Instant Pots and Air Fryers

jzadski said:

ps...don't use canola oil for the fryer

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What's wrong with canola oil? As far as I could find, the complaints about canola are the same complaints about all refined vegetable oils. It's the most stable, doesn't absorb flavors, good source for omega-3, omega-6, oleic acid and is low on saturated fat. The high erucic acid content has been engineered out (<2%), and I have no issues with it being GMO. It isn't the only oil I use, but it is probably what I use the most (although I use peanut oil quite a bit too).

We have a air fryer oven and a 6qt instapot. Love them both. Air fryer gets used nearly daily. Our oven has the 3 racks and we use them instead of the basket insert, even for french fries. Instapot makes a lot of food, but they have several sizes to choose from depending on the size of your family. It's just the 2 of us now, so that is one reason the instapot is not used as often.

I suppose it depends on what you use your microwave for. I only use mine to heat up our dinnerware before I put the food on it-it bothers me to put hot food on a cold plate. I think I used it to melt butter once or twice. The instafryer wouldn't do those duties very well.

TLDR: It all depends on how many people you are cooking for and if you fall for the con of an "air fryer" :becky:.


If you are bored.............
So I have an 8qt instant pot. Also have what I would call a mid sized convention toaster oven that can easily do a 12 in frozen pizza, has multiple rack options, heats crazy even and is the only appliance that has been approved for permanent counter top space.

All that garbage being said I simply don't get "air fryers". I mean I get the gimmick (I watch In the Kitchen with David every Sunday), but it is simply a very small convection oven (you ain't saving calories by air frying vs the oven :mrgreen. Granted they make some that have front doors are are like a toaster oven, but other than needing one in a camper I don't get the egg shape.......even then get a convection toaster oven.

In the summer when I don't want to crank the oven for small batch of fries or whatever an "air fryer" claims to do better.....I use my toaster oven. My big convection oven (& toaster) still crips the hell out of anything I've read an "air fryer" can do as does my toaster oven.

Now....it really comes down to what quantity you cook for in real life. For 2 people I can see an air fryer working if you don't want to buy a more useful toaster oven, but I researched a ton (as always) and then when Costco had a nice sized toaster oven on sale for $60 I bought it. For my family of 4 there is just no way an air fryer has a place.

So that leads into why I also don't see a place for the combo units (ninja foodie) for quantities more than 2 people. I know Ron crushes his :-D. But I'm not tossing food around or rotating batches when I can just use my oven. I'm lazy :becky:, but I'll fire up my pitboss to crisp up 50 wings in no time. The foodie seems perfect if you want both, but also don't have a lot of room or ain't cooking for a lot of folks.

And finally (since I've clearly amped off Judge Judy reruns :icon_blush none of these devices still replaces my microwave.

Oh the canola oil. So we got 2 orders of it from Costco so we had/have a bunch. We used to use peanut but $. Now vegetable oil. So filled the big fryer with it a while back and the smell was off but, thought it was me. Cleaned the one on the bbq and filled it with canola too. Smell off after heated too. Then the wife noticed too so it wasn't just me. So she did some quick research. When heated can or does smell fishy or like used oil. Which is exactly what we experienced. The article also stated it best for baking. So for us we are sticking with vegetable oil.

Tried buying the breville air fryer pro or whatever it’s called but back ordered everywhere. Ended up with a cuisanart oven air fryer and it’s ok. My kids are 9 and 13 and used to better food than standard chicken nuggets so it has limited uses for us, but I did finish some smoked wings on it and they came out great. Your basic fried apps like onion rings, fries, cheese sticks etc are easier and faster to cook on the air fryer so that’s good. This takes the place of our toaster also so I guess it will work. But I really don’t see what the fuss is all about and the universal love of air fryers


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I agree, air fryers are overrated. Which is why we bought the Breville Smart Oven Air. Use it more for other things than just air fry.

Also, nothing will replace our microwave.

jzadski said:

Oh the canola oil. So we got 2 orders of it from Costco so we had/have a bunch. We used to use peanut but $. Now vegetable oil. So filled the big fryer with it a while back and the smell was off but, thought it was me. Cleaned the one on the bbq and filled it with canola too. Smell off after heated too. Then the wife noticed too so it wasn't just me. So she did some quick research. When heated can or does smell fishy or like used oil. Which is exactly what we experienced. The article also stated it best for baking. So for us we are sticking with vegetable oil.

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I haven't experienced the fishy smell with canola (yet), but I have with other refined cooking oils. I always associated it with going rancid. It's been a while though and I'll have to pay closer attention next time it happens. I do have an issue with peanut oil having an off smell after only being used a time or two.

