Morphy Richards Air Fryer

I have read, more than once, social media memes that reckon prizes should be awarded to anyone who went through the Covid pandemic without having a baby, adopting a pet or buying an air fryer. We certainly avoided the first two, but plead guilty to the third.

I first read about air fryers, early in 2020, as a healthy alternative to deep fat fryers. Since we don't have a deep fat fryer, I didn't think it was relevant. But once I'd seen someone mention an air fryer online, they kept appearing in adverts, and social media pages. Two or three online friends had bought them, and were recommending them highly. 

So I researched a little. It turns out that they're like a small oven; they don't really 'fry' as such, but cook efficiently, and can be used for a lot more than just chips or other traditionally deep-fried food. For just two people, it seemed that it might be a useful appliance which could save us from having to use the oven so much if cooking just - for instance - baked potatoes. 

RESEARCHING THE OPTIONS

I checked the Lakeland UK store, where I've bought some excellent products, and they had a lot of air fryers. They seemed to start at around £120, with some complicated multi-purpose air fryers at over £200. I might have been tempted, but Brexit meant huge import or VAT charges and I'd been warned not to try using companies like Lakeland again to deliver to Cyprus. 

And would I really use one? I couldn't decide. We discussed them, we looked at recommendations, and we didn't do anything. 

But summer was approaching. In Cyprus summers are so hot that we mainly eat cold food during July and August, with a variety of salads and the occasional accompanying hot potatoes. 

Then, in July 2020, we were in a DIY shop and saw that they had several air fryers. I wanted to see one, out of a box, to understand how it worked.  A helpful sales assistant showed us three or four different ones, at varying prices. One was very expensive and looked over complicated, one looked a bit flimsy...

My husband checked reviews online, and the one which looked the sturdiest and which had the best reviews was the Morphy Richards 'Health' Fryer. It was priced at just under €120 and after much discussion we decided to buy it as a wedding anniversary present to each other. 

INSTALLING THE MORPHY RICHARDS AIR FRYER

The instructions were minimal, but it wasn't difficult. The movable parts - a wire basket and a metal container - had to be washed before use, as one would expect. The thing had to be plugged in, and then with the movable parts back in place, it was ready to go. A bonus of this particular air fryer was that it went very well with other appliances on our counter top. 

There are two knobs on the front. One is for setting the temperature - it goes up to 200 degrees Celcius - and the other is for setting the time. 

We learned that for optimal air frying, the appliance has to be pre-heated for about ten minutes before putting food in. Experience has taught me that five minutes is usually sufficient. 

USING THE AIR FRYER

I was a little anxious about using it at first, unsure what to expect. But we'd bought a take-away roast chicken meal the previous Sunday, and had a lot of leftover potatoes. So I first tried the air fryer for re-frying potatoes in slices, and it was excellent. Less fat than using a frying pan - and evenly done, in about twenty minutes. 

Next I tried sweet potato fries, with a recipe I found online. They came out beautifully, and were a very nice addition to some of our salads. Baked potatoes worked well, too. First I pricked them with a fork and cooked in the microwave for about ten minutes, then rolled in a little olive oil with a pinch of salt, and placed in the air fryer basket. In less than half an hour we had crispy jacket potatoes. On the carb theme, I then tried cooking some frozen oven chips, and they came out much better than doing them in the oven. 

I became more adventurous. I roasted a chicken breast to slice in a curried chicken, mango and cucumber salad.  I even cooked a small salmon fillet to flake for a lentil, pepper and salmon salad. I  roasted peppers and onions in the air fryer, then - once the weather was cooler and we were eating hot meals again - I tried mushrooms, carrots, courgettes and more.  

The disadvantage is that it's not very big, so really only one kind of food (at most two) can be cooked in it at a time. When the majority of the meal is cold, it's ideal. It doesn't heat up the kitchen like the oven does, and it's a great deal more efficient to use for just one or two items for two people.

CLEANING THE AIR FRYER

For the outside of the air fryer, a quick wipe with a damp cloth seems to keep it looking good. The removable sections - the inner cooking basket and the outer container - need to be cleaned more thoroughly after each use. There always seems to be some oil which drips through to the base, and if it's not cleaned before the next use, it will burn on and become more difficult to clean. I speak from experience.

The inner basket has a non-stick surface so it's important not to use anything harsh on it; I usually find that washing up liquid and hot water is sufficient, with a sponge or gentle scourer. It can't be put in the dishwasher. As the two parts need to be left on a draining board to dry, and take a fair bit of space, I usually leave them to the end of any washing up, and ensure everything else is put away first. 

Cleaning is my least favourite part of using this appliance. 

THOUGHTS AFTER OVER TWO YEARS OF USE

We've had our air fryer for two and a half years now, and I know we haven't fully explored its capabilities. In the winter I don't use it much (though it's a useful extra appliance on Christmas Day, when cooking a lot of food for several people). I bought a book of air fryer recipes, but didn't find them all that helpful. Having said that, if one of us is away (as has happened a few times) then the air fryer comes into its own; for just one person it can easily manage, say, a baked potato, a few falafel, and some roasted vegetables.

But in the summer, it is very useful. It means I can avoid using the oven entirely for at least two months, yet still have hot potatoes or sweet potatoes once or twice a week, and an easy way to cook chicken or fish to use as part of a salad. 

It's outlasted its two-year guarantee, and the Morphy Richards brand is one that tends to be reliable and reasonably long-lasting so I hope it will be with us for many years. However, I don't know that we would buy one again when it stops working, as will inevitably happen at some point. It's a 'first world' luxury for us, rather than an essential appliance.

Still, for a student without an oven, or someone living alone, an air fryer could be an excellent investment. And for anyone who regularly eats deep fried food, this is a much healthier alternative.