More! Appliances!

Big meal season is upon us!

We know, we know. It’s possible to live every season like it’s big meal season. But boy does it get easier when the days get a bit chillier and night comes earlier and earlier. Putting a big pot of stew on to simmer instead of playing disc golf with the fellas and watching the sunset at Hal’s Cove, where you find a treasure map that leads to nothing except the best summer you’ve ever had? No thanks!

But when the high dips beneath sixty, the range comes a-callin’. Or to put it differently: cold-weather comfort food will always be more comforting than warm-weather comfort food because it has got more discomfort to fight against.

And so, to return to our initial point: big meal season is upon us!

The problem is, not every stick-to-your-ribs meal can be a one-stop-shop like the above mentioned pot of stew. Sometimes, you want to make ribs or brisket or a pork roast, something that requires long low-and-slow cooking.

And the perfect side? That would be something crispy and/or charred, like smashed taters or fried Brussels sprouts or braised whole carrots.

Now, the first two you could deep fry. Yet you might not want to, given the general unhealthy greasiness that such a preparation requires. Your other option: a piping hot oven. But again, this is just a side for some meat. Which means, unless you own a smoker, something occupies the oven at present, cooking at what the French call une temperature tres petite.

(We don’t know French.)

This air fryer could help. It allows you to cook stuff crispy and golden brown and delicious without a ton of oil or fat. And it can do so while your oven chugs along making the fall-off-the-bone main course. Then, come summer, you can use this to fry wings or jalapeño poppers or whatever else you want next to the burgers and hot dogs you just grilled.

A burger, a hot dog, wings, and poppers?

Jeez, on second thought, maybe big meal season really is year-round…