Mistral 3.5l Air Fryer is currently on special at Woolworths. Normal price is $49
This is a basic air fryer and would be good for someone who wants to try one.
Some stores may be out of stock. Check stock on WW online before you head to the store or order online.
One of many uses.
I have a larger 5L air frier, it only just cooks enough frozen chips to fill up 1 person or a health amount for 2 people as a side dish. You don’t want to layer food in an air frier or the outside burns and inside is raw. This one is tiny and solid suite a single person
What the size should it be for a family of 3 - 4 people?
Philips XXL airfryer. Highly recommended!
@Ggggggggg: Yes I have this one as well. Basic settings but that is all you really need. Does chip soooo nicely.
Salmon though I think I need to tweak my method, I think I went too hot too soon. Maybe best on a lower heat without the skin. Else Air fry then use a butane torch to finish off.
We use this Mistral one for a family of 5 but just for sides of chips/potatoes with a meal.
2 to 3 of these
Have you tried rotating the food?
It doesn't need to be single layer, just give it a shake every now and then, twice is probably enough. Don't fill it too high, but you could certainly stack them several chips high.
If you're cooking something you can't shake, single layer is best. E.g. party pies. If I want to do something like that and chips and have them ready at the same time I put the party pies or whatever on top and take them off to shake the chips and put them back after shaking.
I have the larger Kmart air fryer. 500g of chips for 20 minutes on 200 degrees. Shake/toss every five minutes.
i have a Tefal Ultimate Fry Deluxe which i recently purchased, this one is more for a single person or someone who would like to use a cheaper Air fryer before buying a more advanced one. but it has more uses than cooking pies
I use mine to reheat pizza. Can fit 2 slices in there and it tastes better than if it was in the oven imo
2 slices only? It would be better to fit a whole pizza.
If only a kitchen had a device to fit and heat up a whole pizza!
I've got the Phillips one.
To be honest it replaces my regular oven. It's very, very fast, with no preheating or need to flip. It seems to get a lot hotter than my regular oven so it's a lot easier to get things crispy too. You also don't really need to clean it every time, and when you do you can just throw the whole base and cage in the dishwasher
Tonight i used it to reheat some leftover kfc (5 minutes) and cook some chicken for wraps (8 minutes). I then used it to heat some frozen bread rolls (5 minutes).
How many regular sized pies could you fit in their optimally?
I'm referring to the Coles beef pies or normal standard four n twenty pies that come in a four pack.
Also how many regular Coles schnitzels and Coles sausages could you cook in their properly meaning not layering or having some unevenly cooked while others burn.
Keep in mind i have the xl Phillips model (i also used to have the regular Phillips one). Obviously can't comment specifically on this model.
Re the pies, 2 comfortable, 3 if i have a little overlap (no effect on final product). Lots of wasted space on the pies. I usually give them a 2 minute microwave and 5 minutes to crisp up. Otherwise frozen pies take ages (20 minutes). Keep in mind though that in the time i could warm up an oven i will have already finished cooking 2 batches of pies which is enough for a large family.
Sausages actually work way better. I can do 600g or so without issue (so 1 packet or 8-12). Stacking isn't an issue and in fact a helter skelter arrangement works better than having them side by side. You just need to shake the basket once during the cooking if you're after an even crisp outside (it's fine to not do it if you don't care) which rearranges them inside. Takes about 8-12 minutes. Usually I'll try cooking at a lower temp and then only do the last few minutes at 200 degrees.
Re the schnitzel, i actually did this last night with a pack of 5. Did 2-3 flat, then able to fit the rest by having them vertically by having them lean against the basket. Cooked for 8-10 minutes. Worked well, couldn't figure out which was which by the end of it once i took them out. Wouldn't be able to do a parma on the vertical ones obviously.
I've also done a small pork roast in it a few times (the tiny ones from aldi). Came out amazing with no issues cooking crackling. Big issue was the smoke generated, it's a lot more than a regular oven, i need to carry the air fryer outside beforehand.
