Long May It Fry

My air fryer's top temperature is 400 F.

The air fryer is a cheap (less than $100) kitchen gadget that punches above its weight. Earlier this month we noted why we liked it:

Lately I've been using an inexpensive air fryer (really, it's a pot-shaped convection oven) for small roasts. It uses less energy than our large convection oven, and the grease is collected in a non-stick black pot.

Cookbook author Ben Mims agrees: [bold added]

I relished the thought of enjoying the functionality of a convection oven at a fraction of the size and price of a conventional oven. No more turning on my hellishly hot range in high summer or forming a queue of dishes waiting to cook at Thanksgiving.

...As I pushed the machine to its limits, I found it to be excellent at roasting meat. Cut down to the appropriate, air-fryer-friendly size, a beef top sirloin roast reached a perfect medium-rare doneness inside at the same time it was rendered brown on the outside. This was largely thanks to the precise temperature control of the smaller air fryer as compared with a conventional oven.

...The biggest surprise, however, was the discovery that an air fryer is the ideal machine for cooking vegetables. For those who like to pre-prep lunches and dinners for the week, this machine makes quick work of cooking virtually any vegetable cut into bite-size pieces and tossed with a couple teaspoons of oil and some salt and pepper.....A fryer in name only, the device can roast, toast, bake or braise.

The writer sounds like a late-night commercial (It tells time! You'll lose weight! In minutes you can prepare delicious, healthy food!)

Currently the air fryer occupies valuable space next to the cooktop. I do share some of Mr. Mims' enthusiasm: my guess is that it will have more staying power than the food processor, the bread maker, and the popcorn popper. Long may it "fry".