Last Christmas my oldest daughter, Reigan, gave me an air fryer as a gift. It was one of those unexpected presents not asked for and honestly, I thought it would be more of a black anchor on our counter top taking up precious space and lasting only a few weeks before being sent to the basement never to be seen again until the next yard sale.

 Was I WRONG! The air fryer has been our go-to kitchen device being used more than the microwave. It works by pushing heated air up to 400 degrees around food like a convention oven. The air circulation cooks the outside of the food first creating the crispy brown crunch while keeping the inside soft. An outer basket allows for oils in the food to drip to the bottom keeping the food high and dry. Food is cooked FAST and has a crispy crunchy exterior, something the microwave can’t do. We use it almost daily for so many things.

          You may ask… Is this method TRULY HEALTHIER?

The majority of research has shown air frying IS healthier than oil frying and it cuts calories by 70 to 80 percent with less fat also!

 One example of it making food healthier is regarding fry potatoes. When potatoes or other starchy foods are fried in oil, they make a chemical called acrylamide which has been shown to increase your risk of cancer. However, when the starches are air fried the amount of acrylamide is lowered by 90%.

Now, no technology is ever perfect so there are some foods that you have to watch when air frying.

One example found through research is air fried fish. When fish is air fried the amount disease of cholesterol oxidation products (COPs) is raised due to being broken down and it increases your risk of coronary artery, hardening of the arteries, cancer, and other diseases. However, research has also found that to lower the quantity of COPs created you need to add in fresh parsley, chives, or a mixture of both.

Overall, the majority of the research has shown several health benefits to air frying food when compared to traditional deep-fried foods 

Below is a recipe for Air Fried Meatballs. These are quick to make, and only take about 8 minutes to cook. My family and friends love them. Enjoy your air fryer!

Recipe:

Meat Balls

Ingredients

1-pound ground beef

1/2-pound ground veal

1/2-pound ground pork

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 eggs

1 cup freshly grated Romano cheese

1 1/2 tablespoons chopped Italian flat leaf parsley

salt and ground black pepper to taste

2 cups stale Italian bread, crumbled

1/2 to one cup warm water

1 cup olive oil

Directions 

Combine beef, veal, and pork in a large bowl. Add garlic, eggs, cheese, parsley, salt and pepper.

Blend bread crumbs into meat mixture. Slowly add the water a table spoon at a time testing mixture. The mixture should be very moist but still hold its shape if rolled into meatballs. Adding water keeps the final product moist.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Fry meatballs in batches. When the meatball is very brown and slightly crisp remove from the heat and drain on a paper towel. (If your mixture is too wet, cover the meatballs while they are cooking so that they hold their shape better.)

This is a great way to cook venison.

For air fryer simply mold into 1 to 1.5-inch dia. Balls and lay side by side in air fry pan. Cook at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

Resources:

• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352364620300018
• https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ejlt.201600375
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1466856419313414
• http://ifrj.upm.edu.my/22%20(04)%202015/(35).pdf
• https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/air-fryers#2