Functional or Fad?

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Posted on January 9, 2023

It is now about 2 months since I capitulated and bought an airfryer.

I had not really investigated what an airfryer was or how they worked but when I heard them being mentioned in a couple of Facebook groups I dismissed them as another unnecessary kitchen gadget. My first real-life experience of them was when we were invited to dinner a couple of months ago. The potatoes cooked in the airfryer were absolutely divine.

GMan came home and started researching various options. Coincidentally, Aldi had them in their special buys the following week so we decided to bite the bullet and see whether all of the hype was worth it. For us it has certainly proven to be $70 well-spent.

Apart from the rather obvious benefit of being able to replicate at least some deep-fried food with minimal oil there are also considerable energy savings from using the airfryer rather than a conventional oven. Food cooks more quickly and it does not heat the entire kitchen.

The airfryer is also quick and easy to clean.

My first attempt was chips which were an absolute winner. Since then I have cooked salmon, arancini balls, marinated chicken pieces, garlic and eggplant slices as well as nachos.

For the nachos, I lined the cooking tray with baking paper and assembled the nachos as per my ‘recipe’ here. 8 minutes at 190C in the airfryer and dinner was ready.

I served these with a side salad of coleslaw.

Foodie Friday – A Takeaway Alternative

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Posted on February 28, 2014

Friday is the end of the working week and it could be very easy to slip into the ‘routine’ of takeaway on a Friday night. It was not a tradition at home when I was growing up but I know for many families takeaway is a Friday night staple. In order to avoid succumbing to takeaway on a Friday (or any other night) it is important to have a meal planned. As part of my menu plan I often factor in an easy meal for Friday night.

Tonight was no exception – we had nachos. It is about as easy as you can get and there are only 4 ingredients. There are no quantities – just use as much as you need.

NACHOS

Corn chips
Tomatoes
Refried beans
Grated cheese

Layer the corn chips on a tray or shallow ovenproof dish, add dollops of tomato and refried beans then sprinkle with grated cheese. Repeat the layers until ingredients are used. Bake in the oven at 170C for 12-15 minutes.

To make things a bit fancier you can serve with sides of sour cream or good-quality natural yoghurt and guacamole. A green salad is another option.

I make my own refried beans in the slow-cooker and freeze them in 500g tubs. You can find the recipe here. I have used canned tomatoes, diced fresh tomatoes or home-grown tomatoes that have been cooked down to a pulpy mixture. Some extra chilli can be mixed into the tomatoes if you prefer a spicier dish.

This recipe is vegetarian but you can add a small amount of minced beef mixture or shredded cooked chicken if you wish. However, I would recommend that you try the vegetarian version on the carnivores in your household as the beans make a substantial and tasty meal.

Do you have alternatives to takeaway?

Nachos Night

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Posted on September 13, 2013

As per my menu plan for the week , we had nachos for dinner last night. Like everything I prepare on weekdays, it is quick and easy.

Corn chips
Tinned tomatoes
Refried beans
Cheese

I make my own refried beans from the recipe here using dried kidney beans. I freeze the mixture in 500g tubs for future use.

Last night I used tinned crushed tomatoes but you can use chopped fresh tomatoes or even a bit of diluted tomato paste.

Here is the first layer – corn chips, refried beans, tomato and then grated cheese.

Add layers until desired quantity is reached.

This is 3 layers ready to go into the oven. I use 2 small Pyrex casserole lids as I find the Pyrex easier to clean than a metal tray. This used half a packet of corn chips and is a substantial meal for 2 adults. I serve this with home-made guacamole and yoghurt on the side.

Total preparation and cooking time is about 20 minutes.