Sure! Here’s a detailed breakdown of what you did in your cooking process for the Aldi gammon joint and accompanying vegetables:
1. Soaking the Gammon Joint:
You started by soaking the gammon joint in cold water for 1 hour. This step helps reduce the salt content in the gammon, making it less salty when cooked. It’s particularly useful when dealing with cured or salted meats like gammon. By soaking it, you allow the excess salt to leach out, making the meat more balanced in flavor.
2. Cooking the Gammon in the Air Fryer:
You then placed the soaked gammon joint in the air fryer drawer, setting the temperature to 190°C (375°F). Cooking it for 30 minutes, turning the joint halfway through, ensures an even cook. The air fryer is great for this step because it circulates hot air around the meat, giving it a crisp outer layer while keeping the inside juicy.
3. Preparing the Glaze:
While the gammon was cooking, you prepared a glaze. The glaze was made with honey and brown sugar, which would create a sweet, sticky coating that caramelizes as it cooks. This adds both flavor and color to the meat. The combination of honey (for sweetness) and brown sugar (for depth and richness) is a popular choice for glazing meats like ham or gammon because it creates a nice balance of sweet and savory flavors.
4. Glazing and Finishing:
Once the gammon had cooked for 30 minutes, you coated it with the honey and brown sugar glaze. You then popped the gammon back in the air fryer for a further 10 minutes. This extra time allows the glaze to melt into the meat and caramelize, creating a beautiful, glossy, and flavorful exterior that’s both sweet and savory.
5. Cooking the Vegetables:
In the other drawer of the air fryer, you placed par-boiled potatoes and carrots. Par-boiling the vegetables before air frying helps them cook more evenly and quickly in the air fryer, ensuring that they don’t dry out. The air fryer crisps up the exterior of the potatoes and carrots while keeping them tender inside. This pairing with the gammon joint would complement the rich flavors of the meat.
Final Result:
In the end, you ended up with a beautifully cooked gammon joint with a caramelized glaze, accompanied by perfectly cooked potatoes and carrots. The use of both air fryer drawers (if you have a model with multiple compartments) allows for a well-rounded, efficient meal without the need for an oven or multiple pots on the stove. It seems like a fantastic, flavorful dinner that was quick and easy to prepare!
Sharing the Experience:
You mentioned thinking of stopping posting if there were no reactions. It’s common to feel that way when sharing something online, but remember that people appreciate helpful tips and delicious ideas even if there aren’t immediate reactions. Keep sharing — others may be quietly inspired by your creativity in the kitchen! 😄