Use The Appliance To Make Your Own Kale Chips
Since air fryers use extremely hot air to both cook and remove surface moisture from foods, they’re actually great for making kale chips.
Cummings said he recommends tossing kale with coconut oil and sea salt before adding the leaves to your air fryer.
“The air fryer brings out the aroma of the coconut while keeping the kale chips light,” he explained.
Air Fryer Chicken Breast
An air fryer is basically a quick cooker since its way faster than the typical oven.
This tasty chicken breast recipe only takes 20 minutes to make and is ideal for a quick meal.
Loaded with spices that I guarantee you already have sitting around in your cabinet, this one ingredient meal is a classic go-to.
Simply add a couple of sides to the dish, and youre good to go!
These delicious, crispy, and crunchy french fries are a gift sent straight from heaven.
Not only will this dish rival your favorite restaurant, its also a million times healthier!
Say goodbye to the excess oil and calories and hello to your latest obsession.
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Pro Tip: Dont forget to space out the fries before air frying to avoid the fries from steaming.
If youre anything like me and catch yourself making a little bit too much rice, then this recipe is for you.
Grab that leftover rice and make some quick and easy fried rice in your air fryer.
This recipe is awesome since it calls for frozen veggies that can easily be stored in the freezer.
You can adjust the flavors to fit your liking, alongside the ingredients.
Feel free to add a protein source like shrimp or calamari for some added goodness!
Surprising Things You Can Make In An Air Fryer
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Ever been curious what can you make in an air fryer? Perhaps you think its only for making french fries or frozen appetizers.
That itll be another appliance that doesnt pull its weight.
Au contraire, my dear!
There are actually a TON of things you can make in an air fryer! Like, for actual meals like dinner!
Meat turns out moist and tender, perfectly done inside and out. Many recipes cook in half the time.
Plus, its hands free cooking. No standing by the stove, keeping a close eye on what youre making.
Just set it and forget it!
Its also a healthier way of cooking. Instead of needing a ton of oil, you can use as little as a tablespoon .
So if you want some fun and delicious ideas for using this under-appreciated appliance, check out these easy air fryer meals!
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To Preheat Or Not To Preheat
That is the question.
Unlike the big oven on your range, an air fryer does not need a whole half hour to get to temp. A few minutes of preheating should do it. Some air fryer models have a light that indicates when the unit is preheated.
Manufacturers recommend preheating, but if you like, you can skip preheating altogether. If youre starting food in a cold air fryer, your cook time might be three or four minutes longerno big whoop! Try it both ways, and see what gives you the best result. It might depend on the recipe.
Air Fryer Taquitos And Charred Salsa
Taquitos are the ultimate finger foodmini rolled tacos that are warm, cheesy and super crunchy! An air fryer makes this crowd-pleasing snack surprisingly easy to cook up at home. We fill them with chunks of chicken and melty Colby Jack, but you can customize the ingredients to please even the pickiest of eaters with different proteins and cheeses. And while you have the air fryer fired up you can make a delicious charred salsa to serve alongside.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Taquitos and Charred Salsa
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Tasty Air Fryer Recipes
We have a lot of air fryer vegetable recipes here. Its seriously the only way we cook air fryer mushrooms, air fryer zucchini fritters or mixed veggies anymore. Add meat with our air fryer chicken and vegetables recipe or leave plain. Savory air fryer carrots are always a winner but we have a big roundup of air fryer zucchini recipes too.
Doesn’t Work So Well: Most Greens
We don’t know why you’d want to put lettuce in your air fryer, but throwing unseasoned spinach or romaine in there will just cause it to fly around and make a mess. However, there is one thing you can do with leafy greenskale chips! Just be sure to coat your greens in olive oil so they’re weighed down when they go into the air fryer.
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Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
Chicken tenders are a go-to easy meal for many families. Theyre wonderful for dipping and there is a dipping sauce for everyone.
The good news is that you can enjoy these handy little golden strips of wonder without the added oil from frying them.
These chicken tenders are coated in mayonnaise and dijon mustard. Then, theyre dredged in a breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese mixture
Another thing you can try to get the perfect chicken tenders is to marinate them in creamy buttermilk and then coat the tenders in the breadcrumb mixture.
Don’t Make These 10 Air Fryer 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.
