Appreciation post: how air fryers brought back that old church potluck vibe

I went to a family reunion last weekend over at my aunt's place in St. Louis, and she pulled out this beat up air fryer she's had for like 5 years. She was making these little breaded okra bites that tasted exactly like the ones my grandma used to fry up for church potlucks back in the 90s. It got me thinking about how much cooking has changed since then. Back then everything was either deep fried in a big pot of oil or baked in a slow oven for hours. Now you just toss stuff in the air fryer and it comes out crispy in 10 minutes with way less mess. I remember my mom used to soak okra in buttermilk and stand over a hot stove for 20 minutes. My aunt just sprayed them with cooking spray and popped them in. Has anyone else noticed their air fryer making old family recipes easier or bringing back flavors they forgot about?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_christopher12d agoMost Upvoted

Used to roll my eyes at air fryer hype but your church potluck comparison finally got me. Had the same thing happen with fried pickles at my sister's place last month, tasted exactly like the ones from church suppers growing up. Air fryers just nailed that old school fried food feel without the gallon of oil.

jamesroberts12d agoMost Upvoted

Man, you're spot on about that old school feel. It's wild how these things can pull off that greasy spoon taste with barely any oil, makes you wonder why we ever bothered with deep fryers in the first place.

kim_johnson5111d agoMost Upvoted

Ngl, I was totally one of those people who thought air fryers were overhyped, but this post changed my mind.