By Anita McSorley

Copyright irishmirror

Air fryers have become a staple in Irish kitchens in recent years, offering a way to cook healthier meals quickly while saving on energy bills. By circulating hot air to cook food, air fryers drastically reduce the need for oil, cutting calories and saturated fat compared with traditional frying.

Beyond their health benefits, air fryers also promise to be more economical than using an oven. Many Irish homes are struggling with the ongoing cost of living crisis, and air fryers can cook food faster, which means reduced energy consumption and lower electricity bills.

Despite their continued popularity, savvy shoppers are increasingly turning to a different appliance that offers similar health benefits. Halogen ovens are said to be an “amazing” alternative to air fryers, at a fraction of the price.

They are quickly gaining traction with many models selling out. Guineys offers the ‘Quest White Halogen Oven – 12 Litre’ for €49.95, while Very stocks the ‘Daewoo Halogen Air Fryer’ at €61.99 – but both are currently unavailable online due to high demand.

One of the top-selling models on Amazon’s newly launched Irish site is the ‘Quest Multi Function Halogen Oven’. It offers a generous 17 litre capacity, which can be expanded with a 5 litre extender ring, and is priced at just €46.99 – making it a far cheaper alternative to most air fryers.

This all-in-one kitchen gadget can fry, bake, roast, defrost, grill, and steam, making cooking quick, healthy and hassle-free. The large main bowl handles plenty of food at once, and the optional extender ring allows for even bigger meals.

The oven also features a convenient self-cleaning function – just add a couple of inches of water, set the temperature to the lowest setting for 10 to 12 minutes and it does the rest. Temperatures are adjustable from 125C to 250C, and a 60-minute timer keeps track of cooking times. This appliance also comes complete with a high rack, low rack, tongs, lid, holder and frying basket.

This device has received over 800 ratings, with many stating that they’d recommend it over an air fryer “any day”.

One buyer raved: “I’ve had several of these halogen ovens in the past, but not all are created equal. This one is excellent. It heats evenly and cooks fast. I’d recommend these over air fryers any day. Huge capacity and easy to clean. I’m very happy with this oven and it was a good price too.”

Another added: “I wouldn’t trade my halogen cooker for your air fryers. They are wonderful, large cooking area, precise cooking, perfect every time. Glass bowl you can see everything cooking. Exceptional value!”

Other users praised its efficiency. One said: “Very useful, I have been able to do roast dinners and even casseroles in this very successfully and it is more adaptable than my Air Fryer.” Another added: “Plenty of space, 2 racks and an extender if you need to have the lid higher. Cooks evenly and quickly. Good cooking times, quicker than a conventional oven.”

Long-time users appreciated the quality, with one saying: “I have had about 5 to date over say about 20 years, different makes, but this one feels better quality. I think that this type of Air fryer with the halogen element is far superior to the New air fryers out now, I bought an air fryer but gave it to my friend as I thought that it was significantly inferior to my halogen air fryer and only used it about 3 times. But my brother has just bought a Ninja for £200 and I would put that on a parr with this one but £200 NO I don’t think so.”

Other reviews highlighted the ease of use: “Very pleased. I have used the halogen cookers since they came out. They are brilliant. It did take a couple of years to get other members of the family to use them. But all are hooked to n them now. Plus quicker cheaper cooking.”

A further happy user added: “Bought this over a year ago, still works perfectly, great size, cooks a mass variety of things, pizza, chicken, cake… it’s great from cooking in a rush.”

And one happy fan said: “Had many over the years but I have to say this is the best. The lamb steaks melted in your mouth. Everything is beautiful and Iv had at least 8 over the years as I use it every day. Couldn’t recommend it enough. Hardly hear it and cooks quickly but beautifully. I never leave reviews but felt I had to with this.”

However some people did have minor complaints. One person wrote: “More instructions is a must, the instructions were rubbish as they came on a small leaflet, had to buy additional instructions on using the cooker.” Another added: “The temperature and timing controls pointers are hard to see as they are painted black the same as the knobs.”

For more information or to buy the ‘Quest Multi Function Halogen Oven’ for €46.99, head to Amazon’s website here.

Halogen ovens work by combining a glass bowl with a lid that houses a fan and halogen bulbs. The bulbs emit infrared heat while the fan circulates hot air evenly, cooking food quickly and thoroughly – much like an air fryer.

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