I draw from mom’s recipes for these Rice Croquettes from the 80s, with a deep fryer… not an air fryer!

▶In the ’80s and ’90s, the electric oil fryer was a very common appliance in Italian homes. Launched on the market in the late ’70s and early ’80s by brands like De’Longhi, Moulinex, and Ariete, it quickly became a symbol of practicality and modernity in the kitchen.

▶Its success was linked to the ability to fry in a more “safe” and controlled way compared to the classic pan: constant temperature, less splatter, and even cooking. Dishes like croquettes, fries, arancini, cutlets, and sweet fritters were among the most prepared.

▶It was the era when fried food was not yet demonized and home cooking aimed at full flavors and comfort food.

▶With the arrival of the 2000s, thanks to a greater focus on health, odors, and the management of used oil, the traditional fryer slowly began to disappear from kitchens.

▶The real overtaking came after 2020 with the boom of the air fryer, which won over the public with its promise of lightness and practicality, revolutionizing the way of frying at home.

▶This recipe is a tribute to that era: the “recycled” rice croquettes, the ones my mom used to make for me, with leftover rice from the previous day, enhanced precisely thanks to the oil fryer — back then, it was never missing.

Although in the ’80s there were not many food intolerances that today are part of everyday life, the following recipe is gluten-free and part of the Gluten-Free Menu in the section Building the Menu.