Instant Vortex Plus 10
The Instant Vortex Plus 10-Quart Air Fryer is a convection oven-style air fryer with two racks to maximize cooking space. Weinstein said that he loves this model, but noted that if you use both trays, youll need to swap your food halfway through cooking. The Instant Vortex Plus has a touchscreen to set the temperature and the time. It features seven functions, from air frying to dehydrating. It comes with a drip pan, cooking trays and a rotisserie spit that you can throw in the dishwasher, too. The Instant Vortex Plus has a 4.6-star average rating from 23,000 customer reviews on Amazon and comes with a one-year warranty.
What You Shouldnt Bake
Smaller baked goods
Although it is recommended to downsize regular-sized baked goods to fit in an air fryer, air fryers are not an ideal option to bake very small items like choux pastry , madeleines, or mini-sized cupcakes.
Since each individual item is so small and needs to be baked separately with sufficient space apart, you’ll have to bake them in many batches. This risks leaving out the remaining batter for too long.
Leaving out choux pastry dough, or any kind of batter out for too long will affect its rising power. Leavening agents like baking powder and baking soda act for a relatively short time, so their effect might have reduced significantly by the time you bake your last few batches.
This also applies to mini cakes which requires the use of meringues for volume. The beaten egg whites in the batter will start to deflate over time if not baked immediately, resulting in flatter and denser cakes as a result.
Anything with cheese
If youre thinking of using your air fryer to bake something with cheese as a topping, and do not want to deal with a mess later, wed recommend otherwise. As soon as cheese touches the hot surface of the air fryer, itll melt, causing a mess that will be hard to clean up. However, you can still try baking stuff with cheese, as long as it is not exposed .
Healthy Air Fryer Parmesan Chicken With Broccoli
This chicken gets incredibly crunchy, thanks to a light coating of panko and Parmesan and a quick cook in the air fryer! Serve it with charred broccoli and a tangy yogurt sauce for a healthy and complete meal you can throw together any day of the week.
Get the Recipe: Healthy Air Fryer Parmesan Chicken with Broccoli
Also Check: Nuwave Brio 14 Qt Air Fryer
Easy To Use And Clean
Most units are designed to be very user-friendly and easy to operate just place your food in the basket, set the temperature and time, and walk away . A typical air fryer doesnt have dozens of cooking options, just simple controls that are basic and easy to understand. Because air fryers dont use much oil, theyre also typically very easy to clean. Win-win.
What Can I Make With My Air Fryer
You can make the regular things like wings and frozen items. Well the question I throw back is, what cant you make in it? I really havent found anything, really. Even our tofu air fryer recipe rocks.
We used to make stuffed bell peppers in the oven but not anymore! After making air fryer stuffed peppers there is no other way.
Recommended Reading: Power Air Fryer Xl 5.3 Quart
How To Cook In An Air Fryer
Every food is different. However, there are some similarities among most air fryer recipes. For example, its generally best to place the food in a single layer in your air fryer basket.
Then you push the basket into the air fryer oven. Its a very simple process that takes very little time or know-how.
Some people dont recommend air frying anything with a wet batter. However, I disagree. The key is to have the proper tools. When I make anything with batter that might drip, I use a silicone pan that fits into the bottom of the air fryer.
I also have a variety of silicone mats as well as some parchment paper that has been precut to the size of my air fryer basket.
And you can get the best results from muffins when you use silicone muffin cups. Air frying is my favorite cooking method for making any kind of muffin.
If youre not sure if something is done, you can pull out the basket and take the temperature of the food. My air fryer doesnt even have a pause button. But I think that some do, so always read your manual before stopping the cooking process.
The good news if the food isnt done when you test it, you can continue to cook it until it is. All I have to do with my air fryer is push the basket back into the air fryer, reset the time, and cook it until the food is ready.
Best Practices For Using Your Air Fryer
If youre new to the world of air-frying, well, youre in for a treat. Here are some best practices for using your air fryer, which just might just change your life.
Place the air fryer on heat-safe surfaces. The air fryer unit gets really hot, so make sure youre using it on a surface that can withstand the heat. Also, keep it several inches away from other appliances or kitchen items. Hot air blows out from the vent and, in my novice air-frying days, this is how I melted the outside of my coffee machine.
Also Check: Best Toaster Oven Air Fryer Dehydrator
Best Air Fryer Oven Recipes
This post may contain affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, please read my disclaimer here.
Sharing is caring!
25 recipes specifically designed for air fryer oven recipes. They cook perfectly every time so you never haveto guess when theyre done cooking!
Whether you have a Ninja Foodi Air Fryer Oven or Cuisinart Air Fryer Toaster Oven, these recipes are exactly what you need to start cooking in your to-be most beloved appliance in the kitchen.