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Air Fryer Baked Brie With Pesto Sundried Tomatoes And Artichoke Hearts
Thanks to the air fryer, not only does puff pastry get perfectly golden brown and flakey, the overall cook time is a fraction of what it would take in a standard oven. Layered with pesto, sundried tomatoes and marinated artichoke hearts, this crowd-pleaser is loaded with flavor and festive charm.
Get the Recipe: Air Fryer Baked Brie with Pesto, Sundried Tomatoes and Artichoke Hearts
How Many Things Can Be Cooked At Once In An Air Fryer
Take a look at our list below of some foods that might be good to cook in an air fryer.
Chicken Breast: Its lots of fun to cook chicken breast in an air fryer. All you need to do is place the chicken breast in the bottom of the fryer and season it with spices as you would normally do with a regular oven. Cook at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 30 minutes.
French Fries: Yes, you can cook fries in an air fryer! The cooking times will vary depending on what type of fries you would like. For example, you might want to cook thin-cut fries for six minutes at 360°F. Washing the potatoes before slicing them into French fry shapes will allow them to crisp up more easily and prevent any grease or oil from sticking to the inside of your fryer.
Egg Rolls: Air fryers are perfect for cooking egg rolls. The only thing you have to do is preheat the fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, lightly coat the egg rolls with flour, and then add them to the fryer. They should cook for about 10 minutes.
Pizza: This is one of a few foods that can be baked at 350 degrees Fahrenheit in an air fryer. The additional moisture from the middle of the pizza allows you to avoid burning it. You can also choose whether or not you want a crispy crust on your pizza.
French Bread: You can even use an air fryer to make French bread. You should preheat the fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly coat a loaf of French bread with flour and then place it in the air fryer for 15 minutes.
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Don’t Forget You Can Air Fry Plant Proteins Too
Yes, you can use your air fryer for plant proteins like tofu, tempeh, and more. The best plant-based food to make in an air fryer is definitely tofu. If you don’t like the soft texture of tofu, air fryers make it crispy and delicious without a deep fryer, says Ginger Hultin, MS, RDN, author of “Anti-Inflammatory Diet Meal Prep” and “How to Eat to Beat Disease Cookbook.” Hultin recommends marinating firm or extra firm tofu in soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, and cayenne pepper. Let it marinate but discard the excess sauce before putting the tofu in the air fryer basket, she says. Hultin also suggests air frying cauliflower florets tossed in buffalo sauce for a plant-based hot wing alternative.
Easy Air Fryer Recipes
Wondering what to make for dinner in your air fryer? Whether you just purchased your first air fryer and can’t wait to try air fryer recipes, or have had your air fryer for years but are looking for something different to cook with it, then you have come to the right place. We have rounded up over 25 of the best easy air fryer recipes including roasted vegetables in the air fryer, air fried meat like chicken, beef, and lamb, and all the air fryer seafood including salmon and shrimp. Plus, most of these recipes are quick and easy with minimal prep — perfect for busy weeknights.
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Clutch Recipeswhat To Cook In Your New Air Fryer
McManus raves about Brussels sprouts: Theyre really easy and super delicious.
And Mims says okra and eggplant are two of his top air fryer choices they get crunchy on the outside and soft but not gooey on the inside. The things I like most are things that benefit from partial dehydrating and partial crisping, he says.
Hes also a fan of chickpeas, which crisp up to a level between a corn nut and a regular chickpea, and using the fryer to crisp-cooked grains like rice and quinoa to add to a salad.
You can also bake in the air fryer, with accessories like loaf pans and muffin molds.
And the air fryer is great for reheating leftovers, especially pizza. It revives it and makes it crispy, Mims says.
Some people think you cant air fry food with wet batter, but thats not the case. Crawford shares her tip for foods like onion rings after you dredge them, freeze them for about 10 minutes so the batter doesnt drip inside the fryer.
What Is The Difference Between An Air Fryer And A Toaster Oven
Air fryers have a single fan and heating element on top of the oven. Some toaster ovens may have an air fryer function but usually have heating elements on the top and the bottom.
We do have one which we tried for a while but ended up breaking down and buying a standard machine.
It works better. Some multi function machines work well, I dont think this combo is quite as good. I suggest buying JUST an air fryer machine vs. a crisplid too.
Were not done yet though!! Weve got more to share like how to make chicken fried steak and more.
- Breaded pork chops in air fryer are amazing with gravy on top.
