Appliances
Air Fryer
The latest generation of air fryers are the secret to crispy fast food! As my mother said, “don’t eat fast food, make food fast.” Fast they are. The more powerful models, like the Ninja Woodfire® shown, heat up fast and cook evenly. (Ninja is also not a sponsor, but also should be.) Many can grill, smoke, and bake in addition to air frying. Most of the recipes will cook with the pressure cooker or sous vide and then finish in the air fry. Buy the most powerful one you can, it’s easier to shorten the cooking time than to push the unit beyond its ability. I don’t like the combination air fryer, pressure cookers because many times I will be using both methods at the same time. I think a dedicated air fryer is a better choice.
There are many different types of air fryers and they all have the key feature of hot circulated air. They usually heat up quickly and make fast work of most foods. The dry air is perfect for getting crispy exterior and the fast cooking times doesn’t dry out the insides. If you coat the outside with oil a fried-like outcome is yours without the hassle and mess of frying, no leftover dirty oil too.
Ninja Woodfire®
Instant Pot Pro®
Pressure Cooker
The modern electric pressure cooker is a dream machine. They cook everything fast and moist. The Intant Pot® brand is the most common and the one I have used for over a decade. A 6 quart pot is good for single folks up to a family of three. Larger families will do better with an 8 quart model. Instant Pot® is not a sponsor (but they should be, hint hint). Basic models will do everything in the recipes but if your budget allows, consider a model with “Sous Vide” feature too. There are copy cat models out there and I can’t say anything about them. I have only used Instant Pot® and have never had a problem.
All the models use a silicone sealing ring that needs to be replaced about once a year. Other than that and regular cleaning there is nothing else required. Rarely the float valve will need replacement and this is easy and inexpensive too. And don’t forget the steamer basket- the silicone ones are the easiest to use and clean.
Silicone Ring
Float Valve
Silicone Steamer Basket
Joule Sous Vide
Sous vide sounds fancy but is basically a water oven. It’s pronounced “soo veed”. The sous vide device heats and circulates water at a specified temperature surrounding the food that is enclosed in a bag. It will never cook too hot or cold and is the ideal way to cook proteins. Sous vide fish, beef, lamb, etc all come out perfectly cooked BUT looking horrible! Yes that’s right, totally cooked and total unappetizing. It’s OK, I’ll explain how to fix this in the methods section. Some may worry about the plastic bags and it is important to use dedicated BPA free sous vide bags or silicone. There are many good units from the top dog, Joule® by Brevelle (shown) to a large selection from ANOVA. Some have buttons and display, others, like the Joule® are WiFi or bluetooth via an app. I’ve used many different ones with good results. Some fit into the pot better, and the ones with display and controls are easier and less expensive. If you like meat, you will want a sous vide cooker. A vacuum sealer is a helpful accessory for sous vide but not mandatory. I’ll show both techniques. The sous vide container is also nice but any pot deep enough for the food will do. If you’re hesitant about diving in to the sous vide world, get a pressure cooker with the sous vide function and try it out first.
Joule® Sous Vide
It is intimidating when first starting out in sous vide cooking as it is unlike any other method. Is it safe? is the question I am asked most often. It definitely is. Plan ahead is the mantra as the biggest downside of sous vide is lack of speed. The habit of good planning will help in every aspect of Dr. Dan’s food plans and life in general. Stick with well respected sources for time and temperature protocols and if in doubt check a couple different sources.