7 days with an airfryer: from pleasant surprise to overdose
This article is in no way sponsored by any brand. This new format is simply a reflection of personal use, and seeks to illustrate the way in which new technologies are changing our daily lives. Happy reading!
I am almost at the end of my ninth year within the fantastic team of Digital. I operate in a particularly atypical environment, especially since in the home section, the diversity of products is always there. In household appliances, certain trends have failed (adios bread machines), others have become phenomena that meet specific needs (hello robot vacuum cleaners!). And in between, there are those devilish airfryers.
For a year, and for reasons that escape me, airfryers have been making headlines. Faced with the promise of fast and healthy cooking, the enthusiasm is massive. For the team of DigitalIt is “just a freestanding mini-oven”. Indeed, the technology is similar to that of a forced heat oven: we have a resistance, a fan, a grill, cooking programs, and basta cosi !
My perplexity at the phenomenon and my eternal devotion to my readership — am I overdoing it? — led me to give myself the mission of cooking in the airfryer for a week, abandoning my good old Thermomix for this equipment that the planet is tearing itself apart. This could perhaps help me better understand the phenomenon, and at the same time, be more relevant in my articles.
Neither one nor two, I borrow from Mathieu, our expert on this topic, a competition airfryer with a double basket to carry out two distinct and simultaneous types of cooking: the Philips Airfryer NA352/00.
Day 1: the airfryer in yolo mode
Having told anyone who will listen that an airfryer is like an oven, there is no way for me, high priestess of household appliances, to let myself be intimidated by any machine whatsoever. So I rush headlong into the depths of my refrigerator, ignoring the recipe suggestions and the manufacturer's instructions. I start cooking a roasted butternut accompanied by sausages already pre-cooked by my butcher. In short, the promise of a balanced and tasty meal.
After placing my well-cut vegetable in the main tank and my meat in the smaller one, I launch the appropriate cooking programs by relying on the icons on the control panel. After 22 minutes of cooking at 180°C, my butternut came out way overcooked! Damnedthe ends were even burnt in certain places, and overall, we felt a big lack of homogeneity in the cooking. As for the sausage, although it is well grilled around it, it is relatively undercooked on the inside. I even had to stop cooking to avoid the carnage.
Carnage in the kitchen. It's going to be a long week…
In short, my evening meal is gloomy like an andropause lover: although there is some fat, the whole thing is still quite dry. Disappointed, I understand that my use of the airfryer is not optimal and decide for the next day to refer to the recipes recommended by Philips.
Days 2 and 3: cooking the fish, the revelation
In order to avoid the fiasco of the day before, I refer to the manufacturer's recipes available from the HomeID app. My desire to cook healthier than the day before forced me to prepare zucchini fries and cod that I left lightly marinated.
I start my preparation at 7 p.m., cooking finishes at 7:35 p.m. Without much effort and with everyday ingredients, my Tuesday evening meal is ready in record time. And, btw, the result is stunning! The zucchini is juicy and crunchy, the fish is not dry and, I confess, very well cooked.
It's ugly, but it's (rather) good!
However, everything is not so perfect, because the recipe itself lacks deliciousness, fat, and work in the kitchen. Certainly, the evening meal is practical, healthy and well cooked, but ultimately not cooked enough. I feel like I signed up for the program. weight watchers. Never mind, my surprise is total and I am starting to find the airfryer quite attractive. Am I wrong?
The next day, I continued the experiment with a “blue” fish. On the menu this Wednesday evening: sardines on a bed of zucchini and onion tagliatelle. Phew, my recent infatuation is still relevant; the sardines are well cooked and juicy (much more so than after cooking in a traditional oven), the cooking of the tagliatelle is not as perfect, because it is slightly crispy in certain places, but overall, the whole thing is successful.
It doesn't look like it, but it was good!
Day 4: 22, here comes the chicken!
Excited by this start of the experience, I decide to ask the airfryer to concoct for me what it does best: cook chicken. My drumsticks are ready and only require cooking at 180°C for 22 min. On the side, I give it some broccoli, but surprisingly, the recipe doesn't ask me to blanch the cabbage. With my undeniable candor, I decide to trust the device.
Two tanks, two atmospheres.
The evening recipe once again requires little time and always little fat. The meal is healthy, balanced, quick to prepare, without the risk of an unsightly belly. And once again, the tasting lived up to my expectations. The chicken is not dry, its skin is nicely browned and has a good texture for those who want to eat it. Broccoli is pretty amazing. They crisp like chips. It’s a pleasant discovery; I'm really starting to like the airfryer.
Days 5 and 6: the Instagram recipe fiasco
My fascination with the airfryer is growing more and more, so I decide to follow a few Instagram accounts dedicated to this cooking system. On the account @airfryer_a_la_folie, I found a recipe for zucchini tatin — them again! — which I decide to replace with white leeks. Yes, I take confidence.
And that's where the kitchen nightmare begins… Impossible to put an oven dish in the cavity of the Philips airfryer. Fortunately, my resourceful mind is considering replacing the mold with baking paper, even though I advised you not to do so in a previous article. I line my basket with baking paper, place my mixture and put it in the oven.
It's not that bad, but it's very bad!
Oh rage, oh despair, oh drama! My dough is not cooked in the center, the edges are not even, while some of the leeks are still raw. The tasting is simply catastrophic, it's inedible. My original distaste for the airfryer is coming back with a vengeance. I throw my preparation in the trash and with it my illusions and prospects of happy and delicious days. Without a second thought, I start an express cooking of green beans to make the little one, my guinea pig, eat throughout this experience. It's still “crunchy”, I'm starting to understand the mechanics.
On day 6, I am tired and losing my appetite. I want to cook chestnuts in the air fryer, that will be fine for tonight. It seems that it is “revolutionary” according to certain media who want to cause a sensation… with chestnuts! Okay, the chestnuts are well cooked, but from there to publishing rave articles? Certainly not.
Day 7: treats to reconcile me
My experience could have ended there, but I am a die-hard by nature and must complete my challenge. Facing the airfryer, my overdose reached its peak, so I decided to prepare some small treats to end this experience on a sweet and light note. Convinced that a Thermomix and an airfryer can coexist, I take my food processor out of its cupboard and start preparing a brownie.
Airfryer / Thermomix: cohabitation!
I leave it cooking in my airfryer (always in baking paper in the absence of a cake pan), which still makes it a little overcooked. It's probably my fault, the Thermomix required cooking at 180°C in an oven, therefore in static heat. With an airfryer, I would have had to adjust the temperature to around 160°C since it is pulsed heat.
An uneven brownie but remember, I can't put a pan in my airfryer.
Finally, to enjoy the Sunday evening movie, what could be better than throwing popcorn: a trend discouraged by manufacturers, but encouraged by influencers. Once again, the result is far from optimal. Some corn kernels are never cooked and the process takes a long time. Well, that’s a NO!
After a week of cooking with an airfryer, I went through all the states: from apprehension to pleasant surprise, including fascination and even disappointment. I still remain skeptical of the craze and cannot personally advise the purchase of an airfryer for those who already have an oven or who lack space in the kitchen. The airfryer cooks faster and consumes less than an oven: these are already valid arguments. So for those who are interested, I invite you to read our comparison in which you will find all our complete tests.
