When I was staying with my grand daughter Agnes for 10 days, while her parents were on a European holiday, I discovered a new way to cook. It’s clean, efficient, and the results are delicious.
I was hesitant at first. After all, I have been cooking in traditional ways for over 50 year and, while I may not have won any awards for my creations, nobody has been poisoned either. Full disclosure, there was one time, back when my kids were little and by accident I left a couple of burgers staying warm on the BBQ overnight. The next day they smelled OK and I was afraid that my first husband, who was very frugal, would catch me in the act of throwing them out, so I heated them up and served them for dinner. James knew what to do – he threw up all over his bed and felt fine by the morning. Jennifer, on the other hand, was not so quick to react and she had an upset stomach and diarrhea for several days.
Other than almost killing my children, I have done pretty well in the cooking department. I thought “why mess with a good thing?” But Agnes was anxious to have the chicken wings her mother had left for us, and she said they had to be cooked in their new air fryer. I carefully read the operating instructions and recipes that came with the fryer. I got the salad ready and then held my breath as I cooked the wings. They tasted pretty good considering my inexperience! Agnes and I ate lots and then I cleaned up, which was very easy.
A couple of days later, I cooked some pork chops in the fryer. They were thin and I overcooked them a bit, as in 5 minutes instead of 3, but they had a nice glaze and some good veggies and once again the meal was successful and the cleaning up was a breeze. Meanwhile at home, Peter was avoiding our BBQ due to outdoor heat, and therefore running out of food. I decided that this appliance would fit nicely into my cooking routine.
When I got home, I told Peter my plan and he went right to his Ipad and started looking for air fryer sales. He found a second-hand one for only $40 and decided that we should buy it. It was small and round and a brand with a poor reputation. Meanwhile I did some research of my own and found out that the recommended brand was Ninja and one new model had 2 baskets so that 2 different items could be cooked at different temperatures at the same time. This meant that, for example, you could cook meat in one basket and vegetables in the other, all for very short times and with little cleaning up. The battle of the fryers began. Peter was insisting that $40 was a real bargain, and I was insisting that $40 was not a bargain if it wasn’t what we needed. We went to bed on different sides of the basket, I mean the debate.
The next day an opportunity presented itself. Peter went to play bridge with some friends. What was I to do? Of course I went shopping. I drove to the first likely store which happened to be Canadian Tire. I strode purposefully to the customer service desk and asked the clerk where I could find air fryers. She said, and I am not making this up, “You mean the Ninja model with 2 baskets that’s on sale for $80 off?” I made a fool of myself screaming “Yes that’s it!!”
The poor clerk recovered from her shock and led me to the aisle, measured the machine to make sure it would fit on our counter, and carried it to the cashier where I paid. Then she picked it up and carried it to my car. I would have hugged her but she was rushing back to the store.
At home Lucy, the cleaning lady, helped me carry the new appliance into the kitchen where I unpacked it and began planning dinner. I cooked chicken breasts in one basket and tiny potatoes with broccoli in the other basket, all in less than 20 minutes. Peter arrived home from bridge and sat down to dinner. He declared the meal “delicious.” He didn’t even question how I had cooked everything. The battle of the fryers was over.
Sue
The Winner:
Seventy In the City 