Air fryers are good for cooking veggies, especially Brussels sprouts

Happy New Year, all. It feels like a fresh start, a time to reflect on the past strange year and to also have hope for a new, great year ahead. Did you make a healthy New Year’s resolution? It’s popular to start a new diet or workout regimen after the holiday gluttony. I did not, though. I’m just trying for balance over here, which includes dessert more often than I want to admit lately.

For quite a while now, I’ve been yearning for a toaster oven. It doesn’t seem like a big deal to pick up a new, small kitchen appliance. However, my kitchen has mostly original cabinets, leaving not a lot of room for a coffee maker and other items people usually put on the countertop. Then my husband found a Cuisinart toaster oven/air fryer combo last week. It provided enough motivation for me to move the excess cutting boards (yes, there’s a small collection of them) to the basement and move this shiny new appliance into the pantry on the shelf next to the microwave.

Air fryers are a popular appliance that circulate hot air around whatever you’re cooking or baking. Your food comes out with a crispy, fried-like texture and golden brown color in a fraction of the time it would take to roast, fry or bake. I hear that things like fried chicken are amazing made in the air fryer and that it’s great for cooking frozen foods and also vegetables.

All winter long, we eat lots of roasted veggies because they taste so good caramelized. The air fryer saves time and energy because it “fries” those veggies up in 10 minutes or less rather than the 45 minutes that roasting in the oven takes. I like an appliance that saves time.

Garlic, balsamic and soy are all fabulous flavors on top of air fried Brussels sprouts. Crispy Brussels sprouts are enough for a meal, if you eat a plate full. I think you could simplify this recipe if you have an already thick balsamic vinegar. Then you wouldn’t have to reduce it.

This recipe truly marries all the favorites: crispy Brussels sprouts, garlic, balsamic, soy and lime juice. If you must pair it with a protein, some teriyaki short ribs, grilled shrimp and some steamed rice would be great.

Recipe from New York Times Cooking. A version of this story originally published in the Wichita Eagle.

This story was originally published December 30, 2021 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Air fryers are good for cooking veggies, especially Brussels sprouts."