Fires and Fryers

A+    Can you believe it?  I got an A+ from my dentist.  It was an interesting visit, to say the least.  Knock on the door and they hand you a mask.  Inside you provide your name, then sit on one of three chairs to wait for your pain filled dungeon experience.  I waited outside.

I didn't even recognize the girl.  She came out with a face shield over a mask over another mask, covered head to toe in those gauzy gowns surgeons wear, along with the appropriate head gear and two sets of gloves.  Don't forget the foot coverings.

A new sign displayed on the wall said sedation of every kind available for those highly anxious patients.  That's me.  As a kid, my dentist literally sat on me as he drilled into baby teeth and filled what he SAID were cavities with NO PAIN KILLER.  Highly anxious describes me perfectly!

The good news, it was fairly quick and mostly painless.  I got an A+ for good dental care.  YAY!!

For those of you who know about the fire in the Catalina mountains next to Tucson, here's what it looks like.  It is still quite far away even though smoke can be seen over the mountains.   Mt. Lemon, Mount Bigelow and Summerhaven have been evacuated.  Oracle is next on the list.  It's grown to over 23,000 acres, but is 40% contained.

Although it is generally heading my direction, it will have to burn up a lot of Tucson before it gets to my house.  It was started by lightning.  Hopefully they can get it under control soon.

Speaking of fires, what better way to possibly have one in my house than to have an air fryer!!  At long last, after much debate and review reading, I purchased one reasonably priced to test the latest and greatest craze on the market.

Let it be known, there are just dozens and dozens of sizes and models to choose from.  Every one of them has good and bad reviews.  My main intent was to find something to cook whole chickens in for the puppies.  This one said it would do a 5-pounder.

That's funny .... I just happen to have a 5-pounder in the fridge.  It said to truss it up and place it on the spit thingy.  That chicken didn't want to be trussed.  I used up an entire container of kitchen string trying to get it to hold tight.  After six tries, I finally got the sharp pointy pieces stuck in each end, running it through with the steel bar.

Triumphantly I placed the rotisserie in the oven and turned it on.  Thump thump thump.  It hit the deck with every turn.  I tried using more string, but alas, it would not hold together.  Maybe I'll just lay it on the bottom ... on foil of course, to catch all the drips and grease.

In no time I heard this terrible sizzling noise.  I ran to the oven and opened the door, to be hit in the face with grease splattering EVERYWHERE.  Oh great .... a big mess to clean up.  I grabbed the chicken, took it outside and threw it on the BBQ.  At least cleanup will be easier there.

Maybe I'll try some sweet potato fries.  HAND CUT fries no less, placed on the screen rack.  Here's the thing about air fryers.  No two cook alike.  So when they tell you 380 degrees for 15 minutes, well ... good luck with that.  Basically you have to stand there and keep watch.

Just when I turned my back, the tiny ends of every one burned black.  I like my fries well done, but this was definitely beyond that level.  I ate them anyway while wondering if I should return the darn thing.  To be honest, they tasted pretty good with NO frying oil.

ONE LAST TRY before calling Amazon and repacking it in the box in a box in a box.  I cut up one piece of chicken breast, took out all my frustration as I smashed it thin with a hammer, then breaded it with egg, panko and parmesan cheese.  Air fry away.  

To be honest, I don't have a clue how long they cooked.  Maybe 30 minutes.  Yes you are supposed to turn them over half way through, but I did not do that.  Whoa .... they came out juicy, completely done and pretty tasty!!  Maybe I'll keep it after all.

My main problem seems to be which rack to use when.  There's a solid pan for roasting, a cake rack for baking cakes and the mesh pan for air frying.  It's also a toaster, roaster, baker, dehydrator and proofer (think letting bread rise).  I can't wait to try it out on some salmon.  

Lucky for me there was no fire in spite of all the warning labels.  I may get a fire extinguisher to keep handy just in case.  They say it's perfect for pizza, and I have the PERFECT pizza recipe from Miss Terry's cookbook, once all those smoked ribs are gone of course.

In a last minute memo ... another Magic Kingdom of Bingo meeting is on for today.  Woohoo!!