Over the past year, I’ve cooked at home more than I ever have, and there were many nights when I completely gave up on healthy in favour of fast and easy. What I didn’t realize until halfway through the year was that by adding one small appliance to my kitchen, I could cook quite a few family favourites and those dishes would be healthier than if I ordered takeout. I’ve made the crispest french fries, deep-fried pickles, and chicken strips at home since then, and that’s why my editor’s pick for our 12 days of Christmas series is an air fryer.
Take a look at all of our editor picks for our 12 Days of Christmas series.
12 Days of Christmas: Day 5 is the Air Fryer
An air fryer is a small appliance with a heating element and a fan. While it’s not the same as a convection oven, an air fryer uses the same type of technology. Hot air is circulated around your food that sits on a tray or in a basket. That speedy circulation in a small space is what makes the food crisp.
Air frying is an extremely fast, efficient way to cook, and it’s healthier because you don’t have to add oil or submerge your food in oil to get that deep-fried taste. I’ve always told people asking about air frying that if they put two dishes in front of me, one that was deep-fried and one that was air-fried, I probably couldn’t tell the difference.
There might be a lingering taste of oil on the deep-fried dish that would give it away, but they would both be crispy. It’s nice to have that healthy option when serving your family dishes like French fries or other traditionally deep-fried foods.
What can you make in an air fryer?
The beauty of an air fryer is everything you make turns out the way it would if you were served it in a restaurant or pub. French fries come out crisp and delicious, chicken strips have a crunchy exterior, and you can make dishes like mozzarella sticks and deep-fried pickles without submerging them in a vat of oil.
I tested out the Insignia Air Fryer Oven and I made so many great dishes including roast chicken, poutine, homemade potato chips, and even a two-person brownie that was unbelievable.
What kind of air fryer should you choose?
Air fryers are available as stand-alone units or air fryer ovens, as a feature on toaster ovens and microwaves, on smart ovens, and as a feature on full-size ranges. However you choose to add an air frying option to your kitchen, you’re going to be happy you did.
Because they are available as a stand-alone small appliance or as a feature on other great small appliances, if someone on your gift list this year wants a toaster oven, you can just choose a toaster oven with air fry and give them even more cooking options.
If you’re looking for a gift for someone who loves to cook or you want to add a small appliance to your kitchen to serve pub-style food that tastes just as good as it would in a restaurant, I can’t recommend an air fryer enough. For more on how to choose an air fryer, take a look at the buying guide.
There are a lot of great options when choosing an air fryer, and you’ll find all of them on Best Buy right now. I wish you and your family a very happy holiday!
Read about the other 12 days of Christmas gifts for this season.
“Fried” foods without all the fat? I’m all in!
Every thing at the end of covid party. But the first thing I will be making is chicken wings.
Gotta choose potatoes as my air fryer go to!
Southern Fried Chicken !!! Yeah Baby !!!
Southern Fried Chicken
This would be perfect to gift my son for college!!
I want an air fryer this year for homemade fries, but you have me very interested in that two-person brownie too!!
I would love to try making french fries in an Insignia Air Fryer Oven.
I have heard about these over the last 2 years and keep thinking I should buy one! Thanks for the article and clearing up a lot of info about air fryers!
I love baking. I would love to make banana bread.
chicken wings
Wings!
I’d make chicken wings. We currently bake them to make them a bit healthier but this would be so much faster!
I would make chicken wings and sweet potato fries.
An air fryer would be perfect to make chicken wings and springrolls!
Finally I know what an air fryer is! HAHA thank you.
I want to try a whole chicken ! I love to cook it would be use a lot ! Probably almost every day !
Would be fun to try
I would make sweet potato fries AND onion rings! YUMMM!!!
I would love to make chicken wings and French fries!!
I really want to try making Chicken wings and crispy fries
My old one needs to be replaced
This sounds like a great product. I love to eat fries and this would be great for making them and being crispy while using no oil at all.
I would love to make crispy chicken and fries in an air fryer.
I cannot wait to air-fry some sweet potato fries
Air Fryer’s are the perfect combination of an oven, deep fryer and microwave. You can cook things you normally would in an oven, get close to deep fryer consistency such as crispy wings and get the speed of a microwave. It’s the best!
Chicken wings and French fries
Buttermilk Fried Chicken
I would make chicken wings! My family would love it!
The mozzarella sticks sound good
many cooking options
frozen pizza
chicken wings
I’d love to make fried chicken!
I want to make french fries in this air fryer!
I love to cook and an air fryer would be the perfect addition to my kitchen!
I would love to upgrade my Insignia air-fryer to this wonderful one.
Have heard great things about air fryers,would love to try it.
Adding this appliance to my kitchen would be perfect for meal planning. I need one!
I would love to have an air fryer since I’m trying to eat healthy and this will help me enjoy my food without all the oil!
This looks like a Incredible multifunctional appliance. Would save time and also a great conversation piece when entertaining.
Oh this air fryer looks amazing! According to all our family we need one in our kitchen!
Would love to have one I think it would be amazing to have. Love trying new things out and I think we would use this alot.
Air fryers are the greatest invention
Borrowed my moms air fryer….love it!! Would love one of my own!
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