I always wanted an air fryer after hearing all good reviews from my friends and family but I wasn’t motivated enough to put in effort to survey which brand or model is good. It was till this Movement Control Order (MCO) happens in Malaysia due to the Covid-19 pandemic and we all got stuck at home and left with no choice but to start home cooking or baking. Basically there are 3 types of air fryer – the usual basket type, the round and the cube type. Many people recommended the round type but I have bought the air fryer oven (the cube type) just because it caught my interest and attention in one of the Korean Mukbang show. The Youtuber was using the air fryer oven to fry pork luncheon meat and it looks so good and easy to use!

Okay, I know it is an impromptu shopping decision but I am totally happy with the outcome. I bought the Air Fryer Oven from Lazada and the brand is Riino. I didn’t know much about this brand but it is the only available brand in Lazada when we search for Air Fryer Oven. It was offered at a good price (RM 559) and it was delivered within 2 weeks, considered fast during this MCO period. So what are the advantages of Air Fryer Oven over another two types?

1. Definitely the design is cuter and compact compared to the round type.
2. Bigger volume – 12 L. This is important as it will be difficult to cook for a family (3-4 person) or a whole chicken with the limited space in the basket or round type.
3. It has a transparent casing which allows you to check on your food while cooking, without opening the door.
4. Pre-set menu. Normally air fryer oven would come up with pre-set menu so you don’t have to scratch your head on what temperature or cooking time to set.
5. Easy to clean and wash compared to the basket type.

So, I started using the Air Fryer Oven by cooking frozen food like fried chicken and fries. At first I was confused on which menu or temperature/ time to choose too. The key is you must learn it by trial and error as each air fryer required cooking time and temperature is different. Always keep an eye on the food while it is cooking to ensure it is not burnt or overcooked. The transparent casing has been really helpful for my monitoring. Also, you must flip the food halfway through cooking so both sides will have a nice crunchy and golden looking. Overall I will set the temperature to 220 Degree Celsius if I were to deep fry something. Food that was fried below 200 Degree Celsius will not have the crunchiness.

So far I have used Air Fryer Oven to cook fried and grilled chicken, pork steak, cheese baked salmon and I even made glaze roasted Char Siew and Burnt Cheesecake recently! I am excited to share the recipe in my next post as this is my first time cooking these two dishes and it was a great success! I must say the Air Fryer Oven is making my cooking life easy, saving up the time and most importantly given me the option to try different cooking style too.