This won't be a long one. I just wanted to give an update on my recent vow to cook things like meat outside of my oven when possible.
For example, when I had squash soup and a BLT sandwich on Tuesday, I cooked the bacon in a skillet on top of my stove for the first time in years. It's simpler in the oven, but this way I can contain the splatter.
What you see here is my Dash Air Fryer; it's pretty basic, doesn't have any digital settings or displays, just a couple old school knobs. In that bowl are two bone-in chicken thighs.
The night before, I put these thighs in a Ziploc bag with a couple tablespoons of olive oil, some dashes of garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt & pepper. Let them marinate in my fridge overnight.
I set the dial to 375F and cooked the chicken for 12 minutes on one side, then flipped them over and cooked another 15 minutes.
I used a meat thermometer which said the bigger thigh was 170F. They looked done to me, but...
I still felt a little nervous. I'm not a great cook and have only cooked thighs one way, in the oven at 400F for an hour (half the time covered with foil, the other half uncovered). So I slid these back in the air fryer for another 5 minutes.
Here they are, plated up with some mashed potatoes and green beans.
I have to say, the chicken was delicious. The skin was crispy perfect and the meat was juicy and tender. I can't believe I've owned this fryer for 2-3 years and it's my first time cooking raw meat in there.
As long as we're here, I wanted to show what my oven looks like after several days of regular use. I baked some breadsticks in there the other day, warmed up a couple slices of dinner ham too. This past weekend I roasted some fingerling potatoes and a pan of broccoli. Gave the oven a quick wipe down Sunday night and it's still looking shiny and new.
I've been craving a juicy meatloaf, but I think I'll hold off on that awhile longer. 😏
Dug! Those thighs look great and your meal, scrumptious! Over this past winter I, too, have bought and used new little appliances (a small crockpot and a sandwich grill). Wow, where had these thing been all my life? You CAN teach an old dog new tricks. These new grills are ceramic and lighter and super easy to clean compared to the cast iron Forman things. Now I'm thinking air fryer. Hmmmm. How easy is that thing to clean? Take care. Enjoy! Kris in Ohio
ReplyDeleteThanks Kris! Hey I have a small crockpot too and I love that little thing. :^) Can I ask what type of sandwich grill you own? I've thought often about getting one, and yours sounds nice. Kris, this air fryer is very easy to clean. The inside is a heavy nonstick coating, I just put a dab of Dawn in that "pull out" and rinsed it under hot water. Good to go. :^)
DeleteDug, a Proctor Silex panini press sandwich maker & compact grill with nonstick plates. This one has a floating lid so burgers and sandwiches aren't pinched in back. Super simple, heats up quick and cools down fast and wipes clean, AND locks so you can stand it up on a shelf when not in use. $36 at Walmart. Hmmm, think I'll make turkey and swiss cheese sandwich for lunch. Yum. 😋 Kris
DeleteKris that sounds awesome--I am so getting one! Thank you! 😋
DeleteSent you an email w/pics.
DeleteThanks Kris, your grilled pics are mouth watering! I am clearly an amateur here :^)
DeleteI understand the thrill of a clean oven. When I bake things in my oven, I cover things in my oven that might be messy, I have a cast iron Dutch oven with a lid that works great at containing mess. I also have a large cookie sheet that goes on the rack underneath which looks pretty grotty.
ReplyDeleteHaha thank you Debby, I try to cover foods too when possible. My sister suggested I make some kind of tinfoil teepee if I really want to cook a meatloaf--and I really do. :^) If I had a bigger kitchen like yours, I'd have one of those Dutch ovens.
DeleteYour chicken looks delicious! The air fryer is so good at cooking meat. We use it for sausages (all that fat is contained), pork chops, chicken, battered fish, and for reheating things like leftover pizza. The latter is far better than the microwave!
ReplyDeleteThank you Maebeme! Gosh I'm glad I posted this (I almost didn't), I had no idea people were doing so much with these things. You are inspiring me, I can't wait to do more. :^)
DeleteMy oven has an air fryer setting and I LOVE it. Great for French fries and orange chicken. Those are my two main uses for it, but it gets used for lots of odds and ends that I cook. I use the microwave for bacon. I have a really good pan for that task that came with the very first microwave that we had, circa, 1980. I cover the bacon with a paper towel, one minute for each strip, and set it on high. I do have to turn off the rotating plate because the pan is rectangular and won't properly rotate. Our first microwave didn't have that rotation feature so the food had to be turned every so often. The dark ages...
