Tuesday, November 18, 2014

An intro to an Air-Fryer and simple Potato Wedges


As promised on my fb page…the introductory post to an Air Fryer and a simple Starter Recipe to kick start some Air-Frying.  

 
Now..on the Air Fryer, in just two lines -   



In comparison to a deep fryer – this is a big yes !!
In comparison to a conventionaloven – this is partial(about 70%)yes. Read further to know the reason why..

But firstly...What is listed below  are just my views. I definitely am not compelling anyone to purchase it, if its not going to be used. I know quite a few who has huge cooking ranges at home but its oven would have turned into a storage cabin. So, if you seriously are planning to replace your deep fat fryer, then definitely go for it, this is way healthier an option, but compared to a conventional oven…well…its mixed choices, depending on what we need to prepare.
 
To getting started – some simple faq’s.
1.    Why is the Airfryer better than a conventional deep-fat fryer?
 
Coz it takes absolutely nil or very very less oil in the Airfryer compared to the deep-fat fryer, to prepare tasty food.
2.    So, when exactly do we add oil for air-frying, for what and how much ?
 
Adding oil is only necessary when you prepare homemade dishes from fresh ingredients that have not been pretreated, such as freshly peeled potatoes or unmarinated skinless chicken. Adding oil creates a crispy layer to the untreated food and improves its taste. It needs just a bit of cooking spray to 'cook' the outside and make it golden brown as if submerged in hot oil.
3.    What about on an Air Fryer in comparison to a Conventional Oven?
a)To me, it looks like the conventional oven is better for big items like roasting chickens, smaller whole turkeys, etc. It doesn't look like the convection heating can get 'under' the food if the quantity is more. Upto 1 whole chicken cuts is fine. But more than that..i would go for an oven. But for fries, snack items…it’s the Philips.
 b) The next advantage I noticed is the ease in temperature control . It can easily be varied in an airfryer compared to the oven.
c) The pre-heating time is also less. Its just 3 mins standard for any temperature  in the Philips, which is a great time saving.
 
4. What types of frozen fries can I prepare in the Airfryer?
 You can use frozen oven-ready fries or frozen fries suitable for deep-fat frying.
 
Breaded ones can be avoided though as it becomes too dry.
 
Burgers works just great even without a drop of it.
5. Can we use other baking pans?
 
Any dish that can be used in the oven, can be used in the Airfryer. In terms of materials, it can be metal, glass, ceramic or silicon. If a dish is 6.3 inches round or 5.9 by 5.9 inches square with rounded edges, it will fit into the basket of the Airfryer. When using a baking dish, you need to place it into the basket of the Airfryer.
 
6. The cleaning of the parts ?
 
Let the appliance cool down for approximately 30 minutes before you clean it.
 
The pan and the basket needs proper cleaning. They both have a non-stick coating. So, do not use metal kitchen utensils or abrasive cleaning materials to clean them, as this may damage the non-stick coating.
 
The pan and basket are dishwasher-safe. You can also clean the pan and basket, with hot water, some dishwashing liquid, and a non-abrasive sponge.
 

7. Which parts of the Airfryer get hot?
Hot air from the cooking chamber is blown out at the back of the appliance. This area gets very hot. The pan, basket and the area where you put those parts into also get hot. The outside of the appliance warms up during cooking, but does not get too hot to touch.
 
8. Does it create smoke?
 Not under normal usage, but foods with high fat content may cause some smoke to appear.
 
Frying chicken with its skin on definitely produces smoke.
 
9. What are the different types of Airfryers available ,and what is the difference ?
 
There are 2 types –Digital and Analog.
 
The former has a digital touch screen where the latter has a knob that you turn to the degrees. The 9230 will cook continually for 60 minutes and the 9220 has a 30 minute cooking time.
 
Which do I prefer ?
 
Well.its a personal choice. I have gone for the analog, and I don’t want to dish out some extra “more” bucks just to get a touch screen control. I seriously don’t mind turning a knob to change the settings ;).
 
Also, the 30 – 60 mins time settings. Well.. all the items that can be prepared in the Air-fryer takes less than 30 mins to cook. So, if you need to repeat the processs, you necessarily don’t have to go for one which has a 60 mins setting. You can just turn the knob once again.

These were the common questions that me too had in mind while planning to purchase one. Hope it helps.

