James Smith, also known as the Tattooed Butcher from Chop Online Meats, shared that he doesn’t have air fryer specific instructions detailed on the packaging of his range of quality cuts and smallgoods, but that it could be a possibility as it has become a mainstream cooking method.
While the possibility is there, Smith said that Chop Online Meats saw air fryers as a smaller fan bake oven, which reduced the cooking time of meals by five minutes per 30 minutes, compared to the conventional oven.
The impact of social media, notably the surge in using air fryers as a cooking solution, has not gone unnoticed and has experienced significant change. When discussing the relationship between social media trends and how they impact the popularity of certain Chop Online Meats products, Smith explained that it fluctuates massively with what is and isn’t popular online.
“Social media trends are huge, and the marketing side behind it is even bigger, so we see massive changes depending on what it is and what is not popular,” said Smith.
Chop Online Meats is a small business, and marketing and utilising social media channels and participating as part of viral trends, such as the air fryer movement, is a goal Smith has set to pursue in 2024.
Smith said that the new year would bring rising costs to suppliers, wages and all other things that go into a business that contribute to cost increase, which is the biggest challenge for Smith and Chop Online Meats.
One way that smaller producers can help keep costs down is to join collaborative efforts like the Good Food Collective, as Chop Online Meats did in February this year. But in general, those rising costs will have to be passed onto the customer.
Chop Online Meats and its small goods are all handmade using fresh ingredients and New Zealand-based meat.
“And they taste bloody good.”
