Pigs in blankets are sausages wrapped in bacon and are usually made from cocktail sausages, but chipolatas are also a popular option. They are a beloved addition to Christmas dinners and help to elevate them from the usual Sunday roast. Cooking them is pretty straightforward. I typically put them in the oven to cook, but many people online have raved about using the air fryer.
Air fryers have skyrocketed in popularity over the last couple of years as many households are looking for more cost-effective ways of cooking. Air fryers cook food more quickly than a standard convection oven, which is great for saving energy and pennies, but also for busy families that want to be able to cook food quickly. Grabbing a pack of M&S pigs in blankets, I decided to cook half of them in the air fryer and the other half in the oven to see whether there would be a difference in the end result, and there was.
I started by preheating my oven to 180C Fan (200C/Gas Mark 6) as that’s the temperature most chefs online recommend.
I then preheated my air fryer to 180C for around five minutes, just so the basket was at the desired temperature.
The pigs in blankets ended up needing 25 minutes in the oven, and they also had to be turned around halfway through.
When it came to the air fryer, the meaty treats were ready in 15 minutes and didn’t require me to turn them over at any point.
Instantly, from looking at both the cooked pigs in blankets, the air fryer ones looked more plump, whereas the oven-cooked ones looked a little shrivelled.
Going in for a taste test, I opted for the oven-cooked pigs in blankets first. They were a little dry and lacked the crispiness you want from the streaky bacon.
I then went for one of the air-fried pigs in blankets, and they were not dry at all. The cocktail sausages were juicy, and the bacon was crispy.
Aside from the taste, I felt that the pigs in blankets in the air fryer cooked more evenly than in the oven. The oven-cooked ones had areas where the sausage didn’t brown. If I were to cook the pigs in blankets longer in the oven, the bacon would have definitely burned.
For Christmas Day, I’ll definitely be air-frying pigs in blankets, given the results. Plus, cooking them in the air fryer also frees up space in the oven for all the other sides (and of course, the all-important turkey) to cook.
