I’m cooking Boxing Day dinner for 14 guests in five air fryers
A woman has shared how she will be cooking her entire Boxing Day meal for 14 guests in five air fryers because she says it is "cheaper, quicker and healthier".
Beverley Jarvis, 75, from Ashford, Kent, is preparing a festive feast for her loved ones and has vowed not to switch on the oven, relying instead on her five air fryers.
Last year, the great-grandmother rustled up a three course meal on Christmas Day for her family, cooking everything from pigs in blankets to roast potatoes all in the air fryer. This year she is hosting Boxing Day and on the menu is a sugar and rum glazed baked gammon and salmon with satsuma, chilli and parsley, which will all be prepared in her favourite kitchen gadget.
Beverley initially started using an air fryer after her son bought her one in May 2022, and quickly found an appreciation for the meal-prep method. Having come to appreciate the benefits of air fryer cooking, she went on to become the author of the Everyday Air Fryer Cookbook and plans to put her skills to the test preparing an entire seasonal meal on December 26.
Speaking about the advantages of Christmas cooking in an air fryer, Beverley says the gadget is 20% faster than her oven, which she rarely now switches on. "They are just so easy to use," she adds. "My 5.7L one uses max 1,700 watts. An oven uses 5,000 watts. And as they are so much faster you save considerably on energy, so it's cheaper to use than an oven. It costs just 7p to cook two portions chips in an air fryer and 21p in oven."
For her Boxing Day meal Beverley will prepare her gammon on the day itself and soak it in cold water for three hours before cooking. She expects the meat joint to take just 15 minutes in the air fryer.
The 500g salmon fillet she will prep by blotting it dry and putting it in with the juice of a satsuma, parsley, one chopped chilli and 15g of butter. "That cooks in 17 minutes," she says. "Whereas its 40 minutes in the oven.
For dessert Beverley will be making caramelised fruit, with nectarines, pears and plums. She also plans to make some cheese scones, which take just 15 minutes.
Though she isn't cooking the Christmas dinner this year she says the air fryer makes the "best roast potatoes" and recommends others try using it for their own festive meal. "You put in one teaspoon of oil and they are delicious," she suggests. "They are cooked in 30 minutes instead of an hour."
Outside of the festive season Beverley says people are often surprised at how many things you can cook in an air fryer including eggs and rice. "They are very versatile," she explains. "You cook perfectly boiled eggs in them without any water at 120 degrees - 14 minutes for hard boiled and 10 minutes for soft boiled."
Beverley doesn't know how much she has saved in total since switching to air fryer cooking, but has noticed a reduction in her electricity bill. She now mainly cooks with her slow cooker, microwave and air fryer.
"The air fryer is cheaper to run, particularly when cooking small quantities," she explains. "Cooking a chicken in the air fryer takes 53 minutes, using 54KWH. Cooking the same weight chicken in the oven takes 76 minutes, using 1.57KWH. Cooked in an oven the chicken is more likely to be a bit dry, but it will be beautifully moist in air fryer, with a crispy golden skin. And it's three-and-a-half times cheaper to use than an oven."
Top-rated air fryers worth browsing
Offering versatile cooking with the ability to cook two foods, two ways – both ready at the same time, this best-selling air fryer comes with six cooking functions which give you the flexibility to prepare a wide range of meals. Its 7.6L capacity can easily feed up to eight people, and each drawer can fit a 1.6kg chicken, making it perfect for family-sized meals.
This item has been tried and tested by the Yahoo UK team - read our full review here.
Philips first-ever dual zone air fryer has eight cooking modes, synchronised drawers and a combined nine litre capacity, which has been tried and tested by Yahoo UK's shopping team.
This item has been tried and tested by the Yahoo UK team - read our full review here.
This is one of Ninja's newest models and has seven cooking modes, two independent cooking zones and a removable divider to create an extra-large 10.4L MegaZone. There's no wonder there are over 2,000 five-star reviews.
Each 3.8 litre basket can be programmed to its own temperature, meaning you can cook at different temperatures at the same time and finish their cooking cycles at different time. There is also SyncCook mode, which means you can apply the same settings for both of the baskets. So, no more having to multitask and keep your eye on the clock during dinner time.
his easy-to-use air fryer features a touchscreen with seven preset programs. It also has a 'Keep Warm' function that maintains your food at the perfect temperature for up to 30 minutes.
Over 7,000 shoppers have purchased this dual air fryer in the last month. Complete with two large 4.5L baskets, providing ultimate air frying versatility. Use one basket for smaller portion cooking or both baskets at the same time to cook full crispy and healthy, large enough to feed up to 8 people at once.
This dual air fryer from Lakeland has a eight litre capacity across five litre and three litre baskets. It also has 8 cooking programmes and is one of the most affordable dual options out there right now.
Read more about saving money at Christmas:
The best and cheapest time to do your big Christmas food shop (Yahoo Life UK, 7-min read)
How I managed to spend just £26 on each of my children's Christmas presents (Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read)
11 tips to help you save - and even make - money ahead of Christmas (Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read)
