This Christmas, while you’re planning your festive feast and envisioning that perfect plate, a word of caution from culinary experts is crucial: think twice before using your air fryer for pigs in blankets. This beloved holiday staple might seem like an ideal candidate for the speedy air fryer, but the reality presents potential hazards that outweigh the convenience.
Martin Senders, Philips’ in-house air fryer chef, sounds the alarm. His concern centers on the high fat content of bacon, the key ingredient wrapping those delectable sausages. As bacon cooks, it releases significant grease. In the fast-circulating air of an air fryer, this grease poses a double threat: it can splatter, potentially igniting on the heating element, creating a fire hazard and filling your kitchen with smoke. Beyond the immediate danger, accumulated grease can clog the air fryer’s components, diminishing its efficiency and potentially contributing to mold growth over time. This isn’t just a minor inconvenience; it can shorten the lifespan of your valuable kitchen appliance.
The uneven cooking process is another major concern. The bacon’s outer layer cooks much faster than the sausage within, resulting in a potential culinary disaster: burnt bacon and undercooked sausage. This uneven cooking necessitates multiple batches, making the air fryer method less energy-efficient than a traditional oven. This isn’t the Christmas miracle you’re hoping for!
Brenda Peralta, a registered dietician, reinforces these concerns. She highlights the challenges of evenly cooking bacon’s high fat content in the air fryer, emphasizing the potential for excessive smoke and unpleasant odors. Imagine the aroma filling your home during your Christmas gathering – hardly the festive ambiance you’re aiming for!
So what’s the solution? Instead of risking a kitchen fire or serving undercooked sausages, consider using your air fryer for other, less greasy side dishes. Honey-roasted vegetables, for example, are a fantastic and safer alternative. If you have a dual-basket air fryer, you can even prepare these sides while your turkey roasts in the other basket.
For achieving perfectly cooked pigs in blankets, BBC Good Food’s Senior Food and Podcast Editor, Samuel Goldsmith, suggests focusing on quality ingredients and technique. Opt for high-quality pork chipolatas wrapped in premium streaky bacon for superior taste and texture. When using an air fryer, he emphasizes cooking in a single layer to ensure even browning and a delightfully crunchy exterior.
This Christmas, prioritize safety and deliciousness. Leave the pigs in blankets to the oven and let your air fryer shine with other, more suitable festive dishes. Your guests (and your air fryer) will thank you for it!
