We usually use one or the other, and on rare occasions both, but haven't used our oven this year at all because its so much better at being an oven than the traditional oven is. 

Bendy_House

ashe said:

[quote]Air-friers are badly named - they don't 'fry'. They are just 'focussed' fan ovens, in that the have an element at the top and a fan immediately behind them. No oil is needed (tho' a light spray can be added to some items if wished), and it just seems to work by more forceably firing hot air through the food in the pan below, rather than 'bathing' it in hot air like a fan oven.[/quote]

Not using oil with an air fryer is, imo, like not adding seasoning to meat. You can do it, but you won't get best results, especially for things like wings, breaded chicken, fries etc. It's the addition of the oil that makes them so good at giving things a deep fried effect, otherwise all you really get is a slightly more efficient fan oven due to smaller size. The combination of the circulation of the air, and the heat on the surface of the food from the oil, is where the magic happens hence the name. 

We have a dedicated air fryer unit, and a Ninja multi cooker which has an air fryer mode. We usually use one or the other, and on rare occasions both, but haven't used our oven this year at all because its so much better at being an oven than the traditional oven is. 

Absolutely, a light spray of oil makes all the difference.

 I was just pointing out that the device itself doesn't 'fry' any more than a fan oven does - they are both technically 'fan ovens' tho' arranged in a different way. 

They do work, tho'; that focussed blast gets results. Much faster cooking, crisp outsides and juicier insides due to less time being cooked.

Bendy_House

waqasahmed said:

Thanks. Tbf not a huge amount of streaming 

I already have a Thermomix which does most things for me. I've already also got a very old Panasonic Dimension 4 microwave too.

Aside from the steaming function, I take it that the air fryer is basically served by the convection oven feature? 

I can't actually see any reference to 'air-frying' with that oven?

It's a strange beast, very different to all the ovens I've had.

For a start, it doesn't appear to have a 'fan' oven, surely the single most useful type? It has a grill element in the roof, and the bottom 'element' is a plate that's activated, I understand, by microwaves (a glorified 'crisping' pan). 

The steam feature can be used, I'm sure, with ALL cooking forms, and not just for 'steaming', and I can see that this can/will add to the quality of the results, but I know little about this.

So, unless I misunderstand that oven's features, it is likely less effective as a conventional 'fan' oven, but has the benefit of steam.

I'm assuming it MUST have a fan in there of some sort, and - if so - it's located in the oven roof? In which case, DOES this act as an air fryer? IE, does it just circulate the grill element's heat around the oven, or does it 'blast' it down on the food like an air fryer? I don't know.

ashe

Bendy_House said:

waqasahmed said:

Thanks. Tbf not a huge amount of streaming 

I already have a Thermomix which does most things for me. I've already also got a very old Panasonic Dimension 4 microwave too.

Aside from the steaming function, I take it that the air fryer is basically served by the convection oven feature? 

I can't actually see any reference to 'air-frying' with that oven?

It's a strange beast, very different to all the ovens I've had.

For a start, it doesn't appear to have a 'fan' oven, surely the single most useful type? It has a grill element in the roof, and the bottom 'element' is a plate that's activated, I understand, by microwaves (a glorified 'crisping' pan). 

The steam feature can be used, I'm sure, with ALL cooking forms, and not just for 'steaming', and I can see that this can/will add to the quality of the results, but I know little about this.

So, unless I misunderstand that oven's features, it is likely less effective as a conventional 'fan' oven, but has the benefit of steam.

I'm assuming it MUST have a fan in there of some sort, and - if so - it's located in the oven roof? In which case, DOES this act as an air fryer? IE, does it just circulate the grill element's heat around the oven, or does it 'blast' it down on the food like an air fryer? I don't know.

I think they asking if it is an air fryer because air fryers are basically smaller convection ovens, so as it's small and has an oven, is it a de facto air fryer? 

Without a fan, it won't be, and for best results you want a basket you can easily take out and shake about to ensure oil fully costs everything and it cooks evenly. It might even have a fan, but not a powerful one to circulate the air properly?

air fryers can be a pig to clean tbh. I wouldn't want one built into a microwave 

Sandtree

Bendy_House said:

The steam feature is interesting, and I'm sure there are many things that are best cooked this way - I'm thinking fish and veg in particular - but you wouldn't use it for a roast, would you?

Yes you would, assuming it does combi-steam like our oven does. You can still roast at 180C (or whatever) but can set it to 80% humidity to reduce drying out

They're excellent for baking bread too as you use high humidity to start with which allows the bread to rise and then remove the humidity for the last part which gives you a great crust... no more messing about with trays of water in the bottom etc.