Air fryer our new favorite small appliance
Jan. 11—My husband got an air fryer for Christmas. It was the only thing he actually asked for, and our son happily gifted him one.
We don't buy a lot of kitchen gadgets and small appliances because we've found we don't use them. There's a waffle iron and a panini press in the kitchen closet, both gathering dust. I actually threw out a rice cooker and a food processor one year because they'd been sitting idle so long, they no longer worked.
But this air fryer is a game changer.
The first things Charlie tried in it were chicken bites and waffle fries from the freezer. When both turned out well, he ventured into other things, like homemade chicken tenders, chicken wings and chicken Parmesan.
One night last week, he made tilapia in the air fryer, and was it ever good. It was crispy and crunchy on the outside and moist and tender on the inside. I don't know how we ever got along without one of these appliances. We cant' wait to try "fried" catfish next.
AIR FRYER TILAPIA
4 tilapia fillets
Spray olive oil
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1/2 cup panko Japanese breadcrumbs
Spray fish fillets with a little bit of oil and set aside.
In a shallow dish, combine chili powder, garlic salt and black pepper. Combine both breadcrumbs and add to the spices, stirring well to combine.
Working with one piece of fish at a time, place each fillet in mixture and gently press breadcrumbs into fish, making sure each side is coated.
Place fillets in air fryer basket and cook at 400 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, turning them over once halfway through the cooking time. Serves 4.
