Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I have finally found my soulmate! I'll be totally honest, I WAS very skeptical that this would and could do what it claimed. I now find myself using it for EVERYTHING! I have turned my nose up to the oven (though I do use the stove for some prep) and my attention to the Secura Hot 'n Crispy. I've had this bad boy in my home for about 2 weeks now and have seen what it can do! I have made stir fry, falafel, quiche, hot wings, steak, hot dogs, french fries, etc. It has seriously cut down my cook time and the amount of time that an oven would be on. I truly thought this would be another clunky device that would be high maintenance and hard to clean.WRONG! I have yet needed to submerge this in soap and water. The basket, so far, has only needed a wiping out. I did however, line the catch basket with aluminum to save clean up time. I do have other appliances that fit in this (I.E. shallow pan and mini cake dish) that I use to catch grease as well as putting things like stir fry in as to not make a huge mess. I just pull out the shallow pan to clean and that's it. I was so wrong about the ease of clean with this machine. As for cooking? Like with any cooking device, this is just another tool in your basket. It's not just a matter of stuffing it full of food and expecting a masterpiece. You have to have some finesse, a little know how and patience. I noticed one of the biggest complaints - french fries. Sure, you CAN just cut them all up, coat them in some oil and spice and stuff in there but, if you are expecting perfection then you are going to be disappointed. Nothing is going to allow you to be THAT lazy. You have to prep some things sometimes. For fries: cut them to the size you want, boil or place in microwave safe bowl with water, cook until soft, freeze for an hour and THEN coat with oil and spices and place in air fryer. Viola! My roommate says they are the best fries he's ever had and trust me....... he's a connoisseur on fast food fries. This device is a slight learning curve but, once you've mastered it, you'll never go to the oven again. One last thing, I have found when making foods like fried chicken (I only cook with either peanut oil or coconut oil) you have to some how find a way to get a little oil in your mix or else you're going to have crispy flour. What I do is add a little oil to my egg mix, whip it until it's almost frothy and THEN dip my chicken in the egg and then to flour. The results have been absolutely incredible! PROS: Saves time Energy effiecient Doesn't radiate heat Easy to clean Healthy alternative to fried foods Easy to use Doesn't require pre-heating Sits firmly on the counter, no sliding around CONS: The nobs are smooth so, they can be hard to turn - they need to be ribbed or have some kind of notch for easey turning. The basket doesn't sit evenly on the counter, it sits at an angle unless you move it to the edge of the counter. I HIGHLY recommend this air fryer if you are constrained for time, have trouble being in the kitchen for to long (I myself have cancer and refuse to let someone cook for me or my family - this allows me to continue to contribute to the household), don't like a lot of clean up, want to eat healthier and just want to enjoy a nice meal and not stress over every dish in the kitchen being dirty!