To me, the air fryer started off as nothing more than a healthier way to cook chips – saving some sunflower oil (pan-frying always used up half the bottle), along with a few calories here and there – but now, it’s safe to say that the country is in a full-blown air frying revolution.
While many budding chefs have switched to cooking chicken nuggets, fried halloumi, bacon and more with these pioneering appliances, a roast dinner might still seem like a stretch.
I should mention now that I taught myself how to cook during lockdown, but roast dinner was never on the curriculum. So this air fryer roast dinner of mine is, in fact, my first. Let’s say I’m more intrigued than nervous.
For me, I rose to the task with the same relaxed attitude with which I tend to embark upon most of my culinary experiments – did I mention cooking is a fairly new “skill” for me? Some say it’s like therapy – I’m positive I’ll get to that stage at some point. After all, the whole point of air frying is that it requires minimal effort, just the pressing of a few buttons… what could go wrong?
Adding to the popularity of air fryers this year in particular is the cost of living crisis, as these nifty appliances reportedly use less energy and take less time to preheat and cook than traditional ovens.
I can already sense some raised eyebrows. If you’re dubious that this method can work for the prestigious and beloved British roast dinner, then keep reading as I put it to the test and divulge the results – plus the highs, lows and exactly how much money you could save.
Folks, I am here to tell you that you can, indeed, cook an entire roast dinner in an air fryer. Now, I’ve confessed to having not cooked my own roast before, but I have indulged in plenty at various pubs, restaurants and, of course, my family home, so I know a good one when I see it.
I have the Ninja Foodi 9-in-1 multi-cooker, which proved to be the perfect size for cooking a roast dinner. With its 6L bowl capacity, a 1.2kg chicken had no problem fitting inside – with plenty of room to throw in the potatoes, vegetables and Yorkshire puddings too.
Even though it’s a great option when it comes to cooking capacity, if you live in a small space – and I definitely do – the Ninja 9-in-1 takes up a lot of room. Smaller, more compact air fryers can still get the job done, although you may need to forgo a whole chicken and roast a breast or leg instead.
At the halfway point I still wasn’t feeling nervous, mostly because of the mouth-watering aroma that was filling my house.
I opened up the air fryer to check on the chicken and reader, it was perfection. The chicken was golden, tender and juicy but with a beautifully crispy skin.
The potatoes initially gave me cause for concern as I eyeballed them at the midpoint check-in, but by the end they were crispy and a lovely, golden colour.
The only thing I’d note is that I threw everything in together, American “pot roast” style, which won’t be to everyone’s taste. Upon turning the chicken, the poor Brussels sprouts were ever so slightly squished, but this also meant they were coated in the juice and flavour of the chicken, so that’s actually a plus, in my book.
The Ninja multi-cooker has a wattage of 1,460 and the air fryer was on and in use for 35 minutes (including five minutes of preheating). Therefore, cooking my roast chicken with this appliance cost me just under 20p.
Had I cooked it in my oven (of which the wattage is 3,500), it would have taken at least 15 to 20 minutes longer, plus 15 minutes to preheat, costing me an approximate total of 81p (for an hour).
Now, obviously, it’s not possible to prepare gravy in the air fryer alongside everything else, but there was no way I was going to have my Sunday roast without it. So I also boiled my kettle (which has a wattage of 3,000) with 150ml of water to make my gravy, costing me about 2p.
Overall, I saved 61p cooking my roast dinner in the air fryer. If you cook a roast dinner every week, you could save £31.72 a year. Every penny helps…
Sold. Converted. I’ll never use my oven again.
The roast chicken tasted amazing, if I do say so myself. It was succulent, tender and juicy at the breast, with a crispy skin and perfectly cooked drumsticks and wings to boot.
