How the Air Fryer Crisped Its Way Into America’s Heart
The New York Times
Though the device is sold as a way to make foods crunchy without deep-frying, home cooks have put it to countless other uses — and fed a billion-dollar business.
A year ago, Rebecca Abbott, a food photographer and blogger in Mesa, Ariz., bought her first air fryer to develop recipes for a client’s blog. She started with the usual air-fryer specialties, frozen pizza rolls and tater tots, but it wasn’t long until she realized that her model could make pretty much anything she wanted. Four months later, she was stunned when her homemade cheesecake emerged from the device, baked to perfection in 20 minutes with no cracks or dips.
“Then, the floodgates opened,” Ms. Abbott said. She thought, what more could she cook in the air fryer?
Lamb chops, beef and pork tenderloin, a medium-well rib-eye steak, filet mignon, crab legs, lobster tails, pecan and pumpkin pie — she has made them all in the appliance she calls her “magic box.” She now owns seven, six of different brands, and runs a blog called Air Frying Foodie with her friend Jennifer West.