I usually layer, it's not a regular oven, it's designed for it providing there's enough room for air to go between. Just give it a shake midway through cooking.
They're amazing for kids, and amazing if you're just cooking for 1.
@Ezuku: Which Philips model do you have? I have a $100 voucher for big w / woolies. And I did see a Philips model for $199 recently. But I doubt that's XL size?
@fuzzy wuzzy: That would be correct. I've got the XXL (HD9630/21). I used to have the original air fryer then upgraded once my kids were older (and i wanted to give my old one to my in laws).
In terms of the HD9630/21, I'm happy with the cooking ability, much less happy with the quality of it compared to the original. The numbers on the dial are rubbing off, and 0 on the timer doesn't quite seem to like up. I can of course live with these, and it cooks just fine, i just feel these issues shouldn't exist on a premium model. There's also a weird issue where the fan is stronger than the original (obviously) which has the weird side effect of occasionally blowing food upwards so it makes contact with the heating element! Hasn't happened for a while, although it could also be that i stopped trying to use it as a toaster or the grill got a bit stickier. In retrospect i should have bought the digital dial version, or potentially investigated a cheaper brand, i largely bought the xxl because the original was so good.
@Ezuku: Thanks so much. I'm planning to get my first air fryer and im happy to invest in something abit better.
When you referred to the original, do you mean the HD9200/91 ? This is currently $150 at big w 😍
There's also a more digital version for HD9270/91 but that is XL
@fuzzy wuzzy: Nope. I had the hd9220 / 56 i believe. The subsequent models do allow more disassembly of the basket which is nice.
As i said though, never tried out other brands so really can't comment, they might be just as good for a much lower price for all I know.
Regardless, there is a very valid usage case over a conventional oven. Far faster, less cleaning (you can dishwasher the basket and bottom and you don't even need to clean it everytime), no turning, holds enough food unless you're having a party and even then you can do a couple of batches before an oven has even started warming up. It's certainly not frying, but i do somehow get a better and crispier result compared to my convection oven (no idea why).
Rather than an oven making my air fryer obsolete, it's very close to the other way around.
Happy you're finding my info useful.
TIL some people have enough self control to leave some KFC for leftovers.
And the stomach fortitude to eat it reheated.
You've got it wrong. I just don't have self control to avoid buying more than I could ever eat because per unit is a better price.
Also kfc nuggets are really great for making fried rice.
Dishwasher safe?! Is it not a non-stick one?
It's both non stick and dishwasher safe (according to manufacturer).
For that matter lots of non stick things are dishwasher safe, all of my pots and pans for instance (yes, I'm the weird guy who actually skims instructions for cookware).
yeah or you could literally cook every meal of your life with it
Can fit 2 regular size pies…
The Air fryer comes somewhere between god and a substitute mother in my household. Without it we'd be helpless. I have 2 on the kitchen bench top now, just in case…..
I guess it is kinda the modern improved toaster oven.
If I was replacing a small kitchen now I would seriously consider having no fixed appliances and using these and a plug in hotplate.
Can it cook eggs
The use case is simply: "preheating and oven for 10min sucks" and "wow I can clean the tray so easily now"
good air fryer. Paid $49. Cant complain.
Couldn't buy the parts 👍
I have a much larger air fryer, permanently mounted in my kitchen, just underneath my stove top.
It's really good.
Lol. I see what you did there. But we both know that for all the positives of your “air fryer”, they takes ages to heat up (and so take longer to cook) and are a much bigger pain in the A55 to clean (and no that’s no the number for an arterial Highway).
Tried it… Materials are VERY cheap. The insulation is terrible, the gauge feels like paper. I wouldn't buy this even if it was free.
lol if it was for free you wouldn't be buying it of course, its FREE!!
lovely logic
You would have to pay me to use this piece of junk.
