England’s top cause of kitchen fires are fat fryers. So it’s great to replace one with an air-fryer instead. UK law is that if you buy a new appliance, the store has to recycle the old one. So take the opportunity to take the rusty old fat-stained chip fat fryer to the shop, and let them recycle it for you!
WAFE Reusable silicone baking tools are good to replace disposable parchment paper, and you can them for ovens to catch oil drips, then wipe clean and toss in the dishwasher, to use again.
Silicone air fryer baskets (also in rectangular shape) are in various sizes (measure your air basket before ordering). The slotted holes and air-flow keeps them clean, and the liners capture oil and large food bits.
Silicone is a food-safe alternative to plastic that can withstand high temperatures and is easily recycled, after years of use. The kits include a mini silicone oven glove, which provides maximum coverage to fingers up to 220°C, and stays firmly in place.
You can also buy these alongside the matching silicone bread and loaf tins, in space-saving designs that collapse down after use. They’re also good for making layered tortes and homemade pizza.
Keep fresh dough away from young children and pets.
Before cooking, read up on food safety for people and pets (many foods are unsafe near animal friends). Bin allium scraps (onion, leeks, garlic, shallots, chives) and citrus/tomato/rhubarb scraps, as acids could harm compost creatures. It’s okay to put them in food waste bins (made into biogas).
For tinned foods, fully remove lids (put inside) or pop ring-pulls back over holes (and pinch top opening closed) before recycling, to avoid wildlife getting trapped.
What Makes a Cooking Oil Healthy?
Oils are not really ‘healthy’, as they are refined. Brandi (who wrote the cookbook below) never uses oil in recipes, but she does use fats (olives over olive oil, nuts over nut oils).
If you use oil to cook, the smoke point is what determines if it’s healthy or not (Italians may disagree, but olive oil is best for salads, and the best oil for cooking is local rapeseed oil (makes lovely roast potatoes with no goose fat needed).
When cooking, avoid floaty sleeves and tie long hair back, and keep a small kitchen fire extinguisher nearby.
Sunflower oil is cheap and popular and okay in moderation, but not too much. Nutritionist Michaella Mazzoni says that deep-frying with this oil damages the fats like a broken vase (‘it has been put together, but isn’t quite right anymore’).
Coconut oil has more saturated fat than butter (so can raise cholesterol) and is flammable (so take care when cooking). Popular in Asian cooking, the odd creamy coconut curry is not going to harm, but don’t eat this oil every day. Life in balance!
