I recently realized that I’m 11 weeks into writing this column and haven’t yet shared an air-fryer-specific recipe. Today, that changes, with a fun recipe for spicy chicken with bacon and dates. It’s inspired by “devils on horseback,” the retro appetizer of bacon-wrapped dates, and it’s a quick dinner that pairs salty and sweet flavors, and can of course still be made if you don’t have an air fryer.
If you’re on the fence about getting one, let me tell you a bit more about why I love using mine. First, I don’t think of it as a fryer. In fact, I think the name “air fryer” is incredibly misleading. This gadget doesn’t fry anything. It’s a compact convection oven. (But that doesn’t sound as catchy as “air fryer.”) Knowing this helps us understand what an air fryer is capable of: heating up quickly (and not heating up your kitchen), and roasting things at a high heat with a strong fan that circulates that air very well. And because the device is the cooking vessel, cleanup is minimal.
I will say the drawbacks are threefold: 1. You cannot cook a lot of food at one time. No air fryer I know of can hold the same amount of food that one or two sheet pans can hold in a regular oven. This is a nonissue for someone like me, who regularly cooks for only two people, but it’s probably an issue for larger households. 2. Air fryers take up quite a bit of counter space. 3. They’re loud. When I use mine, it does sort of sound like a tiny plane is flying through my kitchen.
Yet I’m okay with those faults, because the benefits, in my opinion, far outweigh them. It’s so easy to use, food cooks quickly, and everything gets nice and browned and crisp, which is how I love most things. Air frying is so simple that I once thought about writing an air fryer cookbook, but then I realized all the instructions would be the same: Heat the air fryer to 400 degrees and cook for about 15 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through. That’s how I make everything in it. (Of course, that hasn’t stopped plenty of other people from putting out appliance-specific cookbooks.)
This chicken dinner is a great example of the ease, speed and delight of air frying.
