I was recently gifted an air fryer by a friend and am trying very hard to like it. I think your olive oil advice might be the solution as I'm finding stuff cooked but dry as opposed to crisped. Said friends absolutely love it, so I know I must be missing something, but I'm far from convinced.
Lovely outfits on the girls.... I also have a shalwar kameez bought many years ago when I was in India but worry now that it might be considered 'cultural appropriation'.
I think it’s just a souped up oven with a super duper fan - the olive oil def helps, but I think it’s more important to cook with the appliance you feel most comfortable with - when the weather is normal (under 20C) I am def still a stovetop & regular oven person if not cooking doll portions for the kids!
My English MIL wore a gifted salwar kameez for her 70th and looked amazing! She was a bit worried on the same but I said it was cultural appreciation not appropriation - was fabulous! :)
Cultural appreciation is a lovely way to look at it... I wore mine for my 50th birthday party, which was Indian themed. One of my best friends is Indian and we were so lucky that she roped her Mum in to help prepare different curries and other delicacies. It was a wonderful celebration and lots of others joined in with outfits and Indian food.
I despise my air fryer, I believe it’s evil. I think it probably hates me too as it has a penchant for burning my fingers when the bleeper orders me to turn the food. I think it might be related to my mother-in-law.
😂 mine also burns my fingers when I take the food out, but this amuses the children because I yell ‘HOT POTATO! HOT HOT POTATO!!’. Even when it’s not a potato.
Could I very respectfully and politely suggest that asparagus is a seasonal vegetable that is now mostly out of season and that mangetout might be a substitute? I love your books and this Substack but get grumpy about asparagus out of season. Sorry.
No offence taken! I know British asparagus season should finish mid-June, but some suppliers have extended the U.K. season to mid July this year (technology? Witchcraft?) so this was my very last asparagus mention till next year! Double checked before posting :)
My partner has taken against the concept of air fryers (without having tried one), his objection to another appliance that lives permanently on the worktop was probably reasonable (and he was very tolerant about the KitchenAid) so I bought a Ninja Crispi, which disassembles into small pieces you can put in a cupboard.
Haven’t quite got the hang of it yet, but it’s been good for single ingredient cooking, like crisping up croutons for salads or warming up a ciabatta roll for lunch. I’ve also made a couple of roasting tin / traybake recipes for 1 person (although those are often hard to put together efficiently because ingredients come in quantities for 2 at least).
Mmm! All sound delicious and a good reminder to minimise oven use in this heat! I’m so with you on the air fryer though - resisted thinking it’s silly, but bought after realising it’s basically a mini speed cooking oven and haven’t looked back!
I’m definitely with you on ‘Air Frying’, so quick and food cooked perfectly once you get the hang of it- inbuilt timers help !
I have a Ninja double Smart Cook ( not at all pretty) which comes with a temperature probe and you can roast a whole chicken/ joint/ cauliflower 👍😁
It’s also like having an indoor bbq, without the heat and all the faff.
I bought one because my oven has packed up and I’m debating getting a new one or wait and get one with a new kitchen as this one is circa 1990’s , done its time, and is quite frankly, falling apart.
Extremely persuasive case for an air fryer, but no space in my kitchen, so it will have to wait until I move house. I LOVE the girls' outfits. That Sam Kriss article was a long read, but worth it. I'm not at all sure I can spot AI writing, but am becoming very suspicious of text where each sentence has a new paragraph.
These salad-but-make-it-sexy platters are my idea of perfection in this weather. Also, I adore the Roasting Tin infographics; they are an absolute gift (pretty, inspiring, AND educational).
The perfect newsletter, for the recipes (and the shout out) but also because I've had my eye on that Our Place airfryer for literally years and now I'm going to GET IT xx
I have an airfryer, a single basket Ninja, a decent sized basket the size of a small roasting tin. On at least 3 times a week. I call it “the Beast from the East” - aren’t Ninjas warriors from there? I call all of my most used pans names. Ok, I’m eccentric. I wonder what names AI might suggest….
Thanks for this. When the Instant Pot/air fryer combo came out I upgraded to that, so now I have to store the air fryer lid (it's huge) along with the air fryer and normal lid. I often can't be bothered getting it out of the cupboard when I have a nice efficient oven RIGHT THERE. But during a heat wave is probably the right time to do it. Actually on Friday I was tempted by some "Frickles" (fried pickles) in Aldi, they went into the air fryer as soon as I got home and I had a very beige yet delicious girl dinner out on my patio.
But mostly, I still use the Instant Pot to pressure cook all the time and the air fryer function rarely. I think I'll give the fish a go!
You might, just, have convinced me to get an air fryer. I don't need one, I've got a ridiculous aga the size of the titanic (came with the house) but it's been off since the last heatwave and the crappy oven that's left takes forever to heat up and undercooks at first and then suddenly chars everything into oblivion, it drives me mad.
Besides that almond one is gorgeous and I'm a sucker for a pretty gadget.
