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They are really not a good cooking tool imo, and to put it in the most forgiving way, good at only a few limited tasks.
I was given an air fryer against my will, and I’m a great cook that makes everything from scratch. I can say in my experience that it’s an occasional time saver, but it’s really good at ruining food and making it come out worse than literally any other method of cooking.
In my very unpopular opinion, there is nothing you can do in an air fryer that you cannot do with standard equipment and have it come out much better.
I get the convenience, and I get how life-changing they can be for people who don’t want to cook, but I don’t think they’re good for everybody.
That’s just a forced air convection oven with less insulation though, right?
Less insulation yes, but crucially less volume to heat as well. Overall power consumption is typically less than that of a large oven because of the smaller size.
And a smaller volume capacity. I finally grabbed an air fryer and we use it most days. I didn’t expect to like or use it so much.
It’s great when you need 4 fries.
It’s not an easy bake oven. Try one out. It also does vegetables and chicken, if you’re not just into eating brown.
Ours is medium sized and is great for dinner-for-2.
Ours is a large single basket with a rack and the capacity is just not there. It might be enough for one but I am feeding four.
The secret is to take the basket out when you cook chicken. Put the spices or breading on the pieces while the air fryer is heating up. When you put the chicken in, put some pieces of butter on top of them. It will melt on the chicken and coat it. Flip them for 5 minutes at the end.
You can fit 6 or eight chicken thighs in there.
And? I’ll be honest. Want to reheat a thing, especially fast food, this is amazeballs. Want to cook something so it’s crispy on the outside and hot, in 5-10 minutes? This. From the freezer? 15 minutes. Laughed at ‘em then got one as a present. Love it.
Thanks, seems useful
It has a better shape and size that allows for the air to flow more efficiently. It really does make things crispier than a normal convection oven.
Okay I didn’t know that. Also you can add oil that will be spread evenly or something, right?
Not sure what you mean by that, I just use spray oil on the surface to make it crispy.
I think some air fryers can automatically spray or drip some oil while “frying”
Pill organizer. Start when you take just 1 once or twice a day, get used to filling it each week and checking on it until it becomes a routine. It’ll keep you from double dosing and save fretting if you remembered to take your meds or not. Then when you’re taking multiple pills multiple times a day you’ll prep them 1/14th as often, and open<5% the bottles you would be. For a 1 time 3 dollar investment (you can find them with logos for free quite often) save yourself a few minutes a week, hours a year, days of your life.
A cheap digital kitchen scale, never fret with converting oz to grams again, just click the button and it’s changed it’s units, some even do liquid measurements so long as the liquid is similar density to water. And food cooks more consistently (therefore tastes better) if you use consistent ingredients, and how can you do that if you’re using a “more or less” system? Get your accuracy to half a gram really cheap, a tenth of a gram (more than enough for cooking) for not much more.
I’m baffled that there are many people who don’t use a digital kitchen scale
Probably because many American recipes only use cups and spoons as a measurement.
Full agree on the cheap digital kitchen scale. Eyeballing stuff often takes longer than pulling out the kitchen scale and measuring it out.
I use mine specially when seasoning meats, souring cabbage, making simple breads, and splitting portions to freeze. It’s also handy as I’m trying to lose weight, it gives me a way to control how much potato/polenta/rice I’m eating per meal.
I used to hate my digital scales, I used them so infrequently that the batteries would be flat every time I pulled it out.
This bad boy is a game changer, and it was only a bit more expensive. You just spin the wheel to generate enough power for a few minutes -
Bidet / washlet. Your life will forever be divided into a time before you had one, and a time after you had one. You may no longer enjoy vacations because of the lack of one.
I simply do not understand your kinds obsession with walking around with a wet ass…
Virtually all of us use both. Bidet will clean you and TP will dry you.
Yeah, you can never get it fully dry without using more tp than to just wipe. Its not designed to absorb that much water.
And consider: after you towel off from a shower you still have wet bits, that is the same with your bottom after a bidet.
No thanks.
I mean, literally anyone who’s used a bidet before will know from daily experience that your comments are just wrong. It’s not difficult to dry off, in fact it’s pretty simple, and it uses much less toilet paper than the old way. The primary purpose of a bidet for most people also isn’t TP conservation - that’s just one of several nice side-effects.
I’m gonna duck out of any further replies here though because, frankly, you seem more interested in pushing this narrative you’ve settled on (in an old / dead thread, no less) than actually discussing it, and I can think of about a hundred things I’d rather be doing with my time. You do you, clean your butt whichever way makes the most sense to you.
After a bidet pick up a water flosser. It’s like a bidet for your teeth, pure hygiene comfort
Or just use either for both tasks, if you’re on a budget. My Waterpik bidet is orgasmic.
except those times you get shit stuck in your teeth
Such as that time when 2 persons shared 1 beverage container?
Hum, this seems like the better route. My bidet flosser is inconvenient.
