I've been tempted to get an air fryer solely for heating up things like French Fries and pizza, but the Admiral has instituted a ban on any counter top appliances, unless they can be stored in the pantry (no room there) after use. The only things allowed out 24/7 are the Keurig and the Verismo coffee makers.
Well as they say, "Necessity is the Mother of invention," and I had a very great necessity today. Last evening, as we were running up from Boston around dinner time, I said to the Admiral, "Hey, it's almost dinner time and we haven't been at Bob's Clam Hut in a couple of years. We're just crossing over into Maine from NH, why don't we stop?"
First some perspective, Bob's is a landmark, one of the best Clam Shacks in Maine, which has more than a few of them. And why do we go to Clam Shacks? For fried clams, steamers to be exact. No, we don't eat those HoJo clam strips, but full body, soft-shell clams, just amazing, and Bob's has been consistently frying up some of the best clams I've every eaten. Well, I was very hungry when I got on line, and ended up order way too much food, full pints of Clams and Haddock, a 1/2 pint of Calamari and a "small" order of Onion Rings. We couldn't finish even 1/2 of what we got. Normally we don't save fried food leftovers, but this stuff is just too good, and way too expensive, to just toss so we brought it all home.
And that leads me to tonight's epiphany. As I said, the Admiral has said, and I do agree, to no Air Fryer. But how to heat up all this wonderful seafood? Microwave, oh God no, the calamari will become rubbery and everything will get soggy. And then the lightbulb went off. Our oven has 2 convection oven features, "Bake" and "Roast", somethings we've hardly ever used. So what is an air fryer, it's a heating element with a fan, just like a convection oven!!!
So the scientist kicks in, "Hmmm, I'll set the oven for 375°F on the Convection Roast cycle, and put a cookie sheet in the oven while it warms up as the oven does. As soon as the oven reaches temp, I'll scatter the fried goods in a single layer on the cookie sheet and let everything heat up for 10 min. WTH, it can be any worse than microwaving it."
I gingerly took the food out when it was finished and everything was just as CRISP & DELICIOUS as it was last night fresh at Bob's!! A new standard of excellence at the Kitchens of Chez Roccus!! Next stop, reheating pizza using the Convection Bake cycle instead of the regular Bake one. After that, I may try "frying" wings, we'll see, but I've already scored big on the reheating of fried goods. Anything else is gravy!!
Well as they say, "Necessity is the Mother of invention," and I had a very great necessity today. Last evening, as we were running up from Boston around dinner time, I said to the Admiral, "Hey, it's almost dinner time and we haven't been at Bob's Clam Hut in a couple of years. We're just crossing over into Maine from NH, why don't we stop?"
First some perspective, Bob's is a landmark, one of the best Clam Shacks in Maine, which has more than a few of them. And why do we go to Clam Shacks? For fried clams, steamers to be exact. No, we don't eat those HoJo clam strips, but full body, soft-shell clams, just amazing, and Bob's has been consistently frying up some of the best clams I've every eaten. Well, I was very hungry when I got on line, and ended up order way too much food, full pints of Clams and Haddock, a 1/2 pint of Calamari and a "small" order of Onion Rings. We couldn't finish even 1/2 of what we got. Normally we don't save fried food leftovers, but this stuff is just too good, and way too expensive, to just toss so we brought it all home.
And that leads me to tonight's epiphany. As I said, the Admiral has said, and I do agree, to no Air Fryer. But how to heat up all this wonderful seafood? Microwave, oh God no, the calamari will become rubbery and everything will get soggy. And then the lightbulb went off. Our oven has 2 convection oven features, "Bake" and "Roast", somethings we've hardly ever used. So what is an air fryer, it's a heating element with a fan, just like a convection oven!!!
So the scientist kicks in, "Hmmm, I'll set the oven for 375°F on the Convection Roast cycle, and put a cookie sheet in the oven while it warms up as the oven does. As soon as the oven reaches temp, I'll scatter the fried goods in a single layer on the cookie sheet and let everything heat up for 10 min. WTH, it can be any worse than microwaving it."
I gingerly took the food out when it was finished and everything was just as CRISP & DELICIOUS as it was last night fresh at Bob's!! A new standard of excellence at the Kitchens of Chez Roccus!! Next stop, reheating pizza using the Convection Bake cycle instead of the regular Bake one. After that, I may try "frying" wings, we'll see, but I've already scored big on the reheating of fried goods. Anything else is gravy!!
