Browsing: Food and Drink

Two newbies are on the menu this Christmas.

Specialist Wine Expert gives us his top recommendations for these non alcoholic alternatives

TikTok always comes through with the tips (Picture: TikTok/Getty)

Not only are air fryers cheaper to run than conventional ovens, they also allow us to get crispy and crunchy results with less oil, effort and time.

It’s no wonder everyone and their mum swears by them. But it seems we’re all looking for new ways to get the best of the countertop cooking appliances.

According to research by Raffolux, searches for air fryer hacks have spiked 305% since last summer, and are now at their highest since they first peaked in 2019.

TikTok has become one of the best sources for these top tips, with videos under the airfryerhacks hashtag racking up a whopping 424.2 million views and those tagged with airfryertips at 67.3 million.

To save you scrolling through the never-ending content available, we’ve narrowed things down to the most popular recommendations.

These are the top hacks that air fryer fanatics on TikTok are loving, and which you can give a go at home.

Keep it clean the easy way

@smartler Cleaning the air fryer was too long 😪 #fyp #foryou #viral #trending #tiktokmademebuyit #lifehack #airfryer #amazonfinds ♬ well this is gonna be my personality – Ted Nivison

Although it’s less of a ‘hack’ and more a product recommendation, the most-watched air fryer tip is this one advising users to give silicone liners a go.

Smartler’s tip to cover the metal gauze in your fryer with a silicone tray has been liked more than 3.9 million times, so home chefs are obviously on the hunt for simple clean-up solutions.

After each meal, swill out the tray with hot water and washing up liquid before wiping clean, ready to use next time. If you prefer, you can also use baking or parchment paper, but this is less environmentally-friendly.

Upgrade your garlic bread

@thisisplanetfood Replying to @✈️💥🏢🏢 Garlic Bread Bagel Bites! 🧄🥯 #PlanetFood #foodtok #ukfood #easyrecipes #airfryerrecipes #bagelbites #airfryerhack #garlicbread #chef 🥯 Slice 2 bagels into ‘chips’ 🧄 Add your chopped bagels to a bowl with 2 tsp each garlic granules and parsley, 1 tsp oregano and 75g parmesan 🥯 Drizzle with olive oil – or even better, garlic oil – and toss together to coat 🧄 Air-fry at 170C for 5 mins until crispy (you may need to do in batches depending on the size of your air-fryer) 🥯 We served ours with a delicious garlic dip! ♬ Sure Thing (sped up) – Miguel

Garlic bread definitely tops the list as one of Brits’ most beloved foods, and now thanks to this Tiktok with 1.2 million views, it’s never been a more viable option in the air fryer.

All you need to do is slice up one bagel into bitesize pieces, add to a bowl with olive oil, parmesan, and herbs like oregano and parsley, then air fry at 180C for eight minutes. A tasty garlic mayo to dip is optional, but very much recommended. 

Make pepperoni ‘crisps’

@thisisplanetfood Replying to @Juicy lucy ❤️🧃 We had the same thought! 💭✨ #PlanetFood #FoodTok #UKFood #SalamiCrisps #HighProtein #ProteinSnack #HighProteinMeals #AirFryer #AirFryerHack #CookingHacks #Salami #SnackHacks #EasyRecipes ♬ Hey, Mickey! – Baby Tate

Whether you’re following a keto diet or just prefer your snacks on the meaty side, you’ll want to try these pepperoni ‘crisps’.

Planet Food, in a clip that’s been liked over 363,000 times, shows us how it’s done: layer pepperoni over the bottom of the air fryer tray in a circular pattern, cook at 200C for three minutes, then leave on some kitchen roll to crisp up.

For those wanting a fancy version, add mozzarella and basil on the top part-way through cooking. 

Take the hassle out of cleaning

@tracesoats You gotta save this 🤯 Also, you could j add tin foil to prevent the gunk #lifehack #airfry ♬ original sound – Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show

One of the biggest searched trends in the air fryer category is #airfryercleaning at 9.1 million views. According to Trace Alexander’s Tiktok with 535.3k likes, when it comes to the ‘deep clean’, you can fully remove built-up grime in minutes.