Lol who cares about what you think,we don’t even know why you hate it? seems plenty of people find it decent enough for the price. I personally own a Tefal Ultimate Fry Deluxe I’m just posting this as I’m sure some would find it useful.if you don’t like it ignore it, if you have higher expectations spend more and get an advanced machine. No need to get your undies in a twist.
@VudaDasin: Hahah and we hear this from you who posts this junk lol
https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/644511
Great achievement with 11 votes hahahaha don’t be so bitter, no one is forcing you to visit this site nor buy things.
@sammyla: lol that was an experimental post:). Yes, it was cheap, but more to see "To what extent do people actually trust ozbargain posts and what gets upvotes/downvotes base on quality". Evidentally, the quality of the product must be ridiculously low on this site to pass as junk/clutter.
I purchased one , and VudaDasin you are right, its a piece of junk, doesnt turn on anymore when closed , lasted a month
DONT BUY ONE
@aquasys: Thanks for the helpful feedback! Even though haters down vote honest posts, it's good to see at least very few of the community supporting my comments. Maybe in the future, the site could be a bit more high quality in posts
Do these air fryers actually 'fry' or are they just basically miniature ovens that pretty much bake? We have this advanced multi function oven/air fryer and the only difference between modes seems to be temperature and duration.
They discuss that question in this article:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-13/air-fryers-small-oven…
I’m in the bake corner, purchased a model with good reviews which we wanted mainly for chips, but no matter what we tried it basically baked them. Limited experience but certainly after a few attempts much better deep fried sadly for chips.
Returned it.
I’m also in the bake corner.
We have the Kmart version and use it a lot because it is faster and cheaper to run than the full oven.
Cooking frozen or raw potato chips aren’t bad, but nothing beats hot chips straight out of a deep frier. I find it does some things better than the big oven, because they will come out a bit more crisp, in about 2/3 of the time.
I have one of these, I really like it. It's clearly pretty cheap but very quick to heat up and cooks things very well. I've made some great chips, meat pies, and even steaks in this thing.
Have already been recommending these to anyone who doesn't have an air fryer.
It's not huge but works well for one or two people. I'd actually be hesitant to go for a larger one, because it seems to heat up very quick
How is clean up?
I currently use a huge oven to cook pies, schnitzels, hashbrowns, potatoes and a lot of other frozen foods and fresh vegetables in lieu of a fry pan.
I feel like since I'm only using 1/3 of the oven space to cook every time either a smaller toaster oven or air fryer will be a better change.. Especially since I don't even use the oven grill function just the air function so my food doesn't burn if I get side tracked only gets maybe drier and hotter than I would like it to.
Air fryer seems to use less electricity and maybe even easier clean up.. God knows the last time I cleaned my oven and not just the pizza trays I use to cook stuff in.
It’s fine as long as you pre-spray and clean up straight after. The non-stick on this one won’t hold up well to baked on grease.
You cook steaks in an air fryer???
Sorry - not to judge but you must like your meat "well, & done"
4 something minutes, your steak will be brown outside and pink inside. Yum
That's what she said
Yes, I do this too.
It is only ‘well done’ in a conventional oven because it’s slow.
An AF will crisp the outside but leave the inside pink, the way steak should be.
All depends on the duration and cut size of course!
Haha I tried it after watching a Gordon Ramsey recipe, and seeing others say it comes out well.
There are better ways to cook steak, but the advantage of this is that the entire outside is being cooked, sealing in the juices from the start.
I was thinking of getting this as a backup to my cheapie Kogan but there's a couple of key differences which have changed my mind:
It's single basket but most others look like dual basket, as in solid outer basket, and inner mesh style basket - I've had some unfortunately messy cooks at times which would probably have made a mess in the main unit chamber if it was single layer.
Square shaped basket fits the food I usually cook better so probably a smaller practical capacity.
Yeah apart from price I think this unit is very limited in what it can do and can't do.