Wondering if an air fryer oven is right for you? Check out these best large-capacity air fryers to buy.
What Foods Are Best Cooked In An Air Fryer
Here are some of the best things to make in an air fryer, according to the pros.
- Cooking bacon in an air fryer is pretty easy.
- For a quick dessert, try cooking up some bananas.
- You can cook a flavorful steak in an air fryer.
- Fry up chickpeas for a crispy, savory treat.
- Air-fried doughnuts are often light and fluffy.
Recommended Reading: Frigidaire Electric Range Air Fryer
Air Fryer Pumpkin Seeds
You can have crispy, salty pumpkin seeds ready in just 30 minutes thanks to the air fryer. They are delicious plain, but also great with your favorite seasonings. Toss the seeds with a generous coating of ranch seasoning, chili powder or sumac, for instance, just before air frying them.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Pumpkin Seeds
How To Use An Oven Air Fryer
An air fryer is an element of the oven that functions similarly to a worktop air fryer. Amazingly, air rushes around the food within an air fryer oven, resulting in crunchy, brown outcomes without the use of oil required for deep-frying.
The Front Control Induction Range is a excellent example of an air fryer oven. By placing similar technology directly in your oven, Air Fry eliminates the need for a separate tabletop unit.
Most air fryers are tall, like a coffeemaker, rather than being fashioned like a toaster oven. It has a replaceable container with a handle, as well as a detachable basket that fits within the bucket.
The food is placed in this basket. The bucket is inserted into the gadget, turned on, and the food begins to cook. The fan is located over a heat source in the ceiling.
Also Check: Air Fryer Xl Replacement Parts
How To Clean Your Air Fryer
Most air fryers have a nonstick coating that helps to make clean up easy.
- How to clean the air fryer basket. Most basket-style air fryers have an inner and outer basket that can be taken apart for washing. You can wash the basket in warm, soapy water. Be sure to use a non-abrasive cloth or sponge so as not to damage the nonstick coating.
- You can check your instruction manual to see if the baskets for your model of air fryer are dishwasher safe. However, I recommend hand washing because the parts should wash up easily and it may make them last longer.
- For the easiest clean up, rinse the basket right after cooking.
- The removable parts of an oven-style air fryer can be cleaned in a similar way, with warm soapy water or in the dishwasher.
- If the surface of the air fryer base unit gets dirty, wipe it clean with a soft, damp cloth.
- Can you put foil in an air fryer to make clean up easier? Yes, you can put aluminum foil or parchment paper in the air fryer. You can buy sheets of perforated parchment paper designed for air fryer use. The holes allow air to flow through when cooking. Never run your air fryer with parchment paper or foil in it without food on top of the paper/foil, or the paper may lift up and touch the heating element.
Before We Get Carried Away
An air fryer is not a pound-for-pound replacement of an oven. There are plenty of foods that you probably won’t want to cook in an air fryer. Others just plain won’t fit in a standard air fryer. Certain models are spacious enough to cook a whole chicken, but for larger roasts, a Thanksgiving turkey or that Sunday lasagna — not to mention most baking projects — your air fryer may not be the best option.
That said, for someone who doesn’t bake much or cook whole turkeys and racks of lamb on the regular, an air fryer can shoulder a whole lot of the cooking that your more expensive, less energy-efficient oven has been handling.
Don’t throw your big oven away just yet. You’ll still want it to cook that Sunday lasagna and a turkey on Thanksgiving.
Read Also: Yedi Total Package Air Fryer Oven Xl
Cuisinart Convection Toaster Oven Air Fryer
Price: $$
Despite being more compact than others on this list, the Cuisinart Convection Toaster Oven Air Fryer can still cook up to two racks of food at once.
You can also choose between conventional bake and broil or convection-powered bake and broil.
Additionally, it comes with a spray bottle for oil so that you can easily add the small amount you need for air frying.
Just keep in mind that several reviewers note that the oven runs hot, so youll want to keep a close eye on your food to keep it from burning.
How To Make Chicken Strips In The Air Fryer
Once you have your chicken strips marinated, remove them from the buttermilk and add them to the flour mixture. Letting any excess drip off. Coat the chicken strips well in the flour breading so a nice crust can develop on the chicken strips.
Before air-frying the chicken strips, spray them with some nonstick cooking spray which will give them just enough fat on the outside to make the crust really crunchy and delicious.
Don’t Miss: Gourmia Air Fryer Toaster Oven Review
Don’t Make These 10 Mistakes
Doing any of the following things wont melt your face off, but try to avoid them.
Do not be too generous with oil.
