Expert issues warning to those planning on using their air fryers on Christmas Day
A professional chef, that's Michelin-trained nonetheless, has issued a warning to Brits looking to cook their Christmas dinners up in their air fryers.
British culinary master Poppy O'Toole is, like many of us, a fan of the air fryer - it might be one of the best pieces of technology to come out of the 21st century (not to be dramatic or anything).
But, despite loving all the delicious meals it can cook up and one of her cookbooks being dedicated to making 'delicious' air fryer recipes that are easy to do, she wants everyone to be wary of one thing.
The Celeb Cooking School star is aware that people might rely on their kitchen appliances in general over the Christmas period, even admitting that she will be using hers on 25 December.
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It's tough to fit a turkey and all the trimmings in the oven as it is, especially if you have more mouths than most to feed.
Speaking last year, O'Toole said that she would be feeding 'a lot of people' on Christmas, so the air fryer can play a part.
"There’s not enough space to do everything, but what it’s really good at is giving you the capability to do more stuff at the same time," she said, as per The Independent.
"So you’re not just relying on the oven and the hob - you’ve also got this other piece of equipment, which is amazing at cooking things and it can be done quicker and more energy efficiently."
But O'Toole warned that it is all too easy to ruin Christmas dinner if you take your eye off the ball.
The social media star has shared her top tips to securing a slap-up festive feast while using your air fryer.
Put a timer on
Firstly, even though it may seem obvious, make sure you put a timer on. When your knee deep in wrapping paper and still in your pjs, you'd be surprised how easily it slips your mind.
O'Toole said: "I’ve done that a few times, where I’ve gone, it comes out in 20 minutes or whatever and you go, ‘Yeah, I’ll come back in a few minutes, it’ll be fine’.
"And I’ve left it in there the whole time and it’s burned to a crisp."
Don’t overcrowd
And although you might be feeding the five thousand or in a bit of a rush, the chef urged Brits to not 'overcrowd' their air fryers.
O'Toole added: "It can be very easy to throw it all in, 'it’ll be fine'. But it doesn’t work that way - the whole point is that the air circulation gets around everything, so it needs a gap where that can happen."
Keep it clean
She also encouraged people to prepare their air fryers for a cooking marathon on Christmas Day with a spring clean.
"I don’t wash it enough, I don’t clean it enough," O'Toole confessed.
"I end up getting these little dark bits on the rest of my food, which is fine when you’re cooking for yourself - that doesn’t matter.
"But when you’re cooking for other people, if you’ve got family coming over, you want to make sure it’s the best. So make sure in between each thing you cook, you give it a little wipe down."
Topics: Christmas, Food And Drink, Hacks, Technology, Air Fryers
Joshua Nair