Don’t judge. But we’re really late with this air fryer romance … indifferent to the wooing over the last couple of years. Who needs a new gadget – no matter how sexy and sleek, we asked. We have a great relationship with our handsome, steady oven. But then the smugness of those who were dishing up crunchy roasted pork belly, fresh donuts, crispy chicken schnitzels … we admit, it got to us. So we thought we’d have a clandestine try. Well. Did we have to eat (well cooked) humble pie.
Fell head over heels with the Instant Vortex Air Fryer – designed to incorporate all those features we’d heard about … superfast cooking times, large enough for a family of four (5.7L so you can fit in a decent sized chicken), easy to clean and really simple, user-friendly controls. The Instant Vortex incorporates Instant Pot’s smart programme technology to deliver great results, the stylish design takes up minimal countertop space and the intelligent touch screen and dial controls makes it an absolute pleasure to use. It air fry’s, roasts, bakes and reheats, and is quicker, easier and healthier than cooking with oil in the oven. Win, win and win! While we have no intention of cheating or double dating, there are others to choose from … depending on your needs and budget. Like the Instant Vortex Plus ClearCook range, with six smart cooking programmes (air fry, roast, grill, bake, reheat and dehydrate) and the revolutionary ClearCook window with internal light, which allows you to check on cooking progress without continuously opening the drawer and losing heat. Even snazzier – the Instant Vortex ClearCook DUAL air fryer, with two drawers to allow you to cook two different dishes at the same time. Whichever catches your eye and steals your heart … you’ll find them at @Home stores, Yuppiechef and Hirsch’s Homestores.
Brownies in less than half an hour
Brownies. The universal fave. Bake in a Vortex ClearCook air fryer, watch them turn into the perfect treat, allow them to cool and serve with vanilla ice-cream. Joy, right there!
Prep time 15 mins, cook time 15 mins, serves 9
You’ll need: 1 1/2 cups chopped dark chocolate; 1/2 cup butter at room temperature; 1/4 cup cocoa powder; 3/4 cup flour; 2 large eggs at room temperature; 1 cup light brown sugar; 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract; 1/4 tsp salt; and for serving, vanilla ice-cream.
To make: Line a 20cm x 20cm brownie pan with baking paper. Melt chocolate and butter together and mix until fully combined. Sift in the cocoa powder and stir to mix. In a separate large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract with an electric beater until light in colour and frothy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the warm chocolate mixture and stir to combine. Sieve in the flour and salt and mix gently to ensure all the flour is incorporated. Spoon into a prepared pan and spread evenly.
Turn on the Vortex Plus ClearCook, set to bake, 170 C and 15 minutes.
Place the pan into the preheated air fryer and bake until the top is set and a toothpick inserted into the centre has a few moist crumbs on.
Remove and allow to cool completely in the dish before cutting. Enjoy with a scoop of your favourite ice cream. Recipe from instantpot.co.za
Let this be the year of fine wine
If we’re looking for fine wine, we take advice from Platter’s South African Wine Guide 2023 – where we found it’s been a star-studded year for Steenberg Vineyards. And in particular for their flagship Sauvignon Blanc, The Black Swan. Acclaimed as one of the country’s top Sauvignon Blancs, this 5-star wine is fresh, with scents of lime zest, white blossom, elderflower and persimmon supported on the palate by bursts of fresh grapefruit and subtle hints of nectarine and mange tout. This wonderful food wine pairs well with Asian-style grilled line fish, calamari with an apple and sumac salad or a tomato salad with ricotta and basil. You’ll find it for R255 at steenbergfarm.com.
A year of drinking only fine wines. Not necessarily the most expensive, but definitely the best in their class. So we’ll be keeping our wine bible – Platter’s South African Wine Guide 2023 – on hand. This is the 43rd edition of the authoritative South African wine guide – and it features the Five Star wines out of the more than 8000 reviewed (nice job!). There are descriptions of producers across the wine regions of South Africa and has useful info for learning about and traveling in our gorgeous winelands. R399 from Exclusive Books.
Another one topping the Platter’s charts … the guide honoured Trade Winds Wine with one of the highest accolades … that of Platter’s 2023 Newcomer Winery of the Year.
So this month we’ll be trying the Trade Winds Sauvignon Blanc 2021, described in the guide as “Melange of ripe tropical flavours mingle with bright, zingy acid & citrus vivacity. Light lees contact in tank adds structure & length”, and the Trade Winds Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 … “Confident debut of 2019. Fruitcake-toned body given spice from 18 months in seasoned French oak. Inky depth & concentration delivered without loss of refinement, 18 months mellowing in bottle at cellar adding to the elegance.” Details: tradewindswine.com
