Ok - so I´m going to ask the tough question. If you´ve got hot oil, which can fry anything and everything, what´s the point of having an expensive machine which can only do half the job?
Air Fryers and Panko: got any tips?
- Thread starter FowlersFreeTime
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And as for the panko crumbs, I can´t say I´ve ever used them because they´re fiendishly expensive over here. I save all the "bits and pieces" of baguettes, ciabatta, etc., then when I´ve got a bagful, I slice them, bake them at about 250°F for 20 minutes, then put them in the food processor. A few pulses and I´ve got nice breadcrumbs ( as opposed to the sawdust I usually find in the market
) with a bit of texture.
) with a bit of texture.
FowlersFreeTime
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The answer to this is always convenience. If you live in an apartment and don't want to clean oil splatter every time you deep fry something in your kitchenette, BAM Air Fryer sounds pretty useful!
The part that is the marketing gimmick is that people got convinced that deep frying in oil is inherently unhealthy and the Air Fryer is the healthier option. That may be true, but so is limiting your intake of fried food, good luck selling that.
You mean I can't have all the benefits of full fat without any of the consequences?
<puts down super-uber triple chocolate cupcake milkshake>
I hear you on the first part. Marketing can sell you anything!
Frying in oil is unhealthy if you don´t know how to do it. Inherently unhealthy could also refer to BBQ meat ( carcinogens from the burn); consumption of cheese ( high in cholesterol); too many potatoes ( high starch/carb consumption); even being Vegan, if you don´t know how to properly manage the diet!
Limiting fried food intake? I´m absolutely in agreement - but it´s the best! So make it a treat, maybe once a week.
CookieMonster
Über Member
preface: don't have an air fryer and don't want one.
that said, perhaps the biggest advantage - if they worked as good as hot oil....which they don't.... - would be saving the expense of deep fry / frying oil.
saving deep fry oil, unless you deep fry on a near daily basis...., is dicey business.
the flavor goes off / rancidity sets in / etc etc.
around here a real deep fry is reserved for a very few select items, and those I do in a small pot (typically requiring ((many)) batches) and the oil is essentially tossed after first use, as second use could be weeks to months away....
that said, perhaps the biggest advantage - if they worked as good as hot oil....which they don't.... - would be saving the expense of deep fry / frying oil.
saving deep fry oil, unless you deep fry on a near daily basis...., is dicey business.
the flavor goes off / rancidity sets in / etc etc.
around here a real deep fry is reserved for a very few select items, and those I do in a small pot (typically requiring ((many)) batches) and the oil is essentially tossed after first use, as second use could be weeks to months away....
Air frying is healthier and works well for certain things. It's also much less messy than deep frying (not to mention safer) and you don't have to worry about storing and recycling large volumes of cooking oil. 'Air frying' is also slightly deceiving in name - it's more like a small fan-assisted oven so it's pretty versatile; for example - I can roast chicken in it. It's also easy to whip up frozen foods for a quick kids' lunch such as sausages or fish fingers with minimal cleaning up to do.
Don't get me wrong - I deep fry when it's needed, but it isn't always.
garlichead
Über Member
Context and dosage is important. Nothing wrong with deep frying as long as the oil isn't a seed oil and your not consuming deep fried foods like it was your job. Hehehe.
Anyway I don't personally own an air frier, what ever that actually means I'm not quite sure. Marketing for people that believe eating fat is bad for your health I would Imagine.
Anyway I don't personally own an air frier, what ever that actually means I'm not quite sure. Marketing for people that believe eating fat is bad for your health I would Imagine.
Everything in moderation I say; I deep fry and I air fry when it calls for it.
Personally I would not generalize that people who own air fryers have somehow been susceptible to the wand of the Marketing Man. While 'fats' in general should not be branded 'bad' there are good and bad fats and that's a whole 'nother discussion.
What is proven to be bad for your health is *obesity*, and that comes as a result, not of eating fat, but of eating excess calories. With deep fried foods having 2-4 times as many calories as their air-fried equivalents, I would not dismiss air-frying so readily.
garlichead
Über Member
Yes of course everything in moderation and why I said there needs to be context and dosage. Yes, what people think is a bad fat is very confusing to say the least.
Anyway, obesity is multifaceted but generally it's over eating and fat as a macronutrient has dropped in the last 30 years in North America along with red meat. What has increased is carbohydrates. For example in the USA the average carb consumption pre "food Pyramid" days was around 42% and people compensated by lowering fats et al with carbs to around 55% and increasing overall calorie consumption by around 270 calories. Basically the era where fats were considered evil, and apparently now carbs are evil but of course none of that is actually true at all. what is true is that "refined and Highly Processed carbs are very palatable, cheap and can be found at the corner convenience store.
While fat is 9 calories per gram and carbs are 4 the fact that deep frying when done properly doesn't absorb much oil and certainly not as much as frying something in olive oil or butter when everything is used either for a sauce or when onions and mushrooms for example are used as a garnish. So it's definitely a complicated topic, no doubt about it. and I agree with everything you said it's just i have a different perspective is all. Cheers! Out for a bike ride.
GadgetGuy
(Formerly Shermie)
An air fryer is exactly what its name impys; A unit that uses a powerful high-speed fan combined high-wattage heating element. It circultes super-heated air around the food to give it the look of having been deep fried. And yes, it IS for health-concious consumers who are watching their intake on fat consumptoin from eating deep fried foods, such as fish, chicken, French fries & other things.
garlichead
Über Member
I'm happy you enjoy using it to cook and I know you love your appliances so it's a win win for you.An air fryer is exactly what its name impys; A unit that uses a powerful high-speed fan combined high-wattage heating element. It circultes super-heated air around the food to give it the look of having been deep fried. And yes, it IS for health-concious consumers who are watching their intake on fat consumptoin from eating deep fried foods, such as fish, chicken, French fries & other things.
Mod.comment: some post relating to types of oil for deep frying have been moved to a new thread: Deep frying food - which oil to use
Mod.comment: Please do not add posts about oil and deep frying to this thread (MG). We now have a new thread: Deep frying food - which oil to use
Posts here should be about air-fryers and panko.
Posts here should be about air-fryers and panko.