This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
Some people swear by their slow cooker, their Thermomix, their plancha or their bread machine. But for hundreds of thousands of others, the air fryer (or air fryer) is now essential. We are no longer talking about a passing trend, but a real way of life adopted by a diverse crowd, made up of epicureans, those who are always in a hurry and beginners in the kitchen. How can a small household appliance arouse so much passion? The lively Alexandra Diaz, tops the charts with her new recipe book Love is in the air fryerreveals everything about the man she affectionately calls her “George Clooney of the kitchen”.
Alexandra, how did you fall in love with the “air fryer”?
The day I was called an alien, ha, ha! For the record, basically, I was not more attracted to theair fryer than I was by a slow cooker or a one pot. I mainly prepare fresh, unprocessed foods by grilling them, following the principle of Mediterranean cuisine. So, I didn’t think that this machine, which I thought was intended for frying, would be useful to me. But that was until one of my colleagues and friends in their twenties said to me, two years ago: “But what planet are you from? You absolutely must have a air fryer ! » She convinced me to buy one. And there, from the first day, and without reading the instruction manual (I hate it, to be honest), I fell in love with this device. It’s simple, I felt like a queen!
What does the “air fryer” mean to you?
It is a modern, easy, fast, practical, economical and fun tool. It is accessible to everyone, even those who are intimidated by cooking. Personally, as my life is very busy, it allows me to be lazy while keeping my DNA as a cook, or rather as a good assembler. I’ll eat just about anything on it. Everything is done in one step. I do other things while cooking, I hardly have to wash anything, it’s super safe, and everything is delicious, even better than with other cooking methods. I’ve already tried a lot of things in it, from meats to roasted nuts. And I can tell you that I will never cook salmon on a traditional stove again. In fact, I think that if I had to move tomorrow, I would just equip myself with an induction hob and a air fryerthat would be more than enough for me.
Is it this reflection that guided the conception of “Love is in the air fryer”?
Absolutely. I remained myself while doing it, with the three values that are close to my heart. The first is practicality. So I imagined recipes that can be prepared solo, quickly, or doubled or tripled if there are more people around the table. Then, I make it a point to never forget the unifying and festive aspect of everyday meals. There is nothing beige in my house! I even have a copyright staff on the name “crousti-fondant”, ha ha! So, my creations are deliberately colorful, fun, full of freshness. Finally, my third value is my “mom” side. I therefore think of my dishes with an economic and anti-waste reflex in mind, but also with the concern for healthy eating, good for oneself, for others and for the planet. Oh, and I never forget the secret ingredient: love! Cooking is an incomparable vector of love.
Among the 75 recipes in this book, which ones reflect these three values well?
Hmm, the choice is difficult! I would first mention my recipe for waffle fries with cheeseburger, because it is a dish that is unifying, complete and simple to make, in addition to allowing lots of variations. You can actually replace the beef with ground pork, tofu or chickpeas. And from experience, no one can resist it! Secondly, in homage to my Chilean family heritage, I think of my friend Franck’s empanadas. They clearly show that we can raise the level of complexity of cooking toair fryer achieving excellent results. There are also fun recipes, like that of egg in a hole, a very present trend on Instagram which appealed to the teenager in me. I transformed it into something fancier with a mushroom topping, but I confirm that you can cook sunny-side-up eggs to perfectionair fryer. Finally, I would like to mention the recipe for grilled peaches and pineapple, to remind you that vegetables like fruits lend themselves very well to cooking in the hot air fryer. It’s a healthy dessert, very simple, delicious and with a spectacular effect if presented in a pineapple, accompanied by ice cream.
Finally, Alexandra, what should we remember from your book?
That everyone can become a good cook thanks to the air fryer. This tool allows you to do lots of things and offers an incredible playground — I’m already thinking about the next books I want to write on the subject! I personally invite anyone who feels too rushed, too bad at cooking, too poorly equipped or on a tight budget to use this machine. You will be able to prepare fresh products and you will not pay a fortune in delivery costs. What you prepare will be 1000 times better than ready-to-eat grocery store products. And you will have fun, I guarantee it!
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.