Preparing an evening meal after a long day is a chore I could do without. I enjoy cooking, but the daily grind of feeding my family often leaves me feeling exhausted.
After reading lots of reviews on how fast and low-energy air fryers are, I decided to spend a week using my COSORI Smart Air Fryer Oven Dual Blaze 6.4L to see if it could transform my dinnertimes. My device comes with 12 functions, from defrosting, air fryer, bake to roasting, so it was well-suited for most meals.
And after seven days of experimenting, I've uncovered some dishes that not only tasted better after being cooked in the air fryer but also were made in record time. And because they are so much easier, I plan to never use my oven again when making these meals.
READ MORE: "My air fryer chips are the tastiest I've ever made - it was so much faster than an oven"
The product information says you save up to 55% on energy bills. Due to the minimum cooking time, I would say this figure is about right. The product information reads: "Features unique upper and lower heating elements and dual sensors for more precise temperature control, leading to an easier and simpler air frying way to get evenly-browned food.
"Save Up To 55% On Energy Bills. COSORI is committed to providing a cheaper way for cooking - half the oven time and less electricity."
There is also an VeSync app that lets you remotely control your air fryer, but I haven't risen to this level of cooking yet.
Roast potatoes
TikTok is filled with the best ways to prepare your traditional roast potatoes in the air fryer. I opted for parboiling first then I set my device to ten minutes. To my absolute amazement, they came out crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Using my oven, I would leave them cooking for around 30 minutes so this was a huge game-changer. My air fryer is 32.7D x 29.7W, so big enough to fit enough potatoes to serve a family of four. It was also very easy to clean after the food was served.
Bacon sandwiches
I'm actually vegan, but my daughter is a big fan of pig-related meals, so I tried cooking her bacon and bread in the air fryer. For this meal, I used no fat, the meat came out looking crispy and she described it as juicier than the fried version. The bread was slightly toasted, and the whole thing was again ready in ten minutes.
Portobello mushrooms
These were exceptional in an air fryer. I cooked them with garlic power for ten minutes. They came out full of flavour, with a slight crisp to their edges. I often made them in an oven and they have never tasted as good.
Frozen chips
These were very simple to cook and only required a tiny spray of oil. There is a defrosting section but I actually skipped this stage and went straight to air fryer. They were cooked within 12 minutes - around half the time it takes me in the oven.
Croissants
Normally, I preheat croissants in the oven and from start to finish when you allow for heating up the oven it can take between 10 to 15 minutes. In the air fryer, this treat was warmed up in two minutes and tasted just as good as when you buy it from a bakery.
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