Are air fryers worth the hype?
What’s An Air Fryer?
The Latest Cooking Gadget
When it comes to amazing kitchen gadgets, it seems that the microwave can move over now. Something called the air fryer has taken its place. An almost effortless kitchen gadget which cooks food. It’s a countertop kitchen appliance which won’t take up too much room. It can add an extra string to your bow when it comes to convenience. Like the microwave, it can heat up leftovers, making them delicious all over again. And it cooks food too. In fact, it can fry without oil.
So What Exactly Is An Air Fryer?
It looks like a small oven. And as mentioned already, it can cook food or even heat up leftovers. It works by circulating hot air all around the food. When it cooks the food, it causes something called the Maillard effect. The Maillard effect is usually produced when food fries in a pot of oil. It’s crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. So if the air fryer can produce the Maillard effect without oil, you could call it oil-free frying. But how can you fry without oil? Well, you can cook anything you like in the air fryer. But for taste, chefs recommend that you apply a thin layer of oil on the outside of the food. You can apply the oil with a soft brush. I prefer to use those plastic packets in which oil. There’s plenty of oil sticking to the sides of those bags even when the oil is gone. Wrap those oily bags around your items and they’re ready to go in your air fryer.
When Did The Air Fryer Start To Appear?
The air fryer first appeared a few years ago. But the demand has shot up recently, as more and more people are becoming aware that it exists. Now you can get them in almost any electrical shop. They are discreet and seem to fit in anywhere and everywhere. There’s a drawer-like shelf with a pull-out handle. This is how you open the gadget. Inside is a wire basket, like the chip pan or deep fat fryer baskets we all know.
What’s The Air Fryer’s Speciality?
In the UK we call them chips. But everywhere else we call them French fries. Remember how you loved eating those as a child, but your mother warned you not to eat too much or you’d get fat or get pimples? The air fryer helps you to make lovely chips. Better still, they only have a fraction of the oil that traditional French fries have. So, this definitely has to be one of the world’s greatest inventions. As a recent convert to the air fryer, my own experience is very short. But as I started cautiously with the microwave, it seems I’m also starting with this appliance. So far, I’d say that heated leftovers taste wonderful from the fryer. Soup, curry, rice, stew, whatever. But a word of warning. Don’t leave your food in here for too long. Your bread slices will burn to a crisp otherwise and your rice will dry out.
Air Fryer Settings
There are two dial buttons on the outside of my air fryer. One shows the temperature to which you can make the air fryer reach. The other is dial button is the timer and it sets the fryer for as long as you need it to cook. It’s a good idea to pre-heat the fryer for a few minutes before starting to cook in it. And it doesn’t take long for the fryer to heat and cook food. Three to five minutes is the most I’ve ever had to do that.
Health & Safety Benefits Of The Air Fryer
The first benefit of the air fryer is the fact that it produces friend food with only a fraction of the oil required. To people who love fried food but can’t enjoy it because they are trying to lose weight. Another obvious benefit is that without a deep fat fryer or chip pan, the kitchen is less dangerous. With a pan full of deep, boiling oil, there was always the danger of oil spilling and burning someone. Not that the air fryer is 100% safe, Touch the steel basket when it’s too hot, you will feel pain. But it’s still safer than a dangerous pan full of boiling oil.
What’s Next For My Air Fryer?
At the moment, the air fryer is very new to me. But I know that after some time, I’ll need to know some recipes and learn all the different things the air fryer can do. A great source of knowledge is the wonderful search engine site Pinterest and Air Grub’s brilliant air fryer comparison site.
