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Christmas may be the most magical time of the year, but it can also be the most stressful. Whether the in-laws are visiting or the kids are fighting over the remote, the last thing anyone wants to do is worry about basting the turkey every 30 minutes.
But Brits are increasingly turning to time-saving hacks when it comes to cooking, and more and more are turning to the air fryer when it comes to the all-important Christmas dinner.
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According to Tefal, the cult Easy Fry Dual Air Fryer and Grill, available on Amazon for £99.99, is able to cook an entire Christmas dinner in less than two hours. Yes, seriously.
The XXL compartment will apparently fit a 1.6kg chicken or 2.4kg turkey crown, whilst the smaller drawer can be used to cook vegetables and other dinner essentials at the same time, such as pigs in blankets and stuffing balls. Tefal says the three-in-one air fryer, grill, and steamer will 'cook up to 50% faster and save 70% energy' in comparison to the traditional oven.
So, does it really save time and stress? I put the Tefal air fryer to the test. In the process, I made one huge mistake, that’s more common than you might think...
Here’s what happened.
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The ingredients list
I purchased everything I needed to make the Christmas dinner from Sainsbury's, except the frozen turkey crown which I picked up from Aldi.
- Ashfields Small British Turkey Crown (1.9kg), £11.99
- Maris Piper potatoes, £1.90
- Sprout tree, £2
- Parsnips, 75p
- Pigs in blankets, £3.25
- Sage and onion stuffing balls, £2.50
- Goose fat, £4.30
- Fresh rosemary, 52p
- Garlic bulb, 24p
Prepping the Christmas dinner
For the purpose of the experiment, I had to wave goodbye to some very important dinner plate heroes: think cauliflower cheese, red cabbage, and Yorkshire puddings (I’m northern, let me have it).
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Armed with my shopping list, I headed to the shops to pick up everything I needed: potatoes, parsnips, sprouts, fresh rosemary, pigs in blankets, and stuffing balls. Once home, I got to work.
I cut the sprouts and peeled the parsnips then drizzled the veggies in honey, salt, and pepper. After peeling and cutting the potatoes into chunks, I parboiled them for maximum fluff potential before drizzling in salt, pepper, and rosemary.
So, what happened?
This is the part where I tell you that the turkey was nothing short of a disaster. Admittedly, I’ve never even cooked a turkey in the oven let alone an air fryer, so I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing.
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In short, buying a frozen turkey was a bad move, as the Ashfields Small British Turkey Crown (1.9kg) I chose from Aldi came with giblets and all which was admittedly a shock to the system.
As though that wasn’t bad enough, the turkey crown didn’t even fit in the air fryer - as shown in the photo.
So, I resorted to plan B and repeated the entire preparation process above the following evening. But this time, with a small M&S British Oakham Turkey Joint (500g) that was beautifully prepared for me, and most importantly, sans giblets.
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The cooking process
- First up: I placed the turkey joint in the large drawer on tin foil and drizzled it in butter before topping with garlic and a festive sprig of rosemary. I set the air fryer to 180C for 60 minutes. After a suspicious smell of burning within less than five minutes, I opened the drawer to discover the top had already started to crisp. So, I turned the heat down to 160C instead - checking the turkey every 15 minutes for 60 minutes.
- Whilst the turkey was doing its thing, the vegetables and side trimmings needed to be cooked one by one in the smaller drawer. The parsnips went in first for 20 minutes on 180C, followed by the sprouts for 15 minutes on 180C. I then chucked the pigs and blankets and stuffing balls in for 10 minutes on 180C followed by the pièce de résistance: the potatoes for 30 minutes on 200C.
- Throughout the cooking process, I regularly checked on the vegetables and gave the drawer a thorough shake.
The final result
Overall, I was impressed with how quick and easy the process was (bar turkey gate). The parsnips came out golden and the pigs and blankets and stuffing balls smelt like Christmas. The sprouts did slightly burn when I wasn’t looking, so I’d recommend turning the temperature down or buying larger sprouts for an even cook.
The potatoes were undoubtedly the best part, as they came out nice and fluffy - they tasted pretty good too. Despite not having any clear air fryer cooking guidelines for the turkey joint, it came out well - the top was a little crispy, but we’ll pretend that was intentional.
To finish, I covered the plate in gravy, which is the only part of the dinner that can’t be accomplished in an air fryer. Thankfully, there’s always a trusty Bisto in my cupboard.
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All in all, an air fryer is a great way to cook Christmas dinner if you want to save time and stress. If you prep everything in advance, you can put your feet up between tasks - you just need someone to occasionally shake the drawers (and check nothing is burning). However, if you want to cook for more than three people, you might need to use the oven too due to limited drawer space.
The huge air fryer mistake I made
The biggest mistake I made (other than the frozen turkey, of course)?
Air fryer aficionados may have spotted in the photos that I lined each drawer with tin foil, even going so far as to wrap the turkey in tin foil at one point - a huge rookie error.
According to Google, tin foil can stop air circulation in an air fryer, which in turn, will prevent meat and vegetables from cooking properly. This might explain why the turkey joint was incredibly crispy in less than five minutes and the sprouts didn't come out looking as aesthetic as planned. If you're worried about the mess, a silicone liner is a more effective way to keep the drawers clean.
I also later discovered that you should never place tin foil in the air fryer without food on it, as this can be a potential fire hazard. If my housemates are reading this, I'm sorry.
Visit Tefal to learn more about the popular air fryer range.
Topics: Air Fryers
Danielle Fowler