Almost everyone I know already has and loves their air fryers.
But countertop space is prime real estate in my closet-size kitchen.
I have to think long and hard before I acquire a new appliance.
And more often than not, they were relegated to cabinets and drawers when the novelty ran out, occupying valuable storage space, gathering dust and getting in the way.
I think I had used my juicer a grand total of only 3 times before I bumped it into storage.
Naturally, I wasn't thrilled when I was gifted a bulky Pery Smith air fryer that squandered my precious countertop space.
I chalked the fangled appliance up to a glorified mini convection oven.
Anyways, I decided to give Mr. Pery a chance — a new gadget to play with, a new adventure in my uneventful life.
It has been 3 months since Mr. Pery came to us.
My boys and I use him just about every day now, even if it’s just to reheat leftovers or frozen foods.
Super crispy pizza straight from freezer to air fryer in 7 mins!
WHY I LOVE MR. PERY
1. He's easy to use and SO, SO simple to clean!
2. It's so easy to check if your food is cooked — simply pull out the fry basket, eyeball the doneness and push the fry basket back in to cook longer if needed.
3. It’s like deep frying with very little or no oil.
Crispy outside, moist inside
No more oil splatters! Ever experienced hot oil spitting, sputtering and exploding from your stovetop like fireworks on the Fourth of July? Ouch! Not fun!
4. Cooking time is faster with Mr. Pery than a convectional oven.
I made ultra crispy pork crackling in under 3 hours that would otherwise require a whole bunch of steps with a convectional oven. No overnight refrigeration, salt crusting or long roasting time! No vinegar or baking soda needed! Plus, you don't have to line the sides of the meat with aluminum foil. Mr. Pery made it way too easy to do.
Thick pork chops cooked to perfection in under 10 mins on each side!
DOWNSIDE
1. Things fly around in an air fryer. Think AIR FLYER! I once placed a McD burger inside the fryer with extra slices of cheddar in between the buns, expecting a perfectly molten cheese burger. Instead, Mr. Pery disassembled the burger! The cheese came off the patty and melted into an icky mess and stuck to the fry basket! Later, I learned that securing the burger with a toothpick does the trick.
2. Wet, battered and loosely seasoned foods are a NO-NO!
So, is the air fryer just a load of hot air? Does the tiny fry-basket justify the space it takes on the counter??
Mr. Pery has really blown me away! Now, I can't imagine life without him.
My son Rodney pranked me with this Christmas gift.
I thought it was a cordless hair dryer!
Turned out , it was a gag gift — a big-ass airpod!
He had me there!
I used it to boom up and play on repeat my playlist of whiny, mopey, achy-breaky songs that I listened to when my heart was shattered by my first major crush at the tender age of 17.
Haha! The songs drove Rodney crazy! "D-E-P-R-E-S-S-I-N-G!" he groaned !
Guys 'n' Dolls - How Do You Mend A Broken Heart?
Guys 'n' Dolls lead singer Dominic Grant died of abdominal aortic aneurysm at the age of 71 in November 2020.
Skeeter Davis - My Last Date With You
Skeeter Davis died of breast cancer on September 19, 2004, aged 72.
Anne Murray - Broken Hearted Me
Retired from singing, Anne Murray, 75, now settles into Nova Scotia life.
Linda Ronstadt - Long, Long Time
Ronstadt, now 73, prematurely retired from her singing career. Parkinson's disease has silenced her emotive voice.
Oh, the hauntingly beautiful vocals and lyrics...
Lyrics that rhymed so perfectly...
The nostalgia...
What were your breakup songs for wallowing when you were a teen?
Scrolling down her page, I discovered that Rommy from The Netherlands creates fun, quirky food-inspired handbags, clutches and purses.
All of her unique designs are meticulously handmade. The bags feature a concealed zip and hollow centre, with enough space to hold a phone, keys, purse and even a little makeup!
In case you are wondering how much they cost...
These are only 25% of all her bags!
Feast your eyes on loads more on her Instagram here.