This Thanksgiving, Turn to Your Air Fryer for Help.
Welcome to the Scammer’s Guide to Thanksgiving . While there is plenty of advice out there for people making desserts and artisan breads, The Con Man’s Guide is geared toward the individual who could use a helping hand, even from some unconventional sources. Some might call it “cheating” (as if that’s a bad thing), but there’s nothing wrong with using modern technology and supermarket know-how to create a stunning traditional feast – with far less of the traditional work involved.
Much of Thanksgiving cooking is tradition: traditional food, prepared in a traditional style, served on a traditional tablecloth that your family has used since before you were born. Let me challenge tradition with a modern twist on preparing part (or all) of your feast. Not only will you get excellent results, but you will also save time and effort and therefore be less stressed. Instead of baking everything in the oven, trust your air fryer.
Why the deep fryer rules at Thanksgiving
I was lucky to live in a time when a convection oven was compact and cute for home use. Thanks to its high wind speed and miniature size, you can expect fast frying without the need for preheating. Not only that, but the air fryer is fully capable of cooking a wide variety of foods, freeing up your oven for other dishes. While you’re unlikely to fit larger items like a 22-pound turkey or a 13-by-9-inch casserole dish into your air fryer, you can certainly cook plenty of smaller items. (This includes entrees.) Below are some classic Thanksgiving dishes that can be made in the air fryer.
Which air fryer is right for the job?
Any air fryer can speed up cooking ; your only limitation may be size. To cook a large roast, you may want to consider using a larger oven, like the Cuisinart below. If you plan to cook several different dishes at the same time, consider an option with two baskets and two separate independent cooking zones, such as the Ninja.
Turkey breast and other roasts
While I wouldn’t recommend air frying a whole turkey, you can absolutely roast part of the turkey. Many stores sell individual turkey breasts, and a small one can fit in the fryer. It’s a good idea to measure the inside of the fryer (allowing for at least two inches of buffer space from where the fan is) to know your limitations.
The air fryer can be used to fry other main meats, such as juicy pork tenderloin , broiler chicken, boneless leg of lamb, porchetta, roast ham or amazing beef Wellington. Be sure to brine or marinate the meat the night before. Depending on the roast, you can achieve more even browning by rotating the roast in the last third of the cooking time.
I recommend keeping a reliable thermometer on hand so you can easily check doneness, as the time will vary depending on the animal you’re roasting and its size. I like the Thermapen One for this job, and the ThermoWorks website often has holiday sales, so keep an eye out.
Small casseroles
Small casseroles that can fit into six- to nine-inch baking pans work well in the air fryer. Naturally, this will depend on the size of the fryer, but measure it again to find out.
To air fry a particular casserole, you can use the recommended oven directions: Simply reduce the temperature by 25°F and check the casserole about halfway through the indicated cooking time to estimate how long it needs to cook. Toaster-style air fryers are ideal for this because the door hinges open for easy removal, but you can still use a basket-style air fryer. Just be careful when putting the roasting pans in, and especially careful when removing them.
What an air fryer is really good for casseroles is for getting crispy or melty toppings and for reheating. My friends often bring small casseroles to our Friends’ Day meal, and this year I’ll be using the air fryer for reheating. This will make my oven more accessible and will significantly reduce baking time.
Fried vegetables
I think the best side dishes are made with flavorful and filling winter vegetables. Many of my favorites are hearty root vegetables, squash or stem cruciferous vegetables, which can take hours to cook in a regular oven. The air fryer will absolutely save you from all the vegetable side dishes. Because they are so important, I’ve put my favorites in a separate post here .
Crescent rolls and other tubular breads
There’s nothing more traditional than opening a can of instant bread on Thanksgiving. Pillsbury Crescent rolls or biscuits take pride of place on many tables, and if your oven is loaded to capacity with turkey and two 13-by-9-inch baking pans, these little cuties are in danger of getting burnt. It’s better to give them space in a mini convection oven.
If you have a toaster-style air fryer, great; you can use a flat baking tray. Most basket style air fryers have a small rack that fits into the bottom. The rolls may sit on it, but you will get a textured bottom. Personally, I think it allows for better air circulation, but if you’re concerned about lumpy bottoms, you can purchase these air fryer basket liners to keep the surface level, or cut a piece of parchment to fit on the rack, and that’s it.” I’ll sort it out. Simply place the rolled out dough or cookies in the air fryer (leaving an inch of space between neighbors) and air fry for five to seven minutes at 325°F. They are ready when they are puffed up and nicely browned. Be sure to check the bottoms before you pull them out; Depending on your air fryer, they may need to be turned over and cooked for a few more minutes.
Garlic bread
Rest assured, if you’re not interested in compressed tube bread for a big feast, you can make garlic bread instead. I like to use garlic confit to make a soft garlic puree, and you can make this recipe a few days ahead and keep it covered in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.
Cut the loaf like Italian bread or a baguette and spread a thick layer of salted butter and garlic confit into the center. Place the bread upside down in the air fryer and cook it for about three minutes at 325°F. Turn the bread over and brush with the garlic and butter mixture; cook for another three minutes. Take it out and cut the loaf into smaller portions.