Thursday, June 18, 2020

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!!





14 comments:

  1. Like any new tool it is a matter of getting experience things turn out one way with it before everything starts coming out perfectly every time. Don't forget to get used to all its functions.
    Be Safe with the oven and Enjoy the Magic Kingdom.

    It's about time.

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    1. That's true ... experience, using it over and over I guess. Hopefully it gets better! LOL

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  2. Always great to have a positive dental appointment. I missed my last checkup and hope when I get my checkup it comes out great too. I think you'll be a pro with that fryer before you know it. Good luck with the pizza. I was wondering about the fire. Glad to hear your home is safe.

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    1. Doesn't it make you feel like you really did something right when you get a good dental grade? LOL They are slowly getting the fire under control. Hopefully before it burns a lot of houses.

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  3. Nancy, I, too, have an Air Fryer. I get my recipes off the Internet. I tried the chicken wings and spare ribs....it takes patient and you really need to look over the food because suggested times and temperatures can be a problem. I did a shrimp recipe and it was really good. I made cornish hens in the Air Fryer, but I rather make them in the Instant Pot. If the food item is too close to the heating element, I would use the first level rather than the suggested level....further away from the heating element. Did yours come with directions and a small cookbook? Mine did and again, you need to have patience. I do not have a rotiseree so foods are laid flat on one of the pans. Good luck. Lynn Cross

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    1. Thank you for the tips Lynn. I think you are right, they are all different and you have to keep a close eye on things. I just need practice!!

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  4. Omg. I thought for sure I was the only person in the world that had dental work done with no pain killer. Now there's 2 of us!

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    1. Well ... depends on what KIND of dental work!! LOL

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  5. When I got my braces on back in High School, the Ortho had to use a mallet to hammer two on the bottom, one on each side. The last one was the worse, it just would not pop on...I grabbed his arm until the nurse grabbed my arm. It put tears into my eyes, but he got it on there eventually.

    Rotisserie Chickens will always make a mess unless you do it over a BBQ or smoker where the fire burns off the grease.

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    1. You just made my mouth hurt Dave. YIKES!!
      I never knew that about rotisseries. Lesson learned!!

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  6. At last I have a review of an air fryer from a real person.
    I have been hesitant to get one. I think I may still be that way. But maybe you and it will end up true friends and we'll hear more later.

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    1. I do know the small ones are TOO small and ONLY air fry. Everyone complains about them. Better to get a larger variety that does something besides air fry .... like bake, roast and broil. I'll let you know how it goes.

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  7. I like the shape of your Air Fryer that's so different than some of the other ones I've seen. Nice your dental appt went so well! Always good when that happens. I too hate the dentist ever since I was a child. It was pure torture.

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    1. Those old dentists were terrible. Thankfully they have improved THAT torture!!

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