fried air

Naan pizza. I got an air fryer!

(Apologies for the three years since my last post...)

My husband has hinted at getting me an air fryer since they became popular, but I always resisted because my kitchen is small and counter space is cluttered limited. Plus, it should come as no surprise to long-time readers (and anyone who knows me) that I would be late to this trend. However, when I got an offer to receive the Dreo Air Fryer Pro Max in exchange for my honest review, I couldn't say no.

Frankly, I feel silly for holding out as long as I did--this contraption is a miracle worker! My oven is...not the best, and things often take time and a half to fully bake in it. With the air fryer, cooking time is cut WAY down; for example, in the case of roasted potatoes, the air fryer took 20 minutes compared to 50 in the oven (and they were far more crispy!).

What else do I love about this apparatus? Let's get into it. This particular air fryer is larger than many and can easily make a meal for 4. It has a very handy light and window (which my daughters loved to peek through!), and there are settings for baking, frying, dehydrating, and more. It's really easy to clean, and it even tells you when to shake or flip, for crying out loud! I also really like the button to release the drawer because my girls are endlessly curious and always messing around in the kitchen; this simple feature can keep them from getting burned. Speaking of the kidlets, my oldest hates the volume of the food processor, so she was worried it would be loud, but it is most certainly not noisy. Very importantly during this dreadfully hot summer, my kitchen stayed cool! One other perk I hadn't predicted was the smell that would permeate the air as the fryer worked--lovely, especially with my cinnamon-sprinkled banana slices.

So far, in addition to those roasted potatoes, I did some dehydrating--both bananas slices and cherry tomatoes turned out beautifully (a blessing since we have cherry tomatoes coming out of our ears). I fried okra (the ONLY way to eat it!) and baked chicken, which did NOT result in dry meat as I feared but instead yielded a surprisingly moist and flavorful dinner. Plus, I made a batch of nachos in two shakes of a lamb's tail. Just amazing.

The best thing I've made so far (and I've used it nearly every day since I got it!) is naan pizza. Pizza is one thing both of my daughters love and get excited about making and eating, so I try to incorporate it into our weekly menu at least once. Bagel pizza is my usual go-to, but this air fryer pizza is incomparably better. The naan is cooked on its own at first to crisp it up, then the toppings get added and it's cooked again. The whole process takes less than 10 minutes, and that's including a little cool down so my girl who refuses to eat hot food can enjoy it.

If you're in the market for a new air fryer (or your first!), I highly recommend the Dreo Pro Max! They make a 4-quart version as well if you don't need such a large one. I should say that I had planned to store my air fryer between uses, but since I've been using it so much, I've now made a permanent place for it on my counter.

Air Fryer Naan Pizza
(printable recipe)
Serves 1 (or 2 littles!)
Ingredients:

• 1 naan
• 1/4 cup pizza sauce
• 2 tablespoons pineapple tidbits
• 8 slices pepperoni
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Preheat air fryer to 375°F (190°C).
Place the naan in the basket and cook on the AIR FRY setting for 3 minutes.
Add the pizza sauce, pineapple, pepperoni*, then cheese.
AIR FRY the assembled pizza for 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese is properly melted and browned.

*Put the pepperoni under the cheese or it will blow off!