What you need to know about air fryers

When we first heard about the air fryer almost 20 years ago, it seemed like a magical gadget.

To have a nice little box, which could fry fries, start sewings, kebabs, without oilmust have been an incredible machine.

I bought an air fryer three years ago. It is indeed an amazing device. But…

(Yes, buts are important.)

But some truths. If you cook something in the air fryer, it won’t taste much.

So you need a little oil. Yet it’s still amazing how good food tastes when it comes out of the fryer after being cooked in the smallest amount of oil.

Another truth: Air fryers are intended for homes where a lot of fried foods are prepared. And not for households unaccustomed to an excess of fried treats. Many of us no longer go through weeks of menus filled with puris, samosas, vadas, etc. We can prepare one of these delicacies once a month and then a little frying won’t really hurt.

Don’t expect to cook either Bhajiyas or vada pao in your air fryer – Not all fried foods can be made in an air fryer, not without some serious modifications. Also remember: this is a large appliance that will require storage or counter space and a large outlet, but still needs to be practical or it will collect dust.

I was recently asked about the pros and cons of buying an air fryer and here’s how I gave my advice:

Instagram and YouTube are full of recommendations for wonderful things you can do with an air fryer. Are they true?

Remember that an air fryer is not an OTG oven (0ven toaster grill) or a microwave (except those with an air fryer setting). It is conceivable that it could replace one, if you don’t have an OTG oven or convection microwave.

But if that’s the case, there’s no need to imagine that you’re creating something fantastically different by putting things (that could easily be cooked in the oven or in a pan) in an air fryer, which some Instagram posts make you believe.

The main purpose of an air fryer is to eliminate the use of excess oil. And it uses special technology to do this, by rapidly swirling intense heat all around the item via rapid air technology.

Does an air fryer completely eliminate oil?

It can cook something entirely without oil. But if the item being cooked does not contain oil (in its raw form), not using oil while cooking an item won’t exactly work.

Anything you bake needs a small amount of lubricating oil, with one of these pastry brushes, so the item doesn’t taste dry like sawdust and is crisp.

Who is an air fryer for?

For a family or a couple or a single person who, in a normal week, adds a lot of fried foods to their meals — fried fish, samosas, points, different types of vadas, hamburgers, Gulab JamunFries, Kachoris, puris, kebabs, sausages etc.

How often do you use an air fryer?

If fried foods are not an integral part of your diet, an air fryer is not that useful. And if you don’t eat a lot of those packaged frozen foods now available regularly, like skewers, sabudana amas and samosas etc, it won’t be that useful.

But it does a wonderful job with semi-cooked produce fresh from the freezer. The samosas are crispy and fragrant with the smallest amount of oil. The fryer makes excellent kebabs etc.

Can a non-stick frying pan, in which you use minimal oil and roast the item over low heat, replace an air fryer?

About 75 percent of the time. You Don’t Need an Air Fryer for Searing Bhindi.

When you try – with less oil – to fry something that normally requires more oil to cook in a pan, it tends to stick to the bottom of the pan. This doesn’t usually happen in an air fryer. Fish, shrimp, empty (eggplant or brinjal), curry (bitter gourd) are good bets for an air fryer.

What size air fryer should you buy?

If you are a large family or family unit that plans to use the fryer for entertaining, it is important to go for a larger size. Or you’ll have hordes of droolers waiting and waiting endlessly for their batches of kebabs etc as anything under 5.5 liters is quite small.

PICTURE: Karela or bitter gourd is a great candidate for an air fryer. Photography: Zelda Pande

What are the best foods to cook in an air fryer?

Different types of potato fries: fries, wedges, chips. Chicken nuggets, dadfries, momos, cutlets, samosas, paneer, hamburgers, fried fish, fried shrimps, fried chicken, stir-fried vegetables, chicken 65, mushrooms 65, sausages, peanuts, gula jamiun, cold chicken, dahi ballsmung vadas, fried Bhindifried curryfried empty (eggplant).

Another use for an air fryer?

I have friends who use it as a single cooking area that doesn’t use too many pots and pans. Like they could make their sandwiches and fries all at once in an air fryer. Or pizza. Omelettes, bacon and cheese toast. This is a reasonable alternative use.

Advice?

It is very important to preheat your air fryer about 10 minutes before.

Every air fryer is different and experiment with item timings and times listed in recipes may not apply to your air fryer.

When frying something really slimy or sticky like fish, line the basket with parchment paper or use a silicone air fryer basket or paper basket (both available online); this will save you a lot of cleaning later.

For the manufacture balls and other types of amas, like mung amas, buy a silicone mini muffin pan tray.

American-style grilled cheese sandwiches do great in the air fryer. Traditionally it is grilled in a pan with a good amount of oil or butter. In an air fryer, you can use less butter and the fryer mechanism will ensure that it gets the desired crispiness.

This sandwich is a cross between the American favorite and the Welsh Rarebit, a posh British tea special from the 18th century that uses ale or ale.

The Welsh Rarebit, formerly called Welsh Rabbit, obviously does not contain rabbit, but is a spicy cheese bread concoction. Besides, the British have enjoyed rare snacks since the days of Shakespeare and rare Welsh bits are said to cause colorful dreams.

Photography: Courtesy: Jon Sullivan/Wikimedia Commons

Grilled Welsh Rarebit

Servings: 1-2

Ingredients

• 4 slices of bread, preferably thick slices of sourdough
• 2-4 teaspoons of butter
• 1 cup grated cheese
• 2 thick slices of cheese, preferably cheddar
• 2 tablespoons housemaid or all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1½ teaspoon mustard paste or use Kasundi (Bengali mustard paste)
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika or ice flakes
• A pinch of salt, only if necessary
• 150 ml of beer, any brand

Method

• Place two slices of bread on a flat surface.
  Layer each slice with a slice of cheddar cheese.
  Set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat the air fryer in advance for 10 minutes.
• In a saucepan, over low heat, roast the flour with the olive oil, then add the beer and heat for another 1 to 2 minutes until the beer begins to bubble and the roux (flour + oil /butter) and beer are well mixed. .
  Remove from the heat and, while still hot, quickly mix the mustard, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, grated cheese and cold flakes until you have a thick sauce.
  Finally add salt, only if necessary (sauces and cheese already contain salt).
  Spread about 2 to 3 tablespoons of thick sauce evenly over the bread slices, over the cheese.
  Cover each slice with the remaining two slices.
  Spread butter on the outside of the 4 slices of bread.
  Place both sandwiches flat in the fryer at 180°C and cook on each side for about 4 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the bread turns golden brown.
• Serve with fried or scrambled eggs, slices of larger pickles, and maybe a salad.

Zelda’s note: Instead of beer, you can opt for wine.

When served with an egg on it, it becomes a golden deer or rabbit. When the tomato is mixed with the cheese sauce, it becomes a blushing bunny.