Airfryer

A few years ago we debated about getting a new frying pan. At that moment we researched a bit whether an airfryer was an option but we couldn't get a conclusive opinion whether the fries in an airfryer were good.  We ended up buying a new traditional frying pan with oil.

It was rather surprise and a bit of annoyment that I heard Jan's announcement over the Christmas vacations that he was going to buy himself an Airfryer as a gift.  (yeah we sometimes buy our own gifts since that's just easier. We're rather pragmatic no nonsense in such things).    And so a little later this big black monster arrived in our kitchen, making the other fryer redundant. 

first impressions: 

• This thing is huge.  We have the XL version so it does provide us with sufficient food for the entire family but you need to have a quite large free shelve in the cupboard or sufficient space on your counter to store it.
  
• It makes excellent fries without any oil. It truly does. I was amazed.  But that's brilliant! Wooohoo fries without guilt feeling.   Both Jan and I are weight watching at this moment (more on that in a different post) and all of a sudden we're just eating french fries regularly while just counting the points as for boiled potatoes. 
  
  Recently we got some from the fries shop anyhow and guess what...we both agreed our own fries were better.  Ok ok, in spring it's more often that fries in the fries shop are from old potatoes and that makes a difference. Still, that was a revelation.
  

Further impressions: 

• Jan is all of a sudden deep frying all sort of things: loempia's, chicken fingers for the children, ... but also chicken drumsticks and small chicken legs etc which he marinates first and then just dumps in the airfryer. And it results in juicy crispy meat.
  I hadn't even an idea and just grumbled why he left that big monster constantly on the counter when he told he had just used it again for the meat.  It would have never crossed my mind to throw in meat. I guess the pictograms on the machine indicate that, but I hadn't paid attention to it.
  
• Since 3 weeks I've started using it myself in Jan's absence with both little potato bolls, big cut wedges and chicken drum sticks.  I didn't screw it up.
  
• Left-over fries or something that needs warming up but that would be grossed up in the microwave: just toss it once more in the airfryer. Obviously there is a limit to the number of times you can do that, but it works. (in the bottom picture, I added a few old wedges during the last minutes, so that's why there are darker pieces in there).
  

So in just a few weeks it conquered a fixed spot in our kitchen and we are now considering of buying a 2nd one for the Ardennes (although it really takes up so much space that we didn't do it yet). And what to do with our 2 oil fryers??  And it makes me wonder: if this is just done with a hot air principle, why can't we imitate that in a little oven?

Anyway, since I didn't find conclusive info on the internet a few years ago when discussing an airfryer, I thought I'd just share how a revelation the thing was to us. 

And in case you doubted: this blog is 100% ad free. Jan paid for his own Christmas gift and we have no Philips agreements.