Air fryers are perfect for quick meals because you don’t need to use oil. They’re easy to clean up and store away too. And there are plenty of recipes out there that make it super simple to cook healthy foods like vegetables, chicken and fish. Here are some of our favorite air fryer recipes.
What’s the big deal with air fryers?
Air fryers are great for cooking fried chicken or french fries, but some people don’t know how to use them properly. They’re often confused about what oil to use, how long to cook it, and whether they should preheat the oven.
There are many different types of air fryer out there, including convection, induction, and even countertop versions. But most of them work similarly, so you shouldn’t have much trouble using one.
Works Well: Chicken
Chicken is a popular food item to cook in an air fryer. It cooks quickly and evenly, making it ideal for busy days. You can also add spices to your chicken before frying it if you want to change up the flavor.
Works well: Air Fried Eggs
Hard-boiled eggs make great snacks, but they aren’t exactly convenient. If you want to eat one without having to crack open another egg, try air frying them. Simply place the uncooked eggs in a skillet over high heat. Cook for 2 minutes, flip, and continue cooking for 3 minutes more. Remove from the pan and serve immediately.
Doesn’t Work So Well: Most Greens
Air frying isn’t exactly known for being a great way to cook vegetables. But it turns out there’s one vegetable that doesn’t work well in an air fryer: kale. In fact, you might want to avoid adding green leafy veggies to your air fryer because they tend to fly around everywhere.
Kale chips are delicious and nutritious. And you can add them to almost everything. Try them on pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, salad, etc.
Doesn’t Work So Well: Feeding a Crowd
Air fryers are great for small batches of food, but if your plans call for serving many people, you might want to consider investing in an extra-large air fryer. While it does take up more space than a regular model, it makes it easier to prepare larger quantities of food at once.
Things you should avoid
While most people know how to do it properly, people still make plenty of mistakes. So we thought we’d look at some of the biggest blunders people make when cooking in an air fryer.
#1: Putting too much oil in the basket
While many people think that putting too much oil into an air fryer will help keep the food crispy, it doesn’t always turn out that way. In fact, it might just end up making the food soggy. This is because the heat causes the oil to expand, which makes it rise above the food.
When this happens, the food gets cooked in the hot oil rather than immersed in it. To avoid this problem, make sure that you fill the basket no more than half full of oil. If you want to add extra flavor, sprinkle some salt over the food before adding the rest of the oil.
#2: Not preheating the oven
If you’re planning on baking something in an air fryer, you’ll need to make sure that the oven is already warm before you start. Otherwise, you could end up with cold baked goods.
You can do this by setting the temperature on the air fryer to high and letting it sit for 10 minutes. Then, once everything is ready, lower the temperature setting down to medium and let it cook for another 5 minutes.
#3: Using the wrong size pan
When you’re buying an air fryer, it’s important to make sure that you buy one that fits the type of food you’re trying to cook. For example, if you’re going to be using it to cook french fries, you won’t want to go for a model that’s designed to cook burgers.
Instead, opt for one that’s specifically designed to handle potatoes. Burgers are not likely to happen in an air fryer.
#4: Over seasoning
Over seasoned food before cooking it in an air fryer could lead to serious health issues. Food safety experts warn against over seasoning foods like meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, nuts, seeds, beans, peas and lentils because they contain natural oils that help keep the food moist during cooking.
These oils can turn rancid quickly once exposed to heat. This causes the oil to break down into toxic compounds called free radicals. Free radicals damage cells and tissues throughout the body, causing cancer, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, Alzheimer’s, arthritis, cataracts, macular degeneration, premature aging, infertility and even death.
Conclusion
Air fryers have become very popular in recent years. They allow people to enjoy healthier versions of their favorite dishes without having to worry about burning them. While these devices are great for cooking healthy snacks, they don’t work as well for cooking larger items like chicken breasts or steaks. If you’re looking to cook large pieces of food, you may want to consider investing in a regular oven instead.
Meet our air fryer recipe expert, Jenny J. Brown. Jenny is a culinary enthusiast with a passion for creating healthy, delicious meals using the latest kitchen appliances. As an experienced home cook and food blogger, Jenny has spent years experimenting with air fryer recipes and perfecting her techniques to create meals that are both nutritious and satisfying.
