Does the Philips Air-fryer work as well as a standard deep-fryer?

Question

I've seen commercial ads about the Philips Air-fryer:

I'd like to hear answers from someone who actually tried it..

• Does the outcome taste the same as if it was fried in a normal deep fryer?
• Does the outcome have the same crispness? (or better or worse?)
• Is it worth its price? (around $248)

Answer 1

I personally haven't used it. Lifehacker did a review on this when it came out though. Basically, it's more like a convection oven, as people have mentioned. They bascially said if you don't own a convection oven and eat a lot of fries it's worth it, but it really is baking them, not frying.

Answer 2

I am not really a connoisseur of French fries, but here is what I felt:

1. They taste very similar to deep-fried French fries
2. They were crisp on the outside and soft on the inside
3. You save quite a bit on oil (about one tablespoon for 1lb of potatoes), so it may be worth it if you eat a lot of French fries.

Some other thoughts:

We are able to use better quality oil (cold pressed virgin sesame oil, for example).

We also it to air-fry vegetables (Zucchini with olive oil and paprika), which was pretty good. But I can't say I have eaten deep-fried Zucchini.

We made Paneer Shashlik out of the Indian recipe book. This was really no better than what we could have skewered in the oven.

Answer 3

I have tried an air fryer. It is very convenient, but if it is the ultimate taste you want (whether it's fried food or roasted food, health/oil issues aside) then no, it can't beat deep fat frying or oven roasting.

Having said that, it is a good speedy compromise when in a hurry.

Answer 4

In a word: no. Fries used in this machine taste a lot like oven fries. If you like oven fries, I guess that's perfect. If you don't, it's probably less than perfect.

Answer 5

The air fryer dries meat out and in my opinion, not that tasty. The air fryer might be suitable for certain things like fries.

Answer 6

I have the automatic version. It tastes same like deep fries (even better). Initial experiments are required with oil level to judge what/how you need. Don't go by the books. Taste is like as if deep fries have been done on tissue paper to remove oil. Browning is very uniform and excellent, as you can pause and monitor.