I was recently gifted an air fryer by a friend and am trying very hard to like it. I think your olive oil advice might be the solution as I'm finding stuff cooked but dry as opposed to crisped. Said friends absolutely love it, so I know I must be missing something, but I'm far from convinced.
Lovely outfits on the girls.... I also have a shalwar kameez bought many years ago when I was in India but worry now that it might be considered 'cultural appropriation'.
I think it’s just a souped up oven with a super duper fan - the olive oil def helps, but I think it’s more important to cook with the appliance you feel most comfortable with - when the weather is normal (under 20C) I am def still a stovetop & regular oven person if not cooking doll portions for the kids!
My English MIL wore a gifted salwar kameez for her 70th and looked amazing! She was a bit worried on the same but I said it was cultural appreciation not appropriation - was fabulous! :)
Cultural appreciation is a lovely way to look at it... I wore mine for my 50th birthday party, which was Indian themed. One of my best friends is Indian and we were so lucky that she roped her Mum in to help prepare different curries and other delicacies. It was a wonderful celebration and lots of others joined in with outfits and Indian food.
I despise my air fryer, I believe it’s evil. I think it probably hates me too as it has a penchant for burning my fingers when the bleeper orders me to turn the food. I think it might be related to my mother-in-law.
😂 mine also burns my fingers when I take the food out, but this amuses the children because I yell ‘HOT POTATO! HOT HOT POTATO!!’. Even when it’s not a potato.
I might have to steal that one!
Could I very respectfully and politely suggest that asparagus is a seasonal vegetable that is now mostly out of season and that mangetout might be a substitute? I love your books and this Substack but get grumpy about asparagus out of season. Sorry.
No offence taken! I know British asparagus season should finish mid-June, but some suppliers have extended the U.K. season to mid July this year (technology? Witchcraft?) so this was my very last asparagus mention till next year! Double checked before posting :)
My partner has taken against the concept of air fryers (without having tried one), his objection to another appliance that lives permanently on the worktop was probably reasonable (and he was very tolerant about the KitchenAid) so I bought a Ninja Crispi, which disassembles into small pieces you can put in a cupboard.
Haven’t quite got the hang of it yet, but it’s been good for single ingredient cooking, like crisping up croutons for salads or warming up a ciabatta roll for lunch. I’ve also made a couple of roasting tin / traybake recipes for 1 person (although those are often hard to put together efficiently because ingredients come in quantities for 2 at least).
Mmm! All sound delicious and a good reminder to minimise oven use in this heat! I’m so with you on the air fryer though - resisted thinking it’s silly, but bought after realising it’s basically a mini speed cooking oven and haven’t looked back!
I’m definitely with you on ‘Air Frying’, so quick and food cooked perfectly once you get the hang of it- inbuilt timers help !
I have a Ninja double Smart Cook ( not at all pretty) which comes with a temperature probe and you can roast a whole chicken/ joint/ cauliflower 👍😁
It’s also like having an indoor bbq, without the heat and all the faff.
I bought one because my oven has packed up and I’m debating getting a new one or wait and get one with a new kitchen as this one is circa 1990’s , done its time, and is quite frankly, falling apart.
Extremely persuasive case for an air fryer, but no space in my kitchen, so it will have to wait until I move house. I LOVE the girls' outfits. That Sam Kriss article was a long read, but worth it. I'm not at all sure I can spot AI writing, but am becoming very suspicious of text where each sentence has a new paragraph.
These salad-but-make-it-sexy platters are my idea of perfection in this weather. Also, I adore the Roasting Tin infographics; they are an absolute gift (pretty, inspiring, AND educational).
The girls in their pink outfits! The cutest!
The perfect newsletter, for the recipes (and the shout out) but also because I've had my eye on that Our Place airfryer for literally years and now I'm going to GET IT xx
I have an airfryer, a single basket Ninja, a decent sized basket the size of a small roasting tin. On at least 3 times a week. I call it “the Beast from the East” - aren’t Ninjas warriors from there? I call all of my most used pans names. Ok, I’m eccentric. I wonder what names AI might suggest….
Thanks for the air fryer smart utilisation.
Thanks for this. When the Instant Pot/air fryer combo came out I upgraded to that, so now I have to store the air fryer lid (it's huge) along with the air fryer and normal lid. I often can't be bothered getting it out of the cupboard when I have a nice efficient oven RIGHT THERE. But during a heat wave is probably the right time to do it. Actually on Friday I was tempted by some "Frickles" (fried pickles) in Aldi, they went into the air fryer as soon as I got home and I had a very beige yet delicious girl dinner out on my patio.
But mostly, I still use the Instant Pot to pressure cook all the time and the air fryer function rarely. I think I'll give the fish a go!
You might, just, have convinced me to get an air fryer. I don't need one, I've got a ridiculous aga the size of the titanic (came with the house) but it's been off since the last heatwave and the crappy oven that's left takes forever to heat up and undercooks at first and then suddenly chars everything into oblivion, it drives me mad.
Besides that almond one is gorgeous and I'm a sucker for a pretty gadget.