My mom's 1987 cookbook recipe came out perfect in the air fryer, finally

My mom gave me her old Betty Crocker cookbook from 1987 (you know, the one with the orange cover) and I was flipping through it last Sunday looking for something to do with chicken thighs. There was this recipe for crispy parmesan chicken that called for deep frying in oil, which I obviously wasnt going to do. So I tried it in my air fryer at 380 for 18 minutes, flipped halfway, and used a light spray of olive oil instead of the 2 cups of vegetable oil. It came out almost identical to how I remember it tasting as a kid, just less greasy. The texture was spot on, crispy outside, juicy inside. It got me thinking about how many old recipes could be adapted this way, but I dont have the patience to test everything. Has anyone else successfully updated a family recipe from a vintage cookbook in their air fryer? What was the biggest adjustment you had to make?

2 comments

2 Comments

lopez.brooke17d ago

That crispy parmesan chicken sounds like a win, and I respect anyone who can pull off a vintage recipe without a vat of oil. My biggest air fryer fail was trying to do my grandma's beer battered fish, which turned into a sad, crumbly mess that looked like a science experiment. The secret for me was cutting the liquid in half and preheating the basket longer than the recipe says, otherwise the coating just slides right off. I've gotten decent results with her old meatloaf recipe too, but I still haven't cracked her apple pie. I figure some things are just meant for a full oven, no matter how clever we get.

calebm4617d ago

Hold off on blaming the air fryer for that fish, @lopez.brooke, it might be the beer itself. The carbonation in beer needs way more room to expand than an air fryer gives, so you end up steaming the batter instead of crisping it. Try using flat beer next time and you might get closer to grandma's result.