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Canada
By Allison Waken from All For The Boys
We moved into this house almost 2 years ago now & renovating the kitchen was at the top of the list. Life got a little busy and while we did finish a lot, the kitchen got pushed down the line a bit. Well, this summer we finally got the chance to put some time in and we all are in LOVE with our renovated kitchen! It’s so bright, fresh, and a great spot to hang out. We made lots of decisions on how we wanted to upgrade the kitchen with one thing in mind – a gathering space. We wanted a space that our family felt good in, could spend time in (since we eat a lot around here with 2 teenage boys + friends), and that made us smile when we walked in. I think we did it!
A RANGE WITH AIR FRY
One of the things that was most important to me when deciding what did (or didn’t) go in the kitchen was keeping a clean, uncluttered feel. Since the kitchen isn’t a HUGE space and really is a central gathering area of our home, I wanted it to be bright, open, and airy. That meant really being picky about what small appliances to have since we don’t have a ton of storage space.
We love small appliances that make life easier (and food taste good) and I’d heard everyone raving about their air fryer. The problem for me was space to store it AND they all seemed too small to make a full meal or main dish for a family of 4 with 2 teenage boys. With our crazy schedules, I definitely don’t want to be trying to cook dinner in multiple batches. That’s when I learned about the new Frigidaire Gallery Ranges. Frigidaire released the first range to include Air Fry!
The new Frigidaire Gallery Ranges are available in gas, electric, or induction and ALL have Air Fry incorporated into the oven cavity. That means it’s definitely big enough to make a meal for my whole family or snacks for ALL the friends that come over to visit. We are in love with this new range. Not to mention how gorgeous it looks in the kitchen!
If you’re not familiar with air frying, it allows you to make crispy, healthier versions of fried foods with little or no oil. So instead of frying with oil, it’s like you’re frying with air. It works by delivering higher heat early on in the cooking process which allows the surface of the food to quickly crisp. After the high, direct heat, Air Fry gradually decreases the cooking temperature to ensure a crispy outer texture, while maintaining a juicy, tender inside.
There are so many great Air Fry recipes out right now but I was always disappointed in the lack of space or quantity you could make from the recipes for all the small air fryers available. Our new Frigidaire Gallery Electric Range has much higher capacity AND I don’t have to have an extra appliance. PLUS those front controls made the kitchen look so much more open!
The range also happens to include True Convection technology which allows for faster and more even multi-rack baking which happened to be my biggest complaint about my old oven. It was hard to roast meat and veggies at the same time if I didn’t want them on the same tray (or I had more than could fit on one tray).
We’ve tried air frying, using a non-stick baking sheet and Frigidaire’s ReadyCookTM Air Fry Tray, and all have turned out amazing. From easy, healthier fries (the boys are into making new dips right now), to breakfast nachos, and one-basket meals – we are hooked! I love being able to make crispy delicious snacks or meals that everyone loves but that just happens to be a bit better for all of us!
CREATING A KITCHEN WE CAN GATHER IN
With the boys getting older, family time is becoming even more precious to me so I’m going to take any way I can make our home inviting or “the home to be at”. We chose colors and textures we all loved and were happy to be around in the kitchen along with making small changes like putting the knives in storage in the drawer instead of on a block on the counter. These changes helped the kitchen to feel more relaxing, open, and clean.
The island is definitely a central gathering place in our home (the tv is directly across from the kitchen) so I try to keep it open so it’s easy for the boys to do homework, gather with friends, or help prep dinner.
A range that can air fry teen faves like wings, fries, egg rolls, nachos, and more means MORE time spent in the kitchen and more time at home! We all love trying new foods using the air fry technology in our Frigidaire Gallery range but it also works beautifully for traditional baking as well. Colton (15) is taking “Intro to Culinary” in school this semester and loves to help me bake. We made pumpkin muffins the other day and they came out better than they ever had in our old oven!
Basically my goal in the design of the kitchen was calming colors, bright open feel, and appliances that work with us and for us to create snacks and meals that much easier.
DEFINITELY head over to learn more about Frigidaire ranges. I can’t wait to make more meals in ours!