Air Fried!
I have noticed recently that the digital numbers on my bathroom scale seem to have a mind of their own. For no apparent reason, they keep rising northward. I've tried everything to fix the problem, like changing the batteries on the scale and moving it to a flatter surface, but the thing refuses to change its upward climb. Mysteriously, working from home hasn’t made the situation any better.
Unable to fix the stubborn machine, I resigned myself to try and change some of my eating habits: less carbs and overall healthier eating patterns. So, when I saw an air fryer on sale, I ordered one.
My first hurdle was to sneak it into the house without my wife noticing. She hates new gadgets, especially ones that take up precious counter space. I am a hoarder, and have inherited my grandfather's penchant for newfangled gadgets “as seen on TV,” but my wife is a true declutterer who dreams about clear and clean counters.
I had to monitor the Amazon deliveries.
Every time my dog barked, I ran to the door to see if he was barking at my delivery man. Finally, the big day arrived, and I intercepted the package before anyone else did, and safely tucked it away into a corner, trying to figure out how to slowly break the news to my wife.
Divine intervention came to the rescue in the form of my daughter-in-law (yes, I just said “my daughter-in-law” — that felt weird). Out of the blue, she started telling my wife all about the benefits of air frying. That was my golden opportunity.
I made the big reveal, and set up shop with the air fryer in its new home on the kitchen counter. Wanting to keep it pareve, I basically have been using it to mostly cook vegetables, and have been eating much healthier, with fewer carbs and plenty of treats from Hashem’s garden (see Genesis 1:29).
My first offering was potatoes and onions. It was as simple as chopping them up, throwing them in the fryer basket and turning it on. But it wasn't cooked well. I cut them thinner, then put them back in. Now they were overdone. It took plenty of trial and error, mostly with potatoes, and it's still not perfect. It's definitely not quite a French fry.
Onions cook much faster than potatoes, so if I want to make them together, it takes some delicate engineering and planning. Still a work in progress.
I then moved on to mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes, and they came out delicious. It dawned on me to throw some leftover steamed vegetables from supper in the fryer. What would happen? 15 minutes later it was crispy and delicious. I'm continuing to experiment with the fryer, being willing to deal with some failures along the way.
The Torah tells us, "Kol hatchalot kashot" — all beginnings are difficult. Adopting more nutritious eating habits is neither easy nor fun. Learning a new way to cook with a new appliance (that does, actually, take up lots of room on the counter) takes a willingness to get it wrong.
Most of us, once we've reached a certain age, lose the sense of adventure that comes along with trying things we've never tried. We like to stick with the things we know we're good at. The things we're used to getting validation for.
But when we're willing to be bad at something and to be uncomfortable in order to learn a new skill, whether it's learning Hebrew, air-frying potatoes, or studying Torah, we grow as humans and as Jews.
Now, if only I can find a gadget to help me curb my post-dinner noshing.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Koval