For a snack, brunch or appetizer I would give our air fryer calamari bites a whirl. Just grab some rings frozen and theyre super easy to coat and cook.
An easy lunch is to throw in a few frozen chicken patties in air fryer. Theyre tender on the inside but crispy on the outside.
- Youll love our air fryer lemon pepper chicken wings too.
If you love all things seafood, I would make our air fryer fish and chips. You can use frozen fillets, stick, tater tots or fries. OR use fresh for our air fryer fish nuggets.
Try crispy chicken legs in air fryer with broccoli in air fryer or sweet potatoes for the win
- When people come over I have made this air fryer baked brie which is so amazing I cannot even tell you.
Many times when my kids want a quick snack, its homemade beef jerky,grilled cheese or air fryer quesadillas for the win.
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On The Other Hand Broccoli Can Dry Out In An Air Fryer
Pixley said that while Brussels sprouts are air-fryer-friendly, broccoli is not.
“After our experience with Brussels sprouts, we had high hopes that broccoli florets would get super crispy and delicious. Unfortunately, they just got very dry and dusty and the experience was like chewing on sandpaper,” Pixley told Insider, recalling her kitchen experiences with the vegetables.
Foods You Didnt Know You Could Make In An Air Fryer
You know all about the meats, fried foods, gameday snacks, and other obvious things you can make in an air fryer, but that versatile appliance can also make some foods that might surprise you. Some of these are straightforward, others take some creativity, but here are 20 foods you didnt know you could make in an air fryer.
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Doesn’t Work So Well: Foods With Loose Seasonings
As you can imagine, any herbs or spices that aren’t stuck to your food might not stay put in an air fryer. Hold off on salting, peppering and seasoning your foods until they come out of the deviceotherwise, the little bits could get caught in the air fryer’s nooks and crannies, making it harder to clean.
However, if you do make this mistake, it’s not the end of the world: most air fryer pieces are dishwasher safe. Here are more tips for using one.
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How Do You Make Hamburgers In An Air Fryer
how to make air fryer burgers For the ground beef into burger patties. Sprinkle them with a little salt and pepper. Place the hamburger patty right onto your air fryer basket. Set your air fryer to 375 degrees F. Cook the burgers for 7 to 8 minutes per side. Once theyre just about done air frying add the cheese and cook just until the cheese melts.
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The Best Things To Put In An Air Fryer
Leftover pizza
Microwaving pizza is an atrocity. The skillet method, where you heat up the crust over the stove and cover your pan with a lid so the steam can melt the cheese, is effective enough, but requires babysitting. In comes the air fryer: the perfect way to reheat pizza. You just jam it in there and leave the appliance to work its magic, and out comes pizza with melted cheese, a crispy crust, and toasted pepperoni cupsall with minimal effort. Its almost as good as having the pizza fresh.
Frozen fries
This extends to other frozen bar foods, too, like onion rings and mozzarella sticks. If its a frozen fried food product, chances are that the air fryer will do its duty to make your frozen fries actually taste like theyve come out of a fryer, without all the effort it takes to actually deep fry. My fries always come out perfectly crispy and hot, without any blackened edges or internal sogginess thats typical for baked fries.
Cookie dough
The air fryer is perfect for baking cookies if you arent trying to turn on your huge oven and only need a handful . Space the cookie dough as far apart as you candepending on the size of your air fryer, you can probably make two to five cookies. After that, just bake according to the package instructions, or go a little under if you prefer your cookies gooey. Hot tip: Its best to bake the cookie dough from a frozen state so it doesnt spread too much.
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Potatoes
Is Air Fryer Useful For Vegetarians
I think everyone needs one really. We eat meat but do cook vegetables in it quite often because they come out tender on the inside but crispy on the outside.
Snacks like air fryer chickpeas come out amazing and you can just add veggies to our air fryer quiche recipe for a meal. We love air fryer cheese curds with marinara too.
We use veggies like air fryer artichoke as a side dish usually. If I just want something light I have been known to eat just a plate of spicy air fryer zucchini chips.
You can serve those with air fryer turkey legs or just about anything really. Our air fryer spinach chips or buttered versions are great choices.
Frozen meatballs in air fryer smothered in bbq sauce is a fun appetizer, or throw them into spaghetti for dinner.
Or make some air fryer spaghetti squash or air fryer cabbage with pork steaks in air fryer are loaded with flavor.
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