Right now I'm using Happy Belly (Amazon's brand) and 365 (Whole Food's brand) canola oil and was thinking about ordering 35lb jugs.

Curt.P said:

I haven't experienced the fishy smell with canola (yet), but I have with other refined cooking oils. I always associated it with going rancid. It's been a while though and I'll have to pay closer attention next time it happens. I do have an issue with peanut oil having an off smell after only being used a time or two.

Right now I'm using Happy Belly (Amazon's brand) and 365 (Whole Food's brand) canola oil and was thinking about ordering 35lb jugs.

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Glad you haven't had my issues. I think 99.9% of it is my luck :laugh: Have been using Walmart vegetable oil $4.44 gallon and have been very happy with.

So what do people do about reusing oil? How many times can you do it and how long does it last. A gallon of oil is around$7 or so, I'm curious if it's financially worthwhile to fry?

JD08 said:

So what do people do about reusing oil? How many times can you do it and how long does it last. A gallon of oil is around$7 or so, I'm curious if it's financially worthwhile to fry?

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I get quite a few frying sessions with oil. I'm careful about heat management and my target range is 225°-250°F, depending on what I'm frying. It also depends on what's going into the oil. For example, if I fry fish, I'll dispose of it afterwards because I don't like fishy fries. I keep my used oil in a 5-gallon stainless milk jug. I filter hot oil through a commercial filter directly into the milk jug right after a fry session. I posted pictures here: https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showpost.php?p=4431497&postcount=18

There is a powder you can use to extend fry oil life. I haven't tried it yet.

We have an instant pot and we honestly don't use it all that often. It works well for brown rice and we've made some good soups or chicken for taco's in it. The main benefit is how fast it is but if time isn't an issue and I want to cook say beef stew, I prefer the stew cooked slowly on the stove over the instant pot version.

We just got an Instant Pot Vortex Air Fryer for Xmas. It’s not something I’m going to be making steak or salmon in, but there are some things we really like it for. For us it’s become a “pouring rain outside, can’t use the grill” stand-in. Makes good chicken wings, oven fries, fish sticks, etc. Will do a passable chicken breast. Do I think it’s a needed item? Not really. We use it when we don’t want to dirty up the gas stove with grease splatter or turn on the oven for one tray of fries or chicken strips. I do really like sliced potatoes, zucchini, asparagus, green beans in it.

We use our instant pot a bit. I used it a lot when I first got it, stews and soups mostly even yogurt. Now I don't touch it much, but the wife still makes a fish stew regularly and a few other things. It's nice because you can start with frozen meat, and it still turns out ok. It's doesn't make the best stuff on earth, but is good for when you are pressed for time, or don't have the energy to make something else.

Don't have an air fryer, and don't see the need personally.

We have an electric pressure cooker (which can brown meat first). How is the Instant Pot different?

ChrisBarb said:

We have an electric pressure cooker (which can brown meat first). How is the Instant Pot different?

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The instant pot is just a well marketed pressure cooker. It has several built in settings that make cooking different things easier, but it's a pressure cooker.

ChrisBarb said:

We have an electric pressure cooker (which can brown meat first). How is the Instant Pot different?

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If a recipe calls for browning meat I still do it in a pan. The "saute" function on the instant pot was created so you can do it all in one pot.......but it isn't the best, especially if doing larger quantities of meat or veggies. Or if you are trying to get a nice sear on beef chunks for example.

I've got an Instant Pot (Christmas Gift 2 years ago) an Air Fryer (Christmas gift this past year) -got to admit, I do like the Instant Pot at times, like when I forget to get something out for dinner, I can do a pot roast dinner from frozen in an hour or so. I still prefer my crockpot for slow, all day, cooking. The air fryer hasn't won me over yet, french fries are 15-20 minutes at 400* (which is the highest temp these things have) you have to shake the basket every 3-5 minutes... or I put them on a tray in my oven at 450* for 15-20 minutes and turn once halfway through cooking, no difference to me and more work with the air fryer. I did broil some decent chicken breasts in the air fryer, so I guess there's that.

Main issue turns into the lack of counter space in my small kitchen. Toaster, Coffee Pot, and Microwave aren't in any danger of being replaced, but damn the Instant Pot, Crockpot, Air Fryer, and Bread Machine take up some real estate. (I actually just built a wall shelf for the sole purpose of holding these items until they are in use) I was storing them on a shelf in the basement, but then would dread getting them if I wanted to use them and decide to make something else instead of going up and down the stairs)

Did I make a point or was I just rambling again... I think I was rambling...