Ladies and… well, ladies. I have an amazing, revolutionary invention to introduce to you all. BEHOLD: the air fryer.
So majestic.
Yes, it has the word “fry” in it, but that doesn’t mean it’s unhealthy. I use my air fryer at least several times every week and I am the biggest health nut to ever walk the planet. (I once pureed raw cauliflower and water, put some avocado in it, called it “cauliflower porridge” and ate it for breakfast.) (It was tasty with some salt and pepper.) Air fryers make all sorts of foods taste amazing with no oil necessary, though you can add a bit if you wish. They use “rapid air technology,” circulating air in a small chamber at up to 350ºC (think late April temperature and multiply that by 10) to make your meal deliciously crisp with absolutely no backlash on your health. Basically, it magically transforms your food with the push of a button. You literally don’t have to do anything except for set the temperature and time and maybe shake the tray halfway through.
Now before I go on, let me just give a disclaimer: food cooked in an air fryer doesn’t taste the same as when you mega-deep fry it in heaps of oil and fat. It’s a bit lighter tasting, but in my opinion, that makes it better because it doesn’t give you the same gross feeling afterwards. Air fried french fries are still delicious, and you can eat more of them without feeling guilty or like there’s a greasy rock in your stomach.
Anyway— let’s check out the air fryer in action. Allow me to introduce to you a few of my favorite staple dishes I make in my air fryer.
Kale
It seems to have become an obsession in recent years (mainly amongst white girls? Well, guilty as charged) but if we’re all being honest, kale is super gross on its own. Luckily, with the help of an air fryer, you can simply pop raw kale into the tray and it magically comes out tasting like some sort of ultra-thin veggie chip. I’m not kidding— air fried kale does not taste at all like kale. Add some salt and it’s an amazing snack. Just make sure you wait till the air fryer is 100% turned off before opening the chamber or it’ll release a veg-nato in your kitchen. (I make this mistake every time.)
Why my roommates hate me.
Potato wedges
I would include a section about air fried french fries here but I am yet to put in the effort of slicing a potato into fry shaped pieces. I do, however, make air fried potato wedges all the time. They’re a bit unevenly cooked in this picture because I’m not the best at cutting potatoes into even slices, but regardless, they’re a delicious combination of crispy on the outside and puffy on the inside. Some may appreciate a more thinly sliced, chip-like potato, but I enjoy the puffiness of the thicker wedges myself. Again, I didn’t add anything to the potatoes before frying them (the green flecks are from the kale because I didn’t bother cleaning it out) but salt can be added for extra flavor.
Chicken wings
Legit just washed them a little, otherwise unmodified.
This might be my favorite dish to make with the air fryer; I am enormous fan of chicken wings. But I don’t often get them in restaurants because I am not an enormous fan of foods that are fried and covered in sauce. I like my chicken wings 100% plain. Thus, I simply pop my wings into the air fryer looking like this…
…and they come out golden brown, juicy and delicious with a crispy skin. If you prefer chicken wings in batter, I’m sure there’s a way of air frying them that way, but I do not know of it. Either way, they’re easy to dip in hot sauce for an extra boost of flavor!
Now you may be thinking, “I’m a broke college student. Why the fresh flippin’ heck would I go out and buy a big expensive piece of machinery?” To that, I say, just think of all the money you can save by making your own meals instead of ordering takeout, and how much healthier you’ll be eating real food instead of ramen. You may not have room for a real stove or oven in your dorm, but you have room for this. And you can find it for $50 online (just Google it, darling). This has been a PSA: buy yourself an air fryer today!
A delicious air fried dinner.