Cookery Writer Prepares Christmas Dinner Using Five Air Fryers

A culinary author has opted to forgo a conventional oven, choosing instead to prepare her complete Christmas meal exclusively with air fryers. Beverley Jarvis, a self-described “air fryer bore” residing in Ashford, Kent, plans to utilize five of these devices to serve a holiday banquet to 11 family members and friends. Ms. Jarvis stated that this change has already resulted in savings of both time and money for her. “Air fryers are a no-brainer,” she informed BBC Radio Kent. She further elaborated, “I work with air fryers all the time. I’ve got one in the utility room and four in the kitchen.” These appliances have gained increased popularity amidst the cost-of-living crisis, primarily because their operational cost is half that of a traditional oven, a finding reported by the BBC’s Sliced Bread programme. Air fryers function by circulating extremely hot air rapidly around food. Ms. Jarvis commented, “Every day I normally use two, and I just think they’re fantastic.” She added, “So you’re saving on electricity, and they’re so quick to heat up – just three minutes to reach 200C.” Ms. Jarvis provided her method for preparing a Christmas dinner without an oven. She advised, “Try a turkey breast roll – you can either ask the butcher to do it or buy one in the supermarket.” According to her, a turkey breast roll of average size, sufficient for six servings, would require 55 minutes to cook at 180C. She noted, “The bigger air fryers will take a bigger bird.” Addressing the popular roast potatoes, she explained, “The brilliant thing is that you can add the potatoes towards the end and give them 35 minutes.” She instructed, “Just turn it up to 190C; you’ll get wonderful crispy potatoes with your turkey roll.” Regarding side dishes and appetizers, she stated, “You can do pigs in blankets; they will take about 10 minutes at 190C.” She added, “Sausage rolls are a cinch – 15 minutes at 200C will produce delicious, crispy sausage rolls.” She proclaimed, “They’re better than perfect.” Ms. Jarvis mentioned her experimentation with preparing various other meats using her air fryers. She recounted, “Gammon is fantastic. I cooked the whole thing in the air fryer, quite a big piece of gammon for 10 people, and it was absolutely delicious.” She detailed, “At the end, I glaze it with maple syrup, marmalade and, in my recipe, a bit of whiskey.” Ms. Jarvis explained that she wrapped the meat in foil and positioned onions and carrots underneath it. She further suggested an alternative holiday snack, involving grating half a block of parmesan, incorporating a quarter of a teaspoon of chopped chillies, a small quantity of pumpkin seeds, and herbs. She described the process: “You literally take the base plate out of the air fryer, heat it to 200C, very lightly oil the base, then put soup spoons of your cheese in blobs around the base.” She concluded, “They take four minutes at 190C, and they go lacey and crispy, and they are delicious with a glass of bubbly.” For updates, follow BBC Kent on Facebook, X, and Instagram. Story ideas can be submitted to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp at 08081 002250. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding their external linking policy is available.