I can honestly see it being used for just the sole purpose of cooking a few small items at once but that's it.
Energy efficiency wise it must be good.
It has the dual basket thing you are referring to. A preforated tray which the food sits on and the basket which has a solid base for catching oil drips and crumbs.
Not really, I'm not keen on seeing what happens with those vented sides without another outer layer
Got one last time when it's on sale. Used it almost every day. Worth buying!
Multiple WW sites says "temporarily unavailable"
For a 2.3kW electric oven, it typically costs about 76c to run an hour
Air fryers require constant energy use, whereas ovens don’t and therefore, air fryers aren’t actually more efficient if you’re going to use them over long stretches of time.
If you ran an air fryer and an oven for an hour each, you’re probably right.
But, the air fryer will use less overall energy to cook because it’s only on while the timer is running and there is no preheating.
This may not be suitable for every food though. I’d still use my oven for cakes and low/slow cooks.
The element in the air fryer isn't on the entire time, even on the highest temp. I've also never used the air fryer longer than 30 minutes. Are people really happy using a plastic oven for hours at a time?
anyone got more fryer deals, my local woolworths doesnt stock these
I use mine daily. It’s cheap and nasty but gets the job done. One of those rare occasions where going the cheap option actually pays off.
What do you normally use it for.
What have you found works and doesn't work?
I use it for spring rolls and chips mainly.
Can it cook Mac Donald’s burgers
I have this and it does the job. Doesn’t take up too much bench space. Has manual control and a satisfying ding sound when done. We are a family of 4 (2 young kids). I’ve cooked nuggets, royals, hashbrowns, schnitzels, frozen battered fish etc. as well as veggie fritters or roasted veg, bacon strips, grilled cheese. Last night I cooked rissoles without dirtying a pan and stinking/smoking the house out. Most of the time this is not our entire meal.
I have also managed to find small chickens at Colesworth (<1.5kg) and roasted for an hour after brining overnight and it turned out brilliant.
If cooking lots of food, you will have to fry in batches and it may need turning but I think that’s the beauty of these things compared to an oven. This just dings and switches off, I attend it, restart timer and back to what I was doing.
If you’re expecting some set and forget cooker, this is not the one.
What separates the cheap from expensive air fryers?
I have a Phillips and bought a Mistral as well that I ended up returning.
The Mistral is noticeably cheaper feeling and poorer build quality. It is difficult to put the basket back in and requires a bit of messing about. It's harder to clean. But the main problem is it doesn't cook evenly on both sides while the Phillips does. It also cooks a bit slower from what I saw.
I don't know if you have to get a Phillips, maybe there are cheaper ones that are still decent, but Mistral is pretty rubbish.
The Mistral is our first AF and it seems fine. We’ve only done chips/potatoes, nuggets, Chiko rolls and they’ve come out really good. We tried the pub fries from Aldi and kids reckon they are better then GYG chips. 😂. I have no doubt the Philips would be better but we’re happy for $34.
Same I am happy paying $30 for this. Works well a bit noisey but can’t complain for the price.
If your going to air fry regularly for the family, you will find this too small. Good for 1 person.
PSA salmon in an airfryer is the bomb.
I think this is one of the best things I have ever bought and my regret is I uhmmm and ahhhed so long abt it. I wished I bought it a year ago because it is simply a time saver and it cooks better than an oven. It cooks most things in 15 to 20mins with no pre heating required.
The main difference between this and phillips is the cheap materials (lol the casing is thin, the basket feels flimsy) and the lack of heating element at the bottom so you need to flip your food once during cooking. For $34, I am happy to do that.
I liken it to a turbo charged oven grill if the fan was at the top of the oven and super charged. Its great for cooking anything already pre fried. So chips (I fill half the basket and shake after 8mins and cook for another 5 to 7 mins), pies, frozen fish fillets. I have also done schnitzel from scratch and I love not having to wipe down oil fron stove and wall after deep frying. It will never be as good as deep fried but its 75% there and the health benefits/ taste is good enough for me. You do need to spray a bit of oil for none pre fried things to get it to brown but we are talking maybe 1 tbsp or less of oil.
