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I listened to a Radio Five report on the plight of children in Gaza as I drove home from another memorable Newcastle United victory. It was heart rending and, I am sure, had the desired effect on the audience. Only terrible people could do this to innocent children therefore Israelis are terrible people. In the binary discussion that passes for political debate these days, that makes Israelis the oppressors and Palestinians the victims. Slam dunk - argument closed. Just like the BBC reporting on the riots in Dublin - far right extremists responsible for rioting - nothing to see here - move on please.
Such is the state of news media these days - only victims and oppressors and no shades between. I despair so I shall tell you about my adventures in air frying instead.
I have owned a small Tefal air fryer for about a year and found it a very useful addition to the kitchen. But it failed recently and was repaired under warranty. Meantime, convinced by their many advantages, we decided to invest in a more sophisticated model. We chose the Ninja Foodi Dual Zone AF300UK which seemed big enough and flexible enough for our needs.
Our first major operation was roast chicken for Sunday lunch. Each of the two drawers is large enough to hold a small chicken. I prepared the chicken simply by brushing lightly with olive oil and seasoning and stuffing the body cavity with a handful of fresh herbs from the garden. I then placed the chicken upside down in Zone 1 so:
To cook, I set Zone 1 to "Roast" and 180 degrees for 55 minutes. After 40 minutes I turned the chicken right side up, intending to give it the last 15 minutes to brown the breast. However, it was already looking pretty well cooked, confirmed by the meat thermometer (essential), so I only let it stay in for another 10 minutes before removing:
The meat temperature was 83 plus so it was well done (for chicken) but, for appearance, I think I should have let it have slightly longer right side up to brown the breast. The chicken then rested for 20 minutes before carving.
Meantime, in Zone 2, I prepared the roast potatoes. I decided to boil the potatoes for 10 minutes to soften then drained in a colander, giving them a vigorous shake to damage the edges. I then melted a teaspoon of beef dripping in the Zone 2 drawer with the non-stick crisper tray removed. When the fat was hot I added the par-boiled potatoes and swirled round until the potatoes were coated in the fat. I then removed the potatoes for a moment, re-inserted the crisper tray and placed the potatoes on top. I then cooked the potatoes on "Air Fry" at 180 degrees for about 25 minutes. You could time this operation to complete after the chicken had rested and was ready for carving.
The resting time for the chicken gave ample time to air fry the pigs in blankets and veal forcemeat stuffing balls ("Air Fry" at 180 for 15 minutes) and the whole meal came together at once (sprouts and red cabbage and apple done on the stove):
I do hope this is more useful than my opinions on politics, politicians and the BBC?
PS, if you try this at home, please do not take my timings as read and check your own cooking times to taste.