Take out the tray and fill it with hot soapy water, then air fry at 175C for five minutes to let the heat work its magic. All that gunk should easily wipe off after that.

Whip up a ‘half English’ breakfast

@airfryerguy Breakfast hack #airfryerguy #breakfast #airfryer ♬ Beautiful Breakfast – Jake Grigg – Air Fryer Guy

If you fancy a fry-up but can’t face the hassle of cooking one, Jake Grigg recommends a ‘half English’ breakfast made in the air fryer.

His video, with over 333,000 likes, shows him placing one slice of bread at the base of the cooking tray with an egg cracked in the middle, and a slice of raw bacon on top. Cook for 180C for seven minutes and you have the perfect quick cooked brekkie.

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Metro’s drinks expert Rob Buckhaven gives his recommendations for every pre-Christmas drink (Picture: Natasha Pszenicki)

I get it, I’m all Mariah wants for Christmas. Every year around November she won’t let me forget it, belting it out of shops, radio stations and car stereos.Flattering, but a bit excessive if I’m honest. And don’t get me started on Bing and Bublé, having the nerve to tell me it’s starting to look a lot like Christmas when we’ve been basking in a heatwave for most of October.

Let’s put this into perspective, Christmas day is in eight weeks’ time, that’s a lifetime in Christmas shopping years.

There’s huge pre-festive potential in the month of November, a dry run of a month, in a wet way, to get us primed and in full swing for the merriment of Christmas parties and New Years Eve.

Let’s use November as the practice run to get our boozy ducks in a row, without the December pressure that comes with it.

Don’t forget, many of us are fresh off the sober October wagon, myself not included, I was never on it.

So, let’s pace ourselves by using key party calendar dates like Halloween, Dia de los Muertos, Bonfire Night and the rise in winter weddings to raise our festive sipping game.

Join Metro Drinks Club and save on wine
Fancy regular access to delicious drinks at tasty prices? Then welcome to the brand new Metro Drinks Club, brought to you in association with Naked Wines.

To mark this exciting occasion, Metro’s wine expert Rob Buckhaven has selected a series of cases from the Naked Wines range – offered at a very special price to Metro Drinks Club members.

Choose between a red, white and mixed 12-bottle case, or splash out on all three, to gain access to the Metro Drinks Club.

For £64.99 per case, including free delivery, you’ll get a best-in-market deal and save over £100 off the market price.

How to join – and save over £100 on your first casePurchase any Metro Drinks Club case and you’re in the club, though you can opt out at any time.

Read more here.

Follow the link to Metro Drinks Club at Naked Wines to join and purchase your case.

So, wherever there’s a need for a welcome drink or refreshing tipple, red and whites for the meal or bubbly to raise a toast, there’s a drinks suggestion from me.

Any excuse to rummage through the Naked Wines cellar, and anyone else’s really, to try out a plethora of wintery drinks.

Sparkling

Martial Richard Crémant de Limoux Extra Brut is class in a glass

For the love of bubbly, let’s get the fizz right as it’s the cornerstone of, well, everything. No pressure then.

I’m over expensive Champagne prices when there are so many outstanding alternatives around, here are two bottles that are more than capable of toasting up a storm at any gathering:

Martial Richard 2020 Edition Crémant de Limoux Extra Brut, £15.99, Naked Wines (non-member’s price, £19.99)

A frothy showstopper from a renowned Languedoc producer, helmed by a brother and sister team.

With crunchy green apple, apricot yoghurt and almond notes, this is one classy glass.

It’s made from Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc, and a whole lot dryer than their regular bubbly hence the extra Brut in the title.

Asquith Gardens English Sparkling, £16.00, Asda

Asquith Gardens is a five year aged bottle of fizz at an affordable price point

While we’re all aboard the English sparkling train, there’s no denying it can also be spendy.

Not on Asda’s Asquith Gardens’ watch, aged for a whopping five years in bottle, for a biscuity bubble bath at under £20.