I stick my arse over the edge of the bath and spray with the shower.
Your life will forever be divided into a time before you had one, and a time after you had one.
You nailed it, this is exactly how I describe my bidet experience. My father-in-law is a convert and spontaneously began presenting it the same way.
How did I live before?! Gross!
It is disgusting when you realize most people just use toilet paper. It’s just one step above being a barbarian.
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A rice cooker. If you eat rice a lot, it just makes your life so much easier while also making better rice.
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You can use them to steam vegs or make some gruels.
Personally I don’t bother, but for people who eat rice daily it’s a game changer.
You’re telling me I can have gruel any time I want it!?
Yes? You can have it at any time without it too though, but you could leave for example some oats and milk in the cooker while you dress yourself for the morning, and when you’re ready so is your gruel. (I did this once or twice when I had a rice cooker. It was okay.)
You can make ridiculous, impractical, cartoon sized pancakes. Google “rice cooker pancake” and it will have you searching for rice cookers to buy immediately!
I have used a cheapass no-controls except ‘on’ rice cooker to make a ton of meat and veggie dishes. All in one pot if you are cramped for space or tools.
Rice on bottom, then veggies, then a chicken breast on top. Season, turn on, forget, come back and eat when it pops.
The veggies end up a little overdone but using frozen veggies screws with the rice, so I just deal.
Minus the spring you can accomplish the same thing with a thin bottomed stainless steel pot on the stove. I never liked the non-stick part of rice cookers.
Reusable zip ties, goddammit! Regular zip ties are useful once in awhile, but the fact that you need to cut them makes them impractical for many applications.
But the reusable ones, which you can fasten and unfasten with equal ease? Holy shit. I use these bad boys ALL. THE. TIME.
For starters, just think about the cords, ropes, cables, and wires in your life. You have a great many of them, and they are probably a mess. ZIP TIES. Wrap an extension cord or laptop charger up in a loop, pinch it together, and zip it up. And that’s just for starters.
Sleeping bags? Blankets? Towels? ZIP. TIES. Roll and zip them and they will pack down much smaller than just rolling them alone, and they won’t come unrolled, making packing/storing way the hell easier. I can keep going.
Most applications where you might use an elastic band are actually better with Z I P T I E S. Need something squeezed tightly, like the aforementioned sleeping bag? Zip ties ratchet down tighter than an elastic band can. Need something secured gently, like a bag of chips? An elastic will crush your delicate chips, but a zip tie can hold the bag closed with gentle pressure bespoke and delicate. With zip ties, YOU are in control. They last longer and are much more resistant to temperature and sunlight than elastic bands too, so you can use them in the freezer or outdoors or wherever and they will outlive you.
Get yourself or a loved one a bag of 100 for like $5 right now. Hand them out to children on Halloween. Offer them as gifts to friends and acquaintances new and old. They will change your life and theirs. Reusable zip ties.
I’d like to hire you into our sales team.
Kidnapping? ZIP. TIES.
I hate zip ties with a passion. I hate the reusable ones too. My go to is velcro. Get a big roll and cut it to size. Reusable even if you make it too short.
I read this in Billy Mays’s voice.
I own reusable cable ties, and you made me want to go and buy more
YES! I a roll recently to get the cables behind my desk up and away from my feet. (Jerking cables out of their jacks sideways is bad for today’s crap hardware.) AND no more rats’ nesting.
(Too bad I never found a desk with a cable gutter along the back. Wud be great for a bunch of heavy audio/midi cables.)
https://www.homedepot.com/b/Electrical-Electronics-Cable-Management-Raceways/N-5yc1vZc65f
add your own cable gutter
Whoa! Thanks for the pointer, I never saw one. (Don’t get to HD much these days.)
I’ve been giving the reusable zip-ties and the Velcro cable ties out, together as presents, for the last few years. It is something I would love to have been given. (Usually with some other present too)
If you try hard enough normal ones are reusable too…
For those trying to move away from plastic I recommend buying some hemp cord and learning to tie a taut line hitch. It can serve a similar purpose as a zip tie
Please comment with your favorite knots
That’s gonna be bowline and taut line hitch from me, friend! I’m zip ties for life, but they’re not gonna hold my hammock up.
Bowline is a great knot. Definitely my go to for making loops and linking small lengths of cord together. I’ve even used it on a blanket to create tie outs to insulate the bottom of my hammock.
Nice-- I just use spring clamps to attach blankets to my hammock lol… But I bet rope would be better in a few ways.
Are you referring to Velcro cable ties, or are there reusable plastic ones?
Reusable plastic ones! The Velcro kind are neat too, for some applications, but the plastic ones are amazing.
These are ones I’ve purchased in the past, although this particular one is bizarrely expensive at the moment. https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0834ZF5SZ
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I’ve been very happy with these ones, but the price right now is outrageous for some reason. If I was buying more today, I’d look for cheaper.