And now to getting started...with a simple starter.



Some simple homemade potato wedges.
 
Not the store brought ones. So you need to have some oil in it. A few tsp's depending on quantity, preferably olive oil.
 

 
Step 1 - Set the temp to the desired..normally, similar to the conventional onens , ore refer to the side of the fryer which gives the required temperature and time details for most common items that can be done.
 
 Step 2 - Pre-heating : This is just 3 mins , for all temperatures. Standard.
 
Here, i set the temperature to 180 deg C.
 
Meanwhile, wash thouroughly the potatoes as you are not removing the skin, cut and add any seasoning of your choice. I gave a dash of olive oil, salt, paprika, Itialian seasoning, some dried herbs,a drop of chillie powder. Its optional...thou. Feel free to use your choices.
 
 
While the fryer is pre-heating , place the seasoned wedges in the microwave at full power, covered for about 5 minutes, or just to cook its interiors. (A time saving anyways).
Set the temperature to about 10 mins.


At about 5 minutes, it was like this. Turn around to cook evenly.
 
 
By about 10 mins, they were fully done.

 
Serve hot..with some sweet chilie sauce.
 
(note : microwaving the potatoes helps, as i said, in two ways.
 1, in saving time.. and other, it reduces the time needed in the fryer, as the interior is already partially cooked.)

Stay tuned for more simple recipes and tutorials using Air-Fryer. Easy healthy cooking. ;)
Cheers...
 
(sorry for the low quality of the images..i get absolutely no time for some proper clicks and edits. just instant shots from my mobile cam and think the lighting doesnt go well with the pics .)
 

16 comments:

  1. Love that potato wedges. Looks very inviting.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I really wanted to know about the air frier and thanks for sharing this detailed post..very helpful.

    ReplyDelete
  3. my mum was just thinking of getting it, happy to know it works
    Kisses,
    www.beingbeautifulandpretty.com
    www.indianbeautydiary.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. thank you for sharing your insights dear... I am seriously considering buying this gadget once my kitchen settles down, and my budgets as well! ;) I would want to know what all we can make in it... will wait for your posts...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Good post. Thank u for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  6. Time invest in one. Been told by my friends that is a great buy. I see how its handy for our cooking.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Very informative. Thank you for sharing and enlightening us about the Air-Fryer.

    ReplyDelete
  8. very informative dear thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sona, Thank u for sharing ur insights. I have two questions.
    1.What happens to all the splutters from the food cooked.Is there a roof part that can be removed and cleaned?
    2.Does the drippings burn in the bottom pan ?
    Looking forward to more posts and ur experiments. May be we can do some jam, fruit leather etc by dehydrating process. I wanted to try making some unakka meen in oven but neighbours and family might shoot me :)))

    ReplyDelete
  10. This post is informative and I love those potato wedges dear...... :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. lovely review about a great product,Sona..potato wedges looks beautifully done!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sona,

    How is it going gal? Saw pics of your lil one on fb.

    Few months ago my hubby bought a air fryer. I tried a cake and some ethacka appam. The cake was awesome, ethacka appam was good too, but kids preferred the fried ones, you know how they are!! Since it was talking too much of the counter space, I started whining and hubby sold it on ebay. That's what happens when I whine ...hehe. But I think if you use it, its a good investment and its more economical than heating up a whole cooking range to bake or cook something with little quantity.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Sona, how you doing? Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to you and family.

    Thanks for sharing the air fryer info. Your potato wedge definitely look addictive, guess hard to stop eating. LOL

    Have a lovely week ahead,warm regards.
    Amelia

    ReplyDelete
  14. The hot Airfryer is a modern devices that allows you to fry foods without oil. Now, how is that possible? If you were to tell that to Granny, she would most probably tell you that the foods would taste really dry and unpalatable. After all, deep-frying in a lot of oil has always been the way to eat powerful strong foods that are fried with that really amazing problems on the outside, wet and smooth inside

    ReplyDelete
  15. Discover the Philips cooking. Learn why these cooking suit your needs. Compare, read reviews and order online. read more

    ReplyDelete
  16. As for the paddle type of air fryer, there is only one brand available at the moment. The Tefal Actifry uses a paddle to stir the food around during the cooking process. This eliminates the need to give the food a shake halfway during cooking. airfryer

    ReplyDelete

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

An intro to an Air-Fryer and simple Potato Wedges


As promised on my fb page…the introductory post to an Air Fryer and a simple Starter Recipe to kick start some Air-Frying.  