The name is a tribute to Asda’s founding Asquith brothers, made by a big-name English producer that shall remain nameless, mainly because I don’t know which one it is.

White

Winter whites don’t have to taste like the inside of a log cabin, like running your tongue along a reclaimed oak floorboard.

Fresher styles are also great for autumn/winter, no matter what the weather’s doing, or go for something more textural if you want a food pairing partner.

Arabella Sauvignon Blanc is an affordable crowd-pleaser

Arabella Sauvignon Blanc, £7.99, Naked Wines (non-member price, £11.99)

Meet a knock-out wine for a knock-off price, you know what I mean. A word to the wise, South Africa delivers bang for buck like no other when it comes to fermented grapes. With supreme growing conditions and a favourable exchange rate, as in weak, it’s an Aladin’s cave for winos.

Case in point here, it’s tropical meets herbaceous, it’s crowd pleasing, it should be in your basket.

Rod Easthope Hawkes Bay Pinot Gris pairs excellently with warm winter soups

Rod Easthope Hawkes Bay Pinot Gris, £11.99, Naked Wines (non-member price, £13.99)

Speaking of food pairing, this is a winner with warm stews and winter stoups, perfect winter wedding fodder.

I don’t know about you, but I’m still stuck on winter soups and a textured white with peach and ginger notes to wash it down.

Also, when the winemaker is nicknamed ‘Rod the God’, you know you’re onto a good thing.

Red

Artelan Rioja Tempranillo has a fruity, dark chocolatey finish

Artelan Rioja Tempranillo, £9.99, Naked Wines (non-member price, £12.99)

On first tasting this with the Naked Wines Buyer, I assumed it would be over £15.

It’s the definition of that non-existent term, a sock-knocker-offer, overdelivering on everything you’d want from a youthful Rioja.

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It’s as smooth as a baby bat, with juicy notes of damsons and black raspberries leaving a velveteen, dark chocolatey finish. Truly scrumptious, this wine is a highlight of their range.

Refreshing Tipple

Wine isn’t for everyone and refreshing spirit-based snifters and a low/no option shouldn’t just be an afterthought. Luckily, we’re a drinks club, so we’ve got you covered.

Engine Gin, £26.00, Ocado

Engine Gin has sage and lemon notes for an uplifting G&T

If you’re not a fan of novelty packaging when it comes to drinks, you’ve got charcoal for a heart.

This one is next level, designed as a retro tin of engine oil. The stuff inside tastes significantly better than engine oil, I learnt that the hard way.

Produced in Piedmont, Italy, it majors on sage and lemon for a mood-lifting G&T. Also, you have to check out their website.

Savoia Orancio, £21.95, The Whisky Exchange

Savoia can bring a dash of orangey bitterness to your G&T

This is hands down my new favourite discovery.

It’s a botanical infused orange wine, white wines left on their skins which then turn amber in colour.

Flavours of this aperitivo include bitter orange, lime, bergamot, pomegranate, ginger and saffron, which make it a tad Aperol-like in profile, only more floral and delicate.

Slug a measure into your G&T to bring in a dash of orangey bitterness.

Cocktail

Mexican Martini

A Mexican Martini is ideal for Halloween or Día de Muertos

Essentially a Dirty Martini/Margarita mash up, ideal for Halloween or Día de Muertos.

45ml Blanco Tequila, 0.5ml Dry Vermouth, 30ml Cointreau, lime wedge, olive garnish, salt

Rub a lime wedge around and salt the rim of a chilled martini glass, fill shaker with ice and shake, pour and garnish with the olives.

Low/No

Botivo Non-Alcoholic Aperitif

Caption: Botivo Non-Alcoholic Aperitif

If you’re cutting down, or not, I urge you to try Botivo.

It’s the most delicious alcohol-free option I’ve tried, for those who like their drinks herbal with a delicious kick of bitterness.

Orange zest, wormwood, gentian, thyme and rosemary are layered over a base of apple cider vinegar and honey.

Recommended with soda, ice and an orange wedge, but I like mine with tonic.

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