I’ll add that on farms, zip ties have joined baling string and duct tape as essential this is to have on hand to quickly fix whatever broke and hold together new fabrications.
But, maybe don’t give zip ties to children.
How big do these zip ties get that can hold down a sleeping bag? Must be gargantuan.
That’s the neat thing-- For a sleeping bag, you just zip three of them together!
But are the zip ties wide enough?
I guess it depends on the application, but for sleeping bags, towels, etc., they work great. I use two loops.
It depends on your definition of cheap, but towel warmers. Just pop your towel into a little tub with a heater a few minutes before jumping in the shower. Then it’s as warm as if it just came out of the dryer by the time you get out.
Staying at hotels seems so lacking in luxury when you have to dry off with a cold towel.
Staying at a hotel lacks in luxury when you are used to bidets as well
We used to live in a house that had a warming towel rack and I feel like my life has been a perpetual downgrade since moving out
Bucket style towel warmers don’t require any installation and can be had for $100-$150 (actually I got mine from aldi for like $65). Maybe it’s time to restore your previous standard of living?
Kramer? Is that you?
Did Kramer spend an episode obsessed with warm towels, or is it just my writing style that sounds like him?
There was an episode about Kramer only wearing shirts that were warm out of the dryer. So close enough.
Then he runs out of quarters for laundromats and starts using ovens.
Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
https://www.piped.video/watch?v=QZ4S_uVLPCs
Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
I’m open-source; check me out at GitHub.
Wooden closepins at the dollar store. Use them everywhere.
*clothes pins
Condoms
I staple my foreskin closed then add a bit of superglue. Cheap condom. 👍
How do you get the lemonade out when you’re thirsty?
Coffee press, 20€ and you don’t have to make an entire pot of coffee without resorting to instant coffee. Also very satisfying to use.
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I don’t know if this is what they were referring to but Aeropress is great. Been using one for years as a secondary brewer when I don’t need a whole pot and it’s easy to make consistently good coffee without much fuss.
A scissors sharpener. You don’t know what your scissors can do.
Knife sharpener. Sharp knives are safer. You can also very often buy dull knives for cheap… and make them sharp. I am pretty happy with my 3 stage sharpener.
Costco executive membership. It will pay for itself. Also get the Costco credit card and be sure to use it to buy all your Costco gas.
Spring assist flipper knife with deep pocket clip. Buy a cheap one first and sharpen it…with…your knife sharpener! It is incredibly useful to have a sharp knife in your hand a second after wanting it.
Lemon/lime squeezer. Stop struggling.
Pour over coffee setup.
Coffee grinder. Fresh ground is so much better. I used a manual one for a long time.
Pepper mill.
Bamboo chopsticks. Very cheap. I prefer them to the metal ones I also have because they grip better.
LED headlamps. Get some with red lights to take camping. Keep them all over the house and garage to light dark rooms, corners and outside.
Paper maps. I have the USGS map of my area up on the wall by my back door. I also have many in the door of my truck. Free at state visitor centers or by mail.
Knife sharpenerwhetstones are the way to go.
Toothpaste
This book actually changed my life.
“Discover What You Are Best At” by Linda Gail.
I worked all my life, and always hated every job. Then I read the book and learned that I might be well suited for a position I had never considered. Took a course and did well, passed and applied for a job.
If you can wake up on a snowy Monday and not hate waking up, you’ve solved most of your problems.
Thank you! I NEEDED this (I might be jumping the gun as I haven’t read it yet lol)
But I’m in this exact situation. I hate myself for my failure to find “who I am” and I just suffer shit job after shit job with absolutely no idea how to figure out what I actually want. I’m pretty much miserable every single day because of it… All I know is what I don’t want from my previous experience of shit jobs, but I have no idea how to find what I’m capable of doing.
Good luck.
Just curious at what jmsort of career that ended up being for you
The book comes in two sections. The first part is a series of self administered tests in different areas, and the second part is a list of jobs that use those skills. So, some one with good dexterity and good interpersonal skills might make a good paramedic, or a good hair dresser. Two wildly different jobs, but using the same skills.
Sorry, I wasn’t really interested in the book. I actually think the career I ended up falling into was well suited for me. But I was just curious about what you do, specifically!
It doesn’t matter what I do. Like I said, the book might list twenty different jobs a person would be good at. Each job is unique, but uses similar skills. You use the same skills working on a hear/lung machine and making fantasy dioramas.
Same
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Hot water bottle or equivalent warm thing
If you can’t afford fancy kitchen knives, go into your local Chinese food shop, and look for Kiwi Brand knives, made in Thailand
It’s what 90% of chefs in Asia use
The fanciest kitchen knife you need is Victorinox for 30€. That’s what 90% of western kitchens use.
Yep, victorinox Fibrox is the best knife you’ll get, bonus points if the handle is melted :)
The difference is that the Kiwi ones are about €5, which was OP’s criteria
