2018 was the year of two
new kitchen appliances, the Instapot and the Air Fryer. For my birthday, my good friend Amy Watkins
Kensley blessed me with one of these inventions, the Philips HD9220 Air
Fryer. Now here comes 2019 which I have
dubbed, “The Year of Fresh Starts”, so what better way to start the year than
to air fry instead of oil fry?
New Year’s Day meal was a
roast beef with air fried fries; hand cut fries, not frozen. The 2.5 pound roast was marinated overnight
with a few splashes of red wine vinegar.
Why nothing fancier? I often use
red wine vinegar to tenderize meats – elk, venison, beef; it softens the fibers
of the meat to make it more tender and succulent. Oven preheated to 450F, meat lightly salted
and peppered, laid upon a roasting rack and into the oven it went.
An hour later, I began
prepping the fries. Four medium sized
Russet potatoes were washed, cut into two inch pieces and then immersed into
cold water for a half hour. By the way,
the instructions for making hand cut fries is in the instruction manual; a
first time try should follow instructions.
After a half hour, the fries were dried in paper towels, then mixed with
a teaspoon of olive oil. Now hold on
you’re saying, why am I using oil in an air fryer?
Here is one of the pros
and cons of oil frying – the usage of oil.
Generally, when frying potatoes, or many other items, in a pan of oil,
the amount of oil used is large (1-3 cups!)
Even draining the food on paper towels does not remove all the excess,
absorbed oil. However, it’s essential to
have plant-based oils, such as avocado and olive, in your diet to help maintain
brain and hormone health. An air fryer
use of a teaspoon compared to a cup of oil, whether a healthy oil, or not, is
still better than pan frying.
Back to my fries, spooning
them into the air fryer’s basket (don’t over stuff the basket!), I set the
temperature to 355F and the timer for 25 minutes. The air fryer does not need preheating;
basically it’s a “set it and forget it” process. However, it’s also a trial and error process,
so here’s another pro vs. con. Air
frying produces high temperatures rapidly.
Following instructions in the manual makes sense as these are tried and
proven instructions in a test kitchen.
Whether high altitude or not, this factor does not affect the cooking
temperatures or times of an air fryer.
Due to the high heat, use
a thick wooden cutting board to place the air fryer on; it can crack countertops
of tile, marble and even Corian. Make
sure to not have non-heat resistance items near the air fryer, give it lots of
space! Oh, another con is attempting to
keep the air fryer on the countertop as one of your everyday appliances. It’s large and takes up lots of space you
might need, or not be willing to give up to one appliance. I store mine in cabinet space within my
microwave cart, just pull it out when needed.
Back to food and the high
heat, food can easily be burned; a little char around the edges of ribs or
steak might taste good, but who wants to eat a hockey puck, never mind the
wasted money! Recipe sites online, such
as Cooking Light (https://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/healthy-air-fryer-recipes),
All Recipes (https://www.allrecipes.com/recipes/23070/everyday-cooking/cookware-and-equipment/air-fryer/)
and Taste of Home (https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/air-fryer-recipes/view-all/)
can give great ideas, and some recipes have notes to help prevent a ruined
meal. The manual that comes with the air
fryer has basics such as fries, chicken wings, small meat and poultry items,
onion rings, fish sticks and vegetables.
I found, online, a recipe for Aracini (Italian Rice Balls) and I am so
looking forward to making these babies.
Breaded fish and chicken cutlets, even a small roast chicken (3 pounds)
can also be made within an air fryer.
Panko (Japanese bread crumbs) are found in many of the recipes for
breaded seafood, chicken and pork; helps to make a great crunch on the food.
 |
| 3 lb. Seasoned, Whole Chicken (cut off wing tips!) |
 |
| One hour only for a fully roasted whole chicken! |
Ding! The timer announces my fries are done;
spooning them onto a plate, sprinkling a bit of Utah’s Own Real Salt and
YUM! Browned and slightly crisp on the
outside, fluffy potato on the inside and no oily residue! Cleanup?
Let the air fryer cool down first, then remove the basket unit, soapy
hot water and done; there was no oil inside the unit either. The roast was done (medium-rare) at the same
time as the fries, so time to sit down, celebrate the New Year with a tasty
meal and relax.
This is just my experience
with an air fryer and one model; here’s a link to a review site if you want to
check out other models and see what people are saying: https://www.bestreviews.guide/ Friend, family member, neighbor has
one? Get their advice, or maybe they’ll
invite you over for a demo and taste test.
All I know is, thanks Amy for such a great gift, love it!
Mary Cokenour
