Take Advantage of the Amazing Power of a Deep Fryer This Thanksgiving

By this point, almost everyone knows that deep fryers are “just little convection ovens” and that they “don’t really fry anything.” But semantics aside, having a tiny convection oven on your counter is pretty handy. Air fryers are – in general – reigning, and you can (and should) use their full power to make Turkey Day a little easier.

Create a crispy toasted crust on top of your side dishes.

I wouldn’t put a whole casserole in the deep fryer. Almost all deep fat fryers have only one heating element located at the top. A fan keeps hot air around the inside of the basket, but many successful deep fat fryer recipes depend on shaking the basket or at least flipping the food around to make sure all sides see a little of it. direct heat. You can’t flip the casserole, and the bottom just won’t get hot and bubbly until the top is crispy. (Do not rely on foil as it is usually blown away by a powerful fan.)

You can, however, empty out a valuable real estate oven and use an air broiler to create a crisp on top of dishes that are otherwise cooked on the stove, such as sticky pasta and cheese or creamy mashed potatoes. Place the dish on a platter, garnish with cheese or breadcrumbs, then place it in a 400 ℉ deep fryer for a couple of minutes.

Make a snack

If there is one thing the deep fryer is different, it is preparing small frozen snacks in a short time. Mini-brie-an-krate, mini meatballs, bacon, potato breadcrumbs or any breaded bite can be made incredibly hot with more texture in less time.

Plus, the ability to plug in your deep fat fryer anywhere means you can keep the prepared snack in the kitchen (or at least on the counter) where the actual food preparation takes place. You can even delegate this task to a helpful teenager: put them with the appliance in the dining room and let them prepare and serve treats before meals to hungry, waiting guests, keeping everyone out of your way (and your hair).

Fry. A little. Vegetables.

A deep fryer is not the best option for roasting green beans, but it is a great choice for roasting sweet potatoes, juveniles, or young potatoes, and for roasting Brussels sprouts or courgettes. All you need are vegetables, some fat, and some salt. You can use olive oil or even plain vegetable oil, but Thanksgiving requires something a little more forgiving. If you can get your hands on duck fat or chicken schmalz, do so and then use that to make a simple but tasting side dish that will help the casseroles spend their money. Toss the selected vegetables with just enough fat to cover them, then season generously with salt and deep-fry in a 375 ℉ deep fat fryer until the vegetables are soft on the inside and crispy around the edges. If you want to really fantasize, you can grate the vegetables and put them back in the deep fryer for another minute or two to create a friko-like cheese crust on top. Finish with a little lemon and freshly ground pepper.