Five Air Fryers, No Oven: How One Grandmother Transformed Christmas Cooking
Forget everything you thought about holiday cooking chaos. When Beverley Jarvis, a 75-year-old cookbook author from Ashford, Kent, faced the challenge of serving Christmas dinner to her family of 11, she reached for an unlikely ally: not one, but five air fryers. Sounds like a kitchen gadget ad gone wild? It worked out better than you'd think.
Beverley ditched the oven—except, importantly, for the gravy. Everything else, from turkey to trimmings, came out of her line-up of air fryers. She swears this approach isn’t just a novelty; it’s made her festive feast smoother, healthier, and a lot less stressful.
Modern Gadgets, Classic Flavors
The real question: what did she cook in those air fryers for her holiday crowd? Beverley's menu featured a classic Christmas dinner lineup. Centerstage was a turkey breast roll, so everyone got a slice without having to wrestle with a whole bird. Her extra oven space meant more side dishes—the family feasted on perfectly crisp roast potatoes, pigs in blankets, and a glistening gammon glazed with a mix of maple syrup, marmalade, and whisky.
There's more to her method than just keeping the kitchen cooler. Air fryers preheat in three minutes—way faster than the sluggish 15 it takes most ovens. And since they need only a fraction of the oil, Beverley points out they’re ideal for a lighter meal, perfect for anyone looking to escape the holiday food coma. Less oil means fewer calories, and the results surprised everyone: that turkey roll came out crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside—no sad, dry slices in sight.
Beverley admits these countertop gadgets aren’t perfect. Even with five, feeding 11 means shuffling trays and deciding which dish gets priority. But she embraces the puzzle, saying the trick is staggered start times and a little creativity with temperature settings. Guests didn’t mind waiting a few extra minutes for their favorites, especially knowing what went into the meal.
With so many of us already relying on air fryers for weeknight dinners, Beverley’s Christmas cook-up proves even our biggest celebrations can get the modern touch. And who doesn’t want to spend less time sweating over an oven and more time with the family?
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