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing dkzody, I didn't know ovens came with air fryer settings. I'm just trying to find alternative ways to cook without my oven. I'll have to try the bacon in microwave method. 🙂
DeleteWhen we had to replace our oven and cook top that were original to the 1975 house, I went with the high end oven and the low end cooktop. I use my oven (or did) more than the cooktop. The replacement oven also has a proofing feature which is great when I make breads. I still use the oven and microwave more than the cooktop, but I seem to be baking fewer pastries and cookies and breads than in past decades.
DeleteI think that if (when?) I ever clean my oven, I'll be like you and avoid cooking in it. The main culprit for me has been cheese dripping off pizza. I could put the pizza on a cookie sheet, but I do like a crispier crust. That dinner looks yummy although I don't like mashed potatoes, un-American, I know!!
ReplyDeleteHaha thanks Margaret and oh darn it now you have me craving on the rack pizza, thanks a lot! Well, I did line the bottom of my stove with foil. And I envy you, I wish I didn't like mashed potatoes either. :^)
DeleteMargaret. I put a cookie sheet on the rack BELOW the pizza. Crisper crust and no cheese on the oven floor. Kris in Ohio
DeleteThings change, I know, but I 've always been told to NOT line the bottom of the oven with foil. It's not good for the way the oven heats. However, since you don't actually own the oven and your apartment management will replace your oven, it probably doesn't matter for you.
DeleteI've heard the same regarding using foil but this is the heavy duty stuff and I don't use the oven for more than 20-30 minutes at a time. Still, I think you're right and I will probably remove it.
DeleteDug, your dinner does look good! I love our Breville toaster air fryer. We use it easily as much as the ovens on our Aga. But it is large... takes up a bit of counter space. However, it toasts, bakes, broils, roasts, air fries, reheat, has convection, etc. Grandson uses it almost daily for hot pockets and pizza. And it gives me an extra oven when the others are full. Glad you're using the air fryer as it does come in handy...
ReplyDeleteThanks Rian! Well, I very much envy your big Texas kitchen. I would love to have a bigger air fryer (and a cool British stove) but my kitchen is pretty itty-bitty, so I have to be very compact with everything. :^)
DeleteHey Doug, your oven looks great! Never have had an air fryer but I hear lots of good things about them. Glad you were able to cook your chicken thighs to your liking. Your dinner looks yummy. We are having mashed potatoes with veggie burgers tonight for supper. Take care!❤️
ReplyDeleteHi Robin! I'm kind of surprised you guys don't own an air fryer (yet), I know you have that nice roomy house and everything. :^) Anyway, you're very kind and veggie burgers and mashed potatoes sure sound delicious to me! Thanks Robin! ❤️
DeleteI always cook my bacon in a frypan on the stove. I occasionally do chicken thighs there too, but mostly in the oven with chicken stock and various vegetables (potato, carrot, onion, celery, maybe a turnip if they look good at the greengrocers).
ReplyDeleteI don’t have an Air Fryer. I make do with the stove and oven. Besides, I really don’t need any more stuff.
That meal looks good, except I’d have kept the beans whole.
I don’t think I’ve ever craved a juicy meatloaf in my live.
Haha thanks for sharing Peter. Well, the whole point of this was avoiding oven splatter so I don't have another 3 hour oven cleaning in my future. Gee I thought all men craved juicy meatloaf 😋👍
DeleteThose chicken thighs look so delicious! I love my air fryer and use it more and more often.
ReplyDeleteThank you Miss Merry! Well, I do what I can :^)
DeleteDoug, Dinner plate looks good! We love our air fryer and use it extensively; you can cook almost anything in there. Just had a juicy meatloaf a few days ago, and are just finishing the left overs, makes a great sandwich.
ReplyDeleteMike, TX
Thanks Mike--and good to hear there's someone else out there that appreciates a juicy meatloaf. Darn it, I'd love a meatloaf sandwich right about now. :^)~
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