 
Now..on the Air Fryer, in just two lines -   



In comparison to a deep fryer – this is a big yes !!
In comparison to a conventionaloven – this is partial(about 70%)yes. Read further to know the reason why..

But firstly...What is listed below  are just my views. I definitely am not compelling anyone to purchase it, if its not going to be used. I know quite a few who has huge cooking ranges at home but its oven would have turned into a storage cabin. So, if you seriously are planning to replace your deep fat fryer, then definitely go for it, this is way healthier an option, but compared to a conventional oven…well…its mixed choices, depending on what we need to prepare.
 
To getting started – some simple faq’s.
1.    Why is the Airfryer better than a conventional deep-fat fryer?
 
Coz it takes absolutely nil or very very less oil in the Airfryer compared to the deep-fat fryer, to prepare tasty food.
2.    So, when exactly do we add oil for air-frying, for what and how much ?
 
Adding oil is only necessary when you prepare homemade dishes from fresh ingredients that have not been pretreated, such as freshly peeled potatoes or unmarinated skinless chicken. Adding oil creates a crispy layer to the untreated food and improves its taste. It needs just a bit of cooking spray to 'cook' the outside and make it golden brown as if submerged in hot oil.
3.    What about on an Air Fryer in comparison to a Conventional Oven?
a)To me, it looks like the conventional oven is better for big items like roasting chickens, smaller whole turkeys, etc. It doesn't look like the convection heating can get 'under' the food if the quantity is more. Upto 1 whole chicken cuts is fine. But more than that..i would go for an oven. But for fries, snack items…it’s the Philips.
 b) The next advantage I noticed is the ease in temperature control . It can easily be varied in an airfryer compared to the oven.
c) The pre-heating time is also less. Its just 3 mins standard for any temperature  in the Philips, which is a great time saving.
 
4. What types of frozen fries can I prepare in the Airfryer?
 You can use frozen oven-ready fries or frozen fries suitable for deep-fat frying.
 
Breaded ones can be avoided though as it becomes too dry.
 
Burgers works just great even without a drop of it.
5. Can we use other baking pans?
 
Any dish that can be used in the oven, can be used in the Airfryer. In terms of materials, it can be metal, glass, ceramic or silicon. If a dish is 6.3 inches round or 5.9 by 5.9 inches square with rounded edges, it will fit into the basket of the Airfryer. When using a baking dish, you need to place it into the basket of the Airfryer.
 
6. The cleaning of the parts ?
 
Let the appliance cool down for approximately 30 minutes before you clean it.
 
The pan and the basket needs proper cleaning. They both have a non-stick coating. So, do not use metal kitchen utensils or abrasive cleaning materials to clean them, as this may damage the non-stick coating.
 
The pan and basket are dishwasher-safe. You can also clean the pan and basket, with hot water, some dishwashing liquid, and a non-abrasive sponge.
 

7. Which parts of the Airfryer get hot?
Hot air from the cooking chamber is blown out at the back of the appliance. This area gets very hot. The pan, basket and the area where you put those parts into also get hot. The outside of the appliance warms up during cooking, but does not get too hot to touch.
 
8. Does it create smoke?
 Not under normal usage, but foods with high fat content may cause some smoke to appear.
 
Frying chicken with its skin on definitely produces smoke.
 
9. What are the different types of Airfryers available ,and what is the difference ?
 
There are 2 types –Digital and Analog.
 
The former has a digital touch screen where the latter has a knob that you turn to the degrees. The 9230 will cook continually for 60 minutes and the 9220 has a 30 minute cooking time.
 
Which do I prefer ?
 
Well.its a personal choice. I have gone for the analog, and I don’t want to dish out some extra “more” bucks just to get a touch screen control. I seriously don’t mind turning a knob to change the settings ;).
 
Also, the 30 – 60 mins time settings. Well.. all the items that can be prepared in the Air-fryer takes less than 30 mins to cook. So, if you need to repeat the processs, you necessarily don’t have to go for one which has a 60 mins setting. You can just turn the knob once again.

These were the common questions that me too had in mind while planning to purchase one. Hope it helps.

And now to getting started...with a simple starter.



