I love cooking. Not just on the grill or smoker, but also inside stuff. And I'm trying to eat more healthful stuff, but I don't want to be an extremist.
For example, just last week, I got an Airfryer. It's basically a fancy convection oven, with holes throughout the food basket so that hot air can get at it from all sides. Ours is the Avalon Bay brand on Amazon. Just $120 (cheaper if I'd bought it in white). We already love this thing. French fries come out about the consistency of those at Wendy's: not the crispiest, but fluffy inside and pretty tasty. The manufacturer claims cooking this way provides a massive reduction in calories compared to fries that have been deep fried. It certainly delivers a better consistency than I can get using an oven.
We also used it for wings. No breading. But the heat did a pretty good job crisping up the skin - again, better than my oven could do, and the fat dripped away where it is easily disposed. In fact, the whole unit is ridiculously fast and easy to clean.
A less successful recent purchase: a spiralizer. You can take a zucchini and turn it into strands that look a lot like spaghetti, in mere seconds. It's kind of fun. And I imagine it would be a lot healthier than regular pasta. But I find myself not using it.
On the less healthy side... I ordered a griddle. Broil King. Top rated by Cook's Illustrated. I can't wait to use this sucker. It's bigger than the one I have now, which is an All-Clad that you lay across two burners on the stove. The non-stick is wearing out, and it's never cooked very evenly. This Broil King has its own heating element, so I'll be able to cook with it on the counter, freeing up space on my stove. And it's supposed to cook much more evenly. And it has a handy drain for grease. Oh, and you can raise the back legs so that the grease drains away from the meat (bacon!!) and down the little drain built into the front side of the cooking surface.
What are your latest fun purchases for the kitchen?
For example, just last week, I got an Airfryer. It's basically a fancy convection oven, with holes throughout the food basket so that hot air can get at it from all sides. Ours is the Avalon Bay brand on Amazon. Just $120 (cheaper if I'd bought it in white). We already love this thing. French fries come out about the consistency of those at Wendy's: not the crispiest, but fluffy inside and pretty tasty. The manufacturer claims cooking this way provides a massive reduction in calories compared to fries that have been deep fried. It certainly delivers a better consistency than I can get using an oven.
We also used it for wings. No breading. But the heat did a pretty good job crisping up the skin - again, better than my oven could do, and the fat dripped away where it is easily disposed. In fact, the whole unit is ridiculously fast and easy to clean.
A less successful recent purchase: a spiralizer. You can take a zucchini and turn it into strands that look a lot like spaghetti, in mere seconds. It's kind of fun. And I imagine it would be a lot healthier than regular pasta. But I find myself not using it.
On the less healthy side... I ordered a griddle. Broil King. Top rated by Cook's Illustrated. I can't wait to use this sucker. It's bigger than the one I have now, which is an All-Clad that you lay across two burners on the stove. The non-stick is wearing out, and it's never cooked very evenly. This Broil King has its own heating element, so I'll be able to cook with it on the counter, freeing up space on my stove. And it's supposed to cook much more evenly. And it has a handy drain for grease. Oh, and you can raise the back legs so that the grease drains away from the meat (bacon!!) and down the little drain built into the front side of the cooking surface.
What are your latest fun purchases for the kitchen?
Latest toys for the kitchen?
