Meet the woman who's making her entire Christmas dinner in an air fryer
A woman has explained she will be cooking her entire Christmas dinner in an air fryer this year because it's "cheaper, easier and makes the best ever roast potatoes".
Beverley Jarvis, 74, from Ashford, Kent is a cooking a festive three-course meal for eight using her Instant Vortex Plus machine.
The great-grandmother initially started using the kitchen gadget after her son bought her one - 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 the entire festive feast on Christmas day.
"I’m doing pigs in blankets, two roast turkey breasts wrapped in bacon and I’m cooking basmati rice in the air fryer for a Christmas salad," the grandmother explains.
"Honestly the roast potatoes I made were the crispiest potatoes ever. I just used a tablespoon of oil and two teaspoons of goose or duck fat, and they were delicious."
Jarvis also plans on doing a vegetable medley including Brussel sprouts, a salmon side with sliced clementines, parmesan crisps to have with drinks and carrot and cranberry muffins.
"Another thing I do is a whole camembert with a little bit of rosemary and garlic - put it in the air frier and a few minutes later you’ve got wonderful dip," she continues.
Jarvis is hoping introduce the nation to the plus points of turning to the air fryer for festive food and has already had the backing of Great British Bake Off star Prue Leith.
"Prue Leith said 'I never thought I’d be an air fryer fan, but Beverley Jarvis has me hooked'," she explains. "To be honest the advantages are amazing and it's three-and-a-half times cheaper to use than an oven."
Jarvis first started cooking with an air fryer in May 2022 after her son purchased one. The first meal her son cooked in the gadget was frozen sausages and chips..
Impressed by how it turned out, she immediately bought one of her own and began experimenting, quickly realising how versatile the piece of kit was.
As she developed more air fryer recipes, she decided to put together a cookbook.
She also ran a demonstration for charity on how to use the air fryer at her local town hall and says people were so keen to see her festive food the demo sold out.
"For Christmas dinner, you could cook turkey boned and rolled with bacon around it and parboiled potatoes tossed in little oil and goose or duck fat," she advises.
"I put the potatoes around the turkey joint, and you’ll find it cooks in 55 minutes as opposed to an hour and 40 minutes in the oven."
Jarvis, who is a mother of seven and a grandmother of 19 is also makes an alternative Christmas cake in her air fryer.
"I’ve got a delicious recipe for a yogurt and oil cake with cranberries and chocolate chips," she explains.
"It’s so quick in the air fryer, it’s great alternative option to Christmas cake."
Another festive item she recommends cooking in the air fryer is dried clementine slices, which she says take about an hour to an hour and 15 minutes.
"I cook them on 82 degrees," she adds.
Having embraced festive cooking in the air fryer, Jarvis wants to encourage others to consider investing in the kitchen gadget.
"If you're wondering whether to take the plunge, don’t hesitate, you will really benefit from having one in your kitchen," she says.
"I use it every day for almost everything and am now working on my second air fryer cookbook.
"It's the efficiency of them that I'm so impressed with, they can cook from frozen, reheat food, it can do fish, meat, veg, poultry - the scope is unbelievable."
Additional reporting SWNS.
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