Some simple homemade potato wedges.
 
Not the store brought ones. So you need to have some oil in it. A few tsp's depending on quantity, preferably olive oil.
 

 
Step 1 - Set the temp to the desired..normally, similar to the conventional onens , ore refer to the side of the fryer which gives the required temperature and time details for most common items that can be done.
 
 Step 2 - Pre-heating : This is just 3 mins , for all temperatures. Standard.
 
Here, i set the temperature to 180 deg C.
 
Meanwhile, wash thouroughly the potatoes as you are not removing the skin, cut and add any seasoning of your choice. I gave a dash of olive oil, salt, paprika, Itialian seasoning, some dried herbs,a drop of chillie powder. Its optional...thou. Feel free to use your choices.
 
 
While the fryer is pre-heating , place the seasoned wedges in the microwave at full power, covered for about 5 minutes, or just to cook its interiors. (A time saving anyways).
Set the temperature to about 10 mins.


At about 5 minutes, it was like this. Turn around to cook evenly.
 
 
By about 10 mins, they were fully done.

 
Serve hot..with some sweet chilie sauce.
 
(note : microwaving the potatoes helps, as i said, in two ways.
 1, in saving time.. and other, it reduces the time needed in the fryer, as the interior is already partially cooked.)

Stay tuned for more simple recipes and tutorials using Air-Fryer. Easy healthy cooking. ;)
Cheers...
 
(sorry for the low quality of the images..i get absolutely no time for some proper clicks and edits. just instant shots from my mobile cam and think the lighting doesnt go well with the pics .)
 

16 comments:

  1. Love that potato wedges. Looks very inviting.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I really wanted to know about the air frier and thanks for sharing this detailed post..very helpful.

    ReplyDelete
  3. my mum was just thinking of getting it, happy to know it works
    Kisses,
    www.beingbeautifulandpretty.com
    www.indianbeautydiary.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. thank you for sharing your insights dear... I am seriously considering buying this gadget once my kitchen settles down, and my budgets as well! ;) I would want to know what all we can make in it... will wait for your posts...

    ReplyDelete
  5. Good post. Thank u for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  6. Time invest in one. Been told by my friends that is a great buy. I see how its handy for our cooking.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Very informative. Thank you for sharing and enlightening us about the Air-Fryer.

    ReplyDelete
  8. very informative dear thanks for sharing

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sona, Thank u for sharing ur insights. I have two questions.
    1.What happens to all the splutters from the food cooked.Is there a roof part that can be removed and cleaned?
    2.Does the drippings burn in the bottom pan ?
    Looking forward to more posts and ur experiments. May be we can do some jam, fruit leather etc by dehydrating process. I wanted to try making some unakka meen in oven but neighbours and family might shoot me :)))

    ReplyDelete
  10. This post is informative and I love those potato wedges dear...... :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. lovely review about a great product,Sona..potato wedges looks beautifully done!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Sona,

    How is it going gal? Saw pics of your lil one on fb.

    Few months ago my hubby bought a air fryer. I tried a cake and some ethacka appam. The cake was awesome, ethacka appam was good too, but kids preferred the fried ones, you know how they are!! Since it was talking too much of the counter space, I started whining and hubby sold it on ebay. That's what happens when I whine ...hehe. But I think if you use it, its a good investment and its more economical than heating up a whole cooking range to bake or cook something with little quantity.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Sona, how you doing? Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to you and family.

    Thanks for sharing the air fryer info. Your potato wedge definitely look addictive, guess hard to stop eating. LOL

    Have a lovely week ahead,warm regards.
    Amelia

    ReplyDelete
  14. The hot Airfryer is a modern devices that allows you to fry foods without oil. Now, how is that possible? If you were to tell that to Granny, she would most probably tell you that the foods would taste really dry and unpalatable. After all, deep-frying in a lot of oil has always been the way to eat powerful strong foods that are fried with that really amazing problems on the outside, wet and smooth inside

    ReplyDelete
  15. Discover the Philips cooking. Learn why these cooking suit your needs. Compare, read reviews and order online. read more

    ReplyDelete
  16. As for the paddle type of air fryer, there is only one brand available at the moment. The Tefal Actifry uses a paddle to stir the food around during the cooking process. This eliminates the need to give the food a shake halfway during cooking. airfryer

    ReplyDelete