'I cook my Christmas dinner in five air fryers'

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyx3n7lgllo

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Is Beverley the new Nige-air-lla this Christmas?

A cookery writer has decided to ditch the traditional oven and cook her entire Christmas dinner using air fryers.

Self-confessed "air fryer bore" Beverley Jarvis, from Ashford in Kent, will use five of the appliances to feed 11 of her loved ones a festive feast.

Ms Jarvis said making the switch had already saved her time and money.

"Air fryers are a no-brainer," she told BBC Radio Kent.

"I work with air fryers all the time. I've got one in the utility room and four in the kitchen," she added.

The appliances have become more popular during the cost-of-living crisis as they cost half the price of cooking in an oven, the BBC's Sliced Bread programme found.

They work by blowing very hot air, at high speed, all around the food.

"Every day I normally use two, and I just think they're fantastic," said Ms Jarvis.

"So you're saving on electricity, and they're so quick to heat up - just three minutes to reach 200C."

How to cook Christmas dinner with an air fryer

Ms Jarvis shared her recipe for an oven-free Christmas dinner. "Try a turkey breast roll - you can either ask the butcher to do it or buy one in the supermarket," she said.

She said an average-sized turkey breast roll that would feed six would take 55 minutes at 180C.

"The bigger air fryers will take a bigger bird."

But what about the much-loved roasties? "The brilliant thing is that you can add the potatoes towards the end and give them 35 minutes," she said.

"Just turn it up to 190C; you'll get wonderful crispy potatoes with your turkey roll."

And for side dishes and snacks? "You can do pigs in blankets; they will take about 10 minutes at 190C," she said.

"Sausage rolls are a cinch - 15 minutes at 200C will produce delicious, crispy sausage rolls.

"They're better than perfect."

Beverley Jarvis said she cooks pigs in blankets and sausage rolls in her air fryers at Christmas

Ms Jarvis said she has experimented with cooking other meats in her air fryers.

"Gammon is fantastic. I cooked the whole thing in the air fryer, quite a big piece of gammon for 10 people, and it was absolutely delicious," she said.

"At the end, I glaze it with maple syrup, marmalade and, in my recipe, a bit of whiskey."

Ms Jarvis said she wrapped the meat in foil and placed onions and carrots below.

She also recommended an alternative festive snack, which included grating half a block of parmesan, adding a quarter of teaspoon of chopped chillies, a few pumpkin seeds and herbs.

"You literally take the base plate out of the air fryer, heat it to 200C, very lightly oil the base, then put soup spoons of your cheese in blobs around the base," she said.

"They take four minutes at 190C, and they go lacey and crispy, and they are delicious with a glass of bubbly."

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