Wednesday, January 18, 2023

We began with fries and burgers...

 January 18, 2023


It’s only been a week since we set up my Christmas gift, but we’ve already used our new Ninja Foodie three times! After some discussion, the decision was made that the first thing that should be prepared in the device was French fries.

We don’t eat those often in this house. In the good weather, David will take care of his regular craving for “fries and gravy” by riding his scooter down into the center of town and buying a large order of fries with gravy from a small local restaurant. He puts the package of them in the insulated bag that is strapped to the back of his scooter seat and then brings them home. They’re still very hot when he sits down at the table to eat them. This of course makes him a very happy man.

He and our daughter both love fries. I like them, but don’t crave them as often as they do. But I was looking forward to learning a new, less-fuss and time-consuming way to make them.

Not unexpected, one of the first things we discovered was that there is a learning curve involved when it comes to using our new appliance. Perhaps more of a learning curve for some of us than for others. You see, between my daughter and I, one of us reads directions very carefully and more than once, and one of us, well, not so much.

We decided to make fries last Thursday night. The only problem? We had no fries in the freezer. Daughter said she would bring some home after work, which she did. However, she did not buy them directly on the way home, but in that small time frame just before her final client, which meant when those fries got here, they were no longer frozen.

Some accommodation in the time or temperature or perhaps, both, should have been made accordingly. As a result, the fries cooked up very quickly and were definitely crisp. Maybe a bit crisper that might have been desirable—for me. I’m the only one sitting at that table who does not smother fries with gravy. I prefer a small circle of ketchup for dipping on one side of my plate, and some malt vinegar sprinkled on the fries on the other side. I ended up not eating my full portion, which was huge, but the results were a good first try.

I especially liked the part about not adding any oil.

The next day we went grocery shopping, (and yes, we got another package of fries for the freezer), and while browsing, we saw that they had a ready to heat “thin sliced beef” suitable, according to the package, to make Philly Cheese Steak sandwiches. David salivated the moment he put eyes on that product, and it was on sale, so we bought it. We also got a package of six sausage buns for those dinner sandwiches, buns that looked very fresh.

I knew I had green and red peppers at home as well as onions that I could sauté to go with, so I knew our supper was set. A quick update via text to my daughter, who would not be home for a couple of hours yet resulted in her request for me to take a pack of her “Impossible Burger” out of the freezer. Her plan was to make herself a couple of non-meat burgers for her supper, and to cook them in the Ninja.

This time she read the instructions and set the temperature and timer accordingly. And absolutely loved the results.

Last night was Nanny Tuesday, which means we had our daughter’s two grandchildren here for dinner. She decided to make hamburgers for them—and for us, too. The Ninja is perfect for that, because it will hold 4 burgers at a time, which is all we needed for the meat eaters at the table. She cooked her own veggie burger separately, and again, the appliance worked well. They tasted as good as burgers grilled outdoors. Another plus, there was no smell of fried meat throughout the room that one usually gets from frying hamburgers indoors.

Now we’re on a mission to seek out different meals to make in the Ninja. There will be some new recipes in our future, just in time to fight the winter doldrums.

 

Love,

Morgan

http://www.morganashbury.com

http://www.bookstrand.com/morgan-ashbury

 


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