Russell Hobbs Satisfry Snappi Dual Basket Air Fryer!
I saw the Russell Hobbs Satisfry Dual Basket Air Fryer when I attended the Christmas in July press show and was bowled over by the amazing cookery the chefs were creating using just this very economical on energy little gadget. A full Christmas dinner was presented to me having been cooked in the machine which has dual baskets that can be switched up to create one large on and I thought then, right, this is for me! I love Gousto for easy meals for us but the kiddos have rather less discerning taste buds so it was an invitation to try and make food that they would eat too!
I’d thought about air fryer cookery before but having a larger than average family the process always started with what a great idea it sounded and ended with “bit it would be too small for us and yet take up a lot of room”. The Russell Hobbs Snappi Dual however, can create big meals (or small ones using just one side if you need) and feeling very jealous of the ease friends talk about I wanted to give it a go. And boy am I glad I did!
I had visions of using it to create out of the ordinary meals all the time but truth is I’ve discovered what I need it for is fast meals for the kiddos. To begin with I was using it very happily with frozen fodder, the pull of that laziness took over and my picky children were more than happy to load up on the beige but I fast realised that made me feel too guilty, no amount of cut up cucumber and carrot was making it any better that processed fish fingers were on the menu on the reg and I decided I had to make the fryer work for me differently. So, no fancy fodder (I mean I WILL use it for that too but to begin with I want that simplicity it offers for fast cooking with hungry children) and less of the processed. How could this work? Making my own chicken nuggets and the like is, of course, far better for the kiddos to eat but that takes time and effort that I was getting all too used to not having to bother with, however, I needed to be clever to combine the two!
So… I decided I would use it to cook fast and furiously so that the hungry mouths get fed expediently but I was going to put a smidge more effort in that opening a packet. Not too much more, that would defeat the object of why I’ve fallen in love with the air fryer but a touch. You see, it’s SO easy to use and it cooks things perfectly. You also don’t burn stuff (as I have a penchant to do getting waylaid with other tasks) because you set the time and temperature according to what you’re cooking and it tells you when everything is done. It even tells you when to give the baskets a shake or turn stuff over and frankly that’s been the biggest help. You’d think cooking fish fingers and chips would be easy but I am really that inept, or busy, or forgetful… And also, don’t know if you know, but cooking chips (any kind of potato really) in an air fryer makes them crisp and taste like they’re from a restaurant – no jokes! It’s also the simplest thing to clean, that was another area which had put me off thinking it would be a real hassle, have loads of grooves and it would look really manky, really quickly but this is utterly BRILLIANT for cleaning, it just is! It even goes in the dishwasher, the whole drawer and I’d now absolutely never be without one!
Armed with the knowledge of how to use it from a few weeks of freezer meals, I launched into making things my kids would eat, that didn’t take too much time to prepare, that were definitely more impressive than anything I’d usually cook and which the air fryer could make better than the oven. I now use it almost daily and these are the top three recipes as chosen by my gang!
FRIED CHEESE SANDWICHES
I know what you’re thinking, how hard can a fried cheese be frying it in a pan? But you haven’t tried one in the air fryer to know just how delicious they are done that way instead. I make a big batch and do 4 at a time (with 4 children this means they’re all ready at the same time)! The trick to getting them just right is to butter the outside of the bread and fill the middle with sliced gouda, one slice, ham in the middle and then another slice on top. I do them one on top of the other in the air fryer when I’m doing four and half way through cooking swap the sides round so that every edge gets toasty – a total cooking time of 5 minutes on a temp of 180. They are delicious – I gave them a spooky pumpkin twist for Halloween and served them with the carrots and cucumbers my children will reject but which make me feel better about serving them!
LEFT OVER TACOS AND CRISPY ROAST POTATOES
This is the most thrifty recipe ever! Sometimes on a Sunday, instead of a roast I do piri piri chicken which I turn into pulled chicken for a left over lunch another day. Using the pulled chicken I made a filling for some tacos which are just mini tortillas brushed with olive oil and fried for about 5 minutes in the sape of tacos. They puff up a bit, become crispy and then offer the perfect vessel to be filled with the pulled chicken and topped with cheese. The side potatoes are the cheapest bit of the meal yet as they are drained, tinned potatoes from the “Every Day” range at Aldi which only cost 19p a tin. I pop them in a bowl with some salt, pepper and a bit of olive oil before tipping them in the air fryer and doing for about 20 minutes on 200. Because the tacos take less I start the potatoes first which is fine when in dual mode!
MFC (MUMMY FRIEND CHICKEN) AND RICE AND PEAS
Sounds a faff but I promise this is almost as quick as opening a packet. Mix a cup of plain flour, salt, pepper and then ALL the spices you fancy (I did about 3 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 3 of all spice, 3 of cayenne pepper and 3 of smoked paprika) in one bowl and mix an egg in the other then, using about 12 chicken drum sticks I coat them first in the egg and then the seasoned flour mix before cooking in the air fryer on 200 for 24 minutes (I removed the sides and add the central piece to make one big drawer for this recipe as the chicken needs room around each piece) choosing the shake method so that the machine tells me it’s time to turn them over half way through cooking! I serve this with micro rice, peas which I just pop in a bowl and pour boiling water over leaving for a few minutes to stand before draining, and tinned sweetcorn.
The easiest dinners ever and no guilt as it’s all home-made but the ease in that air frying… Oh wow! In essence, the answer to the main question of “is it worth the money, the space it takes up and do you use it?” is a yes, yes and another emphatic yes. I don’t just like it, I love it and it goes into my top 3 machine gadgets that though they aren’t tiny are so worth having. Soup maker, bread machine (also Russell Hobbs but years old, with a broken lid and yet STILL working fine) and now my air fryer – I can’t believe I put off having one for so long. Come back soon and I’ll share some more fancy recipes, when I’m not being so lazy and utilising it for its best quality, ease!
My other top tip for ease in the kitchen, is, as I mentioned earlier in the post, using Gousto! Jonny and I would literally eat the same food over and over again were it not for the likes of them – Get up to 60% off your first box and 20% off your first two months at Gousto and try it out for yourself! NOw tea is easy for everyone in my house!
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