Air fryer costs

Krakkkers

Just bought as ASDA 1400w 3.2l air fryer and wondered if anyone has done the cost per hour of an air fryer vs oven.
My oven is a 2.5kw fan oven but of course ovens do not use their wattage continuously.
Do you cook for less time in an air fryer and is the element on less?

Joyful

An oven takes much longer to heat up and to cook. I barely use my oven now and most foods are cooked in 2/3rds of the time in my Airfryer.

Spoonie_Turtle

Smaller space to heat and food is nearer the hot element.  Yes it's a lot quicker, and much more economical if you have small amounts to cook that don't take up a whole oven.

Krakkkers

Just did my first cook, cooked in about 70% of normal time in fan oven and element was on (1400w) for 38% of the time.
Solar panels took care of it all.

JSHarris

We bought a Sage mini-oven, which has an air fryer function.  Very significant energy use reduction compared with the built-in AEG ovens we have.  I can't recommend the Sage, but only because it's impossible to keep clean.  In terms of energy saving then these small worktop cookers and air fryers are a no-brainer.

When we got ours last year, I compared cooking a meal in it (a casserole, plus baked potatoes) with doing the same in a built-in convection oven.  The energy usage was just about half using the Sage.  The other big advantage was that the kitchen didn't get as hot (this was the end of last summer).

The downside with the Sage unit is that it's basically very badly designed and after a year is showing serious signs of degradation.  If someone made something as versatile as the Sage, but with a normal oven self-cleaning interior, and a more practical arrangement of IR heating elements, then that might be a real winner. 

2makeit

i was tempted with these airfyers, just finding a decent priced one that works and will last,
and then to see what it can cook,

Scot_39

As with everything "it depends"

ML - ex of MSE did a warning "not always the best" cf oven - loads of other sites do direct comparison checks. 

https://www.independent.co.uk/money/martin-lewis-air-fryer-microwave-warning-b2325457.html

Comes down to what you are cooking - and how long you are cooking it for.

I was skeptical about air fryers when they started to get a lot of attention.  But caved late last year. Hardly ever use the main oven now.

But they lend themselves to a certain type of dish - like other niche products (slow cookers, rotisserie ovens etc) - and there's only so much counter space and cash I am willing to part with.

 

RE cost comparisons -

An air fryer - might take 2-3 min to warm up depending on size - and use less power doing so - whereas an oven maybe 10-15 mins (*).

(You tend to find you need lower time than conventional fan oven timings anyway - 20%+ in some cases (*) - or lower temps - or a mix of both even compared to fan - let alone conventional oven)

So anything quick would seem an easy win for air fryers.

After which it gets a bit tricky - as an oven - with it's thermal mass - I suspect may power cycle a lot less - over a long cooking cycle.

So cooking a beef / ham joint or roast chicken for an hour+ in both not so sure.

And chances are if doing that - you might be adding other things into the oven - which might not fit in a typical air fryer - certainly wasn't going to drop £200+ - to test out another new device.

But admit might spend more than the £59 I spent (annoyingly on sale again with 1/3 rd off last week - and like you - ASDA) on replacement now know it's a useful device for me.

Unlike sandwich makers, waffle makers etc - that find their way after initial enthusiasm - to the back of many a cupboard - including mine.

And just like ovens, not all air fryers are created equal, efficiency wise - so the breakeven point - will depend on your models too.

(*) To me the big winner is not only in the power saving - but the time saving.

For instance I try to stick to my E10 times (but not always disciplined enough to do so) - so avoiding say 15 min of warm up and cooking time - means I can eat 15 mins earlier - after waiting for my 8pm cheap rate to kick in in winter when I prefer a hot meal most nights - and 9pm in summer - a tougher ask - when I want one. 

Chrysalis

I havent done the maths, it would be hard to be precise.

But in short I avoid using my solid plate hob at all, and do those veg in air fryer now.  Solid plate hobs are the real inefficiency for cooking, I would put large ovens behind them. 

I also avoid long cooks in oven but will still use oven for things that are quick to cook, worth noticing as well I no longer use a full sized oven.

Swipe

I wouldn't be without my table top JML halogen oven. I did crispy oven chips in 10 mins last night and mushy peas that took 90 seconds in the microwave.

bob2302

I don't have one, but there's a podcast on BBC Sounds called Sliced Bread (as in best thing since) which did a program on them.
They found that they are efficient for small amounts of food, but if you have to run one several time, it can more expensive than cooking everything together in an oven.

I tend to cook food in batches and reheat individual meals. Overall it's a lot cheaper and less work.

debitcardmayhem

Anyone found an air-fryer that can do roast rib of beef ,  roast potatoes, roast parsnips, and the obligatory yorkie puddings. I find it sad that the art of cooking has been lost for the convenience and “money saving” on an oven stab,stab press ping. Proper food does not need to be expensive in fact and is far more nutritional than packaged convenience foods and often cheaper since you get more meals from £ / lb easy meals.