I fit 2 chicken maryland in the 3.5L one (it is a tight fit) and I made the juiciest and crispest chicken of my life. It cannot compare to an oven (well not my shiity oven at least) because the browing on the meat is just helped along by the fan and a heating element that is 5 inches away from the top of the meat. I love cooking wings and popcorn chicken in it and have also made empanadas and hand pies in there. I probably prefer the oven for empanadas and pies because I can only fit 2 in there at a time but its great for re heating if they are frozen. Most things apart from chips need to be single layer and I find this fryer on the smaller size for 2 pple. I haven't done beef or lambs steaks only because I usually eat these on weekends and the frozen chips are given higher priority so I just use my cast iron pan to cook the steaks. I havent tried much veges except for brocoli and they came out ok. Still tasted like brocoli unfortunately. :)
I hope this helps anyone who is still on the fence about it. I had to give up a lot of counter space but ot is really brilliant cooking gadget for 2 pax and for $34, give it away if you dont like it.
Me and my partner use this every day it's unreal
What do u guys like to cook in it
Cook alot of things from frozen food, reheating KFC anything you put in a oven really but it gets it done in half the time 👍
I get it now. It's a mini fan forced oven.
Bang on.
So basically like those glass convection ovens that were all the rage almost a decade ago? What I'm talking about: https://www.kmart.com.au/product/12l-convection-oven/2754801
I am wondering if they can cook the same or if this air fryer is superior in cooking quality and performance because the glass style convection ovens can do curries and soups by the looks of it or even a meal with rice or noodles maybe.
I have no idea but maybe someone with experience in both can tell us more.
This would mean i can get better reheating performance for say takeaway meals with noodles or liquids over just microwaving it.
Don't overthink it - it's just a fan and a heating element - it's $35
If you are hoping for superior cooking or performance, it's the $500+ items (eg. with microwave or steam included)
I am wondering if they can cook the same or if this air fryer is superior in cooking quality and performance
Yes they are the same thing.
They are both just a fan and a heating element.
I have had my air fryer (Rank Arena) for many years. I use it almost daily. Bacon rashes, mushroom and tomato for breakfast. Best whole roast chicken. Roast vegetables. Meat pie 3 mins in microwave and 3 in fryer. Roasted cauliflower. Don't know about this particular brand but do recommend air fryer.
Perfect for the work Ute 😅
Ended up returning the Mistral air fryer I bought as it was rubbish. I wouldn't buy it at this price, but I guess it might be a cheap entry point into the air fryer world for some.
Honestly if you have a Mistral air fryer and think it's good, buy a decent air fryer and you're mind will probably be blown.
Any recommendations?
I am considering getting an air fryer now but most definitely something bigger that can cook for guests over 4 in the off chance i have to cook for a large dinner.. but majority of the time it will a huge meal for 2 or basically 12 sausages minimum or 4-6 schnitzels or both if talking about sizes.
It would be just nice to be able to do say 1kg of chips and 12-16 sausages all in one go to save on time as an example.
So maybe the 8-12L air fryer varieties.
I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet but AirFryers are also good for saving electricity especially if you're a single person not eating much. It's a waste to heat up an entire oven just for 1-2 small pies or a small batch of chips. This is a much more cost-effective solution in my opinion.
This is my thinking.
At most i would cook maybe an entire pizza tray of meat or food in one sitting and even that is usually to cook two meals at once and save some for later.
Most single people don't need a whole oven unless they have guests over regularly.
If you cooked 2 meals to save one for later, you'll still need to reheat it. Thats what airfryers are good for.
I mean honestly the microwave seems just as good for this.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but is the use case for these is if you want two party pies for lunch and don’t feel like running the whole oven?