Use a light hand with that oil! Excess oil ends up in the drawer under the grate, but if theres too much buildup, it might smoke. Generally speaking, if theres already fat on the food , you might not need to oil the food at all. Vegetables, however, benefit from a light coating of oil, because it helps make them nice and brown.
Do not grease the drawer with cooking spray.
Seems like that would be a good idea, right? But the baskets have nonstick coating, and cooking spray can damage the finish over time.
In lieu of cooking spray, toss your food in oil insteadyoure probably doing that already, in many casesor rub it down with an oil-saturated paper towel. I found pre-fried frozen foods didnt need the help of extra grease.
Do not use oil with a low smoke point.
Olive oil isnt great for air frying, because it has a low smoke point. Not only will it smoke at high temperatures, but it can also develop a weird aftertaste. Vegetable oil, canola oil, peanut oil, and other high smoke point oils are the way to go.
Do not crowd the drawer.
For all the space they hog on a countertop, air fryers dont have a big capacity. For the best results, dont load the drawer up with food . Its so tempting to add another handful of potato sticks or shaved beets, but youll learn from experience that food comes out crisper and cooks up faster if you work in small batches.
Is Air Fryer Healthier Than Oven
I wouldnt say there is much more of a benefit between these two devices, but your finger food will get crispier this way! From cheese sticks to air fryer tuna patties and everything in between this can do it all I tell you.
If youre comparing a deep fryer to this though there is a BIG guilt free health difference!
- The benefit is youll get that same fried food crispiness with NO oil needed .
- This is my favorite olive oil spray I use for almost all of these healthy air fryer recipes.
- For things such as air fryer sausage patties it IS much healthier because the grease drains away as it cooks.
- Appetizers made like air fryer crab cakes that would normally be deep fried take on way less fat and calories this way.
You can air fry any and all vegetables you want. This method makes them tender but with a little crisp on the edges which we love cauliflower steaks air fryer style is a game changer.
Just a little spray on top at the end makes the outside of everything turn out extra crispy and tastes fried. No need to deep fry anymore when making air fryer artichoke hearts, just do it this way! Just look at these air fryer flautas and/or our air fryer empanadas.
Also Check: Air Fryer Basket For Convection Oven
Air Fryer Fried Oreos
This carnival treat is easy to replicate at home with your air fryer. We doctored up pancake mix to create a sweet batter that gets light, golden and crisp. The key to a perfect coating is to get the batter’s consistency rightso adjust as needed with extra mix.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Fried Oreos
Common Mistakes Youre Probably Making With Your Air Fryer
Cleaning it incorrectly or infrequently: Not many of us look forward to cleaning up post-meal. But, to keep your air fryer in decent condition, crumbs should not be left behind. Generally, washing the air fryer with hot soapy water after each use, combined with an occasional soak and light scrub, will help keep your appliance squeaky clean.
Not checking on your air fryer while its cooking: For best results, youll want to periodically check up on your food, which means opening up your air fryer. Most units are designed so you can open them, check on your food, and shake the basket around allowing food to be evenly cooked and crispy without burning or drying it out.
Overcrowding the basket: A mistake a lot of first-time buyers make is filling their air fryer to the brim with food, and expecting it all to magically cook evenly and thoroughly. It is recommended you should never fill your basket more than halfway, so larger portions of foods must be cooked in batches. The general rule of thumb is: resist the temptation to feed a crowd, all in one go.
Not pre-heating: When using an oven to bake or cook, you would usually pre-heat before cooking. Well, the same goes for an air fryer. Spending a few extra minutes waiting for the machine to reach optimum cooking conditions will potentially help you avoid under-baked choc chip cookies or unevenly cooked potato gems.
You May Like: Best Air Fryer Large Family
Freezing And Reheating Air Fried Chicken Strips
I find that these air fryer chicken tenders are best right out of the fryer basket. The breading gets a bit soggy as it sits since it isnt as crispy as a traditional fry method.
Id recommend making just enough to eat, but if you have a few extra you can store them in the fridge for 4-5 days and reheat them in a 350F oven until crispy and warmed through, probably 10 minutes. You can also reheat them in the air fryer for a few minutes.
Air Fryer Fried Chicken
Making fried chicken in an air fryer is a revelation. You can achieve a crispy crust and juicy interior without all the steps of deep-frying. A soak in seasoned buttermilk adds extra flavoras little as 1 hour will make a difference, but overnight is even better. Because of the capacity of a standard air fryer, we cook the chicken in batches. You can rewarm the first batch in a 250-degree oven for 10 minutes if you’d like to serve it all hot at once.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Fried Chicken
Read Also: Emeril Lagasse Air Fryer Manual
